Janet Yang Rohr: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Janet Yang Rohr

City: Naperville

Office sought: Naperville Unit District 203 School Board Member

Age: 38

Family: Married to Dan Rohr, with three kids: Kathryn (9), Jonny (6), and Miriam (3)

Occupation: Director of Global Data at Morningstar, Inc.

Education: Graduate of Naperville North, Kennedy, and Ranch View; BA in English and economics from Northwestern University; MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder

Civic involvement: School board member since 2017, representing board on finance, business partnerships, and diversity committees, as well as Naperville Education Foundation board of trustees; school volunteer at Prairie Elementary; volunteer for Greater Chicago Food Depository

Previous elected offices held: n/a

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Joined school board in 2017

Website: www.janet203.com

Facebook: @jyangrohr

Twitter: @jyangrohr

Issue questions

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

As a school board member, my first priority is academic excellence for all students. We have a solid foundation in place. Last year, for example, the Illinois State Board of Education rated each of our elementary, junior high, and high schools as exemplary or commendable. There are a variety of things we can do to drive continued progress here, such as ensuring we're optimally using the school day. In addition, like many school districts, we have certain student groups that continue to lag their peers in educational achievement; we need to support our schools' efforts to close these gaps. Ultimately, I believe a school's most important role is to help students reach their full potential. I will continue to hold our schools accountable to ensure educational outcomes show growth.

To achieve ambitious educational goals, we must make sure we attend to students' safety and well-being. Naperville 203's social and emotional learning programs were developed with those priorities in mind and have become a model for schools around the country. The district and board's recent decision to hire a Director of Safety & Security reflects how seriously we take student safety and will help drive additional changes needed on this front.

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 live in a rapidly changing world where we can guarantee the future will not look like the present. We're doing a good job helping our students develop widely applicable skills - like problem solving, math, and communications - so they'll be able to successfully navigate these changes. We're also providing strong authentic learning experiences through internships and job shadows to help students discover their passions early on and build the practical skills students will need when moving from an educational to a "real-world" environment. Naperville's vibrant private sector affords us an opportunity to establish more of these partnerships and expand these programs.

In addition, I'd like to continue to find new ways to harness and encourage students' natural love of learning in settings that allow them to explore passions, make mistakes, and try again. With this foundation, students will be equipped to adapt, thrive amid adversity, and, ultimately, find success and fulfillment, no matter what the future holds.

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.

Future academic success requires sound finances today. That starts with a disciplined approach to evaluating new and existing programs. In making these decisions as a school board member, I'll continue to apply the same data-driven decision-making I use in my professional life.

The way we expanded Naperville 203's early childhood learning programs last year is a good example of that approach. We decided to add new teachers and support staff to the program because the data is clear on the long-term benefits of kindergarten readiness. I believe it was a wise use of resources because we were able to expand those programs mostly via state grants and by using existing classrooms around the district.

Maintaining sound finances also requires proactive balance sheet management. I'm pleased that we were able to save tax payers over $3 million dollars in interest payments by buying back bonds in 2018. We should do the same in 2019. I'm also eager to work with local legislators to find responsible ways to return additional money to taxpayers.

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 neither employed by/retired from a school district, nor are any of my direct family members employed by the Naperville 203 school district.

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?

As a sitting school board member for a district that is approaching contract negotiations, it would be imprudent for me to express specific opinions on this topic.

In principle, though, my general aim in negotiations is for all parties to come away confident that they were treated fairly. I take a similar approach in my role leading a large global organization in my professional life: We should all be paid fairly and commensurately with the quality and value of our work. Any decision made by the board should appropriately balance the interests of those involved, and we should work collaboratively with all parties to reach agreements.

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'm proud of the fiscal leadership and discipline the Naperville school board has taken toward these practices. As an example of the productive collaboration that exists between the board and Naperville 203's employees, we're already phasing out the practice of boosting pension benefits for teachers and administrators near retirement.