James Pye: 2025 candidate for Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board

Bio

Office sought: Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board (Vote for 4)

City: Hoffman Estates

Age: 65

Occupation: Retired commercial real estate professional

Previous offices held: Current District 54 president (two years), prior District 54 vice president (two years)

Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

“If it is to be, it is up to me.” These 10 two-letter words have motivated me all my life. My parents taught me that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” I’ve passed these teachings down to my children.

Some of my accomplishments include: reducing $50 student fee to zero for 15,500 students within 28 schools; advocating for safety audit with expert third-party organization; developing D54 night with Windy City Bulls at NOW Arena with benefits to D54 Foundation; redesigning school layouts with cost savings; and transforming vacant Twinbrook school into a Hoffman Estates park.

I also partnered with a local business to donate pumpkins for students in two schools each Halloween.

Our district is one of the best K-8 districts in the country. It has remained debt-free since 2011 and has earned the Illinois State Board of Education Financial Recognition rating (the highest possible level) since the rating system began in 2003. Continuing these trends are very important to me.

What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring the curriculum?

The board’s role is hiring the right superintendent, and overseeing that person. We have one of the best in the state. Our job is to provide oversight, not to manage day-to-day operations. We vote on curriculum based upon professional superintendent and administrative recommendations.

Are there curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?

None that I can think of.

How do you view your role in confronting policy or curriculum controversies: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents — even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?

We have a very strong, experienced, independent board with diverse backgrounds. We each freely state our thoughts and opinions. If we disagree, it is important that we are not disagreeable. We sometimes differ in our votes.

God gave us two ears and one mouth. It’s important that we listen twice as much as we speak. I listen to my board colleagues, our administrators, teachers, parents, students, and taxpayers. Based upon these inputs, plus my eight years of board experience and 60 years living and serving in this community, I then speak freely and vote my conscience.

Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach an agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions for your school board.

We each have interesting and unique backgrounds. My career was in business. I’ve had opportunities to lead or be on the board of several trade organizations, as well as serving as a District 54 board member for eight years, including two years as board president, and two years as board vice president. My colleagues voted for me for these D54 leadership roles. This shows they know that I lead by collaborating and listening.

I’ve had extensive opportunities to coach youth sports in our community. I’ve taught my players there is no “I” in team. I greatly enjoyed teaching, coaching, and mentoring elementary, junior high, and high school students in baseball, basketball, and indoor soccer.

I’ve also taught Sunday School and hosted church high school groups at our home for years. It was important to teach our youth to love, listen, and to have fun.

What is your assessment of the school district's diversity and equity efforts? Do you support the continuation or enhancement of such programs, or would you rather see them diminished. Please explain your reasoning.

A D54 promise is “to ensure the academic success and social-emotional well-being of all of our students. D54 ensures the success of the whole child by providing comprehensive approaches and programs grounded in the belief that each child deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.”

In our Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement, “We will promote a culture of unconditional belonging in which all students, staff, and community members will be treated with dignity. We will ensure high levels of access to resources, experiences, and success. In District 54, we strive to ensure that all students, staff, and community members are safe, welcomed, and cared for; heard, validated, and supported; and represented in curriculum and staffing.”

I wholeheartedly agree with the D54 approach.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have served eight years on our board with honor, respect, and humility. I've given D54 and my community the best I could give, and have served students, teachers, staff, taxpayers, and community partners with excellence. Successful experience matters in well-run organizations.

I know our community well as I have been a township resident for 60-plus years. I served the community 40-plus years coaching, teaching Sunday school, hosting church youth groups, and serving on a village plan commission.

Making time to visit our schools for events and programs has been a delight. Now that I have retired, I have more time to visit, encourage, and serve.

I personally know that D54 educates our students in an awesome way. I'm a product of this system. I moved here and raised my children here so they could also benefit from the excellent schools in D54.

What’s one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?

I'm not a one-issue candidate. I want to continue to make D54 one of the best districts in the country. Stanford University found D54 to be in the top 2% of all schools in student growth, stating that D54 students achieved six years of growth in five years. This was published in the New York Times.