SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Candidate’s Name: ______Steven Nasdeo_____________________________________
Contact Address: ______99
Contact Telephone Number: __Home – 614.781.0442; Work-
614.213.6270
Contact Email Address: ____steve.nasdeo@jpmchase.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
I was the PTO representative to the District PTA for
2. What personal traits,
skills, or experiences would you bring to the position that you feel would make
you an effective board member?
I have children in school, so I would certainly want the best for
them. I bring years of experience in
running departments, finances, negotiation skills, and an understanding of
contracts. As a portfolio manager, I
know how to run projects to successful completion while keeping the finances in
the forefront. At one time, I ran my own
business so I know what it takes to be successful, while watching the bottom
line.
As a manager, I bring a wealth of knowledge in dealing with
people, both superiors and subordinates.
I know how to make presentations to high executives, in languages that
they understand while at the same time I can talk to the engineer in their
language. I know how to take business
issues and bring about solutions. I can
be a tough negotiator when necessary but I realize that this is a tactic should
be used wisely.
As a member of this board, I would be collaborative with other
members as well as with the community. I
would be very involved to find the right solutions to the problems that are
facing our schools. I have a number of
years doing this same thing in the business world and have been very successful
at it.
3. What do you think is the
most pressing issue in the Worthington Schools?
I think there are two issues at the forefront. First, I think there is a credibility issue
with the board. After the last tax
increase was defeated, there were articles in the paper that stated things
might not be as dire as first seemed.
Even if it is nothing more then a PR issue, it has to be corrected as
quickly as possible as the community needs to be solidly behind this
board. I also think that possibly
redistricting for better equity among the schools in the district. At Wilson Hill Elementary the numbers of
students continue to rise, causing parents and staff to question the statements
that the district is losing students.
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?
I would look at every contract, every vendor and distributor to
see if there anyway to reduce costs. I
would automate everything that was not yet done to save additional costs. This might bring about a reduction in administrative
staff and that would be something to consider.
Once that was done, I would look to potentially closing buildings and
consolidating those students into other schools. This would take into consideration the age of
the building, the amount of upkeep it was costing the district, etc. I would look at every maintenance record of
every bus to see if there are some that are getting too expensive to run versus
the cost of new ones.
I would preserve the arts.
A child is not just math, history or English but rather it is Monet,
Bach and Pinter. By keeping the arts in
the classroom, it helps with the understanding of math, history and
English.
5. If it were possible to add new programs to the district, what
programs would you seek to add?
I would add foreign language studies in elementary school,
starting in first grade. Almost every
other country in the world learns English in school as well as their own
language. We don’t teach a different
language until typically middle school where studies show that it is more
difficult to learn. By moving that to
the elementary school level, our kids would have a huge advantage by the time
they graduated high school.
6. What do you see as the
impact of “No Child Left Behind” on the Worthington
Schools? What about the Ohio Core legislation?
For the No Child Left Behind act, I agree with the concepts that
every child should have the best opportunities to learn and that teachers and
schools should be rewarded for striving to be the best. I also agree that the ability to allocate the
federal funding as the school board sees fit, while ensuring that the schools
live up to the accountability that is required is a good thing. I do not know how you have handled that in
the past, but as a member I would look to maximize any federal funding under
this provision.
On the Ohio Core legislation, I agree with the plan. I think that American students are falling
behind when it comes to sciences and mathematics. This would raise the bar for
Both the federal and the state programs are designed to raise the
level of knowledge for our children. Do
I agree with every aspect of these programs?
No, especially when it comes to the concepts of unfunded mandates. I firmly believe that each school board
should do what is in the best interest of their children when it comes to their
money to spend. However, I fully believe
that the concepts of both programs, and the latitude that the federal
government allows in the allocations of funds, are sound. There was a time when Americans would not
even think about competing against the world because we were so strong. We are still strong but the rest of the world
has caught up and in some ways passed us.
We need to educate our children for the challenges of tomorrow. They will be our next business leaders, our
next member of Congress or our next President.
The ability to think critically is taught. Both programs show the path to that critical
thinking. We just have to navigate the
path correctly and wisely.
7. If selected, what do you
see as your role in influencing state education laws and policies that affect
the Worthington Schools?
As a board member, I become a lobbyist for the
8. What do you see as the
roles and responsibilities of a school board member?
The role of a school board member is to make sound policy
decisions based upon the facts presented.
It also is the role to be a voice or conduit to the community so they
can fully understand the issues and the possible actions on them. It is also the role of the board to be an
advocate within the halls of the state and federal legislators so that our
community has a say in what is being expected of them in the education of our
students. If something is not right, the
board member should have the conviction to stand up and say so. If something makes sense but is not popular,
the board member should have the same conviction to stand up and say this is
what we need to do. Making tough choices
and hard decisions are not easy but that is what the community expects us to do
and do it right.
9. What evidence do you
believe shows the Worthington Schools are adequately, or inadequately,
preparing students for their lives after graduation?
My step-daughter is a senior at Thomas Worthington. She is the best example I know of that the
schools are preparing our students for life after graduation. Ever since she was a very little girl, she
has loved to draw. Now that she is
nearing the end of high school, her artistic ability has grown tremendously
thanks to the teachers at Thomas Worthington.
She wants to be an artist and with the direction and guidance that has
been given to her, she is on her way to becoming one. Her work has been shown at the board of
education building. She has received
scholarships because of it. Without her
teachers, she might not have realized her potential or her dream.
Also, I have read about other