This Q&A is part of Tiger Times Online’s coverage of the 2025 school board election. The election will take place on April 1. For more information, click here.

The following Q&A has been edited for concision and clarity.

• Why are you running for the District 7 school board, and what’s the most important skill or experience you bring to the role?

Running for the school board comes from going back to 2008-2009 when the district was in financial crisis, and we cut all the shop programs and vocational programs. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to get those programs back. We are back in CAVC, but now I’m trying to get the one hour shop classes back at the high school and at the middle school. I understand financial troubles too. We need to look at our budget, especially now, the latest Governor’s proposal of not only denying the increase, the Illinois State School Board asked for, but he actually cut another $300 million. I think our budget is going to be pretty tight.

• Should you be elected, what specific policies would you like to see enacted or changed, and how would those changes specifically benefit students in our high school or in the other schools?

I don’t know any new policies. I would like to review the policies we got. With bullying being a big issue. I would like to look at discipline actions. If we are enforcing those to protect students and making a free place of learning. I know there’s committees set up for that. I’m aware of that too. I don’t know the ins and out of it. I know zero tolerance is not allowed but there are levels we can look at

• Are you in favor of increasing or decreasing school funding? If so, where would you propose those funds come from and where would they be allocated, or where would you cut back?

I know teacher retention is a big issue, and we’re going into a contract negotiation. We’re definitely gonna have to look at that budget and see what we can do to keep our teachers. I go by line by line. I understand with the budget, it’s not just one big pile of money. There are different pots. You just can’t rob out of one to put into the other. Definitely have to go through it and make sure we’re spending their money wisely. If there’s not a cheaper alternative, you don’t have to look at all our options.

• Who do you believe is the school board’s primary constituent? Is it the students, the parents, the teachers, the staff, the community, or someone else?

At this level we serve, obviously, the district seven taxpayers, making sure that we’re financially, spending their money wisely. We’re also serving the parents of the district, so their students are getting the fairest and best education they can get to prepare them for the next step in life, whether that’s entering the workforce or going to college, giving them a great start.

• School boards, in general, have become more contentious and gained more attention in recent years with many larger political movements. Do you think any of the larger things we’ve seen in our country will affect our school board specifically?

I’ve been asked several questions about my political allegiances. And I say, I follow ideas irregardless of what political party or person you fall from. If you can explain the idea to me and make it make sense and sell me on it, I’d be happy to follow it. I believe people need to keep an open mind with politics and not just aimlessly follow party direction.

• Are you satisfied with the current curriculum offerings in our high school? If not, what changes would you advocate for, and why? Are there specific subjects or skills you feel are lacking?

Besides your core curriculum, math and English, I definitely believe there should be a wider choice. I think students at a younger age, at middle school level, should be shown the shot classes they used to have to show that it’s not just a hobby, but actually a career. I’ve been an electrician for 20 years, and it’s definitely paid for my life and my family’s life.

• What specific resources and support systems should our district provide to address student mental health and well-being?

Well, I think, there should be counseling on sight, that works with the parents. We’re not the primary, but definitely, we can keep an eye on the student while they’re at school. Tie in with the parents, and even, if that student would have a private counselor, to coordinate with them. Look at issues, from bullying or depression anxiety. Each student requires different needs, but I’d say have a trained medical staff to help with that.

• How would you ensure the school board is transparent and accountable to the community?

I represent the school board. I would definitely post everything and state everything out there at the meetings, with exception of those things at legalities, like student names or discipline. Obviously, you can’t talk about those. Anything that’s illegal for me to talk about, it wouldn’t. But from a standpoint of any concerns of mine, I am more of a speaking in the open meetings part of it all, as opposed to the executive session. I want transparency. I want the public to hear what I’m saying, what I’m thinking, and I want to hear from the community to know if they support that or if they don’t, and I would like to hear the reasons why, and listen.

• How do you plan to help all students become ready for college, careers or other forms of post-secondary success?

We gotta make relationships with post high school educations, whether it’s a four year university or ranking, and figure out what our shortcomings are, and see how to embrace those, whether it’s a technology issue or a hands on issue, if it’s reading or if it’s math, skills aren’t prepared enough to take that next step, and then have to make the changes necessary for that. When I was in high school, we took consumers ed, and I don’t think it prepared us for as much of the challenges that come after, such as balancing of budgets or the causes of auto insurance or health insurance. Some kids want to go right into the workforce, and I’m not sure if they’ve actually been prepared for that as fully as they could. I’d like to see a class, just give students a feeling of what it’s like to live, because you got rent, then you got a car, or paying a mortgage, but then also you got bills in life, all the ins and outs.

• What are your views on the recent push to change EHS to a 7-period day and changes to the start and end times?

I’m really thinking we do need either seven hour day. I’ve actually, in the past, have floated an idea of, let’s go to the eight block system, four classes, one day for the next, because it would give you a total of 32 credits graduating over four years, as opposed to 24. I think right now, Illinois requires 16 mandatory credits. I believe that number is going to climb at some point, to 20. So if you have 20 of them that are mandated, out of 24 your opportunity to have your classes of choice in high school, you got four hours. As opposed to gaining up the seven hour day, at least have 28. With an eight block system, you have 32. It just opens that window of opportunity for learning a whole lot more. I don’t know so much about the later shift times. I’ve heard pushback on that, like getting out at 3:40 in the afternoon. You’ve got to sit down with the teachers and hear out their concerns. They’re the ones that are going to be teaching in that narrow window. And hear out if there’s a better way of doing that. But at the same time, if we are going to be mandated to do 20 credits out of 24, how do we allow students to have a broader education? It’s a very double edged sword that we need to work with our teachers. I don’t have all the answers. And you also got bus schedules too. Transportation costs. That was part of the push with changing the Start Times is to put senior high schoolers with middle schoolers on the same bus. I don’t know if that’s going to work out, but I know that’s an idea that’s being proposed.

• What are your views on the construction, and is there anything else that needs to be constructed?

Overall, I think the construction has been definitely needed. I know it’s been a lot to do, especially at Lincoln. As far as the actual spending of the money, I think it’s been okay. I haven’t seen anything that’s been really out of touch. I know there’s concerns with Hamel about asbestos. I don’t know exactly where we’re at with that. And the issue is, with my field of being in construction, sometimes when you get into building or remodeling, you get into other things that you didn’t see. Things do change, and sometimes you have to remediate further and spend more money. So far, I think it’s been okay. Just had definitely keep an eye on it.

• What are your views on efforts to replace the bathrooms by the cafeteria with gender neutral bathrooms?

I know that the bathrooms needed to be replaced, but I don’t know if we needed to do such a radical change like we did. There are safety concerns that need to be addressed. If there’s going to be a full time monitor. I don’t know if that’s been addressed. I know there’s going to be a monitor, but I don’t know if it’s going to be remote with video camera or somebody on site. I don’t know. I’ve kind of seen both sides of the arguments on that there, and I’m kind of on the fence. I think that ships kind of sailed and we’re there. I think it’s just a matter now keeping students safe, whether we need a full time monitor.

• What sorts of policies could you review to help lower bullying?

I know that when I was school, there was zero tolerance. They used to throw you out. I don’t believe that’s allowed anymore by state law, but I don’t know if we can enforce more detentions or suspensions, definitely enforce those rules a whole lot further.

• How do you maintain a relationship with the other board members?

I keep an open mind. You don’t go in there with it’s my way or the highway. You do kind of look for, as President John Kennedy said, you don’t look for the Republican answer or the Democratic answer. You look for the right answer. Same thing with the school board. I have ideas, they may not be the right ideas. And someone else may have a better idea, but you got to listen to it and actually see, you know, what would be the best for our students, and not afraid to try something out. And certainly not afraid to say, You know what, I had this idea and it didn’t work out, you know, admit that it was wrong and change for a course of direction.

• A lot of districts have faced staff shortages. How do you propose District 7 is able to maintain staff and have high quality teachers?

I don’t know if we have teachers that have left exit interviews, what we can learn off that, what we can keep them here. Some leave for reasons that the district could help alleviate, whether it’s pay, and benefits, or classroom conditions. I would like to look at that and allocate money to solve those problems.

• Give me your final pitch for why people should vote for you.

I got a different perspective on things. I never held any political post. I have been active at school board meetings. I’ve been on the strategic steering committee since 2021. I’m definitely opening to listen to ideas from the constituents and the students and teachers, and address those to the board, and I would definitely follow up. I wouldn’t just leave it as I heard from you, and that’s it. I would follow that response back up with the board, whether the board makes it at a meeting or even afterwards.