NADINE ANTONINI
March 29, 2011 12:24PM
Office sought: District 118 School Board
Name: Nadine Antonini
Address: 12432 72nd Court, Palos Heights
Date of birth: 2/19/1964
Contact information:
Email: nadinetkd@earthlink.net
Web site: N/A
Facebook: N/A
Twitter handle: N/A
Telephone numbers:
Home: 708-361-9655
Education: B.A. National College of Education (currently known as National-Lewis University)
Occupation, employer: Formerly, I worked for 10 years as a commercial lines insurance producer for RBN & Associates, Chicago, IL. Currently, I work mostly as a volunteer serving our schools and St. Alexander’s Church. I am a school board member for District #118 and am the chair for the PFA’s major fundraiser. Additionally, I volunteer my time as a reading coach at Palos East. I teach Family Religious Education at St. Alexander’s Church. Finally, I work part-time at Running for Kicks in Palos Heights.
Please list all sources of income: Running for Kicks
Spouse, spouse’s employer: Mark Antonini - UPS
Children, age of children, children’s employer (if applicable): Melena - 16 yrs. Stagg H.S., Francesca - 13 yrs. Palos South Middle School, Giannetta - 8 yrs. Palos East Elementary School
Please list any relatives, including in-laws, who are employed by a government agency at the federal, state or local levels. What are their job titles and with what agency are they employed? N/A
What other elected offices have you sought? What year? I ran and was elected as a school board member to District #118 in April, 2007.
I have never been arrested or charged with a crime.
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? If so, for what? What was the disposition? No
Do you have any criminal convictions on your record? If so, for what? What was your sentence? No
In your view, what are the two most important issues facing your constituents? How would you address those issues?
Taxpayers expect two major things from their school board members; maintaining the highest level of academics for our children without requesting additional taxes. I serve as a member of the District #118 Finance Committee and can attest to our ability to balance both important issues. We have a balanced budget and test scores that show we are reaching out to all students in our district. We provide state of the art classrooms and facilities and high quality educators without increasing the burden to our taxpayers. Families move into our district specifically to attend our schools.
Please explain something significant you would like to accomplish within the next two years if you are elected to the office to which you aspire.
Since I have been a member of the District #118 school board, the District has seen test scores improve from 90% meeting and exceeding to almost 96%. I know we can continue this upward trend if we can keep our district intact. There are several ideas concerning district consolidations floating about Springfield. They range from creating unit districts to county-wide districts. These ideas would bring about an end to what families and taxpayers have come to expect from their local schools and property taxes. In addition to retaining our high quality academics, I will work with legislators to keep local control in our schools.
Please explain how you believe the office you’re seeking can help in creating local jobs. N/A
Do you believe the current way Illinois pays for education is working? If so, why? If not, why not? What would you change?
Illinois has made educational funding a target. We need to see the State step up and take the financial burden they have created off the backs of our students. We need to see timely payments (currently the State is over a year behind in payments to District #118) and consistancy in budgetary mandates. Districts are unable to make reliable financial forecasts when Springfield continues to create unfunded mandates. I will continue to work with our state legislators on the behalf of our district.
Would you make any changes to the budget of the governing unit to which you are seeking elected office? If so, what?
We currently have a balanced budget. Palos School District #118 enjoys the highest bond rating available for a school district of our size. Additionally, the District has received numerous awards with respects to district finances. We will remain vigilant with our tax dollars in the face of additional cuts that may be coming our way.
Are there any other issues you want to bring to the public’s attention? If so, what?
We have a great community of administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and school board members that want nothing more than the best for our children. We have some of the highest standardized test scores in the Southland and students that give back to our community and beyond. Our district is a shining example of what can happen when a community and it’s schools come together for the benefit of our children. We have some possible major hurdles facing our district coming out of Springfield, but our board will remain proactive and involved to insure the most favorable outcome for our students and taxpayers
