Nina Palit: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Nina Palit

City: Palatine

Office sought: School Board District 15, Palatine

Age: 47

Family: Daughter Age 10, Parents, Dog age 10

Occupation: Technology Manager - Alight Solutions

Education: Bachelors- Philosophy/Minor in Math, Masters - International Relations, Bachelors - Computer Science

Civic involvement: Buehler Blue Marlins Swim Team - frequent volunteer, League of Women Voters, Bengali Association of Greater Chicago, Girl Scouts - cookie mom and volunteer, Paddock Elementary -room mom and frequent volunteer, Precinct Captain - Palatine Democrats

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

Website: www.ninapalitd15.com

Facebook: Nina Palit For D15 School Board

Twitter: @TeamNina2019

Issue questions

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

The most important issue right now in our district is boundaries. This is a very difficult issue impacting our Community in a variety of ways, but just because something is hard doesn't mean we should not do it. The boundaries committee has been formed and the three top priorities in our community are: Full Day Kindergarten, Neighborhood Schools, and Kids not being split up between Elementary and Middle school and Middle and High school. At a minimum we will need to redraw the boundaries, but a more sustainable solution would be to have an Elementary school in the North East (Rand) corridor and another Junior High in the South East (Hoffman) corridor. We don't need to build a new school there are existing schools or buildings we can build out. I would propose a multi phased approach with the end goal in mind of having a plan that will take us through the next 10 - 20 years. I am not supportive of major property tax increases; therefore, the financial aspect of this proposal needs to be discussed in detail and approved by the community.

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?

We have such a diverse community. I feel this really prepares our kids for the next phase of their lives and the future. Our children are learning to work and play with kids from different ethnic and economic backgrounds; this allows them to start from a position of strength as they look towards their future. District 15 also offers an excellent music and art programs in Elementary and Junior High schools which in this age of electronics is critical to their development. Where we can do better is in our core subjects. We no longer have differentiation in our elementary classrooms and often times the kids at the higher and lower ends of the spectrum are left behind because teachers are trying to teach to the middle. I feel we need to go back to differentiating our Math and English classes so that the kids that are a little more accelerated can move ahead and the kids that need some extra help can get it. Elementary school is the foundation for life long learning and we can and should do a better job with our Science, Math and Reading programs.

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.

In reading the latest budget for 2018 - 2019 it looks like we are currently at a 4 million dollar deficit. Until we can have a balanced budget or a surplus we shouldn't be making expenditures without a plan to pay for them. If the community would be in support of the proposals but forth by the boundaries committee which would require new schools we are going to have to see how that can be done within our current budget constraints.

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 and No

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?

Compromise is not a dirty word. When we have contract talks as we did with our support staff everybody did not get what they wanted. However, in the end there was a compromise and a resolution to the strike. When we go into contract discussions concessions will need to be made on all sides.

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 would support pay and benefits that is on parity with other districts of our size. District 15 is the second largest school district in the state with a budget of over a 160 million dollars. If we look at an average CEO salary of an organization that size the pay is probably comparable or more than what our superintendents and administrators make. I believe that people should be compensated fairly, for the work they do. Looking at the salaries of our administrators, teachers and support staff what we pay seems to be within a normal range of large school district.