Danielle Paul For SD308 School Board: Patch Candidate Profile

Name: Danielle Paul

Age: 49

Position Sought: SD308 School Board Member

Family:

My husband, John and I have lived in the district for almost 20 years. We have four children, Kathryn an OEHS graduate and current junior at the University of Montana; Nathan a senior at OEHS; Christopher is a sophomore at OEHS and Colin a seventh grader at Bednarcik.

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

Education:

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Northern Illinois University.

Occupation:I am a Senior Director, Recruitment Solutions for cors, Inc. in Lake Zurich.

Why are you running?

I am interested in returning to the BOE because I would like to continue what I have been a part of for the past four years. During my past four years on the BOE, I think we have made a number of strides in updating our curriculum, increasing test scores for students across the district, and have had great strides in student successes and college and career readiness. Our AP programs and Dual Credit programs have allowed our graduating students to have completed numerous hours of college, credit saving our parents valuable college dollars. Our test scores are rising, while our spending per pupil is still one of the lowest in the area and especially with districts our size.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

I have been on the SD308 School Board for the past 4 years. I have been on the Wheatlands Homeowner Association for 11 years and President for the past 10 years. I have also been a Director for the Oswego Foundation For Educational Excellence for the past seven years.

Campaign Website: http://paulfor308.weebly.com/

What do you hope to accomplish in office?

I would like to continue with putting our students first. We must continue to close the achievement gap for our various student groups. Also, we must encourage our students to take classes that will challenge them. We have more students taking AP and Dual Credit classes with a larger percentage passing the AP exams. Our AP programs and Dual Credit programs have allowed our graduating students to have completed numerous hours of college, credit saving our parents valuable college dollars. Our test scores are rising, while our spending per pupil is still one of the lowest in the area and especially with districts our size.

How would you hold local government employees accountable?

I think it is important to work with the people who elected. People should come out to vote in every election. People need to pay attention to what is happening. We have a number of people in the district that didn't know we were having financial difficulties until it got out that we were releasing teachers (which is done annually). We have been talking about financial issues for at least the last 12 months. We actually had a public forum for our community to ask and we would respond to any questions. We only had two people get up and say something. We even had a presentation about what our current and future financial status. Please come out to vote. It is the ultimate accountability.

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

It is not going to be easy to balance our budget. However, it has to be done. We are going to have to review all classes to look at the number of students within each class. We will have to see at the high school level, if there aren’t a number of students to take a class, can we combine classes to still alone it to run. We have cut already with our administration and haven’t backfilled some positions that have been vacated. Everything will have to be on the table including extra-curricular activities and within the classrooms. That would not be my first choice. I am also sure that if we start increasing the students in classes or start cutting extra-curricular activities, it won’t be popular either.

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

The district is headed for some rough waters due to the states lack of funding for our schools. The experience of being on the board for the past four years will help guide us in the right direction through some tough decisions. The decisions will be tough, but needed just to keep this district open under local leadership. The community needs to understand the financial issues were not caused by the BOE, but the state. The state owes us over $70 million. If we had even a portion of that money, none of our current conversations would be needed. In finding the best solution for our current financial situation, it isn’t going to be easy, but we do have some options out there. We just need to work together and see how we can work it out while least penalizing the children of the district. As of March 13, we have yet to receive any categorical payments from the state of Illinois.

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

I want to encourage everyone to come out and vote. It is extremely important that we make sure our voices are heard and we hold our elected officials accountable. I am here for all of the kids. I want the best for all of the students in our district. It is important to me that we encourage our children to be the best they can be. We need to make sure that our students are college and career ready, whatever route they chose.

Photo provided by Danielle Paul