James Poskozim: Candidate Profile

Back to Des Plaines Elementary District 62 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: Des PlainesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Des Plaines Elementary District 62 School Board Age: 67Family: Married for 44 years, 2 grown children, 2 grandchildren.Occupation: AttorneyEducation: BSEE University of Illinois, Champaign,JD IIT/Chicago-Kent College of LawCivic involvement: Des Plaines Resident since 1981D62 School Board Member since 2007Lector at St. Mary ChurchElected offices held: Vice-President of D62 School Board,Ex-Chairman and current Board member of a $300 Million dollar Credit Union.Current member of Ed-red Executive BoardQuestions 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?I want to contribute to my community. I value education and believe that this is a position where my experience and skills can help.As far as current issues are concerned, and what I am worried about most; The State of Illinois is in a financial crisis; it's budgeting process is broken; and I believe most of the proposed "fixes" from both political parties will actually hurt, not help solve our problems.Despite these Statewide problems, our District is actually in a sound financial position. Ratings agencies give us a much higher rating than the State. This is only true because we have proven to be good stewards of the public funds available to us over the last ten years. And because of those facts, we have in the past and do still provide a positive learning environment for all of our kids living here in the District.We do this with a property tax rate that is actually below the average for other elementary schools in Cook County and the State.How we at the local level can deal with any of the changes the State imposes on us as they attempt to work out these issues is what I worry about most.Keeping that in mind I can only state that I have, and will continue to work for the people in Des Plaines with the goal of providing a good education for each child in the district at a reasonable cost.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?Statistics don't always tell the whole story, but actual facts do matter. District 62 uses many tools to measure not only what each child has already accomplished, but also to help determine what each child needs from his/her teachers going forward. While they are one important measure, the annual scores reported to the State are just one of those measuring tools. One of the other measures I do personally focus attention on each year is the measure of academic progress children make while attending school in our District. In other words, Do their scores get better or worse each year when compared to national or statewide averages. Our children consistently show progress. I believe this is a particularly important measure because Des Plaines is a very diverse District, and our children come to school with amazingly different backgrounds, talents, and issues that affect their starting point and their ability to learn in the classroom. I consider this true diversity as one of the strengths of our Community, and we have been able to consistently show above average progress during the time our children spend in our schools. So long as we focus on educating each child, I believe the test scores they take will continue to demonstrate that success.If you were on the board during the hiring of Superintendent Floyd Williams, did you fully support the hiring of Williams, despite past misconduct allegations leveled against him at his last job? If you were not on the board, what is your view of the board's decision?I was deeply involved in the selection of Dr. Williams and truly do believe we as a Board made the right decision. I continue to believe we selected the best candidate for the job of Superintendent. The Board made its decision only after a thorough investigation of his background and much discussion with him and with others familiar with the specific facts and personalities surrounding his prior employment. I also believe that anyone who has had the opportunity to meet Dr. Williams or to discuss his Vision and plans for the District would agree. He is a good man. He has a wonderful wife and kids, and I look forward to working with him for many years.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?All public schools in the State are at risk because we still don't know what the State Legislature and Governor will do to fix Illinois' financial crisis. Fortunately D62 actually has a much better rating than the State and many other of the Districts around us; But we don't yet know how much will be taken from our local taxing bodies in some kind of "Grand Bargain" between the leaders of the two political parties. I believe that the residents of Des Plaines contribute overall, more to the financial benefit of the State than we receive; and I am very grateful that we are in a position to be able to do so. I continue to hope that the actions in Springfield don't eliminate our ability to do so in the future.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?I need to first tout the existence of Iroquois school, where we actually already do provide many parents some choice within the District. That particular school provides a year round school calendar rather than the traditional 3 month summer vacation. I recognize that isn't quite the same thing you're asking about, but it has provided an interesting option most other districts don't have.Now I'll try to answer the question you asked.The key depends on how parental choice is paid for. I am opposed to any proposal that diverts needed funds away from public schools. We cannot afford to end up with a system where the District would be forced to send a check to a private provider that isn't required to treat all children equally or comply with other regulations. I can conceive of some other proposal such as allowing a Federal income tax deduction for paid tuition to be crafted that might not have such negative consequences, but haven't yet seen any such specific proposal that would pass that test.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Many studies have shown that parental involvement is the most important influence in a child's life. I encourage every parent to be involved in your children's life in every way possible. Know their friends. Volunteer at their schools. Celebrate their accomplishments. Your children are the most important accomplishment you will ever have.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala Yousafzai. I encourage anyone not already familiar with her story to look it up.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My Mother was a lot smarter that I recognized at the time. She's 96 now and I'm still learning from her.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I loved Math, especially Calculus. It helped me to realize that if you think and analyze a problem first, then you can solve it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?When you give your love, give all of it.