Yuriy Figel: Candidate profile
Bio
Name: Yuriy Figel
City: Inverness, IL
Office sought: CCSD15 Board of Education
Age: 35
Family: Yuriy is married and lives with his wife, Natalia, and their two boys in Inverness, IL.
Occupation: Entrepreneur & real estate investor
Education: Executive MBA from Loyola University Chicago and MA in International Relations and Political Science from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, a top school in Ukraine.
Civic involvement: As an immigrant from Ukraine whose great grandmother was born in the U.S., Yuriy has a deep connection to both countries. He has dedicated much of his time towards promoting Ukrainian cultural heritage and supporting the Ukrainian-American community in Chicago. He has played leadership roles in several nonprofit and charitable initiatives and projects, as well as served on the boards of nonprofits such as the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. Yuriy serves as Co-Chair of the Chicago-Kyiv Committee at Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI), which is an initiative of World Business Chicago, a nonprofit that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city through citizen diplomacy and official relationships with a total of 28 cities in almost every region of the world. The exchange with Kyiv, Ukraine is one of the most vibrant and dynamic examples of CSCI.
Previous elected offices held: N/A
Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? N/A
Website: YuriyFigel.com/Vote
Facebook: @YuriyFigel
Twitter: @YuriyFigel
Issue questions
What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?
I'm currently doing my due diligence, which includes research on the District and its schools, and studying all current issues, as well as the best practices implemented by other successful districts around the country. I also plan to meet with principals, teachers, and staff members; students and parents, as well as with other constituents in the District. Based on this comprehensive research, I will finalize an implementation plan to ensure that I am as effective as possible with my board involvement. Ideally, I would like to see the following accomplishments in the next four years:
• Full-day kindergarten finally introduced in the District as an optional program for the parents that need this service. I believe the best way to do it would be through establishing a fee for this extra service. The taxpayers should not be taking on this extra burden and at the same time, the parents would be offered a better and more affordable alternative to placing their younger kids - future district students - in private daycare centers. And for those parents that wouldn't be able to afford a full fee, a flexible payment plan could be offered. Remember, the existing kindergarten program is free of charge, but the problem is that its schedule is not a viable option for many parents who work 9-5.
• Additionally, I think it would be beneficial to allow for an early entrance/late birthdate option for kindergarten, as it is currently provided for first grade students. Right now, kindergarten students must be 5 years of age before or on September 1 to be eligible to apply for the specific school year. This rules out the children whose birthday falls between September and December and who would be eligible for early entrance into first grade a year later. The only option for these children currently is private kindergarten.
• Paid before- and after-school programs which would include extracurricular activities, play and homework time, as well as additional opportunities for kids while their parents are at work. Currently, a before- and after-school program exists and is run by the Palatine and Rolling Meadows Park Districts, however, the enrollment is limited and a lottery entrance system and a wait list are being utilized.
• Healthy nutrition at school by minimizing products containing added sugar, processed and fast food, while at the same time adding local/organic fresh produce.
• Incentive program for great teachers based on ratings submitted by the classroom students and parents. Our talented and most effective teachers deserve additional recognition in a form of special bonuses and rewards. Celebrating the best teachers in each school would encourage overall professional growth and the continuous improvement in the quality of education in the district. The top teachers would be invited to share their best practices with their colleagues via district-wide seminars and workshops, as well as at speaker events for teachers and staff on leadership, success, education, and other topics aimed at elevating our teachers' and school staffs' potential for further growth. The goal is to make sure that the children have the most favorable environment daily for their present and future success. This program may be funded by private and business entities in the area (further discussed below).
• Engaging local businesses and the community by offering advertisement and sponsorship opportunities within the school ecosystem. A feasibility study may need to be conducted to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, but this could potentially be a great source of additional funding for the district, which could help cover the renovation of schools and success programs such as the one mentioned above.
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'm currently doing my due diligence, which includes research on the District and its schools, and studying all current issues, as well as the best practices implemented by other successful districts around the country. I also plan to meet with principals, teachers, and staff members; students and parents, as well as with other constituents in the District. Based on this comprehensive research, I will finalize an implementation plan to ensure that I am as effective as possible with my board involvement. Incidentally, I would like to see the following changes:
• Healthy nutrition at school by minimizing products containing added sugar, processed and fast food, while at the same time adding local/organic fresh produce.
• Incentive program for great teachers based on ratings submitted by the classroom students and parents. Our talented and most effective teachers deserve additional recognition in a form of special bonuses and rewards. Celebrating the best teachers in each school would encourage overall professional growth and the continuous improvement in the quality of education in the district. The top teachers would be invited to share their best practices with their colleagues via district-wide seminars and workshops, as well as at speaker events for teachers and staff on leadership, success, education, and other topics aimed at elevating our teachers' and school staffs' potential for further growth. The goal is to make sure that the children have the most favorable environment daily for their present and future success. This program may be funded by private and business entities in the area.
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.
To answer this question, I would have to study the budget line by line (which I will do if elected) in order to pinpoint potential overspending or unnecessary spending, and potentially redirect the funds towards areas that need improvement. I'm not a proponent of increasing the taxation burden in the district. Instead - I believe that the use of available funding as efficiently as possible is the best approach. On the income side, engaging local businesses and the community by offering advertisement and sponsorship opportunities within the school ecosystem could potentially be a great source of additional funding for the district, which could help cover the renovation of schools and success programs such as the one mentioned above. A feasibility study may need to be conducted to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.
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?
N/A
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?
To answer this question, I would have to study the budget line by line (which I will do if elected) in order to pinpoint potential overspending or unnecessary spending, and potentially redirect the funds towards areas that need improvement. I'm not a proponent of increasing the taxation burden in the district. Instead - I believe that the use of available funding as efficiently as possible is the best approach. As I mentioned previously, I would like to see the following implemented in the next four years:
• Incentive program for great teachers based on ratings submitted by the classroom students and parents. Our talented and most effective teachers deserve additional recognition in a form of special bonuses and rewards. Celebrating the best teachers in each school would encourage overall professional growth and the continuous improvement in the quality of education in the district. The top teachers would be invited to share their best practices with their colleagues via district-wide seminars and workshops, as well as at speaker events for teachers and staff on leadership, success, education, and other topics aimed at elevating our teachers' and school staffs' potential for further growth. The goal is to make sure that the children have the most favorable environment daily for their present and future success. This program may be funded by private and business entities in the area (further discussed below).
• Engaging local businesses and the community by offering advertisement and sponsorship opportunities within the school ecosystem. A feasibility study may need to be conducted to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, but this could potentially be a great source of additional funding for the district, which could help cover the renovation of schools and success programs such as the one mentioned above.
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?