7 Seek 3 Seats in Du Quoin Dist. 300 Race
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ On Tuesday, April 7th, Du Quoin Community Unit District 300 voters go to the polls to fill three seats on the board of eduction.
Two board members--Du Quoin Fire Chief Brett Crain and McPherson Automotive owner Craig McPherson--are retiring from the board.
Incumbent board member Joe Day is seeking re-election. All told, seven candidates are running for the three "in town" seats on the board. Profiles below are in alphabetical order.
Voters casting ballots in all of the spring elections should go to their traditional presidential election year polling places. This set of elections is largely designed to fill seats on school boards and village boards.
This is the off-year for elections in the City of Pinckneyville.
Mrs. Linda Fronek is the only candidate seeking her own seat as commissioner on the Du Quoin City Council.
Joseph Day (Incumbent)
519 Orchard Lane
Du Quoin
Age:43
Career: General Cable Co. 23 Years
Personal: Member of Du Quoin United Methodist Church, Du Quoin Baseball, Inc, Du Quoin Dist. 300 board member for 6 years and member of Du Quoin Dist. 300 Foundation
"My interest continues to be the education and safety of every student in District 300. I have lived in Du Quoin all of my life and every student in District 300 is my interest.
"In the next four years, I feel it is important that we hire the best and most qualified teachers. I also feel it is important that during these times we as the board are good stewards of District 300's money without sacrificing programs.
"I feel that there are always things that can be done to make District 300 better. I think as a board, we need to evaluate every item and make sure that it meets every cross section of students in the Du Quoin schools. We need to make sure that all students in the Du Quoin schools have the same opportunity to be successful following graduation from the District 300 school system."
Patricia "Pat" Ferrari
218 South Division St.
Du Quoin
Age: 62
Career: Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Business Education from SIU-C; 33 hours beyond Masters in education leadership for certification as secondary school principal. Teacher for 27 years, assistant DHS principal 7 years.
Personal: Perry County Retired Teachers Assoc; the Illinois Retired Teachers Assoc.; IEA (retired); Du Quoin Baseball, Inc. board member; sponsor and coach. Former board member Perry County Counseling; Du Quoin Zoning committee chairperson.
"I have been an advocate for education and the Du Quoin schools for 40 years. My first priority has always been the students. It is only natural that I continue to be involved in education and with students."
"I have issues and concerns that are educational in nature. I am not concerned about getting someone fired or someone hired. I have no family or friends that need a job. One of my issues is the drop out rate and keeping those kids in school, if possible. I am concerned about raising our test scores and about our class size. I want Du Quoin's students prepared for college and the ever-changing job market.
" I want to see the State of Illinois meet its obligations to education and Du Quoin specifically. I want our facilities to be up to date and safe. I want to be sure our special education students are taken care of and prepared for a job. I want to be sure that we are hiring the best possible candidate for a job, not necessarily the cheapest.
"I would prefer not to look at the past, but look at the future. The Board of Education will have at least two new board members after this election. I hope to be one of them. I will use my knowledge, skills and experience for the good of Du Quoin's students, teachers, staff and community. I want our students to be successful and I want our staff to have what they need to allow students to succeed.
"If I am elected, I will not be afraid to vote "no." I will make educated and informed decisions. I am not influenced by others, and I am my own person. I am not afraid to express my opinion or ask questions. My experiences in District 300 should be very helpful as a board member.
Richard Gossett
186 Wedgewood Lane
Du Quoin
Age: 45
Career: Lead financial advisor for Old National Bank (Southern Illinois Region). 18 years experience in financial services. Bachelor of Science Degree from SIU.
Personal: Volunteer softball coach for eight years in Du Quoin Pony League. Member of Elkville Christian Church and the SIU Alumni Association.
"Our school system has provided my children with the tools to succeed in life. My desire is to repay that to our community and district by giving my time and experience to help make sure we continue to provide more opportunities for our children.
"ISAT scores have been steadily improving. We have 85% of students that meet or exceed state minimums. By reducing student/teacher ratio, encouraging professional development of current teachers and making financially responsible decisions, I believe our ISAT scores can continue to raise. I would like to see our community and district work together. Sometimes, there seems to be a separation of ideas and solutions.
"Our dropout rate is 4.6%. That means over 95 percent of our students graduate. This is much better than the state average. However, the mobility rate (students coming and going) exceeds 11 percent. This negatively effects our state funding and testing scores. We need to work with the community to find a solution to lower the mobility rate, thus making us eligible for more state funding."
Charles "Beaver" Rice
8292 State Rt. 14
Du Quoin
Age: 49
Career: Farming (corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle) and trucking (coal, rock, lime and grain).
Personal: Member of the First Baptist Church of Du Quoin; board member Du Quoin Baseball, Inc. and little league coach.
"This is an opportunity to serve my community. Also, it's a chance to work for Du Quoin's children and be supportive of their education.
"I have no personal agenda. I will use my position as a school board member to maintain a balance of community commitment and educational standards. Schools and their educational system are very important to the image of the community and I will do all I can to advance that image.
"There is little wisdom for me to be critical of past boards. The reasons, I believe, I would be a good board member include: 1.) I believe the best way to measure the success of any school is to look at the achievements of the students in both academics and vocational endeavors. It also gives you a feeling about the teaching staff. I believe we have done very well in both areas 2.) It doesn't bother me to ask questions and get different ideas from others, and 3.) If I don't know or understand I want it to be explained to me so I do understand."
Michael Schneider
631 Lakeview Drive
Du Quoin
Age: 25
Career: Perry County deputy sheriff and part-time officer for the Du Quoin Police Department. Certified substitute teacher.
Personal: Christian Faith; Fraternal Order of Police. Four-year member of the McKendree University varsity football Squad; Whitetails Unlimited, and various firearm and sporting organizations. Bachelor's from McKendree University in business administration with a minor in economics. Master's in business administration to be completed this May from McKendree University.
"I am a product of Du Quoin School District #300 and I am very proud of that. Du Quoin is a community that has a very rich tradition. I want to help build on this tradition and expand our academic excellence now and for the future. Being a recent college graduate--currently furthering my education-- gives me a unique knowledge of what skills students need to succeed in college.
"Being involved in law enforcement, I also see the pitfalls and challenges young adults face if they do not receive a proper high school education. I currently have two nieces, several cousins, and children and siblings of many friends in the school system. I would like to start a family of my own in the future to be raised in Du Quoin. I want all of the children of Du Quoin to have the best educational opportunities to succeed. If I am elected to the school board, I would endeavor to facilitate growth in the quality of education and experiences of our youth.
"Fiscal responsibility will be a priority I hope to promote if I am given the opportunity to serve on the Board of Education. Times are tough all over; I know how to read budgets and financial statements. I want to utilize my education in business and make sure that every last taxpayer's dollar spent is in the best interest of the students and the community.
" I want to see an increase in the graduation rate. I would like to see more students furthering their education with college or trade schools. I would also support and promote improving current career and technical education opportunities for our students. I would encourage exploring and instituting new technology programs.
"The more skills that our students possess after graduating high school, the greater opportunities they will find. Also, the more skilled our labor force is, the more appealing we, as a community become to an industry seeking to find a home and quality employees.
" I would also actively encourage and promote an outdoors club such as a fishing team, firearm target shooting team, archery team, and other outdoor sportsmen activities to encourage more students to get involved and have more incentives to stay in school and get better grades.
"I don't want to see any more money taken out of the hands of our residents. I want to stress again fiscal responsibility. I do not mean that the previous boards have failed at this. With what our community and country are going through right now, money needs to be spent with care. I would like to be a part of a common sense approach to budgeting and spending. I would continue to promote hiring well-qualified applicants and encourage practical in-servicing and continuing education. We have a quality group of educators. Their ingenuity and creativity should be utilized even more to teach all learning styles in the classroom."
Michael Ward
414 West Perry Street
Du Quoin
Age: 49
Career: 26-year member of the Du Quoin Police Department, promoted to the position of Chief of Police in 2007. Substitute teacher.
Personal: Bachelors of Science Degree in Administration of Justice from SIU-C. Member of St. Paul Baptist Church, Member of Du Quoin Baseball, Inc., and the Du Quoin Youth Club board.
"I have always been interested in education and contemplated running for the school board years ago. I feel that because I am open-minded, I can be an asset to the board.
"I have to respect and represent the concerns of all the members of the community. I would like to see our graduation rate as high as possible and our drop out rate as low as possible. I would like to see our graduates go on to graduate from four-year universities and become successful, professional businessmen and women, and if we are fortunate enough, some will return to Du Quoin to practice and reside. We need to explore ways to raise our state test scores.
With respect to obligations and agendas in the public interest left unaddressed by previous boards or the current board, he said: " (There are) none that I am aware of."
Aaron Wright
322 Sarah Lane
Du Quoin
Age: 37
Career: Prevention specialist at Southern Illinois Regional Social Services (SIRSS) for the past 10 years.
Personal: Bachelor of Science degree from SIU-C in 1996. IHSA basketball/certified clinician.
"I will have three children in school next year. It is something I have been interested in for some time. I am running to better the district both academically and extra-curricularly.
"I have absolutely no personal agenda to speak of. I feel the general public deserves honesty and integrity from every member on the school board. I want to be a voice for every child in the district. With that, I want to be sure that every decision made is with the best interest of the kids in mind and not to better any certain families or individuals. The families deserve the peace of mind that the decision's made that effect their kids are made by a board that has morals and ethics.
"Sometimes, school boards forget that many individuals and families are damaged when anger and egos make decisions. My only obligation would be to promise that I will bring honesty and integrity as one-seventh of the school board and make sure the people of Du Quoin know I will always do what's best for the kids in the district."