Schools

Election 2013: Jin Lee for D-207 Board

Jin Lee is running against Eldon Burk, Mary Childers, Margaret McGrath, Carla Owen, Jeffrey Spero and Sean Story for Maine Township High School District 207's Board of Education.

The following information was provided by Jin Lee. Patch provides a platform for candidates to share their messages, and does not give endorsements. To share your message with readers for free, add it to the Local Voices section on Patch.

Name: Jin Lee

Position sought: Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education, four-year term.

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Campaign contact information. Please include any or all of the following: website, email address, phone number, Facebook page, Twitter account, mailing address, etc.

Website: http://www.facebook.com/citizensforjinlee

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Email: citizensforjinlee@gmail.com

Phone: (773) 319-1500

Campaign Manager: Casey Smagala

Email: SmagalaCasey@gmail.com

Phone: (269) 816-3754

Age: 51

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): I have been a resident of District 207 since 1997. My daughter Jenna was a member of the Demonaires Show Choir. She graduated from Maine East High School in 2007 and currently is a seventh grade mathematics teacher at Tarkington School of Excellence in Chicago. My son Andrew attended Maine West High School. He was a Chicago Metro History finalist, served Captain of Varsity volleyball team his senior year and graduated in 2012. He now is a freshman at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana majoring in Chemical Engineering.

I've been happily married to my wife Anna for 26 years. She has worked for American Airlines for the past 15 years.

Education Include degree(s) and school(s):

Executive Education School of Business Administration, Loyola University Chicago, 2004

Bachelor of Arts in LAS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984

Occupation: Director of Business Planning and Development & Government Relations Albany Park Community Center, Inc-a nonprofit social service agency.

Political Party: Non-Partisan

Official name of your campaign committee (if you have one): Citizens for Jin Lee

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

N/A

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

I’ve been a member of the Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees since 2005 and was elected as Vice-Chair in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Currently, I serve as Commissioner of Economic Development for the City of Des Plaines. I am also an Executive Committee member and past-Chairman for the Asian American Advisory Council for the Illinois Secretary of State. And I am also a member the Asian American Advisory Council for the Illinois State Comptroller, a member of Human Relations Council Task Force, City of Chicago and the Executive Committee Member of Skokie Festival of Culture.

My past positions include: Chairman Asian American Advisory Council Illinois Secretary of State (2011-2012), Co-Chair Chicago Korean American Census 2010 Complete Count Committee (2009-2010), Illinois State Treasurer’s Community Affairs (2003-2010), Board Member of Asian American Action Fund-Greater Chicago (2007-2009), Member of Skokie Historical Society (2003), Member of Village of Skokie’s Immigrant Advisory Task Force (2001), Illinois Council of Minority Business Organizations (2001), President of Belavia Condominium Association, Des Plaines (1999-2001), Vice-President Korea Sports Council of Chicago (2008-2010) and Counselor Asian American SBA Development Center (1996), New York State Junior Chamber of Commerce Region I District Director (1991).

I believe all my past and current positions have made me a well-rounded individual who thinks outside of the box and who can assimilate to many different backgrounds and demographics. I have always seen it essential to broaden one's horizons and gain experience in ways we don't always think possible.

 

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

Create a Global Educational Environment

Provide Every Opportunity for All Students

Develop and Invest in Excellent Teacher

Bring Stability, Predictability & Transparency to the Schools' Budget

 

What are the most important issues facing Maine Township High School District 207 and what would you do as a member of the board of education to address them?

Raising and educating our students appropriately is the most important issue to me. Yes, there are hazing, bullying, and academic matters that have risen in the D-207. However, if we can address the core problem, we can prevent those issues from arising in the first place. Teachers and parents should be involved with their child's activities. We must teach them to be well-rounded individuals, not only to do well academically, but to be conscientious, honest, hard-working and studious, self-confident and to treat their peers cordially and fairly. Our students should be taught to behave as law-abiding citizens in the school community. So then, they will reflect that image while in high school, as well as when they enter higher education systems and their future work force.

 

Why did you choose to run for D-207’s board of education?

As a parent and as someone very involved in the community, I realize it is our responsibility and obligation to provide the best quality education for our students and future generations. With more than seven years on the Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees, I am bringing my experience in the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, as well as from the Building and Grounds Committee and the Finance Committee to Maine Township. I have witnessed firsthand the value of our public school systems through those seven plus years, and hope to bring that expertise to Maine Township School District, firmly believing that our children should be our first priority.

 

D-207 and Maine West High School are involved in litigation and investigations into bullying and hazing, and the district has begun implementing new policies and systems to address this issue. What would you do, if elected, as a member of D-207’s board of education to address bullying and hazing at the high schools?

Currently the public education employees must sign a mandated reporter pledge, which requires the teachers/staff to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse at home to principal or authority. I believe that the same should be done with hazing. If any staff suspects that there's a culture of severe bullying/hazing taking place under their supervision, the school district must provide the staff with a proper channel to report it either to the principal or directly to police, if it can be construed criminal. If it is proven that the staff was aware of such hazing, was involved or failed to report it, then s/he should be given due process to be reprimanded or terminated. Signing pledges or contracts may have a symbolic significance, but it really does not have any substantive effect. In the beginning of every school year, every student and staff must go through anti-bullying/hazing workshop, which emphasizes fostering team spirit, respect, and empathy.

We must all work hard to create an environment where students feel comfortable to report bullying/hazing incidents before it snowballs and escalates. The district needs to involve parents and students in the conversation by creating focus groups to study the root issues. We have a team responsibility to protect our children with a commitment to eliminate bullying and hazing incidents. A school district-wide presentation on hazing/bullying is needed in the beginning of every school year with a special workshop or training geared toward student athletes and coaches. I would also support a measure that incorporates humanity in everyday life, respect for others, or filial piety into the curriculum with clearly stated consequences of hazing and bullying.

 

D-207 recently voted to approve a $1-million tax abatement for taxpayers in the district. If elected to D-207’s board, what would your position be on similar tax abatements, the tax levy and expenditures on staffing?

I’m not in favor of supporting annual tax levy increases. Increasing annual tax levies should only be done if it adversely impacts the quality of education, the safety of everyone at the schools, and the maintenance of the buildings. The board needs to make sure that unnecessary and extravagant spending is curbed and thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for the necessity of various programs and projects.

 

Why would you do a better job representing D-207 than your opponents?

Our school board should reflect the diversity of our community. As the only minority candidate on the ballot, who immigrated here as a teenager, I understand both hemispheres of the world. Our students need to be very well prepared for college and the international work environment. The market is very competitive these days, more than ever before. I can better contribute to and implement the global educational system by proposing special programs and services. Also, as NEIU Vice Chair and Trustee, I serve one of the most diverse campuses in the nation. I have that experience.

I would also work with the government, corporations, foundations, and other stakeholders to improve the educational programs to better address the cultural and linguistic barriers that contribute to educational disparities, including improving programs for English language learners. I also want to provide cross-cultural programs and opportunities for the school and students with overseas educational institutions. For all these reasons and my experiences, I am competent and able to guide our students and be on the Maine Township D-207 School Board.


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