advertisement

David Page: Candidate Profile

Arlington Heights District 25 School Board

Back to Arlington Heights District 25 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: www.davidpage.comTwitter: @PageforD25Facebook: PageforDistrict25Office sought: Arlington Heights District 25 School Board Age: 48Family: My wife of 26 years, Katie, and I were raised in this community and graduated from Hersey High School. Our two daughters, Emily and Amanda, graduated from School District 25 and are now in 9th and 12th grade in High School District 214. My wife Katie is a Physics teacher in District 214 at Prospect High School.Occupation: I am a Financial Advisor with 26 years of experience. In 1998, I established Page Financial AdvisorsEducation: I earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Northern Illinois University. Also, I have earned the professional designations of CFP (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER) and ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant).Civic involvement: I have enjoyed volunteer coaching over 20 seasons of soccer for Arlington Heights Park District teams and Prospect Knights winter soccer teams.Elected offices held: I was elected to the volunteer position of Arlington Heights District 25 School Board Member in 2005, and re-elected in 2009 and 2013. I currently serve as the President of the School Board. Also, I have earned the designation of Master Board Member from the Illinois Association of School Boards.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?I am running to give back to our community by doing my part to ensure that District 25 delivers the best education possible for our children in a fiscally responsible way. District 25 has had a great record of providing excellent educational opportunities for students within a responsible budget. I am committed to continuing that excellence by working with staff to ensure their careful review of annual budgets, looking for places to save money, and being innovative in instituting new programs and services with offsetting or cost-neutral balances.I am focused on the students of District 25 and how we can best serve them as we guide the district through the many difficult decisions that will likely arise over the coming years.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?Yes, the process is more-than-adequate for regularly measuring student growth and success, and then using that data to target areas for further development. District 25 has a strong Assessment Plan that includes measuring student success at all grade levels, multiple times per year, across academic areas, and in different ways, to paint a full picture of each student's development. A variety of assessments are used, including AIMSweb, CogAT, Fountas and Pinnell, NWEA MAP, and PARCC. Even though District 25 is a high-performing school district, we are continually looking for ways to improve the education and services for our students. These assessments are used by District 25 to monitor student performance and student growth, and to target areas for improvement. In the past few years, using the assessments from the State of Illinois to measure growth has been made more challenging due to the many changes in the State tests. The tests that Illinois has used recently are the ISAT, then the re-designed ISAT, then the PARCC, and then the re-designed PARCC. This reconfiguration makes it difficult to baseline the State of Illinois test data and compare year-to-year numbers. District 25 has a solid process for measuring student success using a variety of other assessments, which is more important than ever due to these frequent changes from the State.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?The Board plays a key role in setting the curriculum. Part of that role is overseeing and empowering the Curriculum Development Committee. The Committee is comprised of highly qualified and experienced teachers and administrators. They use their expertise to develop a curriculum that appropriately challenges our students at their respective levels. The curriculum needs to meet not only the State and National Standards, but also the District 25 Mission of "cultivating innovative, collaborative learners to thrive in an ever-changing world." The Committee then brings a curriculum recommendation and asks for Board review and approval to adopt or update each curriculum. It is important that our District 25 Board also regularly reviews the Student Assessments to ensure that what is being taught has been truly learned by the student. Additionally, the Board ensures that the resources needed for learning, such as textbooks and class materials, are available and being used effectively. This year, we approved and updated the curriculum in Social Studies and Language Arts. Each subject has its own defined timeline for curriculum updates that District 25 follows. This regular review and updating of the curriculum provides students with instruction that will best meet their needs to reach their full potential in every subject to prepare them for learning and living in the 21st Century.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?As School Board President, I have been part of ensuring that we are fiscally responsible in budgeting. Among other cost-saving measures, we have focused on increasing energy savings, limiting insurance cost increases, and tying key expenses to CPI. As an Illinois District, we are faced with the uncertainty of the amount and timing of state funds. Also, we have to pay for additional UNFUNDED mandates from the State. Illinois is consistently behind on paying what they owe to schools, and it doesn't look to improve anytime soon.Another issue affecting our budget is the enrollment growth of District 25. As our recent demographic study shows, District 25 has earned the reputation of being a "destination district," therefore many families are moving here so that their children can attend our excellent schools. This is beneficial for homeowners, since it makes property values rise. District 25 has seen strong enrollment growth, and that is projected to continue for the next 5 years and beyond. This rise in enrollment helps illustrate that we have much to be proud of across our schools. But, rising enrollment also creates financial challenges, because educating more students increases our financial costs. I will continue to work to ensure that we address the many budget challenges that impact District 25 each year. Also, that we remain focused on analyzing the long-term impact of the financial changes to the school district, and making the appropriate budget adjustments accordingly. I do NOT support a tax rate increase referendum.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?District 25 is an excellent school district, and this community is likewise fortunate to have several quality private schools as an alternative for families. If a voucher system was approved by the State or Federal Government, it would present another budget challenge for the district. One of the consequences of such a change is that District 25 would receive less money from the government and would have to tighten its budget accordingly. It is hard to say what the level of impact would be without seeing the specific numbers and how those would affect our 5-Year Financial Projections for the district. This is one of the reasons I feel I bring a critically necessary perspective to our Board: My background in Finance, my years of experience on the Board, and my experience as Board President all provide great insights into the varied, complex budget issues that the district faces every year. That would likewise extend to the types of issues we would face in our district if a voucher system was approved by the government.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I have 3 top issues that are important to me as a Board Member:1) High Quality Education for the Students of District 25.2) Fiscally Responsible Budgeting for District 25.3) Long-Term Financial Health for District 25.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Ronald L. Carson, founder of Peak Advisor Alliance, best-selling financial author, and philanthropist.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Turn off the lights, my Dad does NOT own the electric company.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would tell my younger self that life doesn't give you do-overs, so appreciate every precious day.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Any Math class was always my favorite. It is vital to my career in Finance and explains so many of the complexities of life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Follow your dreams, choose a job you truly love, and you will never have to "work" a day in your life.