Bruce Currie: 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: Glen EllynWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Glen Ellyn District 41 School Board Age: 50Family: Married to Beth. Two children: Josh - Sophomore at Glenbard West; Daniela - 6th grade at Hadley Middle School.Occupation: 5th Grade Bilingual(Spanish) Teacher Joliet District 86Education: B.A. University of Kansas M.B.A. Thunderbird: The American Graduate School of International ManagementM.A. Education Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: -Glen Ellyn District 41 Facilities Task Force (2015/16)-Started District 41 Parents Facebook Group-Glen Ellyn Park District Soccer Coach (2005 - present)21st Century after school tutoring and enrichment program Joliet, IL.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?My experience and passion for education, coupled with my finance experience will bring a unique skill set to the D41 Board. I have a Master's in Education, and currently work as an elementary ESL teacher. I also have my MBA and worked in Finance in my early career. My involvement with D41 started when the Administration was implementing multi-age classrooms in 2013. As a teacher, I have been on the receiving end of these types of cutting edge approaches and understand the negative impact it can have on the teachers and children. I was concerned at the quick implementation of this initiative and believe it was a disservice to many in our student population. After a few years, and a monumental effort by our teachers to implement these changes, this project was dismantled by the Administration. I was frustrated that so much effort was invested by our teachers, only to have this decision reversed soon afterwards. New curriculum and change is inevitable. It is the job of the Administration to have an open mind about new ideas. At the same time, we need to balance that with an understanding of the benefit we will receive in light of the effort and the tax dollars spent to implement anything new. Given my experience in education, I can offer a genuine classroom perspective on curriculum changes so that our children's education is not disrupted by hurried, unproven concepts. Given my experience in Finance, I can offer an analytical eye towards smart investments.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?I think that the current board and administration have spent a lot of time and effort improving this process. Just this month, they released the Long Range Plan for 2017 "â#128;œ 2021 which established Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for the District in 7 areas. One KPI is that 65% of 3rd, 5th and 8th graders will be reading and performing math at or above the 75th percentile as measured by the MAP test. Currently, depending on the grade level, between 47%-61% of our students meet these standards. So overall, I think the goals are tough but achievable. I also feel that if we do achieve these goals, we will have vastly improved the educational experience for all our students and their families. I think that my job as a board member will be to monitor the progress against these Key Performance Indicators, provide tools to teachers to aid them in reaching their goals and celebrate the achievement of these goals.How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?Over the last decade, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the federal government have made a lot of changes to the standards we have to teach. Unfortunately, these changes came quickly and did not offer tools to aid teachers in meeting the standards. As this has become the new normal, it is the board's responsibility to provide our teachers with the tools to be successful in meeting the standards.Just like there were many changes between ISAT and PARCC, I am sure that with the recent passage of the Every Student Achieves Act (ESSA) and the appointment of a new Secretary of Education, more changes will occur. As a Board member, I think it is my job to make sure that we proactively address these changes.It is also the job of the board to partner with the Administration on vetting new curriculum to ensure the success of all of our students and teachers.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?I have attended or listened to every board meeting for the past 3 years, and was a member of the Facilities Task Force, so I am well-informed about the District's financial challenges. Finances have always been a hot topic as we have a lot we want to accomplish with limited funds. Recently, the Administration announced that the District will be running a deficit within five years. Since this deficit was identified early, I think that the District can manage this issue. However, I think that in light of this deficit, prioritized spending is of the essence. Many students benefit from great programs offered by D41. I would not like to see any programs cut, however, if the Superintendent wants to add additional programs, we would have to look at these initiatives and analyze them on a case by case basis. On the income side, the District is limited by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), which basically caps property taxes to CPI. Unless the law changes, a board member has little ability, except through referendum, to increase the amount levied. I hope that the current referendum will pass in April so that we can make much needed investments to remove the portables at Hadley and invest in required Life/Health/Safety capital projects. At this time, I do not support increases in student fees as this can really add up for families with multiple children attending our schools.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?It is hard to know how this would affect District 41 as we do not fully represent the particular demographic for this program. From what I have read, most school choice options are designed to assist students who are in school districts that are failing at levels that we do not see in District 41. I think the District's elementary/middle schools do an admirable job of educating most of our students, so I would need to better understand the needs we are addressing. Also, many parents have stated that they prefer attending a neighborhood school and I think that this desire should be honored.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I think that passing the $24.2 million referendum is important to keep our schools up to date, safe, and accessible. During my time on the Facilities Task Force, we uncovered safety issues, music program limitations, and accessibility issues that many of us did not know existed. I am happy that many of the recommendations from this Task Force were included in the referendum and also pleased that the issues that were not included in the referendum, have been identified as next steps. I think the Facilities Task Force was key to establishing community buy-in. Some may not agree with the amount of the referendum but I am glad that the Board took the time to do further research, poll the community and agree on a strategy to reach an amount. I think board cohesion is important and so I was glad to hear that there was consensus on the final proposal.There have been issues within the Special Education program in D41, which is a concern to many parents in the District, including myself. Recently the District has engaged a consulting firm and utilized collaborative workshops in an effort to improve the Special Education program. It is the board's responsibility to monitor the Administration's response to the communities concerns and the consultant's recommendations to ensure that the necessary improvements are made.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Salva DutWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You can't do it all by yourself.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I lived in 5 cities by the time I was 18. I would have liked to have established a home town and stayed.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Economics, because while impoerfect and debatable, it tries to help society make optimal choices.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Trust your instincts.