26
Getting to know your IASA Board Members
James W. Helton
Southwestern
School district:
Waterloo
Community Unit School
District No. 5
One thing you would like
people to know about your school district:
Best kept secret in the Metro-East – high-quality
teaching and learning, excellent facilities, distinct
rural flavor (yet only 35 miles from St. Louis),
and a competitive school tax rate of $4.15.
IASA Region:
Southwestern
Years on IASA Board:
3
Years as educator:
33
High school:
Stewardson-Strasburg High
School
Colleges or Universities:
Eastern Illinois
University (BS); Northern Illinois University (MS);
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
(Superintendent Endorsement; PhD-is ABD)
Family:
Marilyn (wife of 32 years); 3 children
(Joshua-30 and daughter-in-law Jennifer);
Jenna-26; Jamen-19) and 2 grandchildren
(Jared-almost 2, and Hannah-10 weeks)
Favorite hobby:
Running, reading, hiking, and
spending time with our grandkids
Favorite movie:
Lincoln
(Spielberg’s)
Favorite book:
Thank you, Mr. Falker
Favorite musical artist:
James Taylor
One thing people probably would be
surprised to know about you:
Qualified/ran the
2009 Boston Marathon (50-year-old “bucket list”)
Biggest concern about public education:
The
difference between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’s’
in public education is growing exponentially; the
opportunities for a quality public education
should not be dependent upon geography.”
Most encouraging thing about public
education
:
Parents entrusting their children to
dedicated and hard-working professionals…and
then hard-working dedicated professionals
making a positive difference in the lives of their
children!
Timothy Buss
Wabash Valley
School district:
Wabash Community Unit
School District 348
One thing you would like people to know
about your school district:
We have the
only high school in Illinois that plays in an
Indiana Conference
IASA Region:
Wabash Valley
Years on IASA Board:
4
Years as educator:
28
High school:
Wisconsin Dells High School,
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Colleges or Universities:
University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse and Eastern Illinois
University
Family:
Wife (Kelly), son
(Tyler-27), son (Kyle-22),
and daughter (Tyra-16)
Favorite hobby:
Watching
sports
Favorite movie:
Remember the Titans
Favorite book:
Brett Favre
Favorite musical artist:
Jon Bon Jovi
One thing people probably would be
surprised to know about you:
I have worked
in the same school district for 28 years
Biggest concern about public education:
FUNDING
Most encouraging thing about public
education:
Use of technology
