Paul Leong For D203 School Board: Patch Candidate Profile

Name: Paul Leong

Age: 53

Position Sought: D203 School Board, 4 year term

Family: Spouse: Yuqin Wang; Son: Benjamin Leong age 13 Attending Public School in D203; Daughter: Hannah Leong age 9 Attending Public School in D203.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: Dual BS in Finance/Economics

Occupation: Accounting/Finance/Audit 10 years; IT various positions 20 years

Why are you running?

The reason that I am running for a position on the Board is to bring some new ideas to the Board and to broaden the two- way communication channel between the Board and the community, to improve educational opportunities for our students. I am running NOW because I have accumulated some meaningful experience from having my kids in the system (my son will be in high school this year), and many people in my community have asked me to step up. Seeing the contributions of other parents and residents, has inspired me to try to do more. Lastly, I would like to bring to bear some financial expertise to support the fiduciary role of the board, apply my cutting edge IT knowledge to guide the direction of technology deployment, all with the goal of improving education for our students and protecting the outstanding reputation of District 203 schools.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

Community service:Pack Chairman of son's cub scout troop; Manager of son's little league team; Teacher at Ray Chinese School

Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/profi...

What do you hope to accomplish in office?

I would like to improve education for D203 students in a financially responsible way. I would like to protect the outstanding reputation of D203 schools to safeguard residents property values. I would like to widen the communication channel between my community and the board, and bring their voice to the board.

How would you hold local government employees accountable?

As a former FDIC Bank Examiner and Auditor, it is a core value to me to treat the spending of other people's money as a serious fiduciary duty. In anticipation of a budget crisis, I would look to find greater efficiencies where possible, and to leverage technology to do more with less. I would be bound to honor the collective bargaining agreement, but I would still hold employees to a high standard of performance and efficiency.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

Spending taxpayer dollars is a serious responsibility. My goal would be to be able to defend spending choices made by the board to the taxpayers with measurable, data driven results and achievement. I would ask the questions that make sense for fulfilling fiduciary responsibility such as: What value would be expected from that spending? Have you considered other methods of achieving the same benefit with other solutions that are better/faster/cheaper? Are there peers that are achieving a better or lower cost result that we might be able to emulate?

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been employed in both the public and private sectors, as well as being self-employed; so I have a wide expanse of real world business experience. As an auditor and financial analyst, I have been tasked with detecting malfeasance, in addition to seeking cost savings and greater efficiencies that have resulted in the savings of millions. As an IT professional, I have designed and implemented solutions for a wide variety of businesses including universities, junior colleges, and high schools which resulted in cost savings, greater productivity, and improved access to technology. I would like to bring to bear all of this professional experience, as well a some creative problem solving to improve education for D203 students.

What else would you like voters to know about you and your positions?

My name is Paul Leong and I am not a politician. What I am is a spouse, father of two kids in D203 schools, 17 year resident of Naperville, and a fellow taxpayer and citizen. Like most parents, I want to forge a better future for my children. Education is critical to achieve great outcomes; and not just in the area of academics. We need to increase the avenues to success with opportunities for entrepreneurial, vocational, in addition to college preparation training, We need to expose our students to more real world occupations so they can discover their passions earlier to find the express lane to their futures. Through my teaching experiences, I have been fortunate to have made a positive difference in the lives of many of my students and their parents. These experiences and the urging of members of my community have inspired me to do more to make a difference in the lives of more students. I have benefited so much from living and raising my family in D203 that I would like to ensure that others down the line can reap the same and more. Please vote for me on April 4th so I can serve you with distinction.

Photo provided by Paul Leong