Terry Fielden: 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: NapervilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Naperville Unit District 203 School Board Age: 52Family: Nancy and I have been married for 21 years Three Children. One graduate of NCHS. Two are active in 203 schools.Occupation: Construction Project ManagerEducation: Bachelor of Science Purdue UniversityCivic involvement: Member 203 Board of Education for 8 years Park District Volunteer Coach Former Sunday School TeacherElected offices held: Member Board of Education Naperville 203Questions 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?I think that we are doing an exceptional job in providing education to all of our students that prepares them to succeed in life. We offer all of our students various levels of instructional assistance providing the educational foundation that they need for success in life and higher education. District 203 is a unit district allowing for the stable control of curriculum delivery and continuity from Kindergarten through High School. District 203 enjoys a 95% high school graduation rate with 79% of graduates qualifying as "college ready" per Illinois Standards. Our graduates are well prepared to enter any College upon graduation. Our curriculum is rigorous enough to allow qualifying students an opportunity to apply and be accepted by many Ivy League Universities. We can improve areas such as internships with local employers by increasing the participation in our Business Partnerships. These opportunities will pay dividends to the participating students and the local businesses who are engaged. In an effort to expand and improve learning opportunities across neighboring District boundaries: District 203 has entered into a unique relationship with Wheaton Warrenville 200 and Indian Prairie 204 to provide on-line learning. This online partnership also affords a critical opportunity for increased cooperation and collaboration improving curriculum delivery in all three Districts. We need to continue our focus on improving math and reading skills at the elementary level allowing our students greater opportunity for even stronger performance in high school. Our students truly graduate with many varied opportunities for success.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.We work hard to maintain the trust granted by the Community in our fiscal management. We have done an excellent job in managing our locally contributed revenue resources over the last 8 years of my service. We understand that the majority of our resources stem from local residents who demand high quality programs and college entry for our students as a return for their investment. All Day Kindergarten was implemented within the current available financial resources as promised. We have successfully maintained a positive cash balance each fiscal year while protecting our 10% budgetary cash reserve. We are continually managing our expenses by thoroughly and annually evaluating costs to maintain all programs. We have maintained a high level of technology access and we continue to move towards "one to one" devices for the benefit of the students. The biggest threat to the management of our financial resources is the State's continued practice of reducing available student funding. Each District in the State has suffered some loss of State educational funding. We must continue our active working relationships with our local representatives to help ensure that the interests of our students are well protected.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?NoAs 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 Board must maintain a professional and trusted position with all bargaining units. Salaries and benefits must be balanced against the available resources and our collective need to continually improve educational programs. We have always maintained a fair and reasoned distribution of resources to our contracted employees. This practice also allows us to attract the best available teachers for our students. This approach truly benefits the entire community of Naperville 203 with a stable, respected and safe working environment. New residents and large businesses are attracted to 203 housing opportunities because of our schools. Bargaining has continually yielded areas of compromise on both sides of the equation. That is the true nature of negotiation. The financial interests of the community stakeholders and the students' educational programs are constantly kept in the forefront while maintaining a safeguard on local resources.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?In 2015 the Board has ended the practice of annual increases in the last four years of employment to enhance retirement. This is true at all academic and administration levels.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I want the community of Naperville 203 to feel proud of their District and the success that we enjoy. Over half of the total school districts in the State are in some form of financial distress or debt. Our sound financial management is a community success story for all our collective economic interests. We must continually be aware of the changing demographics within our community. More resources will continue to be focused into Special Education and to assist students at the low income level. Response to these demands will require reasoned leadership and continued long range planning. We must keep a keen focus on the amount of testing being demanded of our students. If the testing becomes excessively burdensome then our students will suffer. Our Administrators continually monitor this concern and stand ready to make necessary adjustments in the interests of our students. We need to continually focus on ensuring proper access to technology for all of students. The future of on-line learning will only increase the opportunities for our aggressively hungry learners to broaden their abilities. The use of on-line learning will only increase in coming years. We are prepared.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Rahm Emanuel. I think that he has the toughest job in the country. He is very direct in his approach.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My Grandfather taught me to work hard and treat others fairly. Even if they are less than fair with you.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?If I had a do-over then I would not be the person that I am. My mistakes shape me.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I was not fond of school. But, Geometry. I ended up in construction. Oddly, I build schools. Go figure.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Life does not always give you a second chance. So, don't be afraid to try and correct a mistake or make a course correction.