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Name: Jose Jaques
What office are you seeking? DeKalb School District Board
What is your political party? Independent
What is your current age? 56
Occupation and employer: Building Substitute - Hiawatha School District
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None
City: DeKalb
Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/Jaques4Board
Education: Masters of Public Administration - NIU
Bachelors of Science - NIU
Community Involvement: VFWElks Club
Children’s Advocacy Center Advisory Board
NIU Institutional Review Board
BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding Center
Marital status/Immediate family: Married
5 children
6 Grandchildren
Questions:
Illinois, like many districts across the nation, is facing significant teacher shortages. What is your idea to recruit and retain educators, including special education, dual-language teachers, etc.
Having a supportive culture and allowing the teachers to teach will attract the best teachers and retain the great teachers and staff we already have. Like in many other career fields, it takes more effort to bring in new personnel than to keep the personnel already there. With a supportive culture the district will attract the right people.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
My wife, who is a DeKalb graduate, and I have 5 children who graduated from DeKalb schools. We also have 2 grandchildren who currently attend DeKalb Schools.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
The district administration should be working with the teachers and building administration to request or provide the appropriate materials to support the approved curriculum.
Most of local residents' property taxes go to their school districts. Are taxes paid to your school district too high? What would you do to protect the interests of taxpayers?
The tax burden on the residents of the district is too high. As a board member, I will keep in mind that money paid to the district is not the district’s money to do with as it pleases, but should be used responsibly. There needs to be transparency in how the district spends all its funds.
Most of the COVID relief money from the federal government is coming to an end. What spending adjustments does your school district need to make to address that?
The COVID relief money timetable has been known for quite some time now, I would expect for the plans to operate without those funds should already be in action.
Should Title IX cover sexual orientation or gender identity? What are your views on the use of locker rooms and bathrooms by transgender students and their participating in sports?
The district must follow the current interpretation of Title IX. Several district programs rely on Federal funds in order to operate. Risking that funding would be irresponsible.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
ICE agents should have a warrant to enter our schools. Barring a warrant, school personnel should not be required to cooperate with the actions of the ICE agents or their representatives. With the federal administration stating they can charge anyone who interferes with ICE operations, the district should make no policy or give any guidance to interfere with ICE Operations.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
I believe the top three issues the district faces are classroom size, student behavior and discipline and fiscal transparency.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
I see no need for students to use their cell phone in the building during school hours. With the district providing each student with a Chromebook, students do not need their cell phone for educational internet usage. Parents can call into the office and students can use the phone in the office if necessary.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
There probably would be exceptions, but they should be rare and based on specific needs and conditions.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
If cell phones are not used in the school, then most behavior would be outside of school hours, thus addressing the behavior becomes a parental problem. Any bullying issues that present themselves during school should be addressed through school discipline.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
Students should not be allowed to use AI in any graded products. The students should have instruction on the appropriate use of AI as it is the technology of the future.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
District financial reports including the budget and revenues/expenditures are currently available on the district website. The budget should be presented in detail at the board meeting. The possibility of the budget presented in a Town Hall format should be explored.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
WIth greater transparency will come opportunities for parents to bring concerns and suggestions to the board through direct communication or open comment. If parents do not feel comfortable printing concerns to the building administration, then as their representatives we should make ourselves available for these conversations.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
The books in school libraries and classrooms should be age and developmentally appropriate. The teachers, building and district administration should use their professional judgement to make these decisions.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
The priority for teachers is to be in the classroom. Classroom positions should have priority over positions in the district office.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
The district needs to support the teachers and staff in matters of student discipline. Communication concerning discipline and student behavior decisions need to be communicated to staff and teachers.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
As a member of the school board I will have a district email address and will check that regularly. I will also keep my Facebook page from my candidacy open and will respond to communication through that. I am also willing to meet personally with constituents when necessary.