District 308 Board of Education Candidates Speak at Forum

Candidates running for the Oswego 308 board of education were given an opportunity to speak at a forum hosted by multiple associations within the district on Thursday night.

There are six candidates running for four open board seats for Oswego 308.

Candidates opened the forum with a one-minute statement about their platform. Their responses included (in order of seating):

Matthew Bauman: I’m running of course as a concerned taxpayer… but with two young kids entering the school system I want to make sure they have all the resources and opportunities they need to progress in their education. I’m hoping to work both sides of the coin.

Michael McDowell: I’ve seen a lot of overspending in this district. We were very well of there for a while, not so much now and we need to make up for it. We’re going to have to make some difficult choices in the future and I want to make the good choices.

Greg O’Neil: I’m a part of the district’s finance and operations committee and have had a chance to start looking into projections, future enrollments and the declining general state aid. It doesn’t look good. Some tough choices will have to be made.

Danielle Paul: I’ve seen a lot of spending that has happened and when we had a lot of money it seemed like we had an open checkbook. There are going to be some tough choices. We’re all up here because we care about our children’s future.

Brad Schulz: I’m eager about the future of education in Oswego District 308. With excitement and promise from the new administration it has me energized to be a part of something great.

Eva Renee Powers was unable to make the forum due to a family emergency, said OEA president Darla Medernach.

The candidates were then asked, in a staggered order, six questions with a two-minute time limit. The questions were:

• How would you prioritize the district’s yearly budget?
• What steps are you willing to take to keep quality personnel throughout 308?
• Dr. Wendt has a goal of making Oswego 308 a world-class school system. How do you see that this goal this be implanted specifically for special populations like: academically talented, English language learners and those with special needs?
• The current school board is exploring new revenue streams, such as a sales tax for Oswego. What is your position?
• How would you execute achieving consensus among the school board regarding tough decisions that the board has to make?
• Define the school board’s role versus that of the superintendent in reference to governance and management in Oswego District 308.

In the remaining time allowed, the board candidates were asked questions from the audience with a one-minute time limit. Some of the questions were:

• What are your thoughts on class sizes at the primary, intermediate, junior high and high school core classes? Would you consider hiring more teachers to reach these numbers?
• What value does the district support staff bring to our district and education?
• One of the goals of common core is to ensure students graduate with skills to be future innovators and problem solvers. Would you support moving our district to a project and problem-based learning environment to ensure we are meeting this goal?
• What are your thoughts on full day kindergarten?
• How do you think special education can be improved?
• If your district was given $5million, in a one time grant, where would you spend it?
• Other than spending cuts, how do you specifically plan on reducing the tax burden?
• What is your view on the purpose of government? How does that view relate to the school district and its role in the community? And how many BoE meetings have you attended?
• The Illinois Virtual Charter School has applied to the district. The charter school’s curriculum will be purchased for a for-profit company. What is your view on a curriculum from outside the district that will employ teachers outside the district and will be funded completely by taxpayers?

All candidates were then asked the wrap-up question: Visioning is a critical element. What is your vision for district 308 one year from now?

To hear responses to all of the questions not in the videos above,  check out the entire meeting as it was livestreamed here.