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Gerard Iannuzzelli: Candidate Profile

Palatine Twp. Elementary D15

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: PalatineWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Palatine Twp. Elementary D15Age: 43Family: Married with three childrenOccupation: Director of TechnologyEducation: Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, St Ambrose University, 1992.Civic involvement: Lifetime Member of the Palatine Jaycees,Director in the Palatine Mens Civic Club, Member of the Sons of American Legion, Member of the Presidents Circle Northwest Community Hospital FoundationElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The community needs to regain trust in the board. I want the community to know that I am on their side. Just like everyone else I work hard for my money, and I do not want my tax dollars to be spent on items that do not have any bearing on the daily resources required to educate our children. Obviously, we are going to have taxes, but I want the community to feel comfortable knowing that my decisions are what is right for the whole not just the few.Key Issue 2 Safety for our children has always been a concern of mine. They are growing up in a world where their parents both need to work so they may not always be there to protect their children. I want to make sure that our schools are doing everything to educate our children on the downfalls of drugs and alcohol as well as the safety of walking to and from school. Making the schools safe and educating our children on these issues is the best way to combat the temptations of others.Key Issue 3 I would like to see programs that show accountability to the educators and allow easy access for those who need help. We continuously preach to our children that a good grade is important. However we sometimes forget that the student is not the only one who is responsible. The school staff has a moral obligation to educate our children and use the resources available to prepare them for their future.Questions Answers Would you support reductions in staff, specifically classroom teachers, in order to reduce projected deficit spending? If not, what specific budget cuts do you propose?I do not think that reducing education staff helps anyone, in fact it hurts our children by increasing the class size. However our economy can not support the annual increases in salary that teachers are getting. We need to curb the increases and move to a merit type of wage increase. At my job, I reward employees by how well they perform, not how long they have been with the company. Doing this greatly increases productivity, and ultimately, we produce a better product. That same idea can be applied to the district employees.How would you prioritize capital projects? Is the board's direction to budget $2 million annually on capital projects enough? And would you tap into reserves to fund those projects?I am sure there are many items that take priority, and in order to address this issue I would need to see all the capital projects on the plate to determine which ones would take priority. If we plan correctly, then we should not need to dip into reserve funds. However if the safety of our children is at stake, then I would do what is needed to make sure that those particular projects are addressed first.How do you attempt to create equity in District 15, a large elementary district with diverse demographics? What further steps can the schools that have struggled with No Child Left Behind standards take?Every child in our district should have the same opportunity to succeed. There are laws that are mandated that the schools should be following. However who is monitoring that and who is held accountable when it fails? Funds should be used where they are needed and not be used just because they are available. Our children need to be prepared for the future because it is only going to get tougher. Moving forward, I would like to see some sort of evaluation that would weed out the bad teachers and administrators, tenure or not, and open the door for proactive and innovative educators. We need to support the idea that we are all in this together, and the decisions we make affect the student as well as their teacher.What impact do you think the Navigate15 process will have on Dist. 15, and what can be done to ensure the community is engaged in the process? How should the board incorporate community input into future initiatives?I think Navigate 15 is a great start to partnering with the community. The citizens need to be informed of the programs that are put in place. To many times, we tend to focus on the negative feedback. However with Navigate 15 I believe that we will be able to keep moving forward in a positive direction and allow the community to take part in the progress. Navigate 15 opens the door for community input. Similar to how I manage my department at work, I allow my employees to voice their concern and ask for their input. I have found they work together to resolve the problem at hand. That is what Navigate 15 will do for the community.Would you support another tax increase referendum? Why or why not?I would not support a substantial tax increase unless we have educated the community on why the tax increase is needed. Taxes seem to have a way of creeping up and you are left with paying the tax and not really understanding why. I am not saying I can stop the taxes from going up but at least I will try my best to educate the public as to why there is an increase. Show them where the money is going.