Joe Loffredo: Candidate Profile

Back to Gavin District 37 School Board 4-year terms

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: InglesideWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Gavin District 37 School Board 4-year terms Age: 38Family: Married to Megann Loffredo. Our son is in 5th grade at Gavin South, and our daughter is in 4th grade at Gavin Central.Occupation: School Social WorkerEducation: Masters Degree in School Administration and Educational Leadership (MAEL), Aurora University. Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW), George Williams College, Aurora University. Bachelors Degree in Sociology (BA), University of Iowa.Civic involvement: Current Board Member for Gavin District #37. Past 15 years I have coached sports and been involved with volunteer athletics.Elected offices held: Current School Board Member District 37Questions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?I think Gavin School District is certainly heading in the right direction. Implementing full day kindergarten was an enormous undertaking, but that decision made the most sense to provide our students the best start to their education. The staff are collaborating with the teachers and various departments at Grant High School so we can ensure the proper building blocks are in place for their future needs. Even in the elementary classrooms the teachers are celebrating college importance and helping support early goal setting that all students can go to college.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.The Gavin Board, Administration, and Staff have been working for years with minimal spending, being smart about projects, keeping the focus on technology and what our children need, and investigating every opportunity to support the community during times when finances are difficult. The community should feel confident in the current board. Looking at the future of Gavin's financial situation, it is important that long term goals are currently being discussed. The buildings require care and upkeep, and some projects are much larger and need to be budgeted for overtime. New shingles, a gym floor, providing for staff are all future developments. Some great news is our technology upgrades have already been implemented and the buildings are prepared for the new state expectations.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?I have been a school employee for the past 15 years. I am currently a school social worker at Antioch Community High School, this is my 5th year working in District 117 after my transition from Johnsburg District 12. My parents are both retired school teachers, my brother is a teacher, and my wife works part-time at Petty School in District 34, but nobody of relation has ever worked in Gavin Schools.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?My personal view on contract discussion is probably more positive than most. I feel building up to a new teacher contract is the perfect time for a district to increase the working relationship between board and staff. If everyone keeps the first priority in mind "which is finding out what will be best for our students," then the process should not be feared. This does not mean there should be spending beyond our means and all requests should be granted without being challenged or questioned, but the process does not need to be negative. A few factors which decisions need to be based on are current finances, population enrollment trends, cost of living, and what is necessary to keep strong highly qualified teachers working in district. The whole process needs to be a balance between what is needed, what is appropriate, and what can be done.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?Every board is currently in this situation or will be at some point. If you have a quality superintendent who goes above and beyond the expectations and continues to demonstrate success, you never want to loose that resource. This often leads to a superintendent retiring in the district. I am in favor of making this decision after considering the state guidelines and new proposals of placing caps on certain benefits to pensions. Ultimately a board needs to base the decision on similar factors leading into a teacher negotiation. How has the employee performed, what have they been worth over the years, and depending what type of increases are being asked for, can the district afford the contract or not? If the state makes mandates, then we need to follow accordingly, but if they are just guidelines, than we have the right to view individual situations differently and make a decision based on what is best for the district.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I want to make sure that the district is in a better place after I am gone than when I arrived. I think that is a solid concept that can apply to any situation a person is involved with. How does this apply to Gavin? I feel strongly about long term planning for the schools. We need to be researching, exploring ideas, and viewing trends in society so all of our current decision making is going to improve our future 20 - 30 years down the road. Perhaps the most important decision we could be directing our attention on is the process of hiring a new superintendent. We need to be prepared for the process when the time comes. Dr.John Ahlemeyer will be difficult to replace, but that is not a situation to be scrambling with. The board employs the superintendent, and the superintendent needs to lead the schools according to the district plans. This is considered the most important decision a board can make.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.One that stands out among many is astronaut Story Musgrave. He finds a way to accomplish everything he is passionate about.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Everything is a learning experience, and value your education.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have been a volunteer fire fighter. I always admired and respected the local volunteers growing up.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?7th Grade Reading at Intermediate School in Lake Villa. Mrs. Baker showed me how to enjoy reading and writing which are skills I use everyday.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?The more you take care of yourself, the better you can support others.