Manish (Bobby) Tuli: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Manish (Bobby) Tuli

City: Vernon Hills

Office sought: D125 school board

Age: 49

Family: Married with 2 kids. Son 18 is a freshman at U of I Urbana and daughter 13 is going to be a freshman at Stevenson in the fall

Occupation: Senior Leader in Healthcare technology. Have been managing large teams and revenues of over $100M for my teams and products

Education: Bachelors in Engineering and Masters in Management

Civic involvement: I have been working closely with the Vernon Hills park district on running kids programs. Helped build the Century Park enhancements

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? No.

Website: https://bobbytuliforshs.com/

Facebook: N/A

Twitter: btuli

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

If elected My focus would be on the following: Focusing on Emotional and Social well-being of our students; Ensure broader student body participates in successful outcomes; Ensure transparency in academic growth and progress.

I would work toward the social and emotional well-being of the students. I would be focused on stress management in this high achieving and competitive district. I would like to take Stevenson to the next level. Elevate the school environment to ensure that all students are successful. I would focus on programs that ensure the success of every child. We want to encourage transparency in communication to ensure better community engagement

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?

We are fortunate to be in a district that is financially strong and managed well. To continue our success we would want to bring in new ideas that would allow us to ensure that we are able to continue to support the growing enrollment of the district. I would want to ensure that we can provide more emotional support for the students to allow them to cope with stress and ensure that they are ready for 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? Be specific.

As I had mentioned we are fortunate to be part of a district that is financially strong. I would want to look at the changing needs of the district due to the rapid growth in enrollment and ensure that we are investing in programs that can maximize the returns on our investment

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?

No I am not

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?

We need to ensure that our teachers are fairly compensated and we are able to attract and retain the best teachers for our students.

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?

As school board members it is important to remember that you are representing the broader interests of the voters in the district and one has to work to uphold the honor and ethics of the position.