Why am I a running to be a board member of Huntley District 158 Board of Education?
We moved to Huntley District 158 because of the school system’s reputation and programs. My wife and I have three children, two of which have graduated from HHS and one who is currently a freshman at the high school.
Over the last 2 – 3 years, I have seen the district lose its focus.
The current Board and Administration is largely disengaged from the community in most if not all matters. This lack of leadership leads to very little positive change. Huntley’s test scores have been dropping, our rankings in the state have been dropping, and our taxes only continue to go up.
We need an administration and Board of Education who is focused on getting the best teachers for the district, personalizing education for each student, and balancing spending priorities to education first. We need to revamp how we approach special needs in the district to bring communication with the parents and guardians as priority one from the administration.
My background is in engineering and in general management. I have over 25 years of experience developing strong working cultures.
I strongly believe in the promise of a public education for all students.
I will listen to your concerns, and I will respond to your concerns. Together, we can make Huntley District 158 a true destination district for EVERY student.
Some have asked, If a voter doesn’t have kids in the district, why should I care about the school board election? (I have one at the high school and have had two graduated from HHS)
Many don’t take the time to vote in these spring elections. The turnout was less than 10% in the last few elections.
Yet, this is an election where your vote can really make an impact. Especially in areas many of us do care about in the bigger elections.
1) Property Taxes.
Illinois is #2 for highest property taxes in the country. 60 – 62% of your property taxes come from the School portion of the taxes. If you want lower taxes in Illinois, start with fiscally conservative school board members. The current board just voted for the highest property tax levy increase in the history of D158. With the latest CPI numbers, they will have the opportunity to do the same again when the levy comes up next December unless the board changes this April
2) Education matters for society.
We need programs which will help our future workforce. Not just college for all. We need to build on programs like earning an Associate’s degree while in high school with real-world skills employers want. This helps drive down the cost of gaining the skills and it helps getting worker into the workforce quicker with the right skills. We can only do this if we make the focus academics first.
3) Diversity of thought is needed.
By electing strong voices onto the school board, not just ‘yes people’ for the current entrenched board and their hand picked successors, we can help shape the community we live in. We can address discipline issues in the schools, bullying, communication and the growing substance abuse problems in the schools. Improvements in these areas for our schools will help the overall community.
The truth is, in order to make a change in a potentially low-turnout election like this, I need your vote. I need people to come out and vote for a candidate who wants a better run and fiscally conservative district. Without your help, the next D158 BoE will look just like it does now.
If you get out and vote, we can make the changes this district needs. We CAN provide a great education for our kids, and hold property taxes the same. I need your support.
