District 15 School Board Candidate: Ramnath Cidambi

Name Ramnath Cidambi

How long have you been a resident of District 15? 6 years.

Biographical Information (optional) family, profession, background, etc.

Family - Married, 2 Kids - 13 & 9 in CCSD15 Schools
Background Education - MBA - DePaul University; M.Sc (Tech) Engineering Technology Profession - IT Leader at an organization managing various aspects of education across Illinois.

Why are you running for the District 15 board?

I want to ensure that District 15 students get the best possible education for the tax payer money spent. 
I have worked for employers who have had education as their core business in the last 5 years. This has provided a macro level view of education at both State and Federal level. I am hopeful I can bring my background and my experience, including my views as a parent to the table, to help achieve the goals of the School district.

What is your opinion on the Early Start/Late Release issue? 

I think the issue of Early Start/Late Release could have been handled better.
The primary issue is "Communication" between stakeholders. There is significant room for improvement in communication between all stakeholders. It is imperative that the school district abides by the contract. But, when contractual agreements affect the community at large, it is important that it is communicated early and in detail to the community, and choices are provided to minimize impact to all stakeholders.

What is your opinion on the possible outsourcing of bus services in District 15?

The School District Board has a fiduciary duty to ensure that tax payer money is responsibly spent in providing education to our children. Within this context, the board is within its rights and in fact is obliged to look for all feasible methods to provide services to children at the best possible cost to the tax payer. During the decision making process it is important to compare "apples-to-apples" in terms of quality of service. The decision making process should be transparent and should take all stakeholders into confidence.

What, if any, improvements would you like to see in the way the board is run?

The board represents the community. So, it is important that the board communicates to the community frequently and is transparent in its actions.
The board members should be professional in approaching topics where there is significant disagreement. It is fine to "agree to disagree" in a professional manner. The board should strive to provide a unified face in public - especially board meetings that are public.

Additional comments and/or information you deem important for District 15 voters to know about you.

It is very important to take into account strides being made in K-12 education in areas such as educational technology, opensource education tools, differentiated methods of teaching etc. 

Many of these tools and methods have been highly successful at school districts across the country. District 15 should analyze and implement selective tools/methods within the classrooms. Examples include - Singapore Math, Khan Academy, Code.org. 

The district also should inculcate a sense of competitiveness and excellence, by ensuring all schools compete in programs such as Math Counts, First Lego League, National Geo Bee etc. It should not be left to individual school administrator to make these decisions, but there should be a district wide emphasis.