Charles Bernstein: 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: WheatonWebsite: chuckb4cod.comOffice sought: College Of DuPage School Board Age: 68Family: I have three children and four grandchildren all of whom live within an hour of me.Occupation: retiredEducation: BA University of Illinois, Chicago; MBA University of Illinois, Urbana; passed CPA exam shortly after receiving MBACivic involvement: I have worked with the Village Theatre Guild of Glen Ellyn since 1988. Our mission is to bring good theatre to Glen Ellyn and surrounding areas.Elected offices held: I have never run for office before.Questions Answers What can the board do to help improve the relationship between the administration and its employees, including full-time faculty members?First, the board must demonstrate it's willingness to hold the president accountable for his policies and actions. That is the board's job. The current board, with the exception of Kathy Hamilton, is justifiably perceived as being subservient to the president. The faculty rightly understands that, when an issue arises with the president (who does not have a reputation for humility) going to the board provides no recourse. Second, the board must begin to actively listen. The board must stop treating every complaint and question raised as an attack on the college or on them personally. The board needs to realize that material issues raised by community or staff are an opportunity to improve the College of DuPage. If, for instance, someone were to complain that the Waterleaf Restaurant is costing the college a great deal of money while providing marginal educational benefits the board should welcome that complaint as an opportunity for openness. If the board, after making the accounts and educational statistics open to all, can show that the charge is unwarranted then they have done the college a service in dispelling a harmful, wrongful impression. If, on the other hand the charge proves true, then the board must take steps to correct the situation. In either case, the college is strengthened and relationships with staff improved. It will take a while to repair the trust and reputation that has been eroded over years. All the more reason to begin the repair now.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?NoWith enrollment up, what should COD be doing as far as available classroom/lab space, staffing and course work options to keep pace with the growth?Evaluating capital expenditures is at the heart of the Board's responsibility. A large capital item like construction of a new classroom building will have considerable impact on the taxpayer and the financial health of the college. The Board needs to carefully consider the following: What is the liklihood and magnitude of an increase in headcount? It is sometimes very hard to predict the future but we can do some "what if" analysis. For example, what if enrollment increases by 3% per year for the next 5 years. Can we find classroom space for the additional courses without construction of a new classroom building? What if the economy takes a bad turn and enrollment flattens, or worse declines, how much will the new unneeded classroom building cost the college and taxpayers? Will it endanger the college's financial position. What will it cost the taxpayer? Before we approve a large capital expenditure, like a new classroom building, let's carefully examine the situation. What is our current classroom availability? How much real slack is in the system? Are there any other alternatives that will provide additional classrooms beside the construction of a new classroom building? Before the board agrees to spend millions of dollars on new classroom space there needs to be some very careful analysis. Questions of staffing and course content, since they do not require the long lead times and huge capital outlays that new buildings require ought to be addressed as the need arises.The board recently agreed to keep the college's operating property tax levy flat for this year. Is the college reaching a point where a tax levy increase is needed? If yes, how do you justify it? If no, why do you believe that?In the 2014 College of DuPage Annual Report, the Statement of Net Position shows that total cash (plus cash equivalents and investments) is 264.7 million dollars. Total current liabilities is 66.3 million dollars. That means after we pay all of our current liabilities we will be left with 195.4 million dollars in cash (plus cash equivalents and investments). So, to answer your question, no a tax levy increase is not needed and cannot, I think, be justified. Still, I think it would be a good idea to gain a good detailed understanding of how money is being spent. I suspect that there are economies that could be found without harming the educational mission of the college. In any case, I think it is worth a careful look.According to a recent Daily Herald report, COD board members approved more than $26 million in spending over a 16-month period without seeing what they were specifically paying for. That's because of a long-standing board policy that allows administrators to pay bills of less than $15,000 without providing itemized reports. Should that policy be changed? Why or why not?Allowing administrators to pay invoices of less than $15,000 without informing the board, sometimes referred to as imprest accounting, should be discontinued. We now know that there have been payments, through imprest, that have exceeded $15,000. It is a system that is open to abuse. For example, when companies connected to COD Foundation Board members receive payments through the imprest fund, and therefor bypass board scrutiny, it raises troubling questions.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I love the idea of COD. The goal should be a place where people can get an excellent education, at the college level, for college credit, at a tuition that most everyone can afford. In the Board Policies paper, on the COD website, it states that The Board of Trustees will, "ensure efficient and effective development, operation, and maintenance of the College." Effective means getting the job done. Efficient means let's don't waste the taxpayer's or students money doing it.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Admiral William McRaven in his commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin gave 10 life lessons to change the world. Very inspiring.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents told me It's vital to study hard. I hated studying. As an adult, in grad school, I realized how right they were.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Travel the world when I was young.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I liked history. Some say history doesn't repeat itself it only rhymes. Still understanding the past can give you perspective on the present.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Decide on your goal and never quit.