Lori Price: Candidate Profile

Back to Indian Prairie Unit District 204 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: AuroraWebsite: www.loriprice204.comOffice sought: Indian Prairie Unit District 204 School Board Age: 49Family: Married to David 23 years 2 children - Colin, 17 and Katie, 15Occupation: Divisional buyerEducation: BS in Consumer Affairs, Eastern IL, 1987Civic involvement: President-D204 Board of Education 2013- present Member - D204 Board of Education 2011- present Served on former State Rep. Darlene Senger's Educational Advisory Committee.Elected offices held: D204 Board of Education (current president)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?We have a lot to be proud of in our district. Compared to other districts in the state, we outperform at a significant rate. Our student academic growth in reading and math significantly exceeded the state average. The proportion of students meeting the ACT College Readiness Benchmark is substantially higher than the state average. Achievement gaps with both at-risk students and students with disabilities have been reduced. However, we will need to continue to address the achievement gaps. While we have made some great progress in some areas, there will need to be a continuation in these efforts so ALL students leave our schools with the ability to enter the work force or go on to an appropriate level of further education and feel a sense of independence. While it might be considered an outdated term, "21st Century Skills" continue to be part of the conversation regarding college and career readiness. Collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking are crucial to a student's success beyond high school. I think it will be important to continue to encourage our students to pursue the fine arts, as the fine arts incorporate all of these skills. Our district continues to add more online course offerings, enabling our students to continue to learn outside of the traditional learning environment, setting the stage for lifelong learning proficiency regardless of college or career path.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.With so many unknowns in Springfield, budget issues will always be a concern. SB16 was killed in the last general assembly, but it has resurfaced again as SB1. We will have to continue to monitor any amendments to this bill to ensure our taxpayers are not unduly burdened. Under SB16, our district stood to lose $10.1M. After already making nearly $40M in reductions, the proposed annual loss to our district would be devastating to the programs and level of instructional supports that we currently have. In those years of austerity, maintenance to our buildings had to be deferred in an effort to maintain a balanced budget. We can no longer defer maintenance without significant consequences. There has been some thorough and thoughtful planning in an effort to keep tax increases to a minimum and maintain a balanced budget. The state has, once again, become delinquent on their payments to school districts. If this continues for a prolonged period of time, we will have to make some substantial adjustments to the budget, most likely resulting in changes in the quality of education we have in this district. I would only support a tax increase after all other areas of opportunity have been thoroughly examined. This should always be our last resort. If the state continues to inadequately fund education, it will have detrimental effects on district programming, quality teaching staff, class sizes, building safety and more. We will need to look at all available options to make up the shortfall.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?NoAs 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?Indian Prairie has always used "interest based bargaining", meaning both sides share what their interests are going into negotiations. In my time on the board, there have always been common interests, even in times of economic instability and austerity. The Board has a district goal to "hire and retain a high quality, effective teaching staff". To meet that goal, we will need to strike a balance between staying competitive and being mindful of continuing to provide a quality education in a manner taxpayers find to be reasonable.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. District 204 has made efforts to eliminate this practice. Currently, increases over certain amounts result in districts picking up the extra pension costs. We simply cannot afford to do this. Additionally, with continued talk of shifting pension costs entirely to school districts, this practice is something I think all districts will need to evaluate.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We have experienced great momentum in this district, despite the austere times. We will need board members who have a good understanding of the issues, both past and present, to keep that momentum going. It will be important to monitor what is going on with legislative efforts pertaining to public education. This will need to be done while also being mindful of how local school board decisions impact taxpayers and the community. We all know that a good education leads to great opportunities beyond high school. But the value of a good school system is also important for the development and sustainability of the community and businesses within that community. It will be important to keeping moving this district forward so it remains one of the best performing districts in the in the state.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis - he has shown the courage to tackle controversial issues head on and to start some dialogue for change.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, be honest, do the right thing, and have faith in GodIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I'd want to spend more time with my parents. I'd want to hear their advise, their memories, their stories,, their wisdomWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English. As a student, I enjoyed reading, writing, and learning about sentence structure. That foundation has always helped me, especially in my written communications.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?It would be the same as my parents taught me - work hard, be honest, do the right thing and have faith in God.