scott stone: Candidate Profile

Back to Carol Stream Elementary District 93 School Board

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: Carol StreamWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Carol Stream Elementary District 93 School Board Age: 48Family: My wife Janice and I have two children. Our son is a student at COD and our daughter is a student at Jay Stream Middle School.Occupation: Small business ownerEducation: I have a Bachelor's degree in PR/Advertising and a Master's in Human Development Counseling. I earned both degrees from Bradley University in Peoria, IL.Civic involvement: Completing my first four year term as a trustee of the CCSD93's board of education. Also served on various school related committees before joining the board. I am a member of the leadership council at our church - Luthern Church of the Master in Carol Stream.Elected offices held: Trustee - CCSD93 Board of Education.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?As was my reason for running the first time, I am seeking re-election in order to give back to our community for all they have done for my family. My older child has special needs and my younger one is in the magnet program. They each have very different needs that are outside of a "normal" education. Both kids have grown and excelled in the programs the district offers. I want to make sure that ALL kids in our district are given the opportunity to excel - no matter what issues they are facing.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?I feel very confident in the way we are currently measuring student success.We as a district put together a district scorecard that looks at all developmental aspects of our students. The scorecard includes summative test data (given at year's end - PARCC) and formative test data (given through out the year - NWEA). There are also other ongoing and less intrusive assessments given to our younger students to catch any developmental issues that may arise. The scorecard allows teachers to look beyond a single standardized test score. Our emphasis is placed more on helping a student achieve their individual growth target than reaching a standardized score. It is through their successes at reaching their growth targets that our standardized test scores grow.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 that when it comes to setting curriculum, my role as a board member is to ask questions. The district employs highly educated experts in education and curriculum development. It's their role to learn and stay on top of new materials, practices and methods in education and bring these practices to the district. It's my role as a board member to inquire about why any changes are being made and address things that I or my constituents have concerns about.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?If the proposed Property Tax Freeze passes this year, the homeowner in me says "yes!" while my school board member side is a little nervous. The district's operating expenses will continue to rise while it's main income stream stagnates. If needed, some possible cost saving measures would be to look at the equipment used in our 1:1 program or increase class sizes (last resort). The unknowns all school boards face across the state include the state pushing state pension commitments back to individual districts, delays in receiving state funds and not knowing what shape school funding reform looks like.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?At this time, I don't think that school choice really plays a role in our district. All of our schools are solid performers. That being said, I supported school choice when a couple of our schools had issues under the No Child Left Behind program. We ended up moving some kids out of schools and into other schools in our district. Most parents who had a choice left their children in their home schools. I think that if a school choice or voucher system were enacted, we would see a lot of inbound students coming into our district.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Our district is in a very positive place right now. We're financially sound. We have invigorating school settings staffed with passionate teachers. Our digital 1:1 program is in full swing district wide - helping close the digital gap in our area and preparing ALL of our students to succeed in the new economy. Our population is changing rapidly. I think we've done a good job in staying in front of the changes so far. We as a district need to continue meeting the challenges of this demographic shift proactively.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Lying will get you in more trouble then what you are actually lying about.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Putting more effort into learning and excelling in math - told myself it was too hard and gave up on it and myself too early.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My graduate courses in Counseling Psychology. I use the knowledge gained every day when dealing with people.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't let fear stop you from doing things you want or need to do.