SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Candidate’s Name: James E. Caldwell
Contact Address:
Contact Telephone Number: (614)
888-1245 or (614) 431-0437
Contact Email Address: bgjec@aol.com
Please answer all questions and send a completed questionnaire by January
16 via email to:
1. Please state your
professional or volunteer activities with K-12 education, either in the
2004 – 2006: TWHS
Pancake Day volunteer, Band Booster member, Football
concession stand worker; Girls’ Volleyball line judge
2002 – 2004: Our Lady
of Peace Catholic School
Co-Chair Home & School Board Community Outreach Committee, assistant coach
Girls’ Softball, volunteer for annual Pizza Day fund-raiser, completed VIRTUS
training (Protecting God’s Children), chaperone for teen dances
1997 – 2002: Evening
Street Elementary
Volunteer for School Mulch Day & Veterans’ Day programming
1999: Commanded four
schools in
1989: Commander,
4 schools in
2. What personal traits,
skills, or experiences would you bring to the position that you feel would make
you an effective board member?
A
strong team player, I rarely try to dominate discussion and prefer to carefully
consider all points of view. My
professional experience in construction and facilities management should help
the board as it allocates capital resources throughout the district, and my 34
years experience in leadership positions will be useful in interacting with the
community.
3. What do you think is the
most pressing issue in the Worthington Schools?
Funding. The Community Research Study conducted in
September revealed that the District receives poor marks in Financial
Management from residents, business leaders, community leaders and media
representatives. The challenge is to
continue to provide quality education that the community perceives as affordable
and as good value for money.
4. If it were necessary to
make substantial cuts in the expenditures of the district, what areas would you
cut first, and what areas would you seek to preserve?
Rather
than look to eliminate programs, I would prefer to first consider restructuring
and reallocating resources in order to do more with less.
5. If it were possible to add new programs to the district, what
programs would you seek to add?
An
International Baccalaureate Program beginning in the middle schools.
6. What do you see as the
impact of “No Child Left Behind” on the Worthington
Schools? What about the Ohio Core legislation?
Worthington
Schools have always held themselves to the highest standards and, consequently,
I don’t believe that the Act had a direct impact on the quality of our
district. It did have an impact, I
believe, in increased administration that can be a financial burden.
The
7. If selected, what do you
see as your role in influencing state education laws and policies that affect
the Worthington Schools?
To
keep members of the Worthington community informed about pending state and
federal legislation affecting the schools, and urge our voters to contact
legislators and use their voting power to influence final legislation in such a
way that it does not harm our school system.
8. What do you see as the
roles and responsibilities of a school board member?
To
select and support a highly-qualified superintendent and treasurer, to
determine and pass a fiscally responsible budget, to evaluate the academic
effectiveness of our schools, to select a fair and qualified negotiating team
for all collective bargaining, and to fairly represent each of the
constituencies that make for a strong district:
parents, students, taxpayers without children, teachers, administrators
and all other district citizens.
9. What evidence do you
believe shows the Worthington Schools are adequately, or inadequately,
preparing students for their lives after graduation?
In
my own experience, I find that my student has many options available to her
from enriched and advanced placement in academics, to extra-curricular activities
that promote maturity and good judgment, to athletic endeavors that promote
good health, good character and good sportsmanship. In addition, the post-secondary option
program gives students greater academic flexibility as well as the chance to
develop marketable skills prior to graduation.