Michael Kastler: Candidate Profile

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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: VERNON HILLSWebsite: http://kastler76.strikingly.comOffice sought: Diamond Lake District 76 School Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: My wife and I have three children. Our eldest, Adam, is a freshman at Stevenson High School, and represented Lake County at the National Spelling Bee last year. Justin is currently in 8th grade at West Oak, and is very active in the music program, playing piano, french horn, trumpet, and violin. Olivia, our youngest, is currently attending Diamond Lake as a second grader and is an avid reader, devouring the Harry Potter and Dr. Who series.Occupation: Technology ConsultingEducation: BS from Northwestern University in Computer Science MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of ManagementCivic involvement: I am an active member of the community, and love to give back! Much of my service has been in education. In addition to my current stint as interim BOE member, in past years I have notably served as member of the Board of Advisors for curriculum at CLC (technical program), Technical Advisor to the Committee of Practitioners NCLB program (IL), and as an expert panelist for Congresswoman Melissa Bean's Internet Safety Forums. I also host a technology show on community/volunteer radio station WRLR 98.3FM, and have given presentations at local libraries on technology concerns.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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?I think that the word â#128;~adequately' is appropriate here - we are adequately preparing our kids for their next steps. That is a good thing, but we could do better! We've seen some great improvements the last few years, but there are many things we can do to continue that growth and serve our children even more effectively. One essential thing is to provide our teachers more opportunities and support to grow in their abilities and expertise, either through inservice professional development or external training options. I believe that technology can play an important part not only in that success but more generally, enhancing both the educational experience and involvement of our children and changing and improving the way that we teach. These components should come together to produce a district that can truly individualize instruction to each child, has staff that are both effective and flexible, and allow us to serve our students in the exceptional manner I know we are capable of!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.Diamond Lake is undergoing a great deal of change: We have facilities projects, technology updates, and many other necessary and often expensive activities. Upcoming changes to federal funding and grants will impact our external income, and local property values may not increase at the rate we hope to support these needs. However, I think there are opportunities to obtain funds that we have not taken advantage of yet, and we should explore ways to more easily discover and obtain these monies in coming years. ERate legislation was recently updates so that phone services and websites are no longer covered, but support for wifi and high-speed Internet access is expanded. I would also like to lead the District in other ways of thinking "out of the box." One option may be to look more closely at arrangements with neighboring districts that would benefit all of us. This could come in the form of sharing resources like transportation, or leveraging broader purchasing power for supplies and other common items. Finally, while I believe that tax increases can be an important part of properly financing a District, it is essential to first identify ways in which existing programs can be made more efficient or cost-effective. As an example, there may be ways to reduce support costs with the recent implementation of new technologies; our registration process is more streamlined now, and we have automated tasks that would previously have taken staff many hours away from more critical duties.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?I am a former administrator for Illinois schools. I was employed as Director of Technology for East Maine School Districts in Des Plaines from 1999 to 2004, and then at Round Lake Area Schools from 2004 to 2007. Both districts are similar in either demographic or economic makeup to Diamond Lake. Neither I or nor any member of my family is or has ever been employed by Diamond Lake Schools D76.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?The board should always take a posture of reason and balance when it comes to contract discussions, addressing the needs of the staff and the goals of the District as a whole, but being ever mindful of our accountability to the community and taxpayers as "silent stakeholders". In contract discussions, the board has the difficult requirement of considering all the moving parts in the District, and ensuring that we create an effective, sustainable environment for our children to learn in. That importantly includes highly qualified teachers, who are happy to work here and fairly paid for their efforts, among other compensation. Without that, we cannot attract or retain the quality of staff that we desire. This consideration must also include providing adequate resources and infrastructure to support those teachers, administrators, and additional staff, as well as investment in the day-to-day maintenance and operation of our buildings and structures. Additionally, special projects and improvement efforts may factor into the resources available.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?No, I would not support such an action. Although this is not an uncommon practice in our state, it is my opinion that this type of manipulation of the system is one of the factors that has contributed to Illinois' untenable pension situation. I think one of the reasons this is often done, however, is in an attempt to "make up" for a perceived inequity in compensation compared to private industry or other professions. I believe a more appropriate way to address this would be to ensure that all staff are paid fairly, and that the intent of the pension plan is more properly aligned to it's fulfillment, and effectively funded to support that intent. If pay and/or pension are seen as lacking by both the staff and the board, making such manipulation desired and acceptable, then those factors of compensation should instead be updated to correct the shortcomings for everyone, not adjusted or toyed with on an individual basis for the benefit of a few.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My background is in technology, specifically educational technology. Given that, it's natural that I will be focused on helping the District move forward with current and coming initiatives like the 1:1 chromebook/iPad program. I believe my background will provide unique insight and understanding, as well as offer an informed oversight. Technology is a substantial investment, but we must be mindful that it is not an end in itself, but always considered as one of many valuable tools the District uses to support our staff in educating our children. This includes the need to better use the data and related resources we now have available. Our district is entering a time of exceptional opportunity, with many changes in the way that we determine curricular goals and assess student's progress. The state has instituted new growth models to facilitate, and our district has the tools in place to capture and report on student achievement in a more holistic manner than ever before. These opportunities can only be positively realized if we ensure appropriate data is made available, and that it is used consistently in our decision-making processes. Additionally, I am interested in seeing District communications improve - teacher to parent, District to community, administration to teacher - I see great opportunities in these arenas (and more) to do a better job. I look forward to promoting greater transparency across the district, and consistently getting the right information to the right people at the right time.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala YousafzaiWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The only way to improve is to be open to criticism, willing to admit mistakes, and eager to change.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would marry my amazing wife and start our family earlier!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Philosophy. Learning HOW to think - rather than WHAT to think - has been the most valuable skill I've learned.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always listen first, and expect and accept that anything you think you know today will probably be proven wrong tomorrow.