Woodstock School District 200 Board
I am the product of an environment emphasizing academic achievement, and my goal is to provide the opportunity for every child to achieve his potential. My family members include highly regarded college professors and teachers, as well as professionals.
While living in Woodstock, I have served in leadership positions including presidents of the McHenry County Bar Association and the Woodstock Morning Rotary Club. My education views were formed by attending school through college at the University of Illinois and law school at University of Wisconsin. I was a paralegal studies instructor at the College of Lake County for several years. Prior to attending law school, I volunteered for a literacy program and I observed school boards as a newspaper reporter.
My career as an attorney places me in direct contact with the struggles Woodstock residents endure with paying their bills amid rising expenses and stagnant incomes.
As a parent and occasional volunteer, I have also observed many of the struggles the schools face.
First: Finding a quality replacement for our outgoing superintendent.
Second: Harmonizing financial choices with academic achievement.
It is politically popular to answer “yes.” However, I believe the board must consider its history before it commits regarding taxes. The considerations regarding whether to raise the levy should include whether the board has raised the levy recently and repeatedly; the level of cost savings achievable by personnel replacement and retirement; cost savings that can be achieved through expense management; income that can be raised through rental of school facilities to outside groups; the level of state and federal aid, including the timing and reliability of the state meeting its past and current obligations; and the expected impact upon programs if the levy is not raised. The levy is not the rate. The levy is the amount of money the district needs annually to pay costs and there is already a cap on the district’s tax rate by imposed by state law.
It is not constructive to criticize the past board for its decisions.
The board’s completion of teacher and support staff contracts during the past year is commendable.
I aim for the expansion of excellence in Woodstock high schools so both schools land on the U.S. News and World Report top schools list. I aim for continued growth in advanced placement programs, and exploration into the international baccalaureate program. I aim for ongoing support of the district’s excellent fine arts and other extracurricular programs. I aim for high expectations for parental involvement in their children’s educations.
Improving education does not have to lead to increasing the budget, but will require resolve, curiosity and creativity.
I have lived in the Woodstock area since 1987, and was raised and educated primarily in McHenry County. I am currently a member of the District 200 School Board, and have been for the last 8 years. I also own my own law practice in Woodstock since 1992. All of this means that I am very knowledgeable in the economic needs and resources of the school district and the tax payers, and what it takes to continue to provide a quality education that will benefit the students of the District and enhance the value of our community. I do not need time to learn how to manage the resources of the District; I have already done that. With me, the voters have a candidate who is knowledgeable, financially responsible and resourceful, and who has already been part of the planning to address upcoming and long term issues facing the District.
Our superintendent is retiring. Ellyn Wreski has been an excellent leader of our District, finding and managing key people to implement a vision of sound fiscal management and improving student achievement. It is imperative to find a strong visionary to replace her, particularly in light of the continuing financial woes of the State. Financial management of the District is always a priority, and increasingly more difficult with the uncertainty and frequent delinquency of payments by the state, not to mention the uncertainty of what the state will do about the Teacher’s Retirement. Not least of all is continuing to improve student achievement and providing students with a quality education that provides them the opportunity for success in college, tech school or the work force upon graduation. Higher academic standards not only benefit the student and student’s family, but increase the economic attractiveness and quality of life in the communities served by District 200.
School budgeting in these economic times is as uncertain as budgeting for a family with job uncertainty. Where before the District could rely on the state paying it’s share and the availability of federal and state grants to make up what the levy did not cover, that is no longer the case. While I have been on the Board, we have chosen to refund building bonds from the previous referendum, which has had the effect of reducing the bond levy in an attempt to offset, at least partially, the increase in the tax levy caused by the decrease in residential assessed values. This allows us to maintain needed funds in the main budgetary accounts directly supporting education without decreasing the levy but while still decreasing the burden on the tax payer. I intend to continue to seek these sort of creative options to benefit the tax payer and the District in the future.
I can’t say that we, as a Board, have made a decision that I disagreed with in the last 8 years. There have been hard decisions, such as passing the levy, but since we have been able to diminish the impact on tax payers through reduction of the bond levy, this decision was acceptable. It has also been difficult, these last couple of years, laying off teachers and staff where we have needed to in order to remain fiscally responsible. However, because we successfully negotiated union contracts with minimal increases, these reductions in staff have been minimal. We also decided to freeze adding additional extra- or co-curricular programs requiring District funding. This was a difficult but necessary decision to reduce the strain on the District, and therefore, community, resources. Overall, the current Board is very thoughtful and thorough in its policy discussions. This gives me, as a Board member, the assurance that difficult decisions are approached from all angles, with a thorough look at alternatives before a vote.
Our biggest accomplishment has been and currently is providing a quality education with continuing improvement in academic standards and opportunities for our students, while remaining fiscally responsible to the community. We have accomplished this through providing continuing education and training to our teachers and support staff, maintaining appropriate class sizes for the respective developmental ages of the students as well as a properly tailored curriculum. Added to that, we have come to understand that there is a close correlation between extra- and co-curricular activity participation and high academic achievement and continue to offer a reasonable number of these opportunities for students. We have also continued to expand our career and technical study opportunities for those students not looking to attend a 4 year college or university, and many of these programs are in cooperation with MCC as well as local businesses.
I am well known in the community as a parent and as a businesswoman. I have been on the School Board for 8 years, during which time the community has learned that I will listen to their wants, needs and hardships, and will consider their point of view in any decision making. I have done quality work with this School Board, and the voters can be assured that I will continue to do so.
I have served on the Woodstock CUSD #200 Board of Education for a total of 12 years and feel that I have good knowledge of the District. Also, I live and work in the Community and have for over 30 years. All of my children and most of my grandchildren attend(ed) District #200 schools which means I have a stake in the District and its success.
First of all, I will help to see that the District continues to offer the best education for our students available while staying within our means.
The second would be to continue with a balanced, albeit conservative, budget for the District to try and keep as much of the burden off of the taxpayers as possible.
My third priority is to hire the best Superintendent possible to take over when Superintendent Wrzeski retires.
I really don’t think this would be wise. While District #200 has continued to try and keep the levy as reasonable as possible so that taxpayers are not so burdened with additional costs, we still need to run the District. We, the Board, have a responsibility to educate the students in our District with or without government funds. I feel we have been fiscally conservative in the past would strive to be so in the future. Freezing the levy would not necessarily help with this.
I really don’t disagree with any of the decisions made by the Board of Education. We, as a Board, discuss the pros and cons of issues brought before us prior to making a decision. Thus, we are in agreement when the final decisions are made. We are not a “rubber stamp” Board, however, and have plenty of opportunity to voice concerns and questions prior to making a final decision.
I really feel that delivering a balanced budget has continued to be a big accomplishment each year, the past year being no acception. It is getting increasingly more difficult to keep the buget balanced and not to deficit spend when there is no definite knowledge of the monies the District will receive from the State. The Board has continued to offer a high quality education to our students while staying within our budget. Very few cuts were made this last year to stay within that budget.
I feel that I am open-minded and a good listener. I have been involved with District #200 schools for over 30 years - while my own children attended up until now. I have a stake in this Community and want nothing more that to see District #200 continue to offer the quality education we have become used to. I also pay taxes in this Community so am very aware of trying to keep the impact as minimal to the taxpayers as possible. I love this Community and feel District #200 has a lot to offer its’ stakeholders. I would love to continue to be a part of the Board of Education for School District #200.
I have served on the D200 Board of Education for the past 12 years. I know this district and community very well. In addition to serving on the board, I am a parent and also a classroom teacher in a neighboring district. I have the unique perspective of seeing education from a variety of viewpoints.
My top priority would be to locate and hire a new superintendent to replace Ellyn Wrzeski who is retiring after the 2013-2014 school year. She will have served our district and community for 13 years and does a tremendous job in moving this district forward. I feel that prior board experience will be very advantageous when conducting this search.
The second priority will be to make sure that D200 remains fiscally sound while providing a high quality educational program. We need to plan not only for the upcoming school year, but for the future of our district. In order to do this, we need to make sure that a conservative budget is developed and adhered to due to the uncertainly of state funds.
This is not a simple yes or no question. There are many factors that need to be taken into account. For example, if the State of Illinois continues to decrease revenues to local districts in an untimely and unpredictable manner, it would be extremely difficult for districts to freeze their taxing levy in order to maintain a high standard of academic excellence. If the State of Illinois would keep our funding level stable and guarantee it for 3 to 5 years, then I could easily consider supporting a tax freeze due to the fact that we could plan better for the future. Again, this is not a simple question and it would need to be discussed at length. All districts will need to determine how this would affect not only the current situation, but also how it would affect the future of education in their own district.
Since I joined the school board in 2001, I strongly support every decision that has been made. Not every board member sees issues in the same way. We take the time to discuss the pros and cons of each issue prior to making a decision; once a decision is made, I stand by that decision and support it.
I believe that our biggest accomplishment has been continuing to provide a high quality educational program while keeping within our budget.
I am a known individual and have helped lead D200 for the past 12 years. I feel that it would be advantageous for the citizens of this community to support the incumbents so they can assist in the search for Mrs. Wrzeski’s successor. The current board is solid and works well together in making decisions that determine the future of our district and the education of our children. Hiring the right superintendent is a key factor in what direction our district takes. The current board has helped create and support many strong programs within District 200 such as full-day kindergarten, our highly successful dual language program, and strong vocational programs to name just a few. If re-elected, I will continue to support the forward-thinking efforts of our district in order to deliver the best education that we can offer, both economically and academically.
My experience comes from two different perspectives. As a technology consultant I have spent many years working with grade school and higher education clients both in North America and abroad aiding my clients in advancing the needs of their students. This work has involved the augmentation of the curriculum with technologies. I also have extensive Board experience within corporate and not-for-profit organizations so I have the tools necessary to think strategically while understanding the future impacts.
Most important is my ongoing commitment to youth development. In the twenty years that I have lived in Woodstock I have been very active in a number of youth organizations, both civic and religious. I believe strongly in developing the next generation of leaders and helping them to have the tools necessary to be thoughtful and caring members of our society.
The top priority of the incoming Board will be the search and selection of a new District Superintendent. This selection, along with the goals and strategies that will come with it, will set the stage for growth and advancement of the school district for years to come. The current Board and staff of the school district work incredibly well together. This must continue.
The second priority comes with appropriate management and deployment of solutions to challenges placed by outside entities. With recent legal changes relating to employers and the continued process of underfunding required programs in the State of Illinois, School Boards and Districts are faced with needing to find creative solutions.
This question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. The taxing procedures set forth by the legal system bind taxing bodies into methods and means that never accounted for declining property values. It should also be realized that there are many ongoing and new requirements placed onto the school districts that are underfunded or not funded at all.
I strongly support the current vision of the school district to always maintain a balanced budget. This does require a solid working relationship between the Board and the District staff to achieve. This is a key element in continuing the growth and advancement of the programs within the District.
I do not feel it appropriate to disagree with the actions of past boards on particular topics as I do not have access to all of the information that they had in making those decisions.
We should look no further than the continued success and accolades received by each of our individual schools within the district. Scholastically and socially our district continues to shine both locally and nationally. This is a testament to the Board and Staff of the district and the aforementioned working relationship that they have.
I am a new voice offering to lead and work with a strong group focused on the same values that I hold dear, the development of the next generation. My experience in systems of governance and strategic thinking will aid in being a part of making the decisions necessary to ensure success for our school district. My experience in education and associated technologies will be a boon to the district as it would bring a different and needed understanding to the decisions that will be faced in the coming years.
I have served on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Boundary Realignment Review Committee for the district. I have two children that attend school in the district and have volunteered at many PTO events, school dances, and fundraisers.
My first priority would be to continue to strive to provide the students with the best and safest education possible. My next priority would be to insure that the district stays on its course of providing superior fiscal management.
Only after thoroughly reviewing the district’s budget and determining that the district could operate with a positive balanced budget to maintain the current quality of education and needs to the students, would I then support a taxing levy freeze until the housing market rebounds.
I disagree with having the non-curriculum teachers (physical education, art, music, and technology) work at multiple schools and rotate between those schools on a daily or weekly basis. I don’t see how that benefits the students or teachers.
It is impressive how financially responsible the district has been in not only in the past year, but for the past 8 years.
I believe that I am an excellent choice for the School Board because I have been involved in many district functions over the past 8 years. By having children in the district, I care about the students and families within District 200. I believe, with my experience, I can contribute in a positive way to the school board and maintain its diversity.
