Timothy Byers: Candidate Profile

Back to McHenry High School District 156 School Board 4-year term

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:BioQA Bio City: McHenryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry High School District 156 School Board 4-year term Age: 54Family: Spouse-Sherri Sons- Christopher AlekOccupation: Investment RepresentativeEducation: B.S. Finance from NIU 1982Civic involvement: I have been fortunate to have coached McHenry soccer, basketball and baseball for ten years.Elected offices held: D156 School Board Member 2011-presentQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately 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?Over the first 2 1/2 years of my school board term, our main emphasis was getting our fiscal house in order. For the 18 months since, we've focused on curriculum and technology. We've implemented a National Board Certified Teachers program and added a much needed drug and alcohol counselor. We are also continuing to analyze our standards and common assessments as we move towards a student growth model. Additionally, we are strongly considering a change to the school schedule in order to maximize the teachers' time with students. Changing the school schedule would provide period equity across the district, reduce classroom interruptions, increase support time for all students through the use of a daily dedicated period and a redesign of the internal culture to emphasize student growth. Our district is underperforming many of our sister districts in testing, but I'm confident that our administration, staff and board can achieve significantly improved results with these new initiatives, better preparing our students for college or gainful employment.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.As a current board member we have made great strides in getting our district's finances in order. 3 1/2 years ago, we had a multi-million dollar deficit. For the past 2 years we have turned that into a surplus while maintaining all extracurricular and educational programs. ('09 was a $3.6 Mil loss, '10 was a $1.7 Mil loss, '11 was a $700k loss, '12 was a $100k surplus, '13 was a $950k surplus and '14 was a $1.9 Mil surplus). During this same period we refinanced our outstanding debt and returned $2.25 million dollars to the taxpayers of this community. We've spent well over $500,000 on a district-wide technology upgrade over the last 2 years. We added a wireless infrastructure to all of our buildings as well as providing all teachers and classrooms with new computers and digital projectors. These recent technology expenditures should greatly enhance instruction for our teachers while maximizing student learning. We still have concerns regarding pension reform, our districts salary structure matrix and our outdated buildings. Being on the Finance committee for my entire 4 year term, we are always looking for new ways to save money. The next expense items that we are addressing include more changes to the health insurance platform and dissecting the transportation budget that we share with District 15. With everything staying the same on the income side, I do not see nor would I support a tax increase in the foreseeable future.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?No to both.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?Our existing Board of Education has taken the position of tying salary increases to the cost of living. We have also put some of the employee benefits responsibility back on the teachers and administrators through changes to our health insurance structure. We are working diligently to strike a delicate balance between paying competitive wages in order to attract and retain excellent staff and teachers, with the concerns of our stakeholders who pay some of the highest real estate taxes in the state and in the nation.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?Absolutely NOT! This is just one of the many examples of pension abuse. If the administrator is deserving of a pay increase, or to entice them to join your organization, then a pay raise may be in order. To increase pay only to increase pension benefits is unconscionable. That's like double taxation to the taxpayer. Stakeholders need to understand that increasing pay in order to increase pension benefits is just another form of a tax increase through significantly increased pension payments that all Illinois taxpayers will ultimately pay for the rest of that employee's lifetime. This is a state-wide problem that all Illinois districts need to address.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I want to continue to run our school district like a business. Fiscal responsibility, accountability, and transparency will benefit our children, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers equally. I will continue to work in the best interest of this community. I represent the McHenry Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibility. VOTE 3 IN A ROW!!Please name one current leader who most inspires you.My heroes consist of America's military personnel that protect our country and its freedoms both here and abroad.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Make good friends, respect your elders, be responsible for all things that you control and enjoy your downtime, you've earned it.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spend more time smelling the roses because life is short.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math was my favorite subject and I use it daily in my profession as an investment representative.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Find a career that you're passionate about and work hard to achieve your goals, but remember that family comes first!