Scott Naylor: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Scott Naylor

City: Batavia

Office sought: Batavia School Board

Age: 44

Family: Wife Mary and four children that are students in Batavia schools

Occupation: Firefighter/paramedic

Education: BS Sociology from NIU

Civic involvement: Parent volunteer at our home school, H. C. Storm Elementary

Previous elected offices held: N/A

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? No

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Issue questions

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

I have been very pleased with the experience my family has had with BPS. Educationally I feel the district does a great job. One area that I think Batavia, like many other districts, needs to give extra special attention to is that of socio-emotional growth/well-being and mental health. I am not saying there is any specific issue right now but I feel we owe it to our kids to prepare them for every facet of their life as they move through our schools and as they prepare to become adults and go out on their own. I think Batavia is already focusing attention in this area but I would encourage our district professionals to continue to improve on the systems already in place as this is an area that needs our constant attention.

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?

This is a rather deep question but, in a way, it ties into my answer to the previous question. I feel that our middle school administration is doing great things to help our students make the transition from elementary into middle and then on to high school. RMS is always kind of on the cutting edge and working to make the transition from middle to high school a seamless one. Not having had a child go through Batavia High School yet I am not completely familiar with all that BHS has to offer. I do, however, know that they offer some wonderful programs to help the students begin preparing for life after high school whether it be in the college setting or in the workplace! Anything that helps make the transition from one stage of life/school to the next a smoother one is always welcome. I haven't any suggestions for changes at this time.

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.

There will always be budgetary issues and I will understand them and be able to explain my take on them as they arise and are in need of being dealt with. We are constantly trying to figure out class sizes and staffing issues to address such. These needs change from one year to the next as they do from one school to another. I feel we are already working within very tight margins when it comes to staff so working with what we have is often the most feasible solution. It would be great to hire enough teachers to allow for much smaller overall class sizes but that isn't always possible to do. We have great teachers and support staff in Batavia with a great deal of knowledge and experience. That is something I am grateful for. There will be contract negotiations coming up soon which does have to do with budgets to some extent. I look forward to learning the ins and outs of that as the district goes through the process. I cannot give a specific answer to whether or not I support tax increases. Being asked to give more of ones hard earned money to go toward taxes is something we all seem to have a difficult time with. It is for that reason that any proposed tax increase needs a great deal of discussion and research as to whether it is the best and/or only option.

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?

I am not nor have I ever been employed by a school district. I do not have any family members employed by BPS 101.

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?

As I do not know all of the financial details of our school district at this time I cannot give a proper answer. Contract talks are a big deal and I do know that they will be coming up here in Batavia. This is something that needs careful consideration in many areas. A big part of contract negotiations is to really try to come out of it in such a way that BOTH sides are pleased with the outcome. It isn't always possible or easy to do but it makes the process a whole lot easier. Teachers, just like anyone else, deserve pay increases throughout their career. I think it's preferable for the district and the teachers association to work together to set fair salary/benefit increases that are in line with other comparable local districts. I do not know to what capacity the Board of Education should be involved in the contract talks but I do not feel they should be the ones negotiating on behalf of the district.

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 absolutely would not support a substantial pay increase for any district administrator just before retirement as a means to boost pension benefits. I understand the desire to reap the most benefit one can in their post employment pension but I think it's greedy and unfair to the taxpayer for anyone to expect to get a substantial pay increase just before walking out the door. Our pension system clearly has some flaws and it does allow for this sort of scenario to take place but I, for one, would not support said increase.