Darryl Franklin, PhD: 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: LisleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Unit District 202 School Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Darryl and his wife, Shari, have been married for 29 years, calling Lisle home for 22 years. Their children are products of all four Lisle District schools; Schiesher, Tate Woods, Lisle Junior High and Lisle Senior High. Their oldest son graduated in 2007 and then earned a BA from Stanford; their daughter is a current high school senior with ambitious goals as well.Occupation: Portfolio ManagerEducation: BSCS - Illinois Institute of Technology M.Div. - Garrett Ev. Theological Seminary Ph.D. - Benedictine UniversityCivic involvement: Darryl, an ordained minister, is an active member of the community. He serves on the staff of DuPage AME Church. He is also a faculty member of Benedictine University. He was also a Park District basketball coach for several years. Today, he serves as President and Chief Investment Officer of Oakwood Wealth Advisors, a Lisle based, investment advisory firm.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?Overall, District 202 is good in preparing students for the next stage of life. However, I simply believe that the District can be great! As Jim Collins writes in the best-seller Good To Great, "Good is the enemy of greatâ#128;brvbar;it is so easy to settle [for good]." I have been and will continue to be a vocal proponent for putting the education of our children first and spurring change in education goals to accomplish greatness. To date, I have been a key catalyst in hiring new math and reading specialists, enhancing a disciplinary policy to limit potential bias, and creating the new Educational Equity Excellence (E3) board committee.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.Our district is fortunate in that past board members have been especially prudent in fiscal responsibility, insuring that we have a strong financial foundation. Over the next four years, we will need to make decisions regarding significant building improvements and/or new building(s), but that will be part of a much bigger long-term plan. Input from all Lisle District 202 community members is wanted, needed, and appreciated. The Vision 202 initiative will help the Board make decisions about a number of areas including building infrastructure. With regard to tax increase, I do not believe it will be necessary for a tax increase anytime in the next four years to meet our current needs. I tend to be fiscally conservative by nature. I vote my convictions and I am especially careful about every penny the District spends that affects our children learning and receiving a great 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, but for clarity I do also serve as a adjunct instructor at Benedictine University and there are a number of cross-connection points.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?I believe in merit-based pay. If a teacher, administrator, or support staff is truly helping our children excel to greatness, I believe the District should reward those individuals appropriately. Similarly if a teacher, administrator, or staff person is not helping our children excel but is more intent on passing time and collecting a pension, I would be the first to recommend that they consider other employment. Now, board members don't hire or fire teachers or support staff, but we certainly can and should hold the Superintendent, the person we do hire, accountable. The future of our children and our community is at stake; we must have a good review and goal setting system in place.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?Just about every school board has to wrestle with this issue at some point or another. Each board member brings to the role their perspective, which includes their life experiences, education, and life philosophy. I would approach this item as I approach all others related to work as a school board member: 1) How will this decision benefit and increase the likelihood of our students achieving greatness in education and/or life? 2) How will this decision impact others in the District? 3) What are the alternatives? and 4) What are the financial factors involved? Once these four questions have been answered, it becomes easier for me to cast my vote. As presented, there are too many variables to offer a definitive answer on this hypothetical.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?As I mentioned earlier, I have been vocal in addressing the education gap that exists within the District. This is a problem that many districts have. I believe we as a board can make new efforts to empower the Superintendent to close the gap. As a passionate father, ordained minister, and educator, this is especially important to me. I will make efforts to vote for changes and enhanced resources to close the achievement gap within District 202.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis, for compassion. President Obama, for politics. Warren Buffett, for business. Mo'ne Davis, for sports inspiration.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To eat my vegetables.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To have the wisdom I have today twenty five years ago but then I would have missed out on the joy of life's discovery.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I have favorites at each level of school, more than I could express in the space allotted.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To my still at home daughter, "Listen to your mother!" to my on his own, adult son, "Call your mother!"