Editor’s be aware: That is certainly one of a sequence of tales contested races within the Aurora space within the April 4 normal election.
Seven candidates are battling for 3 four-year board seats for Oswego college district 308 within the April 4 election.
On the poll are Dominick Cirone and Heather Gregar, Joanne Anastasia Johnson, Amy Murillo, Mary Jo Wenmouth, Richard B. Gilmore and Nicky A. Boecker.
The hiring of a brand new superintendent, taxes, management, funds and psychological well being have been among the many points lately addressed by candidates in a request for solutions from The Beacon-Information.
Cirone mentioned his precedence can be hiring a superintendent with a confirmed monitor document of educational enhancements on a restricted price range.
Present District 308 Superintendent John Sparlin introduced in January that he’ll retire on the finish of the varsity 12 months.
We are able to obtain this by means of a strong hiring technique that considers enter from the neighborhood, workers and the board, Cirone mentioned of hiring a brand new superintendent.
Cirone, a treasury supervisor for a Fortune 500 firm, mentioned he has the expertise to assist advance the district financially and academically.
I perceive the worth of unlocking operational effectiveness for higher efficiency and outcomes, he mentioned. I need to assist the district prioritize tutorial achievements and implement plans based mostly on their instructional affect.
Cirone was named to the board in February 2022 throughout a tumultuous time throughout the pandemic. He held an unexpired time period from Ruth Kroner who resigned as a result of she was transferring from the district.
All of us need to put together our college students for the absolute best tutorial, behavioral and future success, she mentioned. That does not imply we should always dictate specifics. Educators should be empowered.
Quick- and long-term strategic planning might be a precedence if elected, he mentioned. This method will in the end higher put together college students academically and be extra financially environment friendly for the district, she mentioned.
Gilmore was pressured to run for a board seat in District 308 due to property taxes, he mentioned.
My property taxes have doubled since I moved to Montgomery 9 years in the past. Most of my taxes go to the varsity district. I positively felt the burden, Gilmore mentioned.
I felt like a money cow and felt just like the residents have been the one supply of funding for the varsity, he mentioned.
Gilmore would oppose any proposal for a future referendum, he mentioned.
It is time for accountability. I imagine I can assist make district budgeting accountable, she mentioned.
Gilmore is a US Military Veteran, having served almost 22 years within the army. He didn’t maintain an elected place.
He mentioned he has expertise in management service as a upkeep platoon sergeant and upkeep teacher. He has additionally labored as a upkeep planner within the civilian industrial sector, he mentioned.
His expertise would assist him take a look at the district’s buildings, properties and bus fleet, he mentioned.
Gregar mentioned he has two sons who attend colleges within the district and has personally witnessed the constructive outcomes of the exhausting work and dedication of educators and college students. Nonetheless, she can be conscious of a number of the challenges in instructional management, he mentioned.
I might be an advocate for educational excellence, fiscal accountability, parental rights and particular training, Gregar mentioned.
Gregar is a paralegal and actual property agent. He’s presently a member of the district committee. He mentioned his background in regulation, finance and actual property might be an asset to the council.
I’ve spent years volunteering and researching the inside workings of our faculty district. I’ve expertise in contract negotiations and perceive how levies, taxes and different incentives contribute to district funding, Gregar mentioned.
He mentioned certainly one of his priorities can be to make sure college students are competent if not excelling of their main tutorial topics.
I perceive that choices made throughout the pandemic at each the district and state degree have impacted our college students. I’m able to implement inventive options to maintain our youngsters engaged and thriving,” Gregar mentioned.
Faculties are experiencing a sequence of struggles starting from pupil psychological well being points and monetary issues, Murillo mentioned.
Oswego colleges aren’t any totally different. I am working for the board as a result of I imagine my wealth of expertise and experience can assist deal with these points, she mentioned.
Murillo, a steady enchancment coach with the Department Alliance for Educator Variety, mentioned he has greater than 20 years of expertise in public training, together with curriculum and evaluation design, training, skilled growth, and college management. You haven’t held public workplace.
Hiring a superintendent can be certainly one of his priorities if elected, Murillo mentioned.
The district’s subsequent superintendent must be a transformative and collaborative chief with a monitor document of robust pupil achievement, he mentioned.
One other precedence considerations the recruitment and retention of workers. Suggests the district analysis and implement recruiting initiatives to draw workers and strategically shut the pay hole with surrounding college districts, and examine alternatives to enhance incentives for workers to stick with the district.
Wenmouth mentioned she has at all times been an advocate for youngsters and represents empty nesters within the taxpayer neighborhood with no youngsters within the public college system.
He didn’t maintain an elected place. Wenmouth is a former monetary planner with greater than 35 years within the occupation, he mentioned. He’s presently an funding relations specialist for a business actual property and funding agency.
Her listing of priorities, if elected, consists of hiring a forward-thinking new superintendent, reviewing the price range after the decide to see what modifications will be made to salaries, and holding the neighborhood knowledgeable of pupil progress.
We aren’t 100% funded like many different districts are. Whereas we have achieved effectively with what we’ve, we have to get to the purpose the place we’re totally funded for the great of our college students and the neighborhood, Wenmouth mentioned.
Boecker has one son who graduated from Oswego East Excessive College, whereas two others are presently in highschool.
My youngsters have been part of many massive applications inside the district, which provides me intensive information and expertise of many facets of the district, she mentioned in her response.
He’s making use of for a seat on the council attributable to what he describes as an absence of management inside a number of the buildings which is negatively impacting our college students.
Lately, I’ve seen extra dysfunction within the district’s management and path, which has motivated me to lean in and see what’s occurring past the floor. I’ve observed that the present board shouldn’t be unified and displays a number of public dysfunction that tends to upset the neighborhood, mother and father and district staff, Boecker mentioned.
Boecker is an account supervisor at Ascendis Pharma. Previous to your new position as a medical endocrine specialist, you spent 22 years working with behavioral well being specialists advocating for sufferers with psychological sickness, he mentioned.
With my skilled background in accounting and other people administration, I’ll work to steer our board to focus extra on measurable objectives, he mentioned.
Her priorities embrace hiring a brand new superintendent and supporting directors, lecturers and workers to make sure they’ll obtain the objectives the council has set earlier than them, in addition to making certain the neighborhood has a higher say within the district.
Johnson is self-employed as an Operational Excellence Advisor. He has not beforehand held an elected place.
Over the previous 27 years, I’ve witnessed a greater than 50% decline in our tutorial proficiency with one more want for extra bills. As an expert, these two situations made me marvel why. Primarily based on high-level analysis alone, I’ve recognized a number of potential alternatives. I’m assured that my expertise will convey constructive change to the kids and neighborhood of the district, Johnson mentioned.
His priorities embrace tutorial proficiency and monetary accountability, Johnson mentioned.
It claims to offer lecturers with the sources they should convey out the very best of their college students, she mentioned.
We have to improve sources for a number of applications to make sure that we’re offering each baby with the training they deserve. To do that with out taxing a neighborhood struggling by means of the identical recession as our colleges, we have to evaluate our present spending and decide the place funds will be reallocated, Johnson mentioned.
Linda Girardi is a contract reporter for The Beacon-Information.