Matthew Saternus
Matthew Saternus was a candidate for at-large representative on the School District 54 school board in Illinois. Saternus was defeated in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Saternus participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2017
- See also: School District 54 elections (2017)
Four seats on the School District 54 school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Bob Kaplan and Charlotte Kegarise faced challengers Jim Pye, Matthew Saternus, and Kenneth Van Dyke.[1] Kaplan and Kegarise won re-election to their seats, and Pye and Van Dyke won the other seats on the ballot.[2]
Results
| School District 54, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Bob Kaplan Incumbent |
22.57% | 5,785 |
| Charlotte Kegarise Incumbent |
22.40% | 5,742 |
| Kenneth Van Dyke |
21.23% | 5,442 |
| Jim Pye |
16.89% | 4,328 |
| Matthew Saternus | 16.64% | 4,264 |
| Write-in votes | 0.27% | 69 |
| Total Votes | 25,630 | |
| Source: Cook County Clerk, "Consolidated Election April 4, 2017 Summary Report," accessed April 19, 2017 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[3]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[4]
Saternus reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Saternus was endorsed by the local teachers' union.[6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Matthew J Saternus participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 24, 2017:
| “ | My priority as a board member will be to maximize student achievement. To that end, the board’s focus must be on class size and maintaining teacher quality. District 54 has a tremendous staff of gifted, committed teachers. It will be my mission to make sure that we retain our great teachers and help them to enhance their skills throughout their career in District 54. District 54 is in an enviable position financially. As a small business owner, I understand the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline to protect our district against uncertainty at the state level while using our resources to maintain a high level of achievement.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Illinois. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| “ | District 54 already enjoys a strong relationship with its teachers, so I don't view that as a pressing issue for this particular board, though it is important to maintain that strong relationship. Similarly, District 54 offers students a number of choices for different schools and programs of study. I see this as a strength that could be expanded on even further, specifically with added access to STEM programs.[9] | ” |
| —Matthew J Saternus (March 24, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. District 54 offers a variety of school choices to its students, and I intend to continue expanding those choices. I believe that public money should be used for public schools. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are an accurate measure of how well students take tests. They are not a measure of overall student achievement. District 214's efforts at "redefining college readiness" should be a model for comprehensive assessment of student achievement. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. I think that merit pay is a concept that deserves consideration, but it would require a complete re-working of our compensation system. I am opposed to merit pay in the patchwork forms that I have seen suggested. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. I believe that public money should be used to fund public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Rarely and only as a final resort for students who are creating a danger to others. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Teacher quality is far and away the most important factor in a student's success. A great teacher can overcome nearly any hurdle, but a poor teacher cannot succeed even in ideal circumstances. |
See also
- School District 54, Illinois
- School District 54 elections (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "Candidate Filing for April 4, 2017 Consolidated Election," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "April 04, 2017 Consolidated General Election Search for Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Suburban Education Coalition, "School Board Candidate Endorsements," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Matthew J Saternus's responses," March 24, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| School District 54 elections in 2017 | |
| Cook County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Bob Kaplan • Incumbent, Charlotte Kegarise • Jim Pye • Matthew Saternus • Kenneth Van Dyke |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
