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Name: Joseph Bajorek
What office are you seeking? School Board Member For School District 3
What is your political party? Nonpartisan
What is your current age? 26
Occupation and employer: Teacher at Harrison School District #36
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None
City: Fox River Grove
Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/people/Joe-Bajorek-For-FRG-SD-3-School-Board/61566513616596/
Education: Bachelors of Science in Education from Illinois State University and Masters in Educational Technology from Aurora University
Community Involvement: Fox River Grove Rec Council - Athletic Director
Marital status/Immediate family: No, I currently do not have a spouse or children.
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
The district can improve these numbers by using data-driven instruction that targets each student. Every student should be receiving what they need to get the best education at school.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
I do not have children, however, I have attended public schools for my entire life and worked in public schools as an adult.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
The school district should make available materials for students of all levels and backgrounds. Families help guide what is right for their student to read.
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?
My priorities lie with what is best for all parties including students, families, staff, and taxpayers involved. This year the tax levy was lower than years past. This is a trend I would like to see continue as we continue to upgrade the facilities and hire qualified teachers.
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?
I believe it has been used up. However, I would say adjustments need to make sure that we are able to hire the support staff needed and not always just creating new positions.
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?
Title IX should cover all of that. At the end of the day, we want what is best for the student. Many students want to be active in extracurriculars and athletics. I believe we need to create a space for all to thrive in.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
School is a place where students should feel safe and be able to learn. With that, I don’t believe ICE should be on school grounds. It goes back to office policies of if you are not a parent or guardian of the child, you have no right to pull that student from school.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
Staff retention - it seems the district is turning into a revolving door and a stepping stone into something better.
Community Engagement - the district is working on this with the new superintendent starting last year, however the taxpayers without children are out of touch.
Testing Too Much - this can be said everywhere, but how much testing is too much. Having data driven instruction requires some but in the spring many students burn out with the amount.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
As a teacher, this is always a hard question. I think there are great academic purposes cell phones can be used for. However, it needs to be monitored and not just free time with them. If not for an educational purpose, they should be out of sight.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
Yes, I think there should be exceptions when cell phones can be used. Again it comes with strong monitoring and holding the expectations. If the expectation is they are only using the camera to record a video project and you catch them on something else, what is the consequence? Once that is laid out, the phone can be more of a tool than a distraction in the classroom.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
It would be a team approach. If something happens at school with it, I would expect administration to get involved. If it is after school, I would expect families and administration to work together to try to resolve the issue. At the end of the day, these are kids who are going to make mistakes. Our role as adults is to be a role model and help guide them through these issues to make better decisions in the future.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
Possibly. At this point in time, there is no guidance from educators and districts on how it should be used. I think it can be helpful to get the ball rolling and give ideas to those who use it. However, there needs to be clear practices with it and better oversight before we can implement it with students or else everything would be plagiarized.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
The district has many platforms that aren’t being utilized. This would greatly help getting information out there. I think social media is the biggest one that can be getting used better to promote what is happening in the district. Again, efforts are being made to increase the public knowledge in the last few months and it is a step in the right direction. I think board members also need to be present at key events for the district and attend PTO meetings to help answer questions.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
I believe there needs to be more dialogue and town-hall style meetings. This would allow for all to be heard throughout the process. Committee can then be formed better with the needs of the student in mind. We want well rounded citizens to be developing in school and all parties play a role in that.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
Books for students of all levels and backgrounds should be around for them to read. Families help guide what is right for their student to read. However, we just need to make sure they are age appropriate for the student. If not, start a conversation with the teacher to discuss it more.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
Class sizes are small and that is a positive in my view. I think with our current staff we need to be reinforcing classroom management and expectations. This goes with any classroom. Expectations are the backbone of a good classroom.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
I think we need to allocate more money to hiring and retaining the staff to be competitive with other districts. With that, we need to ensure that as our administration could be seeing an increase in their wages, it is being reflected on the whole district.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
Living in a small town, everyone sees everyone. I feel as if I am very approachable and happy to talk whenever. As a board member, I would also get an email and would love communication about current topics. That helps me shape how I am representing the taxpayer.