Jessica Lynn Breugelmans: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Jessica Lynn Breugelmans

City: Geneva

Office sought: School trustee

Age: 37

Family: Husband of almost 10 years; son, 5, kindergarten; daughter, 3, preschool.

Occupation: Mom, Education Coordinator Chicago Steel Hockey Team, Tutor

Education: BS Business Management and Administration with a concentration in Accounting; MA Teaching - certified Elementary Education

Civic involvement: Board member Geneva Academic Foundation (GAF); board member Water Street Studios; scholarship committee member Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV); Kane County ROE Educator of the Year selection committee member; Rosary High School Candlelight Ball committee member; Rosary High School Veritas Society; Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) annual contributor;

regular attendee Geneva Board of Education meetings 1.5 years

Previous elected offices held: None

Website: www.BreugelmansForBoard.com

Facebook: @BreugelmansForBoard

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

Over all I believe our district is in excellent shape, but as with anything, there is always room for improvement. First, we need to continue our efforts toward fiscal responsibility while still allowing room for growth. We need to continue trying to find that perfect balance between spending too little and spending too much and adjust as necessary. Being one of the best districts in the state, we need to ensure that we are staying at the forefront of education. We should look at other progressive and high performing districts and model what is working. Additionally, Geneva should be a leader in educational innovation; always following our vision of being complex, creative and adaptive thinkers. Last but not least, we could all benefit from a focus on the relationships among all the district's stakeholders. That includes the board, administrators, teachers, support staff, and community. The success of our school district depends on all its stakeholders performing together as a team. With the common vision of student success and excellent schools in mind, I will promote active participation and open communication. Exceptional schools benefit not only the students themselves, but also our entire community and all stakeholders.

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 am very satisfied our schools are preparing students for the next stage in their lives. Geneva schools are some of the best in the state and a fundamental reason why many people move to Geneva. Evidenced by: Niche ranking of 13th; BackgroundChecks.org ranking of 8th; PARCC and SAT testing, plus Science Assessments exceeding state averages; 97% high school graduation rate; 90% of graduates enrolled in college within 12 months. However, there is also evidence to suggest we still have room for improvement: Standardized test scores, including the SAT, are trending down year-over-year; the achievement gap for certain student groups grew between the years 2015-2018; some of the math metrics documented by ISBE indicate that we might consider placing more students into an accelerated math program beginning with 8th grade Algebra 1; however, we need to be careful that we aren't pushing students into a program they are not developmentally ready for yet. I think that we need to review why test scores are decreasing year-over-year, review our math programs and ensure we have placed students appropriately, as well as take a closer look at our achievement gaps to determine if any evidence-based action plans are necessary.

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? Be specific.

The district has been focused on debt reduction the last few years and has taken steps to restructure that debt and limit its impact on taxpayers. The district paid down its debt and restructured their

ballooning debt service all while managing expected expenditures, planning new programs, budgeting for unexpected expenditures, redistributing money where able, all while maintaining sufficient

reserves for the future. The district also indicated they are "efficient with their budgets, continuously reviewing for possible reductions". This commitment to fiscal responsibility is something

that I will continue to support especially considering we also have the threat of additional unfunded state and federal mandates, decreased state funding, property tax freezes, and/or shifting pension

responsibility from the state to local taxpayers. Our district has not had a balanced budget since 2011/2012. I appreciate the district's efforts at fiscal responsibility and will continue to encourage an ongoing and collaborative process of looking for inefficiencies and reductions without tax increases or impacting learning or cutting programs. Presently our district has a lower instructional cost/student and higher operational spend/student vs the state average. I would like to review why that is and see if any savings can be found there.

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; however, I have worked in a number of school districts including: Community Consolidated School District 15, Lake Forest School District 67 and Lake Forest Community High School District 115.

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?

I believe that contract talks should be an ongoing and collaborative process between members of the various school employee groups, members of the board, administration and community. Contract talks are incredibly complex and many factors determine whether concessions are needed, things will stay the same, or if increases are feasible. I am confident that a collaborative team working on an ongoing basis

-with a shared vision of excellent schools in mind will be successful at making the best decisions possible and find the ideal balance point that rewards our employees and makes them feel respected while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of those decisions.

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 generally do not agree with increasing pay to help boost pension benefits. I believe our superintendent and administrators should be paid competitively throughout their tenure in order to recruit and

retain the best talent. Any increases should be based on the individual and his/her performance in their role. After reviewing the compensation packages of our superintendent and administrators and

comparing to those in neighboring districts, I believe they are being compensated fairly and competitively.