Corinne Pierog

On the Record

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

I have served on the CUSD 303 School Board for the past four years chairing the Policy Committee and serving on the St. Charles Housing Commission and Norris Recreation and Cultural Arts Centers. I am also the mother of a St. Charles East High School graduate and the grandmother of two future D303 students. I am a college educator and am the principal owner of a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and leadership development. A resident of St. Charles for the past 15 years I have been an advocate of strong schools and a spokesperson for sustained and exemplary educational opportunities for our children and our families.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

1)To ensure that the award winning St. Charles Schools continue to provide preeminent educational opportunities for all our students regardless of ability. 2)Ensure that the taxpayers’ resources are respected with fiscal integrity and prudent spending. 3)To engage and retain the best and most qualified teachers, administrators and staff.

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

Prior to the economic downtown short term approaches to school district funding was a common approach. Tax levies would be increased annually as home prices rose in value. Today a long term approach to school district funding is vital in maintaining a district’s fiscal integrity while also being cognitive to the financial challenges faced by our families and business. Recently I voted to support a five-year fiscal plan that will actually reduce the allowable tax levy by 1.5% for 2012. This five-year plan will be reviewed annually to insure that adequate resources are available to cover the district’s variable costs and integrating expenses by monitoring operational expenses; restructuring and refinancing long-term debt, and preservation of the capital development funds. Like our family’s budget the wants are many but the resources to provide for the wants is finite. By developing a five-year plan the needs of our district can be planned for with the utmost fiscal prudence.

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

As a seated member of the CUSD 303 School Board I have found that our decisions are made collaboratively and with thoughtful consideration. Going forward I will make every effort to reach out to community and parents groups to listen to their needs and concerns and bring their voices to the board table. Likewise I would like to challenge the community to share your thoughts and concerns with the elected board members. Serving on the school board is a partnership and as all partnerships it must be recognized and cultivated in order for it to succeed.

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

1) The apparent success of Richmond School as recognized by its recent award for its use of classroom technology. 2) Bringing all of CUSD 303 stakeholders together for the recent D 303 Summit which engaged parents and community members to share their concerns and to act as a guide for the district’s strategic plan. 3) The 2013 recognition by the IL State Board of Education as being one of the top school districts in Illinois is a true testimony to our students, parents, teachers and administrators. 4) I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to our district employees and teachers who have tightened up their budgets and have helped to keep our district fiscally healthy.

Why should voters elect you to office?

Four years ago as a newly elected member of the St. Charles School Board, I handed my son his high school diploma when he graduated from St. Charles East High School. Since then I have swept away many tears of pride as I have celebrated the myriad of accomplishments of our students. Over the past four years I have been honored to serve the students and families of District 303.It is with this in mind that I hope to serve four more years as a member of the St. Charles School District.