Fox River Grove School District 3 Board
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
Candidate has not yet answered question.
I am currently serving my first term on the District 3 Board of Education. During this first term, I served on our Class Size Committee. For five years prior to my serving on the board, I attended nearly every meeting of the Board of Education. I felt that this was an opportunity to see firsthand what was discussed at board meetings and to pass the information on to those who were not able to attend the meetings in person. I am also in my sixth year of serving as a volunteer coach in the district, as the director of the school play.
Other organizations for which I have volunteered include the Fox River Grove Recreation Council and Cub Scout Pack 357, where I served as Cubmaster and Asst. Cubmaster.
My top priority is to maintain the district’s path of fiscal and educational strength. District 3 schools continue to be recognized as some of the top schools in McHenry County, while the district’s budgets remain balanced. We have done this while continuing to offer sports, music, art, and extra-curricular activities to our students.
My second priority is to continue to find ways to involve Fox River Grove in District 3. There is a perception that only parents of students get involved in school districts, but a strong school district has benefits for the entire community, not just the students. School districts affect so many things in a community, things like housing values and the feel of the neighborhoods. It’s important that the whole community see the benefits of a strong District 3 and that members of the community know how they can help keep the district strong, whether or not they have students in the schools.
Third, we’ll need to address the issue of enrollment and class sizes. I participated in a committee this past year to look at strategies to address class sizes. The committee included a number of stakeholders in our classes and pointed toward multi-age classrooms as a strategy that might fit our district. I would like to continue researching this to see if this would work in our district. This is important as we see decline in enrollment numbers.
Freezing the levy sounds good, but the actual tax rate paid by taxpayers is determined by PTELL, not necessarily by the levy. Freezing the levy, also known as under-levying, can reduce the tax rate, but has long-term effects. It is not just until housing prices rebound. Under-levying reduces the amount that future boards can levy in future years. Rather than tie the hands of future boards, I prefer our practice of holding our levy close to the expected dollars received, keeping budgets lean and balanced, and looking to abate taxes to residents. This would have the effect of a reduced levy, while preserving the ability of future boards to collect PTELL rates when housing values rebound.
There was a decision a few years ago by the board to approve a large expenditure on a new phone system. There were four members in attendance at that meeting, and in the final vote, one member abstained; therefore, the expenditure on that new phone system was approved by a 2 -1 vote. I felt the decision should have been tabled to the next meeting, so as to be considered by the full board.
One could say that keeping our budget balanced and maintaining our high educational standards are pretty big accomplishments. This past year, we re-opened a committee to study strategies so that we might better address issues of class size and we participated in a study to look at potential benefits and risks if our district and District 23 were to merge. That study was a particularly big accomplishment, as it gave us a concise way of looking at the metrics of doing such a merger. Consolidation is a big topic among school districts, and having this information at hand will serve us well, both as a way of assessing a potential merger and as a means of helping our district and other districts that feed into Cary-Grove High School work together better and find new opportunities to share best practices and perhaps programs that will benefit our students and theirs in a cost-effective manner.
As a long-time resident of Fox River Grove, a person who volunteers in the district’s extracurricular activities, a long-time observer of District 3’s board, and an incumbent board member these past two years, I have worked and will continue to work to keep the community informed and involved in their school district. I recognize both the value our residents place on having a strong school district and the burden that places upon our residents. So I will continue to strive toward keeping our district strong, both educationally and fiscally, and I will do everything I can to ensure our residents get great value for their tax dollars in our district and that the tax burden shouldered by our community is no greater than it needs to be. I will do all I can to keep District 3 a district that all of Fox River Grove can be proud of, and that other districts can look to as a model.
I have held multiple leadership positions over the course of my life. Professionally, I have held both senior sales and operational roles inside the marketing services industry. These positions required the specific combination of thought leadership and financial attentiveness that prepared my organization and my customers for the future.
Personally, from 2009-2013 I have served as the President for the Fox River Grove Recreation Council. Prior to that, I served for several years on the Board of Education for the Lord and Savior School in Crystal Lake, IL. I also currently volunteer as a youth group leader at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Barrington.
These experiences have allowed me to work with business leaders, administrators, teachers, parents, and kids to create positive environments and foster growth.
My highest priority as a School Board Member would be to create and maintain a positive educational environment for the children of our village. Demographic changes in the district, implementation of Common Core standards, and the current difficult financial environment all demand prudent and judicious leadership if the goal is educational excellence. As a parent, that is what I demand for my children and what I will seek to provide as a School Board Member.
Unfortunately the cost of running the school district does not correlate to property valuations. Non-discretionary items (i.e. health insurance and energy costs) continue to rise, resulting in year over year budget increases. As a Board, our responsibility to the tax payers is to manage required costs as best we can while scrutinizing any optional or “nice-to-have” items that appear in the budget.
I did not agree with the decision to investigate the feasibility to combine School District #3 in Fox River Grove with School District #26 in Cary. As a parent in Fox River Grove who is happy with the educational opportunities my children are receiving, I did not understand how consolidation could benefit the children in our community. As a taxpayer, I questioned why we should consider merging our financially sound district with one that has been struggling for many years. Overall, I did not understand the motivation and desire to spend time and money on this project.
At the meeting where the study was released to the public I was pleased to hear that the recommendation was to keep our district independent. From talking with members in our community, that is the recommendation the people hoped for. However, I was also enlightened by the comment that the study provided our community factual information on where our district excels, where opportunities lie, and will serve as an excellent reference for future planning initiatives. While I would not have supported the idea to pursue the study, I am pleased that benefits did result from the effort.
The current board has done a very good job of managing the finances of the district during a difficult economic period. While surrounding districts have struggled, School District #3 has continued to offer reasonable class sizes, fine arts programs, and extra-curricular programs while delivering a high academic performance across grade levels.
I am seeking election to the School Board to serve the people in the Village of Fox River Grove. As a parent, I have a vested interest in the quality of education my children receive. I also believe that a high quality school district is essential to the long-term prosperity of Fox River Grove and its residents.
My election to the School Board will give voters a representative who will work tirelessly for the benefit of our children, our teachers, and our community. I will face issues head on, and seek out solutions that consider both the district needs and the needs of our taxpayers. Beyond all, I will serve with honesty and integrity every day of my term.
I have extensive experience serving in my community, as well as 8 years in the legal profession which have provided a great background to be an effective board member.
I have enthusiasm for the position, and the desire to help our children prepare for the next stage in life, and to provide our staff and teachers the tools to necessarily prepare for success.
In summary, my education, training and experiences provide me the foundation needed to make a good candidate for office.
1. Continuing the excellent progress and success of School District 3.
2. Ensuring that School District 3 continues to provide a balanced budget (no deficit spending)
3. Ensure that our schools remain successful and competitive, while preparing our students for the next stage in life.
No, I do not. I do not favor freezing a tax levy based upon the factor of a private home sale. these factors should not intersect. Linking home prices, a fluctuating number, to levy for spending would be irresponsible, and would leave the district hamstrung to provide for the students.
I believe the board has done a great job as stewards of the district. I will not choose one decision in a vacuum without all the facts from executive and open session, this question invites discord.
I judge the board on the whole of their work, which has been excellent.
I believe the biggest accomplishment was to retain a consultant, and determine the feasibility of consolidation.
I think the desire to look at change and merger shows the board’s willingness to identify new ways of educating our children to prepare them for the next stage of life.
I am a loyal father, husband, and neighbor. I have experience in my community, and a strong desire to work together to ensure our children’s success.
I have the education, training and experience of previous office, and board membership.
I promise to be transparent in my decision making process and to take the time to discuss the issue at length, and come to a reasonable compromise if necessary.
Voters may not agree with my decision, but they will understand it.
