Jason D. Larry: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: CaryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Cary Elementary D26Age: 39Family: Married to wife Jennifer. 3 children ages 9,7,and 4Occupation: Corporate Real EstateEducation: Masters of Science in Engineering Management, Northwestern Undiversity; Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Associates in Engineering, State University of New York at CantonCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Cary D26 School Board Vice President, Sept 2009 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continuing the momentum of building a sustainable financial future for the districtKey Issue 2 Restoring the school day for our students and parentsKey Issue 3 Insuring our curriculum is challenging and prepares D26 students to compete at high levels in high schoolQuestions Answers What prompted you to run for the D26 board? If you're a newcomer, how will you make a difference? If you're an incumbent, how have you made a difference?I interviewed for the open board position in September of 1999 because I saw an opportunity to use my vocational skill set to help the distressed district. Since joining the board we have passed the Districts' first balanced budget in 9 years, have cut spending by almost $7M, closed a school, and prevented a State takeover to insure the control of the District stays with its' stakeholdersThe board has discussed closing a school to save money, but administrators recommend against it. What is your position and why?Closing another school is still an option on a list of items we as a board need to review to insure we stay living within our means. If required, I would support the closing of another school as an alternative to raising class sizes again and taking more from our childrenDid you support the resident bid to raise $4.3 million? If you were a part of the stalled parent-led bailout attempt, why did the initiative fail to get off the ground?If you are referring to the attempt by the claimed 'Soar to Higher Heights' group that was formed by a past D26 Board President and resident with a criminal record, no I did not support it because we as a board were never convinced that the money the group said they had was in place. As it turned out, the money wasn't there. It would have been irresponsible to hire back teachers and restore programs without the money in place to support it and sustain it.District 26 will continue to face budget reductions. Do you support further program cuts in order to balance the budget? If so, which programs would you reduce or eliminate? If not, how would you ensure the district's financial viability?It is not sustainable to live outside our means. If a household consistently lives outside its' means, the family looses their home. If a business consistently lives outside its' means, people loose their jobs and a business is lost. We as a school system are no different. I support further cuts to insure we continue to do what we started this year which is live within our means. There are not many more cuts that can be made in programs. We need to look hard at the compensation structure of our employees. Aligning our compensation structure to be more comparable and competitive with surrounding districts will insure the District's financial viability going forward.How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made to ensure academic success?Our students test scores, on average, continue to rank high amongst other districts in state. Even with high test scores, I would not say that I am completely satisfied that we are adequately preparing our students for the next stage in their lives. We need to restore the school day, retain our best teachers and administrative staff, offer a challenging curriculum, and encourage parents to be active in their child's education and learning efforts at home.