Anthony M. Giamis: 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: Green OaksWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove District 68 School Board Age: 45Family: Spouse: Elizabeth L. Giamis; Children: Zachary - 7th Grade Oak Grove School, Christopher - 5th Grade Oak Grove SchoolOccupation: ScientistEducation: B.S. Chemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology Ph.D. Organic Chemistry Syracuse University Post-Doc Nuclear Medicine at Emory UniversityCivic involvement: Committee Chair for Cub Scout Pack 194 (OGS PTO) Scoutmaster for Troop 71 Libertyville RIT Alumni AssociationElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers 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?Oak Grove School (District 68) has a long history of providing quality education and setting high expectations for students. It is important that we continually review our curriculum and programs to look for ways to improve. As a member of the Board, I would champion three issues: (1) a commitment to transparency in operations and mission. (2) To ensure a high quality curriculum that inspires our children to learn. (3) To reach a respectable collective bargaining agreement with the educators and staff that will maintain the high levels of scholarly exercise and achievement expected for our students.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 for local schools? Again, be specific.The District will see changes in revenue sources and levels as the State of Illinois continues to face financial crisis. We must anticipate these changes to ensure they have minimal impact on the students. At this time, I see no major changes to the budget, however, we must be attentive and willing to reallocate resources to close gaps to achieve the mission of educating our youth. As a candidate, I am not in favor of tax increases for the District.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 nor retired from a school district. In addition, my direct family does not work for the 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?The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the District expires in June 2015. As a candidate, I believe the Board of Education must listen to the community as well as the teachers and support staff to balance the need to provide a fair compensation package with the availability of community-based revenue or funding.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 do not support substantial pay increases for anyone, in either the public or private sector, for the purpose of strengthen ones pension benefits. This practice is less than ethical on the personal side and distorts the market expectation for recruiting the replacement.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of GoogleWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Knowledge is power. Work with your mind so that you will own your destiny.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have finished my Eagle Project to become part of the 4% (Eagle Scout)What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Science Math were my favorites. I use them daily to help discover new drugs and innovations.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To listen