Election Issues: District 113A Candidates Discuss Accountability

On March 4, Patch published its , a complete guide to the April 5 consolidated election in Lemont. There you'll find voter information, recent election news and complete candidate biographies.

Before Lemont voters head to the polls, Patch wants to give readers an opportunity to compare where candidates for the School Board stand on key issues. We will publish the questions in separate posts over the next two weeks, along with responses from all nine candidates.

According to the Illinois Association of School Boards, effective boards understand that they are "accountable to the whole district and all the children — present and future." How do you interpret that statement?

I interpret that to mean that we cannot be short-sighted. We need to understand
how the decisions we make today will impact the state of the district in the future.

Also, all decisions should be made with consideration as to how this will
impact the education being provided to the students. One question we should
always ask ourselves is “How will this help the students maximize educational
achievement?”

The School Board is elected by the residents of the district. The Board is responsible for operating the district in an effective manner financially for all residents and businesses.

The School Board is also responsible for providing an educational opportunity for all students that gives them a strong educational framework on which they can build their future.

Being accountable means making responsible decisions for everyone in the community. This means not deficit spending, being truthful about district finances, and not pushing outrageous referendums with false threats and promises to be accountable "this time."

According to one local paper there are 380 vacant homes in our community, and other homeowners are barely holding on. The state just hiked income taxes 67 percent. Other federal, state and local taxes are set to go up over the next few years. High taxation on top of the looming back-end loaded debt of the district will negatively impact property values and discourage new buyers. We need to live within our means and keep our taxes aligned with the ability of taxpayers to pay, in order to preserve our town's diversity and keep it thriving.

I interpret this to mean that a board member must be accountable for all decisions. What may seem like a good idea today may have devastating consequences in the future, as we are now experiencing. Decision making should be well thought out and fully explained and most importantly they should be sound.

 That also means that board members should come prepared and ready to discuss the topics of the day, and all seven should be fully informed about all matters.

That means that a board member needs to consider the impact of his decisions, not just as it applies to his children, or the children currently in the district. He has to consider the impact of future generations, and as the community as a whole. A decision now can have an impact well into the future.

To me, it means that we are meant to be accountable for not only the education of the students within our district, but to meet those educational needs through financial stability and solvency. It means that we, as board members, not only look to meet the needs of the children today, but exceed them. Effective boards work together to educate children who can compete in a global economy.  We should look to making education not only better future for present day children, but to the education of those will be in the district in the future.

Effective boards must be accountable to the whole district and all children by
representing the best interest and needs of everyone. This means that a candidate should not be aligned with any political group or have a personal agenda. All decisions should be based on the need to provide a quality education to all students — present and future. In these tough economic times, there will not be any easy decisions but we must always work in the best interest of children.

Effective board members should make decisions based on the short-term and long-term effects. The net effect of the past several years of large deficit spending resulted in a transfer of resources from present students to past students. A steady investment in curriculum, teachers and other capital projects needs to be thoughtfully planned and executed without deficit spending.

I interpret that statement to mean all students in the district should have equal opportunities and access to an excellent education regardless of which school they attend in the district. It’s my job as a Board member to make decisions in an unbiased way.

Editor's Note: Each candidate was allowed a maximum 200 words for their response.