Thomas St. Jules: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Tom St. Jules

City: Aurora

Office sought: West Aurora School District 129 trustee

Age: 35

Family: Wife (Nicole) and two children (Aidan and Marin)

Occupation: Attorney

Education: West Aurora High School (2001), University of Iowa (2005), The John Marshall Law School (2008)

Civic involvement: Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry board of directors

Previous elected offices held: None

Facebook: @TomStJulesfor129

Issue questions

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

The West Aurora School District serves a large range of students and I believe it is important that we continue to create learning opportunities for all the students in the School District. I believe the School District needs to continue to strive to create a curriculum balance between college bound students and those students that will be looking to enter the workforce upon high school graduation. In order to best meet the needs of all West Aurora students it is important to continue to provide, and expand, programs such as advanced placement and dual credit courses and the School District's current vocational and trade curriculum. I believe that the West Aurora School District has made great strides in providing a quality education for all students and I will support the continued development and growth of the programs that are currently in place that help the students of West Aurora start off ahead of their competition, whether it be in postsecondary education or the workforce.

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 a lifelong resident of Aurora and I am grateful of the education I received in the West Aurora School District. Additionally, I am a proud parent of a fourth generation Freeman Elementary student. Therefore, my desire to be a member of the school board is not driven by any dissatisfaction with the school district but rather by a drive to ensure the continued success of the school district. I am proud of the education that the School District has provided the West Aurora community in the past and I am excited to help foster the educational opportunities our School District will provide the next generations of students in the West Aurora community.

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.

Achieving the optimum level of staffing should always be of primary concern to the School District's Administration and Board. Salaries comprise the majority of operating expenses and as a board we need to ensure the students of West Aurora have access to top flight educators while managing expenses within the School District's means. It is critically important that the West Aurora School District continues to implement fiscally responsible budgets in order to be prepared to navigate the turbulent and uncertain revenue support from the state of Illinois. I believe the West Aurora School District will need to be flexible and creative when addressing any potential future revenue or budgetary shortfalls. All resources available to the school district need to be explored to ensure that every dollar spent is maximized to provide the most for every student.

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?

Neither I nor my wife are employed, or retired, employees of the West Aurora School District.

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 one of the most important jobs of the school board is that of hiring a highly qualified Superintendent and administrators to help guide the School District through all contractual negotiations. It is in the West Aurora community's best interests to ensure that the School District's teachers and employees are compensated fairly and competitively to ensure that the highest quality educators continue to be hired and retained within the West Aurora School District. However, all contractual negotiations must also be addressed with a balance approach. As a School Board member I will be a representative of the West Aurora community and I believe in keeping that balanced approach forefront in order to ensure all contract negotiations begin and end with the School District's budgetary constraints in mind.

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 do not support any artificial increases to any person's salary for the sole purpose of attempting to pad a pension draw, whether it is an employee of the West Aurora School District or otherwise. I believe that an individual's compensation, for those nearing retirement, should continue to be based upon the current salary compensation schedule of the school district.