Jason Stoops

On the Record

What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate for office?

My background consists of a degree in Economics from the University of Iowa in 1998 with an emphasis in Political Science. I have been in talent identification and recruiting for 14 years and I have worked within and run my own business in rental management for over 20 years. I have been elected to a homeowner association’s board as President and Vice President (5 years of total term). My experience in finance and fiscal responsibility will lend very well to this role. I am involved in my community, schools and philanthropy and I believe that being elected to the school board will be able to further my passion for service to the citizens of Batavia.

What are your top two or three priorities if elected?

Fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of Batavia is a very high priority to me when elected to the board. It is our duty to appropriate the funds we receive to the best possible means while not expecting the community to continue to shoulder the burden tax of increases just to maintain our programs. I would support the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) being implemented. The curriculum will provide more student readiness towards college level skills that may not be applicable to the career path they want to endeavor. It’s in the best interest to prepare every student for what they want to do in life. The current and future Board will be able to partner well and welcome the opportunity to work with, and train, educators and parents to be able to differentiate the program to meet the needs of all learners to allow our students the most success possible. Lastly, I strongly believe that all of our students and teachers deserve to have an evenly distributed level of resources available to each of them. A plan can be rolled out that gives the best available resources to cover facilities, resources, educators, training, curriculum and extra curricular activities.

Would you support freezing your taxing district\'s levy until housing prices rebound? Why or why not?

As with any institution that depends on Local, State, and Federal government funds to be sustainable, it is always a priority to see where budget issues can be addressed to prevent rising levies in taxes. Recently the current Board did present, and voted to accept, a projected 0.7% property tax increase to be levied in 2013. If this measure is adopted then it would result in an average increase of $33 per homeowner. When it comes to tax increases, it is always difficult to ask our citizens to pay more in their taxes, but I do understand that it is necessary to do so to provide what is best for our children. I am not in favor of a blanket policy to freeze district levies just because we do not know, with certainty, what the future holds. As long as our district’s financial state continues it’s forecasted trends, it seems that the Board will not need to call upon our citizen for a future levy increases.

What one decision by the school board do you most disagree with and why?

A decision that the board implemented about 18 months ago that I disagree with is switching from full day kindergarten to ½ day schooling unless parents pay extra for the full day option. This change significantly impacts many households in Batavia and puts added financial and time pressure on the parents of kindergarteners. I also believe that class sizes need to be reduced and additional teaching resources should be employed to do so.

What was the biggest accomplishment of the board in the past year?

In my opinion as an observer to the board and not an elected member, I believe that a significant accomplishment is coming to a balanced budget. In today’s economy with so much uncertainty in finances for communities and states; to be able to come to a balanced budget while not cutting any significant programs and maintaining a high level of education to all of our students is something to be proud of accomplishing. I also believe that the hiring of Dr. Lisa Hitchens is a significant step for this board to bring in a top qualified (considered a top 5% in her field nationwide) candidate who is highly regarded and respected locally to replace our current retiring Superintendent.

Why should voters elect you to office?

When elected I will focus my efforts in to serve the citizens of Batavia. I will strive to continually enhance the working relationship between the Board, Administrators, Educators, Students, Parents and the Taxpayers of Batavia. My attention to detail, budget experience, talent identification, a focus on moving forward to resolving issues and tenacity to come to a solution to any problem will serve the people of Batavia well. I will have open avenues of communication and have the resolve to address the concerns and comments of the citizens of Batavia.