Dave Barclay: Candidate Profile

Back to West Chicago District 33 School Board

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: WinfieldWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Chicago District 33 School Board Age: 62Family: Wife, Deb. Two boys, Quin(27), Ben(24)Occupation: RetiredEducation: B.A. Math, Lawrence University M.S. Computer Science, University of WisconsinCivic involvement: Former Commissioner, West Chicago Park District Member, Board of Education, West Chicago Elementary District 33Elected offices held: Former President and Current Treasurer for West Chicago Elementary School District 33Questions 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'm not satisfied. We need to do better. By focusing on early childhood education, we can get our kids on a successful trajectory early in their lives. We need to improve our academic results year over year. We need to continue to collaborate with the high school. Our curricula can be better aligned. We need to work with the high school to get specific feedback on how we can better prepare our students. We need to track how our students perform in high school and beyond and then use this data to improve the education they get in elementary school.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.I am proud of our district's financial performance. During my 13 years on the school board our district has had balanced budgets while expanding and improving programs. Our district has consistently earned top scores for sound fiscal policies. My background in business has enabled me to support the board and the district in financial matters and is one of my strengths. In the next few years it is imperative that we carefully manage our resources to provide the best possible education for our students while operating within our means. Due to state budget problems, it is very likely that we will have further revenue reductions. State pension obligations could very well shift to school districts in the near future. We have no significant program reductions on the horizon, but we need to continue to find ways do more with the dollars we have. It will not be easy. West Chicago is a great community and strongly supports education. We recently passed a referendum to build an extension to the middle school. However, our property value per student is very low which causes us to have one of the highest educational tax rates in the county. I do not support any additional property tax increases. I do support changing Illinois school funding to a system which is more equitable and more transparent. I also support school funding reform which would rely less on property taxes to fund education.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, I have never been employed by a school district. No one in my direct family is employed by the school district.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?We need to hire and retain high quality teachers. Since we are a district of limited means, my view is that we should have salaries and benefits that are consistent with the marketplace and find additional ways to draw high quality teachers to the district. We can do this by providing an environment which is supportive and empowering for our teachers and where they can see the difference they are making in the lives of our students. Out teachers have made financial concessions in the past and we will have to continue to work together on some tough budget issues going forward.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?We do not currently have a superintendent nearing retirement. In general I believe that pay should be commensurate with performance throughout an employee's career and not artificially inflated at retirement.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Our students need to learn how to use technology wisely and safely. They need to be multi-lingual. We need to address social interactions, time management, personal fitness, internet behavior, and critical thinking. Our students need to be prepared to not only succeed but excel in a challenging, fast-moving, competitive society.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala YousafzaiWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Those who care about you will stick with you even when you screw up.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?If I had not made a career in computer science, I would have enjoyed pursuing biomedical technology.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I have always enjoyed mathematics and puzzles. Mathematics is the foundation of science and engineering.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Leave the world in better shape than you found it.