Jim Southard, BA, MBA, CAS-SDBL, CAS-SDL
Article and Letter from John DeFrancisco
Interest in education leads to school board
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Staff writer Michele Reaves interviewed Jim Southard, who was appointed to the Liverpool school board last fall to replace Paul Paventi. Southard recently was elected to replace Paventi on the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services, as well.
Name: Jim Southard
Age: 33
Address: Candlelight Lane, Clay
Occupation: I am the assistant director of fiscal services for the Syracuse City School District. I oversee the general fund budget for the district and take care of the annual state aid claim forms.
Education: Bachelor's in business-math (interdepartmental) from Skidmore College. I will earn a master's in business administration from SUNY's Empire State College in February.
My family: Wife, Elena, and dog, Duke, 8
Why did you want to become a school board member? I always have been interested in education. My wife is a teacher and my mother and mother-in-law are both teaching assistants for students with disabilities, so it was natural that I would become involved. . . . After developing knowledge of school district finances, I wanted to share that knowledge and the perspective it provides with the school district where I live.
Have you ever served on a school board before? No. I did run for the Liverpool school board in 2001 and 2002.
When did you join the board? Oct. 10
What are the strengths you see in the Liverpool school district? Liverpool has strong schools with dedicated students, parents, teachers and administrators. We also, I believe, have a board that crosses a wide spectrum of experience, ages and talents that allows us to get a perspective that permits us to do the job of overseeing the district.
What is one thing you'd like to change or improve? I would like to see more from the community people. (I would like to see them) become involved in a constructive way at board meetings. We seem to only hear from people when they decide to tear the board or administration down and they refuse to offer constructive solutions.
I heard you are a Liverpool graduate and had board member Pat Mouton as a teacher. What's it like serving with her on the board now? It is very interesting serving on the board alongside Pat Mouton. She was chosen to be my mentor on the board based on our prior connection. I was never a good student of English during my primary and secondary schooling, so Pat and I didn't "click" when I was her student. But, as the only two members to have made a career in the public school system, we have a lot in common now.
Will you run again for the position in May? When I interviewed for the position, one of the conditions for the person chosen was that they run for election in May. I intend to keep that promise.
When I'm not working I am: reading, working on schoolwork (I will be studying for a certificate of advanced studies in education administration), spending time with my wife, watching TV and attending fine arts events in the Liverpool school district.
If I could invite four people to dinner (living or dead), they would be: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Madame Curie and Leonardo DaVinci.
And we would discuss: mostly the advance of science and its effects on modern society.
The person I most admire is: any person who works tirelessly to ensure that students can navigate the sometimes choppy waters of public education and let them experience the joy of learning that will sustain them throughout their lives. This is why I admire my wife, mother and mother-in-law so much.
The best advice I ever heard: Do things for yourself, not because other people expect you to do them.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Staff writer Michele Reaves interviewed Jim Southard, who was appointed to the Liverpool school board last fall to replace Paul Paventi. Southard recently was elected to replace Paventi on the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services, as well.
Name: Jim Southard
Age: 33
Address: Candlelight Lane, Clay
Occupation: I am the assistant director of fiscal services for the Syracuse City School District. I oversee the general fund budget for the district and take care of the annual state aid claim forms.
Education: Bachelor's in business-math (interdepartmental) from Skidmore College. I will earn a master's in business administration from SUNY's Empire State College in February.
My family: Wife, Elena, and dog, Duke, 8
Why did you want to become a school board member? I always have been interested in education. My wife is a teacher and my mother and mother-in-law are both teaching assistants for students with disabilities, so it was natural that I would become involved. . . . After developing knowledge of school district finances, I wanted to share that knowledge and the perspective it provides with the school district where I live.
Have you ever served on a school board before? No. I did run for the Liverpool school board in 2001 and 2002.
When did you join the board? Oct. 10
What are the strengths you see in the Liverpool school district? Liverpool has strong schools with dedicated students, parents, teachers and administrators. We also, I believe, have a board that crosses a wide spectrum of experience, ages and talents that allows us to get a perspective that permits us to do the job of overseeing the district.
What is one thing you'd like to change or improve? I would like to see more from the community people. (I would like to see them) become involved in a constructive way at board meetings. We seem to only hear from people when they decide to tear the board or administration down and they refuse to offer constructive solutions.
I heard you are a Liverpool graduate and had board member Pat Mouton as a teacher. What's it like serving with her on the board now? It is very interesting serving on the board alongside Pat Mouton. She was chosen to be my mentor on the board based on our prior connection. I was never a good student of English during my primary and secondary schooling, so Pat and I didn't "click" when I was her student. But, as the only two members to have made a career in the public school system, we have a lot in common now.
Will you run again for the position in May? When I interviewed for the position, one of the conditions for the person chosen was that they run for election in May. I intend to keep that promise.
When I'm not working I am: reading, working on schoolwork (I will be studying for a certificate of advanced studies in education administration), spending time with my wife, watching TV and attending fine arts events in the Liverpool school district.
If I could invite four people to dinner (living or dead), they would be: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Madame Curie and Leonardo DaVinci.
And we would discuss: mostly the advance of science and its effects on modern society.
The person I most admire is: any person who works tirelessly to ensure that students can navigate the sometimes choppy waters of public education and let them experience the joy of learning that will sustain them throughout their lives. This is why I admire my wife, mother and mother-in-law so much.
The best advice I ever heard: Do things for yourself, not because other people expect you to do them.
On this page, I have the article about me from the Neighbors Northwest Section of the Post-Standard on January 11, 2007. Below that is the very nice letter I received from State Senator John DeFrancisco. The picture on the Home Page is from the article and was taken in the Syracuse City School District Boardroom.
