League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2011 Election
	Jill Cole Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Sycamore Community School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your qualifications for office?

I have gained great experience and insight in the past four years of my service as a Member of Sycamore's Board of Education, most recently as Vice President. Additionally, my many years of volunteer leadership in the schools and community, including four years as PTO president in two different Sycamore schools, and three years as president of Montgomery's Kindervelt group, combined with my business experience in real estate, banking, accounting and marketing, have prepared me well to work within a collaborative, team environment such as the Board of Education. My role as a Board member is to represent the people of the Sycamore district as a voice in their public schools. As a well-respected and trusted member of our community I will continue to serve the district well. For more information go to http://www.votejillcole.com.

2. What would you do to advance the concept of "equity in education" in your district?

One of our district priorities is to "Identify and implement progressive approaches to the educational delivery system that promotes rigor and relevance for all learners." These are words that our teachers and administrators live by - to ensure that all students are prepared for life after Sycamore whether that is in the workplace or through additional education. Additionally, I believe that effective use of technology can create efficient ways to deliver a more customized, individual education plan for our students.

3. How would you use your students' state test results to improve education in your district?

We will continue to employ strategies to assist students who require additional support to meet state testing requirements. We continue to be challenged as the bar is raised each year towards the goal that all students will be proficient in math and reading by 2014. However, improving test results is one thing - and we are not limited in that thinking as we strive for the best education possible for our students. By implementing new national and state academic standards, researching best practices from other districts, and cooperating with our local business community we will ensure that our academic programs prepare our students for success after Sycamore and continue our tradition of excellence.

4. What will you do to build consensus in the community in support of public schools?

Families move to Sycamore because of our excellent academics, rich programming and reasonable tax rates. This gives our district a competitive advantage over others, and helps keep all of our housing values strong. We will to continue to serve the wishes of the community, and will build consensus by delivering the quality educational system they desire, by efficiently managing the financial resources that the community has entrusted to us, and by effectively implementing two-way communication strategies to reach all of our shareholders.

5. What are your budget priorities?

My priorities are to continue to seek efficient ways to deliver the high-quality Sycamore education that our community expects. The current challenging economic environment makes that process difficult, but at Sycamore we are accustomed to thorough and conservative fiscal planning. In 2004 we committed to a "Contract with the Community" to cap budget increases at no more than 2.5% per year. We have performed better than promised, achieving average annual expense growth of only 1.5% since 2005. We have also extended the "Contract with the Community" to fiscal year 2012. For the current year we have pledged a flat budget. Through close financial monitoring we have changed the culture of Sycamore and that is what allows us to enjoy the financial stability that many of our neighboring districts and government agencies do not.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 9, 2011 18:00
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