J. Randy Sidio: 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: AuroraWebsite: http://www.sidioipsd204.com/Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Randy Sidio for IPSD 204 School BoardOffice sought: Indian Prairie Unit District 204 School Board Age: 42Family: I have a seven year old son, Isaac, that is a first grader at Reba Steck Elementary School.Occupation: I am a Financial Consultant at Benjamin F. Edwards Co. in Naperville.Education: I am a graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School (1992). I earned a Bachelors of Arts in History from Aurora University.Civic involvement: I have been a Partner with DuPage PADS since 2008. I have been a member of Team IPEF (Indian Prairie Educational Foundation) since 2014. Team IPEF is a charity partner of the Naperville Half Marathon helping to raise funds for district schools and district wide initiatives. I am a volunteer basketball coach with the Fox Valley Park District.In addition, I am a volunteer baseball coach with the Wheatland Athletic Association.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers With growing concern around mental health and addiction, what should the district do to build mentally healthy students, support the mental health of students who have mental illnesses and help students avoid addiction?The school district needs to continue to provide for students beyond just the state mandated Common Core. Students need to continue to be exposed to fine arts, physical education and other areas that cannot be measured by standardized tests. The school district needs to help remove the stigma of mental illness. Schools should help to foster an environment where students with mental illness are not singled out or shamed but accepted as people. The school district should work with parents to provide the necessary resources in the form of social workers, psychologists and in some cases specially trained aides. There is no single way to help students avoid addiction. Education within the schools and at home can be a major factor in deterring students from starting using drugs. The school district should utilize the existing resources within the district (staff psychologist and social workers) to assist in educating the staff and parents, especially at the primary level. Age appropriate programs can be used to educate students on the dangers of various addictions. I would like to see the school district to explore the use of various local businesses and community leaders to provide mentoring programs especially for the at risk youth within the district.As teachers use more and more technology in the classroom, how much should the district continue to support the eLo online learning consortium and the STEM Partnership school at Aurora University? How should spending on these technology-related learning experiences be balanced with other educational and financial priorities?While I think the STEM partnership program provides a valuable opportunity for many students I would like to see students exposed at an even younger age to various science, math and engineering industries. I would like to see programs developed with local businesses that demonstrate to students how the skills they are learning can help them build skills for a future career. I would like to explore programs that foster collaborative partnerships with local businesses members of those various industries. Programs where scientists can come and help students design experiments or projects that may inspire them to pursue a career in one of these fields. The flip side to this is making sure that proven instructional tools cannot be overlooked. Our school district has some of the best and brightest teachers in the area and they should be permitted to do what they do best, help children succeed. They should be allowed o make sure students are developing the skills to become lifelong learners.How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?I think the board needs to make sure all state and federal guidelines are being met throughout the district. I think by hiring Dr. Karen Sullivan they have chosen an experienced leader to assist in developing a strong curriculum. The best thing the board can do is to be fiscally sound and transparent to make sure Dr. Sullivan and her staff are given as many resources as possible. The board and the administration should work as a team with the faculty provide every student the opportunity to be a successful student and a valuable member within society.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?The possibility of decreases in federal funding may be an issue in the immediate future. The school district is already dealing with delayed and payments from the state and those issues will continue with no end in sight. The school district has schools that are nearing capacity while others at a lower capacity. The board needs to work with the parents and faculty to develop a plan that is fiscally responsible and insuring that students and faculty are provided an environment for success.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?I am not a proponent of school choice within our district. I think a voucher system could potentially take away from the neighborhood system of schools within the district and already dwindling state and federal funds to be reduced further. I would rather see federal funds directed to public school improvement, reducing class sizes and helping districts to retain quality educators serving a diverse population.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I think continuing to be a transparent fiscally sound board is very important. Monetary decisions need to continue to be made to make sure that all the students are provided the opportunity for a quality education. I also think retaining the quality educators within our district is of the utmost importance. The current contract with the teachers expires in 2018. For the last few years there has been a very good working relationship between the teachers and the school board. I think that maintaining the positive dialogue between the school board and the educators is essential.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.The Dalai LamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To be independent and speak my mind.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time travelling and studying other cultures.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I always loved history. Studying history taught me to analyze various situations from various viewpointsIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Stand up to those who are trying to oppress others.