| What is the importance of the District 137 School Board to your constituents? | |
|---|---|
| Joe Robinson | |
| "Many people throughout the community look to the members of the school board for answers. I feel one of the biggest concerns in a community is what are we going to do to make our children successful and what are we going to do in the future to ensure the success of our children. The people in the community have a lot of questions and they also have a lot of good solutions. I would like to be the one to bring their concerns and solutions to the school board. " | |
| Joan Fitzgarrald | |
| "The RCS School Board has the responsibility of ensuring that every single child who attends our schools receives the best education possible. We are preparing our students to become responsible, productive citizens of not only our community but our state, country and the world. We need to provide all the services that are required by our students and their families, while still being diligent caretakers of the funds paid by our taxpayers. I feel that we must give our students the support they need to become our future leaders." | |
| Andy Graham | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Jack Anderson | |
| "The Rantoul City Schools District with its five schools serves to educate the Village of Rantoul’s pre-K thru 8th grade children, empowering them as learners to grow emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Our children are our community’s future and a quality education is the foundation to the community’s success in retaining its youth, attracting new families, and developing an educated workforce toward attracting new businesses and higher payer jobs." | |
| Edwin Everly | |
| "The important responsibility of the District 137 School Board is to work with our community to improve student achievement in our local public school." | |
| John Brotherton | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Why are you qualified to be on the School Board? | |
| Joe Robinson | |
| "I have lived in this community for 13 years. I am a concerned parent. I have children that are part of the city school system and the high school system. I have seen the successes and I've seen the struggles of my children in the school system. I would be an excellent addition to the board. I would have an open mind working with current board members and future board members. I believe that all of us have the same good intentions to make our city schools successful. I feel that I would be an excellent voice for the community. As a new member of school board I would bring some good ideas and a fresh look at things. I believe as a community and as a school board we have me opportunities that we can capitalize on. " | |
| Joan Fitzgarrald | |
| "I was an educator at Rantoul City schools for 30 years, and my children attended RCS from first through 12th grade. I have a masters degree in educational administration and spent 5 years teaching reading to teachers both as a private consultant and at Olivet Nazarene University.
I feel that I can look at any issue before the board as a parent, teacher, administrator and community member. Those experiences give me the unique ability to see how any issue, program, etc. will affect the entire school system." | |
| Andy Graham | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Jack Anderson | |
| "The key of any successful organization is strong and positive leadership. I possess proven leadership skills and experience acquired throughout a lifetime of public service. My leadership experience includes the U.S. Army’s Military Police Crops; a career in a county Sheriff’s office with promotion through the ranks as a supervisor, manager, and to the executive position of Assistant Sheriff; five years on my previous city’s planning and transportation commission; and most recently having served four years as an elected Champaign County Board Member. To achieve educational goals the school board develops polices and hires the district superintendent, who in turn hires their administrators, teachers, and other support staff. Also important, the school board needs strong experienced leadership to represent the interest of the community to include the children, parents, taxpayers, and businesses." | |
| Edwin Everly | |
| "I possess sound judgment, an even temper, a willingness to collaborate and a sincere interest in public education and as a former employee of Rantoul City Schools, I possess a great deal of knowledge of district needs and that of the children it serves." | |
| John Brotherton | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| If elected, what is something you want to accomplish on the School Board, and how long will it take? | |
| Joe Robinson | |
| "If I'm elected there are few things that I would like to accomplish. I'd like to talk with some of the teachers and get their opinions as to what is causing our turnover? What is making the teachers in our school system wanting to leave? I would like to find a way to get parents more involved in our school system. I would like to see an improvement in the test scores throughout the Rantoul school system. I would like to work with the teachers and the community to create extra help for our students. Many of these solutions will take time, but I think we can make a significant improvement in test scores and parent involvement within a year. " | |
| Joan Fitzgarrald | |
| "I would like to make sure that the successful changes we have made in the last few years remain in place. For example: lower class sizes, more support staff for students, building construction that has made our schools enjoyable places to attend, tablets for every student, art classes, more after school activities, and much more.
In the future I would like to provide more support for children who have emotional, traumatic or behavioral issues. This is something I am looking into right now by researching whether this should be more social workers, behavior coaches, or if there is something else that has worked for other schools. This is something that I would like to see put in place by the start of the 2019-2020 school year." | |
| Andy Graham | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Jack Anderson | |
| "Two important goals I plan to accomplish are increased transparency and improved PARCC assessment scores. To achieve transparency I will advocate for the production of an annual report not to the school board but rather to the community and its stakeholders. Where the report serves to inform the public of the superintendent and staff’s performance toward reaching the goals and objectives of the School Board. The annual report will outline the performance measures of the various educational programs and also provide a succinct financial accountability picture of the District’s funding and expenditures. With regard to the PARCC assessment, I will initiate and report to the other board a best practices review of successful schools. Based upon lessons already learned I will advocate for the adoption of best pedagogy methods and practices to enhance the district’s PARCC results." | |
| Edwin Everly | |
| "My primary vision and goal is to see improved student achievement in the district and I see it starting its turn around in 2 years. " | |
| John Brotherton | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Is there anything else you would like to say to an undecided voter? | |
| Joe Robinson | |
| "If I'm elected to the school board I would be someone that you can talk to. Someone that you can express your concerns and ideas to without being judged. I believe that together we can all find a solution for our children and their future growth. We have a great community and we have a great School board. I would like to bring both together and lets create a bright future for our children. " | |
| Joan Fitzgarrald | |
| "I am dedicated to serving the children of Rantoul, as I have been for the last 40 years. I feel that I can do a good job serving with an open mind, a willingness to listen to new ideas, and a desire to do what is best for RCS" | |
| Andy Graham | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |
| Jack Anderson | |
| "We can’t fix what is wrong with Rantoul City Schools until we acknowledge that we have a problem. Leaders don’t mind what’s wrong and continue in the same failing ways. Of Illinois' 771 ranked school districts, Rantoul City Schools is ranked among the very lowest performing 763, eighth from the bottom. The bottom 1 percent. I believe our children are better and can perform much higher. Given the opportunity to serve on the school board, I will dedicate all my efforts and apply my experience to provide the needed leadership to turn our schools around." | |
| Edwin Everly | |
| "If you have noticed any of the following signs out of our current School Board, it’s time for change:
1. A school board member continually focuses on one issue or talks aimlessly at meetings. 2. A school board member doesn’t conduct him or herself in a respectful, collaborative manner in public. 3. A school board member comes to meetings unprepared. 4. A school board member “rubber stamps” all the superintendent’s proposals without asking hard questions. 5. A school board member micromanages rather than focusing attention on district-wide policies. 6. A school board member uses his position on the school board as an opportunity to put forth a political agenda with little relevance to student achievement. Please send a strong message for having improved student achievement by allowing me to be your voice as a Member of the Board of Education Rantoul City School 137, vote for me on April 2, 2019." | |
| John Brotherton | |
| No answer from candidate after multiple attempts to contact. | |