Terry M. Lachcik: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: WheatonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Glen Ellyn Elementary D89Age: 55Family: Married: Wife - Rose Children: Jessica (22), Cristina (20) Melissa (13)Occupation: AttorneyEducation: B.A. University of Illinois at Chicago 1981J.D. John Marshall Law School 1989Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Member CCSD89 School Board 2003 - presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Meeting the needs and expectations of our stakeholders by providing the highest quality education to our students in a cost-effective mannerKey Issue 2 Maintaining and improving our services in a stressed economic environment and with dramaticaly changing demographics in our communityKey Issue 3 Working to make District 89 a significant partner with all of the stakeholders in the communityQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?District 89 has in the past done an excellent job in preparing its students for high school and beyond, and continues to build on that record. The District has not rested on its laurels, but is constantly adapting to developments in education and striving to be a leader and innovator in the field. In that respect, ""change"" is a constant in District 89.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools?The District faces operating costs that are increasing at a rate exceeding that of revenues. For the past several years, the Board has worked closely with the administration to find a balance between budget reductions and maintainng services and programs. To date, we have successfully trimmed expenditures wihout the need to curtail essential programs or eliminate programs that our stakeholders believe make our community a desirable environment in which to live and raise their children. We work closelywith and engage the community and our professionals in these decisions. After due consideration, ad taking all opinions and perspectives into account, if a consensus is reached by all concerned to seek a rate increase I would support the measure.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.I am not an education professional, so I rely on the professionals in the District as one source to provide the information that I need to make informed decisions as a Board member. Without this support, I could not be an effective member of the Board of Education.As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?Each negotiation is a product of the unique circumstances in which it is conducted. To be successful, negotiations must be approached as a process, involving give and take by all paries concered. In the past, we have been fortunate in District 89 to have had parties come to the table with open minds and a willingness to talk. I support that approach to negotiations, and believe that it has in the past and will continue in the future to lead to fair and equitable results for the District as a whole.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?As an initial observation, absent a definition, the term ""substantial"" can mean many things. Generaly speaking, salary increases as a measure of pension benefits are capped by statute; increases exceding the cap carry financial implications for school districts beyond the term of the contract in question. As with any contract negotiation, I believe in approaching the issue of increases with open mind, with consideration for fairness to the parties and keeping sight of the future financial implications for the District as a whole.