Gary Peccola, candidate for school board in Collinsville CUSD 10, IL
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More on the election for Collinsville CUSD 10 school board
Read all of the questionnaire responses from candidates in the Collinsville CUSD 10 school board race. Candidates are listed alphabetically.
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Name: Gary Peccola
Political party (if applicable): Non-partisan position
Age as of April 6, 2021: 64
Campaign website or social media page: None
Office seeking: Collinsville Unit 10 Board of Education
Are you an incumbent? Yes
Have you run for elected office before? Yes, Collinsville Unit 10 Board of Education
Occupation: Retired after 30+ years as a residential contractor and developer; Former U.S. Air Force Captain (four years of active duty service).
Education: Collinsville High School (1974); Bachelors of Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1978)
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Current member, Unit 10 Board of Education (2005–present); Chairman, Team 10, a drug-free community coalition in the Unit 10 school district area (2005–2013); Co-Chair of CLASS, Unit 10 Community Engagement Project (2004); Past member of Unit 10’s Wellness Team and Character Community Task Force
Why are you running? I am running for office to give back to the community where I have lived my entire life. Providing students with the best possible education in a safe environment while maintaining fiscal responsibility is my highest priority. I want to increase public awareness of the many positive opportunities offered by our district to help students reach their fullest potential. I am a strong supporter of the vocational program and the opportunities it offers our students. Our district is very diverse and faces unique challenges, including the fact that 59% of our student population is considered low-income. For the past year, the pandemic has presented new challenges to all school districts, including ours. Unit 10 has been in the forefront with technology and internet connectivity, and there has been a tremendous staff effort with respect to remote learning. There will be ongoing challenges, and I would like to continue to help our students recover from and move beyond the issues stemming from the pandemic. I am not in favor of increasing the property tax rate. With less revenue expected from the state, we have to continue to control spending and work hard to minimize the impact on students and programs.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? Recovering from the effects of the pandemic is our most pressing issue. By the end of March, approximately 90% of our students will be returning to four days per week of in-person attendance. For those families who so choose, we will continue to offer the option to remain fully remote. There is no doubt that students have experienced varying levels of learning loss over the past year. In addition to learning loss, we need to continue to deal with the social and emotional toll that has been and continues to be taken on our students, staff and families. Steps are being put in place to address these issues, and more will be forthcoming. These include Jump Start programs in grades K–12, summer school, staff professional development, English Learners (EL) supports, tutoring, and other programs providing social and emotional support to students. We need to continue monitoring community health data and in-district COVID numbers to determine when all students can be safely returned to five days a week in-person instruction.
Why should people vote for you? The knowledge and experience I have gained over the past 16 years while serving as a member of the Board of Education have been invaluable. I served four years on the Board Budget Committee and have served as board president for the past 12 years. I have developed a very good understanding of the district’s budget and overall operations. I have served on the board’s negotiating team during many contract negotiations with the district’s four bargaining units. I visit each school at least once a year to speak with principals, administrators and teachers and sit in on classes. This experience gives me first-hand knowledge of the unique issues faced at each school. I also attend numerous athletic and extracurricular activities offered throughout our district. By participating in professional development and leadership efforts, I have reached and retained Master School Board Member status through the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) and am a IASB Leadership Academy Fellow.
I have the time, ability and desire to give back to the community where I have lived my entire life. I am committed to making our district the best it can be, and I believe my experience and leadership skills will help me continue to be an effective board member.
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 6:14 PM.