Phil Costello: Candidate Profile

Back to Elgin-Area Unit 46 School Board 4-year terms

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: BartlettWebsite: www.CostelloforU46.comOffice sought: Elgin-Area Unit 46 School Board 4-year terms Age: 59Family: Married to Nancy. Three sons; Adam, Michael and Joe.Occupation: Superintendent of Finance and PersonnelEducation: CPA, Illinois Masters of Business Administration Bachelors of AccountancyCivic involvement: Board of Directors, ChildServ Board of Trustees, Vice Chair, Homes for Children Foundation P.A.D.S.Elected offices held: NoneQuestions Answers What is your position on standards-based grading, which has been controversial with parents, students and even some teachers? Did the district botch the implementation of this new system? What could it have done differently?With any major program introduction, implementation needs to be; strategic, justified, managed, and evaluated against expected measurable outcomes. In general, curriculum and grading changes may generate undo anxiety which is not necessarily a bad thing but it does not guarantee acceptance especially during the critical roll-out period. Teachers are the critical link toward the success. Teachers feel that programs are launched haphazardly and then they are given arbitrary milestones that are micromanaged with unexplained and untested guidelines. Without the teacher's buy-in and feedback, any change is likely doomed to failure. Similarly, students should be given a weighted voice into the dynamics of school operations as a prelude into their role as citizens and voters. Providing students with respect and formal communication channels will develop leadership skills as well as obtaining key insights. Regarding grading, I feel strongly that student achievement should be gaged against established parameters (e.g. 90+ score = A). Any grading system that artificially closes actual performance gaps is counter intuitive. Students at the low end of the scale need to be identified and encouraged to seek other resources (online training, mentoring) or work harder on any area that requires their attention. Conversely, high-performing students need to be recognized and their results used to set the bar for overall potential achievement and then given even tougher challenges to engage their drive and intellect.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 not a school district employee nor do I have any relatives that are employed by the school district.Would you support holding the line on tax increases since the district has emerged from deficit spending and has a healthy surplus of roughly $50 million? Explain why or why not.The new Board must hold the line on taxes. I would change the current incremental budgeting philosophy and disturbing lack of public disclosure. The level of debt on future budget defies any sense of viable planning when U-46 balances their budget by just deferring expenses thereby making it someone else's problem. Perhaps there has been a deeper conversation in closed finance sessions with the board, but I do not feel the board demonstrates a firm grasp of their roles and responsibilities in the budgeting dialogue. As a CPA, I prefer to analyze budgets utilizing baseline trends and by benchmarking peer organizations to achieve objective findings. Each line item should be justified as to costs/benefits and identify available options both in current and future budget periods. As a non-profit board director, I prefer financial statement presentations that supplement reports with an Executive Summary narrative and charted results over time to provide context toward the subject matter. One of the most critical and yet ignored problems is unfunded retirement liabilities. I would request information concerning long-term strategies and analyze implications to take steps now to mitigate building even more liability. Regarding the current surplus balance, $50 million must also be understood in terms of historical highs/lows and volatility throughout the year. To the extent that a surplus fund balance is insufficient to maintain operations throughout the year will require inefficiencies in expenditures.Would you support a charter school within U-46? Why or why not?Yes, if U-46 found a charter partner that offered unique learning opportunities, I would recommend exploring the application and costs. A charter school can be a creative way to deliver quality education and enhance local control of the education process. Having worked with several charter organizations in Chicago as the director of Youth Communication gave me a greater appreciation for organizations that were given latitude in curriculum options. There were more enthusiasm and opportunities to consider the student benefits when coordinating with teachers and administration in launching Teens Mean Business and Journalism in the Community programmed student newsletters.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? Be specific.Income streams from State of Illinois sources will need to be monitored closely for disruptions and surprises as the new state administration is expected to be more conservative. Additionally, recently released CPI factors will reduce growth of property taxes to a negligible gain year over year. State legislators should be contacted and held responsible for protecting our interests and anticipating changes. Additionally, since the school district's personnel budget is such a large percentage of the overall budget, all contract commitments and options need to be carefully examined. As Board members, we may not have direct or even the time to investigate or fully analyze the trends and variances but there should be an effort at establishing defining standard reports on best practices that demonstrate improvement or gaps to resolve. Any discussion of alternative tax funding from income or sales tax is unrealistic certainly in the short-term and is simply a diversion from fundamental budgeting discipline. The need for budget cuts is generally created by mistakes from overaggressive revenue projections and poorly-based assumptions.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I would encourage the school district to allow and cultivate more autonomy for high-performing local school units that demonstrate excellence. I think that our schools should expand access to specialized training to offer students exposure to career paths where they can find and follow their passion. Examples that could be developed are programs focused on entrepreneurialism, journalism, entertainment, graphics, and design to name a few. Another issue is the Board's interaction with the public. In my experience with other government and non-profit boards, it is a luxury to have the public voice their opinions, supporting or objecting to actions under consideration. Yet, this Board never responds directly to people without a FOIA request that is handled through the district's administrative offices. I feel that the Board should host quarterly town hall forums at rotating sites throughout the district to engage taxpayers and students in an informal setting to encourage dialogue and understanding.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Robert Gates. As an advisor to presidents over five decades, he defines leadership and integrity that enabled him to a constructive influence.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My father taught me the tremendous benefit of frank dialog in active listening and responding to opposing views.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Nothing really. I believe my experiences in my earlier years provided me with a deeper perspective to make better decisions in current situations.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I really enjoyed computer science class that required students to use arduous and creative problem-solving techniques to find a range of possible solutions.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Build and maintain relationships based on mutual respect with family, friends, and business associates even with people you cannot find common ground.