James Strezewski: District 96 School Board Candidate

Name: James Strezewski        

Age: 43

Family: Married with 2 children

Education: Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting – Loyola University

Occupation: Commercial Real Estate Investment Management – Accounting

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: N/A

Other community involvement: Regular school and Park District activities

Position sought: Board Member – Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96

Campaign E-mail address: jstrezewski@kcsd96.org

Campaign committee: N/A

Campaign Website: N/A

Campaign Facebook: 4-Ward Thinking for District 96 

Campaign Twitter: N/A

Why are you running?

Ten years ago, I moved to this neighborhood for the school districts and my children have definitely thrived in the curriculum. I more recently decided that I wanted to give back to the District what I was capable of giving to perpetuate that quality education for the children to come. Serving as a Board Member seemed to fit my capabilities more than other available opportunities and I look forwarding to continuing in that capacity for the years to come.

In what ways would the school district benefit from your service?

I can best serve the District as a Board Member given my finance and commercial real estate background. There are regular decisions made in overseeing the District that involve both of those areas and in today’s challenging economic environment, these decisions will count even more towards the bottom line.

What is the biggest challenge the school district faces and what should be done to address it?

It is hard to pick a biggest challenge since there are a few crucial issues that need to be addressed. If we follow our mission and keep the children as our focal point, I would say that the implementation of the common core standards is vitally important. The biggest challenge along these lines will be implementing the standards in the best possible, most effective way. There is a lot of work to do in this respect and we need to make sure the appropriate level of professional development is available for the Staff and Administration to properly execute the implementation.

What do you think the district does well?

The District has always had an excellent eye for spending it funds wisely; biggest benefit for the tax dollars spent. The appropriate checks and balances are in place to ensure that decisions of the Board are carefully considered prior to District spending. The Board also monitors and adjusts it future expectations and projections regularly on the financial position of the District providing for a proactive approach to decision making.

What should be some of the school district’s priorities over the next four years?

State pension reform is still in a state of flux. The Board will need to stay vigilant on the State’s progress towards reform and continue to present the District’s concerns and position when decisions are due to be addressed by State legislature. 

The Board and Administration fully support the shift to the Common Core Standards. As mentioned above this will be a challenge. It is the role of the Board to understand the requirements of the Common Core Standards and approve the process by which the District implements those standards. It is the role of the District’s Administration to carry through with that plan.

What else would you like voters to know?

The current Board has developed a level of knowledge and understanding that has prepared it for the decisions coming our way (i.e. those mentioned in the challenges above). The Board also represents a diverse background of people who have seen the past, present and have participated in forecasting the future. The team has a proven track record of working well together and should remain intact for the future.