Below are candidate-submitted answers to a survey Wednesday Journal sent out to all candidates running in this year’s elections.
Age: 39
Profession: Technology and Security Consultant
Years lived in River Forest: Starting my 4th year in Oak Park
Spouse, if applicable: Married 6 years.
Do you have children in D97 schools? How many and what ages?
I have two girls who will attend Beye, currently ages 4 and 2.
Have you ever run for or served in a local political office before? If so, when and which office?
I have not run for public office in the past.
If you are not currently on the school board, how many school board meetings have you attended in the last year?
Not enough. I started attending as I considered running for board and have changed from sporadic to consistent. You’ll notice in answers below that I think we need better engagement from our community which hopefully will result in better attendance at board meetings. One board member remarked recently, “I feel like I fell asleep in the last board meeting and woke up to just the same 4 board candidates sitting here today.”
Why are you running for this office?
This month I start my fourth year in Oak Park living in the Beye School District. I am the father of two girls, age 4 and 2, who are amazing kids and help motivate me to ensure all kids of Oak Park receive the best education we can. By trade, I am a Technology and Security consultant. I’m in favor of a diverse board, made up of skills in different areas. As a technology and security consultant, I can bring that unique perspective to the board and ensure that technology is used in a pragmatic manner and our students and teachers information is secure.
My role as a board member will be to manage the budget and policies, ensure compliance, and make sure the voices of our teachers, parents, and community are heard.
What do you think are the three biggest challenges facing the district in the next four years?
This answer changed drastically in the last few weeks.
- As we see the new Governor’s budget take shape, our district (and most districts in Illinois) will have the realities of a new fiscal system. Under the current version of the budget, District 97 could lose $2.5 million in state funding. Additionally, he wants to change Early Intervention admission from a 30% delay to a 50% delay. That means that kids who would normally receive services before age 3 may come into the district with delays that need addressing. With less state funding and more requests for need, the district will face a financial challenge many of the current board and candidate weren’t thinking about when they decided to run.
- Communications and engagement. As I have followed the school board, I have noticed very few people attending meetings and very little engagement on big issues, such as the new Superintendent. Some quick statistics on the Superintendent search: 13 people gave in-person feedback during the community meetings and 238 people gave feedback on-line. (2/3 of the online feedback was from parents.) It’s great that the Wednesday Journal comments number in the 100s for an issue, but that message never makes it to the board. The board has to make sure decisions like the administration building are communicated effectively.
- Technology. District 97 has been a leader in technology and as we move forward, the role of technology in our classrooms will only increase. Today we know that adults comprehend information better on paper than they do on an iPad. We also know that using our phones and tablets before bed can affect our sleep. (I hope you’re not reading this before bed.) We will need to assess how technology is used and how these changes in instruction affect our students.
What skills/talents do you have that would enable you to deal with those challenges?
I strongly believe that the board is best when it is made up of people with diverse backgrounds that can come together for the same goal. My background is in technology, security, and running an organization (I currently manage our Midwest practice). As a consultant, I’m rewarded for my ability to communicate issues clearly to CEOs, CFOs, and management and improving engagement on critical tasks.
My role as a board member will be to manage the budget and policies, ensure compliance, and make sure the voices of our teachers, parents, and community are heard. The board shouldn’t tell teachers how to teach but support them by listening to their needs.
If elected, what are three goals that you have for the next four years?
My first goal as School Board member is to better engage the community and better communicate the issues of the district to the community. We should have vibrant public input.
My second goal, very closely tied to the first, is to make sure the teachers, parents and community have a strong voice in the future of our students. They should be listened to and not just heard.
Finally, I want to study the use of technology in our classrooms. Using a data driven methodology, determine whether we are providing an improved learning environment which we should invest more in or whether our students are suffering at the hands of an iPad.