Peter Lopatin: Candidate Profile

Back to Kaneland Unit District 302 School Board

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: Sugar GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kaneland Unit District 302 School Board Age: 58Family: Married, 3 childrenOccupation: Product Manager, CountyCareEducation: MBA - Boston University BA - George Washington UniversityCivic involvement: Current: Kaneland School Board member, Kaneland Arts Initiative board member Past: Family Health Partnership Clinic Board member ( president) - a medical clinic for the uninsured and underinsured Friends of the Library board member Assistant Coach - soccerElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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 am a believer in continuous improvement - I think that the District is doing a good job to prepare our students, but believe we can do more. Focusing on professional development for teachers, ensuring greater alignment K-12 curriculum, ensuring the best use of technology and ensuring that we have a climate culture of inclusion for all students are priorities for me. We are educating students for jobs that don't exist yet - what will the future bring? Teaching critical thinking, analytic skills, creative questioning and ensuring relevance are essential to their future - we are moving in this direction, but we can do more.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.All school districts in Illinois are facing fiscal challenges in coming years - the state's failure to adequately and equitably fund public education and the pension system has the potential to negatively impact communities throughout the state. I am deeply concerned about that and potential cost-shifts from the state to the local school district. Because of the suburban/rural characteristics of Kaneland, we are heavily dependent upon property taxes to fund our schools - we have little industry or large retail centers to help offset the cost of education. Our school board has made significant cuts over the past years to keep the budget balanced and to improve our fund balance - I support those efforts and am committed to working with District administration to ensure transparency and efficiency in operations.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 am not employed by, nor retired from, a school district; I work in the private sector. I am proud that my wife is currently serving as an Assistant Principal at Kaneland High School.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?Our District will be negotiating with the teachers union and a new union for support staff in the near future. I have a tremendous respect and appreciation for those who work for the public school system and want to ensure that we are able to attract and retain highly qualified staff. Our children deserve that. I don't agree that the issue needs to be framed in terms of concessions, but I do believe that we need to find a way to achieve a sustainable model for paying teachers - our current teacher contract needs to be improved with an eye toward attracting teachers, providing fair compensation, and rewarding outstanding performance. Benefit costs continue to increase and that is a concern in terms of long-term sustainability.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?I do not support the practice of boosting final salaries to garner greater pension benefits for administrators - it is bad fiscal practice and undermines community trust. I am pleased that our District has just hired a new superintendent to lead Kaneland into the foreseeable future; I am excited about this new hire and look forward to working with him when he comes on board July 1, 2015.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.Senator Elizabeth Warren - she is smart, fearless, articulate and insightful.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat all with respect; do not judge.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I loved history in school - it taught me to ask thoughtful questions, to think critically, to value human progress, and to appreciate life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Live your passion.