Patrick Kelsey: Candidate Profile

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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: MontgomeryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Waubonsee Community College School Board Age: 55Family: LuAnne Kelsey -Wife Brandon Kelsey - Son Megan Kelsey -DaughterOccupation: Consulting Environmental ScientistEducation: BS Biological Sciences, NIU 1981 BGS, Environmental Policy, NIU 1981 MS Geography-Nat. Env. Systems, NIU 1985Civic involvement: Village of Montgomery Plan Commission, 2012-2013, 2014-2019 Fox Valley United Way, Treasurer 2014-15 FVUW, Board of Directors 2013-present Aurora Chamber of Commerce - Aurora First 2011-2015 CASA Kane County Chairman's Advisory Panel 2011-present Previous Family Counseling Service, Aurora Boy Scouts of AmericaElected offices held: No previous elected office experience.Questions Answers With enrollment up at my many community colleges, it can be challenging to keep pace as far as available classroom/lab space, the number of qualified teachers and available course work options. How would you manage that?Waubonsee already has a conservative financial management plan that focuses on core programs and effective learning strategies. WCC's Project Graduation assists students in reaching completion in a timely manner and maximizes the impact of financial resources by moving students through their programs efficiently allowing expenditure per student to be optimized. The way to manage limited resources with growing student populations is to maximize enrollments in core curricula thereby using staff resources most efficiently and to continue to improve the on-time graduation rate through programs like Waubonsee's "Project Graduation".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 never been an employee of of public school district. My wife is an employee of Aurora West District 129. I have never been employed by Waubonsee Community College. I have previous college teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at Northern Illinois University and as an instructor at Wheaton College and Triton Community College.Is a tax rate increase needed and, if so, how do you justify it?The Waubonsee Community College District experienced a significant decline in assessed valuation during the recession. The result of the devaluation was decreased revenue for operation of the college. Assessed valuations and revenues slowly have begun to rise but the revenue growth has not kept pace with the rising costs of providing education. WCC has responded to this problem with modest levy increases within the statutory authority and I believe that this approach is both fiscally sound and prudent. WCC receives less than half (about 44%) of its operating budget from property taxes. The balance of the funds come from tuition and fees, federal, state and local grants and contracts. Going forward, Waubonsee needs to demonstrate its successes in preparing students for the world of work and higher education to outside funding sources in order to leverage more financial resources from outside the tax base.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?The faculty, staff and administration of Waubonsee Community College do an amazing job meeting the educational needs of a geographically and socio-economically diverse population. In recent years, Waubonsee has been a strong partner in workforce development programs with local school districts through dual credit programs, the Aurora Regional Pathways to Prosperity program and by the addition of new campuses in downtown Aurora and Plano. Each of the new campuses serves a population that was separated from the main campus by both distance and transportation access.What do you think of President Obama's proposal for offering two years of free community college education?The basis of the Obama free tuition is rooted in the principle that a more educated and better trained individual will have a greater earning potential over a lifetime of work. The reality is that nation-wide, collegiate success evades many who are not ready for higher education for a variety of reasons including a lack of adequate preparation, clear self direction or immaturity. Guaranteeing free tuition will likely only add students to the Community College base without putting in place resources needed to ensure academic success. The focus should be on providing additional resources to community colleges like Waubonsee to help students increase their own success rate. Students who enroll and pay part or all of their own tuition have a personal financial stake in their own education and we should focus on providing resources that help them succeed.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis for his concern for others and his ability to transcend differences to create unity.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Success at any endeavor requires hard work, dedication and persistenceIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would complete a PhD in Physical Geography.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Biology was my favorite subject and it has afforded me a diverse career with opportunities to work on complex issues throughout North America.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Follow your passion--it will lead you to success.