Prairie Grove Consolidated School District 46 Board
Having lived into the district since 1986 and having two children currently attending Prairie Grove School, we have enjoyed the many benifits a smaller school. I have worked in the Insurance industry for over 30 years, with many years of experience performing contract analysis, negiotiation including evaluation of potential expsoures to be considered. I believe it is critical to be flexible and openminded to all needs.I am running for office with 3 other vested community members; John Bowman, Margaret Ponga and Rick Salvo.
I would like to evaluate the current expenditures of the school, finding ways to reduce expenses without compromising the wonderful education provided by the staff. Next,encourage community involvement! Without community involvement through committees there are no checks and balances. We should work with complete transparency so everyone knows what our tax dollars are being used for.
I would support freezing the taxing district’s levy, however freezing it at the individual property level is what needs to happen. Freezing at the taxing district’s level is freezing the whole, not each property’s levy. Today, when a person is granted a reduction in their taxes, that reduction amount is spread across the rest of the taxing district and the result is the taxing district’s revenue stream remains the same. Those that fight for a reduction pay less and those that don’t fight pay exponentially more so the overall revenue remains the same. The solution is individualized frozen levies so those that fight reduce their own levy and those that don’t fight continue to pay at their own frozen levy level. The result would be a true freeze and a true reduction in revenue for the taxing district. And during difficult times, the taxing district should realize a reduction in revenue and respond accordingly by finding areas where freezes or reductions in costs could be realized.
The school board’s decision to dissolve all of the community committees and implement their Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings has had a negative trickle affect on our district and community. The government created the COW process so that an entire board could have a venue to meet with an entire committee to discuss that committee’s charter, not to eliminate committees from existence.
We must re-engage the community! We need a finance committee, curriculum committee, policy committee, building/grounds committee, parent/community advisory committee, discipline committee, etc.
As a board member, we need others to provide input and have committees with various levels of expertise to work together to discuss topics and address issues.
After over one year of the teachers working without a contract, being able to finally resolve the differences of the Teachers contract.
I believe a am a level headed person. I try to be open minded to all, doing what is in the best interest of the community.
I have lived in the community for 23 years family going through Prairie Grove School. I come from an extended family that includes teachers. I spent a number of years designing educational software and the specialized hardware for it. I developed seminars and workshops to engineering groups at regional technology companies. I have managed many large government projects and led many technical teams successfully. Additionally, I spent some time at District 46 as a volunteer until I was hired as interim Technology Coordinator. When the new Coordinator was hired, I was hired as Teaching Assistant working seven (7) very interesting years in a variety of capacities including Technology Assistant and Library Assistant. New knowledge is emerging in virtually every field and discipline on time scales which were, at one time, decades, are now years and, in many cases, months. Many technologies, driven by competition, are leaping ahead with new products emerging every few months. We must be knowledgeable to understand how to integrate this new knowledge via the new technologies, into our curricula. My unique background helps me to do just that. I am running for office with 3 other vested community members; Laura Barker, Margaret Ponga and Rick Salvo.
I want to determine, both in the near term and over my time in office, if elected, what we should do about the current district levy. See #3
I want to re-define and re-instate the various committees with a renewed community involvement. We need the community’s perspective and feedback. See #4
It seems that the overall staff/faculty moral has been eroded in the few years since I left the district. I want to determine why and make the indicated changes to correct it. This will help
Improve performance of both staff and students.
I believe, in principle, in supporting a freeze on the currently defined District levy.
These are hard economic times and much of the community is struggling to make ends meet
and some tax relief would certainly be justified and welcomed. But, as they say, the devil is in the details. This issue is quite complicated and a simple overall freeze will not address the root problems. A great deal of study and analysis will be needed to determine both the current financial health of the district and what financial needs can be projected for the next five, or so, years. These considerations together with a careful review of administration contract details will be needed to further define details of any freeze. This issue deserves much discussion and debate and will be one of my priorities.
I am actually perplexed with the School Board’s questionable decision to dispense with the
community committees. School Board members are the stewards of the public pocketbook and of the public trust. The relationship between the school and the district community needs to be
developed and nurtured. The district and the community are involved in an expensive,
time-consuming common project of getting all these students educated and launched on their way. The community is the one true source of unvarnished feedback. We can sit in our meetings and convince each other that we are doing a great job, but without feedback from the community, we really don’t know how we’re doing. We need the community’s perspective on every aspect of what we’re doing. So the priority will be to re-instate all the community committees. We need a finance committee, curriculum committee, policy committee, building/grounds committee, parent/community advisory committee, discipline committee, technology committee, etc.
I feel that by-far, one of the better issues was the implementation of the ECE (Early Childhood Education) Pre-School program. Statistical data shows students that attend a high quality pre-school, display significantly higher achievement in reading, writing, math and, the all-important, social skills going forward. Additionally, these same students not only perform much better later on in the higher grades, but tend to go on and to perform very well in college and out into the business world. We have determined that these little guys are able to understand and accomplish far more (and much earlier) than we had understood until now. We need to start this process as early as is practical to prepare our students to excel in an increasingly competitive international/world culture. I applaud their decision and their efforts in starting this very important and useful program.
I, actually, have long considered running for the School Board and I am excited about the chance
to contribute something special to the community, and looking forward to the challenges of the
position. I have lived in the community for 23 years and have had family go through Prairie
Grove School. I have a strong technical aptitude and a broad experience in dealing with technical issues. I am a firm advocate for a strong technical component in implementing the curriculum.
I am interested in restoring District 46 to it’s earlier pre-eminence in the county. I want to determine why one of the smallest districts repeatedly and consistently posts the largest administrative cost per pupil. I am interested in restoring fiscal transparency and responsibility to the district’s finances. And, finally, my spouse served on this same school board for 14 years.
So, we will have the added advantage of her experience and unique perspective.
In the 10 years that I have been on the board, the quality of the education programs delivered continues to grow even as District 46 has become more fiscally sound. We have added all-day kindergarten at no cost to families, an Early Childhood Education program, RtI (Response to Intervention - to boost achievement for students who are starting to slip behind), Reading Recover, PBIS (for behavioral problems), MAPS testing, a stronger summer school program, and more technology in our classrooms. We continue to keep our class sizes low. Even though the state’s contributions are decreasing, I have pushed for balanced budgets and more effective use of funds so that local taxpayers receive the best value possible for their contributions. I have a Masters’ Degree in Education Curriculum and Instruction and I taught High School for several years, so I am also sensitive to the demands that are put on our staff to deliver great results. I have worked tirelessly to find a balance between delivering incredible services to our students and providing tools and compensation for our very hard-working qualified staff, while remembering that most of this is paid for by local property taxes.
Chicago Magazine rated our district #1 in their list of “Best Schools in McHenry County”, three years in a row. This is a direct reflection of our incredibly talented employees and the tools we provide for them. However, Illinois state tests will soon replace the way “Adequate Yearly Progress” is currently measured with new “Common Core Standards”. This will have a huge impact on the way our teachers deliver information in the classroom. The first priority of this Board needs to be providing our teachers with the tools, training, and coaching needed to make this transition.
The second priority is to develop a long range facilities plan. As our buildings age, we need to make sure that they are safe, and that we have a plan for improvements and repairs that can be implemented within our current financial parameters, without asking our taxpayers for additional funds.
Finally, our district has integrated technology into our programs so that students have access every day. Online textbooks and other tools are changing teachers deliver material to our students. We need to continue to find effective ways that technology use can enhance the education process.
Holding the line on property tax levies is extremely important! I have two concerns with a new law that freezes tax rates: First, a freeze implies the rates can’t go DOWN or up. For the past 7 years our district has abated the bond and interest funds that we were scheduled to collect, therefore REDUCING the tax we “could have legally collected” by over $3 million dollars. In addition, we also reduced the 2011 and 2012 tax levies, with estimated savings of almost $711,000. Schools get income from many sources besides property taxes. If we receive additional federal funds for programs like President Obama’s Early Childhood Education Proposal, or if our Legislature increases school funding to the level required by the Illinois Constitution, local property tax levies should decrease, not stay frozen! Conversely, a law enforcing a freeze would not allow adjustments for expenses such as the proposal to require local districts to pay additional pension costs; that could cripple many districts. School board members are elected to make correct and fair financial decisions at all times; I am not sure how a law freezing the tax levy based on housing prices helps them to achieve this.
In 2003, right after I joined the board, we refinanced our bonds. At the time, ‘experts’ predicted a large population increase in our district by 2014. The debt was restructured with the installments gradually increasing at first so that payments would double by 2014. The payments would then balloon to twice that amount by 2023. This was supposed to coincide with the influx of new taxpayers . I wasn’t comfortable with that plan. However, I did vote for it, because I respected the opinions of other Board members who “appeared” to have stronger financial expertise than I did. Obviously, the growth didn’t happen, our district has almost 200 fewer students now, and we were still scheduled to have large increases to our debt service payments starting in 2015. Over the past few months we used reserves to pay off $3.2 million in debt certificates, and we refinanced the remaining debt at a lower, flat rate. This saved taxpayers over $900,000 in scheduled interest, and it allows our district to extend our 8 year history in the top financial rating tier for Illinois School Districts. I now have learned to take a more conservative approach to economic and population forecasts.
In 2002, before I joined District 46’s Board of Education, a tax referendum passed that was marketed as a 50 cent increase; because of the method used by the county, the referendum actually became an 85 cent increase. Our board worked for the past 7 years to find a way to give that money back to our taxpayers without incurring penalties from the state for assessing less from our taxpayers than we ‘should’. We developed a plan to keep the levy at the lowest rate we could without getting a penalty, and then we ‘gave back’ to the taxpayers by not assessing the Bond and Interest Funds that we were legally able to. Last year we adopted a Board Policy to guarantee that any future elected board members will be required to ‘honor’ this plan. We are getting close to achieving our goal of returning all 35 cents; after the new tax year we will have abated more than 29 cents of the levy. Overall, this amounts to almost $4 million that our taxpayers were able to keep. We also have monitored our budget closely to make sure that the District maintains financial stability as this happened.
a)Proven track record: Our schools received the Illinois Academic Excellence award 3 years in a row for high test scores while we maintained our tax levy rates and increased the district’s financial stability.
b)Commitment – I have attended over 200 District 46 meetings in 10 years, and I missed only 2 of the regular monthly meetings during that time. (I find it amazing that most of the new candidates running for the Board are not attending the meetings since they filed their election papers.)
c)Education: I believe training is crucial for any job; I have been recognized by the Illinois Association of School Boards for achieving ‘Master School Board’ level 7 years in a row because of seminars I attended to improve my skills at this “non-salaried job”.
d)Work experience: I believe my employment history gives me unique qualifications for this role on the Board of Education: I taught High School Science, and managed a technology department for a large corporation. I am a licensed insurance agent, and I currently work as an accountant in a privately owned company. These experiences allow me to look objectively at many sides of the issues facing our District.
As a board member for the past 8 years, I have gained an immense amount of expertise in all areas concerning board governance. Through actively working on the board and by attending numerous workshops on various topics, I acquired extensive knowledge in the areas of school finance, the budget process, educational practices, contract negotiations, school law and others. I know to ask the right questions and I am known to not back down under pressure. Most importantly, I do have a passion for education and a desire for academic excellence in our schools.
Looking at our academic programs, I will strive for a more challenging curriculum for our high achievers. While we have accomplished excellent results by aligning and strengthening the curriculum across all grades, I believe we are not doing enough for the top 20 to 25 percent of our student population. These students need more academic rigor and opportunities.
In financial matters, I will continue to be a good steward of our taxpayers’ monies. Declining student enrollment in the district should eventually translate into a lower budget. As long as we maintain solid financial status, I will work for continued decrease of the property tax levy.
Thinking of our buildings and grounds, I would like to explore the feasibility of moving the school entrance from Rt. 176 to Valley View Rd. and if deemed possible I will support the start of this project. The high traffic on Rt. 176 is difficult to maneuver for our staff, parents and busses. Entering/exiting school grounds from Valley View would be a safer situation for all.
Yes I would, and we have done that. The current board not only froze, but actually decreased the property tax levy for the past two years. Furthermore, in compliance with its Taxpayer Partnership Plan, this board has not levied the amounts necessary to repay long-term bond obligations since 2006. These tax abatements have saved our taxpayers about 3 million tax dollars through 2013.
Our community has been very good to this district and given freely when times were good. Now times are tough, unemployment is high and so are home foreclosure rates. We owe our taxpayers to be considerate of their situation and need to tighten the belt, just as they have to. We need to find ways to do our job with less while maintaining our academic programs.
I most disagree with the decision of the Board in 2007 to buy 30 acres of farmland for the price of $125,000 per acre. A referendum to buy this land and to build a school failed not only once but twice in 2006. Despite the referendum outcome, the board decided to purchase this overpriced land using an alternative financing mechanism, which did not need voter approval. I was the only board member voting against this land purchase. Conducting such a financial transaction against the will of the people was just wrong.
The biggest accomplishment would have to be the passing of the ‘Resolution to Resolve the Over Collection of Property Taxes Based on the 2002 Referendum‘. This will be achieved by permanently reducing property tax levies over a number of years. It demonstrates the board’s sincere effort to compensate the taxpayers for the over collection of taxes beyond the amount intended by the board and presented to the community at the time.
Another big accomplishment, just finalized, is the pre-payment of debt certificates and the refinancing of long-term building bonds. Those two actions resulted in combined savings of about $1.9 million when compared with the previous debt service schedules.
The voters in our school district should re-elect me into office because I will continue to truly represent all our taxpayers, I will continue to listen to all voices in our community. Based on my experience I will provide stability and continuity on the board. I do not have a hidden agenda and no personal vendetta to pursue. I will continue to oversee our district with integrity and honesty, and I will strive for academic excellence while exercising utmost fiscal responsibility. As your representative, I will make sure public education remains where it belongs, in the hands of the public.
I have over 15 years of experience in Human Resource Management with both publicly traded companies and in the public sector. As the Manager of Human Resources for the Crystal Lake Park District; I have firsthand knowledge and experience working for the tax payers. I understand what it means and takes to represent the people of the District. My personnel and budgeting experience lend itself to make informed decisions on matters that affect the district and those that support it through taxes.
1. Ensuring that the administration, teachers and staff are being fiscally responsible and accountable to all the tax payers in the district.
2. Ensuring that the administration is offering and maintaining the highest level of educational standards for each and every student.
3. Efficiencies throughout the district.
No, I will not support freezing the taxing district’s levy until housing prices rebound. There is no guarantee that tax bills will not increase by freezing the tax levy. The uncertainty of the housing market is unknown. We cannot make informed and wise decisions based on the unknown. If the operation of the district could handle a flat levy, I would consider it as long as the experience and qualify of the education is not impacted.
I disagree with the amount of time it took the school board and the teachers union to come to an agreement. I feel there was no reason for the teachers to work for almost two school years without a contract.
The biggest accomplishment for the school board was settling the teacher contract.
My priorities are to the children of the school district and the tax payers. I have been described as a fair person, who listens and understands there are two sides to every story. My understanding of the government process:
1. Tax levy’s
2. Board functions and protocol
3. Board/staff relationships
4. Representing the voters/residents of the school district
My husband, Mark, and I moved into the district in 1998 with our first born only 6 months old because we had heard Prairie Grove School had a good reputation and was smaller with a feel similar to a private school. Our son is now at Prairie Ridge HS and our daughters are in 8th grade and 4th grade at PG. My experiences at PG school include volunteer work to raise funds throughout the community for 56 classroom amplification systems; coordinate the necessary resources and funding to build a quarter mile walking path for the students and community; PTO president for 2 years; and many other fundraisers and service projects that gave me invaluable insight into the processes and needs of our school. As a working mom, my experiences at Motorola for the past 29 years have taught me that teamwork and teammates with diverse skills are the best way to tackle complex issues. In addition to a technical background and a career in service, I have strong communication skills; experience with negotiating large contracts; and have successfully led many teams throughout the years. I am running for office with 3 other vested community members; Laura Barker, John Bowman, and Rick Salvo.
Community involvement – All community committees were eliminated and replaced with a monthly Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, which is just another board meeting. The COW platform pushed the taxpayers away from the school. Without community committees there are no checks and balances; the board discusses issues at the COW meetings and then makes recommendations to themselves at their regular meetings. As a public body, we must reinstate community committees and work toward complete transparency.
Employee Morale – It’s evident employee morale is at a all time low. Throughout the 22 months of PGTA contract negotiations, the environment at the school digressed and the first teachers’ strike in the school’s history ensued. We need our ‘school’ back – a place where everyone is on the same team.
Finances – Property taxes must decrease but not just for the next year, as planned by the current board. Annually increased expenses can’t outpace the annual increase in revenue. If it does, it’ll result in a spiral affect which would cause the spending down of reserves and ultimately a tax referendum. I am in favor of eliminating mandatory increases of salaries. During difficult times, automatic salary increases aren’t appropriate. I think everyone can agree with that. Our unions have already proven they’re on board with keeping our district financially secure.
I would support freezing the taxing district’s levy but freezing it at the individual property level is what needs to happen. Freezing at the taxing district’s level is freezing the whole, not each property’s levy. Today, when a person is granted a reduction in their taxes, that reduction amount is spread across the rest of the taxing district and the result is the taxing district’s revenue stream remains the same. Those that fight for a reduction pay less and those that don’t fight pay exponentially more so the taxing district’s overall revenue remains the same. The solution is individualized frozen levies so those that fight will reduce their own levy and those that don’t fight will continue to pay at their own frozen levy level. The result would be a true freeze and a true reduction in revenue for the taxing district. During difficult times, the taxing district should realize a reduction in revenue and respond accordingly by reducing costs.
Our administrators have contracts that don’t allow a reduction in salary. If they work through contract term, they’ll receive a $3,000 to $5,000 bonus. There may be a time when a decrease in salary is very appropriate. A finance committee would have challenged those decisions by the school board.
We need to solve the problem, not squeeze a balloon somewhere only to have it inflate on the other end.
The school board’s decision to dissolve all of the community committees and implement their Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings has had a negative trickle affect on our district and community. The government created the COW process so that an entire board could have a venue to meet with an entire committee to discuss that committee’s charter, not to eliminate committees from existence.
We must re-engage the community! We need a finance committee, curriculum committee, policy committee, building/grounds committee, parent/community advisory committee, discipline committee, etc.
As a board member, we need others to provide input and have committees with various levels of expertise to work together to discuss topics and address issues. It’s always better to have many resources and levels of experience when discussing issues.
I believe if the community was involved at the school, especially a finance committee, they would have offered the diverse experience and perspectives our school board could have used to alleviate many months of contract negotiations with the teachers’ union. The school board spent $47,462 in attorney fees alone to negotiate the teachers’ contract. That did not include the lost productivity for teachers and administrators, administrative expenses, and the unfortunate impact of the strike.
The biggest accomplishment of the school board over the last year was the start up of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program. Over 10 years ago, the district transitioned from half day kindergarten to full day to enhance that level of education for our children. Due to the reduction in enrollment over recent years, the district was able to accommodate the ECE program with classroom space, teacher/assistants, and a fenced in area with playground equipment for recess, as well. The addition of the ECE program will further enhance the level of educational programs offered by our district.
I’m excited about the possibility of being a school board member. My family and I have been involved in the school and the community and feel it’s important to be a volunteer.
I believe a team of business orientated taxpayers with strong family values, diverse backgrounds, and some opposing views will ultimately provide a balanced board. That is why I am running with three other residents; Laura Barker, a single mom with two girls at PG school, working in the insurance industry; John Bowman, a senior citizen, retired businessman and retiree of PG school; and Rick Salvo a father with countless volunteer hours at PG school and works in the IT industry. The four of us are professionals with strong communications skills and the confidence needed to make a positive difference for our educational system and the taxpayers.
We need to position the district to help taxpayers through these tough times while continuing to improve the level of education for our children as they are our future. Some examples; investigate why administrative salaries are the county’s highest, yet we have the lowest admin/student ratio; investigate the declining ISAT test scores; work to create individualized levies; and get the community involved.
Please contact us at VoteBarker3Bowman4Ponga5Salvo6@yahoo.com
My wife (Mary) and I have lived in District 46 for 23 years. We have three children and have been active volunteers with Prairie Grove School for the past 14 years. We have a 19 year old daughter that enjoyed Prairie Grove very much. We also have a 6th and 7th grader currently attending. We have also organized yearly community events during the past 15 years for the Oakwood Hills Village.
I am actively involved with coaching youth sports. The past four years with girls’ softball for CYB and before that youth football with the Jr. Wolves and Cary Trojans.
I have a broad range of experience in Corporate Technology. During the past 33 years I have pioneered web technology, designed digital solution and worked with corporate litigation.
I believe a team that has diverse members and even some conflict will ultimately provide our community with a balanced school board. That is why I am running for office with three other residents; Laura Barker, John Bowman and Margaret Ponga. The four of us have experience and confidence and we will make a difference.
Employee Morale – What use to be a top ranked energetic school has segregated to teachers vs Administration. Not to mention the lack of Community involvement. We need to get back to Prairie Grove School as a whole. A single productive entity serving our children’s best interests.
Community involvement – All community committees were eliminated and replaced with a monthly Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, which is just another board meeting. The COW platform pushed the taxpayers away from the school. Without community committees there are no checks and balances; the board discusses issues at the COW meetings and then makes recommendations to themselves at their regular meetings. As a public body, we must reinstate community committees and work toward complete transparency.
Finances – Property taxes must decrease but not just for the next year, as planned by the current board. Annually increased expenses can’t outpace the annual increase in revenue. If it does, it’ll result in a spiral affect which would cause the spending down of reserves and ultimately a tax referendum. Our unions have already proven they’re on board with keeping our district financially secure.
I would support freezing the taxing levy but freezing it at the individual property level is what needs to happen. Freezing at the taxing district’s level is freezing the whole, not each property’s levy. Today, when a person is granted a reduction in their taxes, that reduction amount is spread across the rest of the taxing district and the result is the taxing district’s revenue stream remains the same. Those that fight for a reduction pay less and those that don’t fight pay exponentially more so the overall revenue remains the same. The solution is individualized frozen levies so those that fight will reduce their own levy and those that don’t fight continue to pay at their own frozen levy level. The result would be a true freeze and a true reduction in revenue for the taxing district.
Our administrators have contracts that don’t allow a reduction in salary. If they reach contract term, they’ll receive a bonus. There may be a time when a decrease in salary is very appropriate. This is another reason why community committees are so important – a finance committee would have challenged these current practices.
The school board’s decision to dissolve all of the community committees and implement their Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings has had a negative trickle affect on our district and community. The government created the COW process so that an entire board could have a venue to meet with an entire committee to discuss that committee’s charter, not to eliminate committees from existence.
We must re-engage the community! We need a finance committee, curriculum committee, policy committee, building/grounds committee, parent/community advisory committee, discipline committee, etc.
As a board member, we need others to provide input and have committees with various levels of expertise to work together to discuss topics and address issues. It’s always better to have many resources and levels of experience when discussing issues.
I believe if the community was involved at the school, especially a finance committee, they would have offered the diverse experience and perspectives our school board could have used to alleviate many months of contract negotiations with the teachers’ union. The school board spent $47,462 in attorney fees to negotiate the teachers’ contract, not to mention lost productivity for teachers and administrators, and administrative expenses.
The biggest accomplishment of the school board over the last year was the start up of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program. Over 10 years ago, the district transitioned from half day kindergarten to full day to enhance that level of education for our children. Due to the reduction in enrollment over recent years, the district was able to accommodate the ECE program with classroom space, teacher/assistants, and a fenced in area with playground equipment for recess, as well. The addition of the ECE program will further enhance the level of educational programs offered by our district. Introducing young students to Prairie Grove as early as 3 years old is a great start.
My wife and I have been involved in the school and the community for decades. It is a great feeling to see how you effect so many. We think every one should volunteer.
I’m excited about the possibility of being a school board member.
I believe a team of business orientated taxpayers with strong family values, diverse backgrounds, and some opposing views will ultimately provide a balanced board. That is why I am running with three other residents; Laura Barker, a single mom with two girls at PG school, working in the insurance industry; John Bowman, a senior citizen, retired businessman and retiree of PG school; and Margaret Ponga a mom with years of dedicated work at our school and works in the public safety communications industry.
We’re the stewards of the taxpayers’ money, and the children, and we need to balance both. We will continually strive to improve education because this is our children’s future. Education will continually change and we need to keep pace with those changes and align our practices and finances, as well.
Please contact us at VoteBarker3Bowman4Ponga5Salvo6@yahoo.com
