Election 2013: Jill Vorobiev

Name: Jill S. Vorobiev

Position sought: Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education

Website: www.hinsdalecaucus.org

Email address: jvorobiev@gmail.com

Residence: Hinsdale

Family: Son Nikolai, 14; daughter Alexi, 12.

Education: Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, law degree from Notre Dame School of Law.

Occupation: Labor and employment attorney at Jones Day in Chicago

Years in District 181: 15

Previous elected offices: N/A

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position:

I believe that my 15+ years of legal experience managing and resolving complex issues (particularly in the field of labor and employment matters), 15 years of living in the community, 10+ years of recent and current experience with children in District 181, and community involvement position me well to serve in a meaningful capacity on the board.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

My primary reason for running for the D181 school board is to give back to a community that has provided so much to me and my family for the past fifteen years. My children have benefited from an outstanding education and we all have enjoyed residing in a safe, prosperous and involved community.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

My top priority if elected will be to do all that I can to instill confidence in the board and its decision-making by the community.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

The community has a strong roster of candidates from which to choose during this year's election, which reflects the tremendous amount of talented and service-minded individuals that we are fortunate to have in District 181. I believe that the candidates possess a wide range of skills, and that it is for the community to decide which skills and commitments are best suited to the office of a District 181 school board member.

What do you believe is District 181’s biggest strength?

District 181's biggest strength in my view is our community. We have an engaged and dedicated populace that has both the means and ability to meaningfully contribute to progress and success.

What do you believe is District 181’s biggest weakness?

I commend District 181's innovation and resilience, and therefore find it difficult to describe a "weakness" per se requiring significant change. I believe that there is always room for improvement and that a focus on long term planning (especially in light of enrollment projections) would be beneficial to District 181.

Do you support the district’s approach to curriculum changes since the January 2012 report by gifted program consultant Dr. Tonya Moon? Why or why not?

Increasing rigor for all students in light of the Common Core standards is an outstanding goal to strive to achieve in District 181. I commend the work that the Advanced Learning Committee has been doing to reach this objective. I absolutely support measures and initiatives designed to enable more students to exceed state standards. Critical to ensuring the success of the District's approach and that the needs of advanced learners continue to be met, however, is building the capacity of the staff and having adequate resources available to support the teachers as any changes are rolled out.

Do you support continuing the @d181 Initiative? What is your stance on iPads in the classroom?

I believe that it is important that District 181 remain competitive with respect to its technology initiatives and that this issue needs to be critically examined in light of upcoming curriculum changes. Any technology upgrades should be rolled into these changes and not viewed in isolation. Teachers should have technological resources available to them that they are comfortable using and that can maximize student growth and potential.

In terms of a school district, how would you describe a board that is fiscally responsible? Does District 181 currently have a fiscally responsible board?

I believe that a board that is fiscally responsible is one that understands school finance concepts, holds the administration accountable, and requires realistic budgeting processes. The board largely has been moving in the right direction in these respects, and I look forward to the board continuing to work with the administration to achieve sound budgeting practices.

Related pages:

• Election 2013: District 181 Board of Education
• Gary Clarin
• Mridu Garg
• Richard Fitzgerald
• Sarah Lewensohn