Ron ludwig: Candidate Profile

Back to Crystal Lake High School District 155 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: Crystal LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Crystal Lake High School District 155 School Board Age: 53Family: Wife Rita Ludwig (32 years)/2nd grade teacher at Indian Prairie (D47).Son Ryan Ludwig/Cary-Grove(D155) teacher.Daughter-in Law Jessica Ludwig/Lundahl MS(D47) teacher.Daughter Alexandria Mayers/Bernotas MS(D47) teacher.Son-in-law Mike Mayers/Cary-Grove(D155) teacher.Daughter Abigail Ludwig/ ICU Nurse Centegra: McHenry.Grandson Max (3 years old)Granddaughter Madelyn (1 year old)Future D47/D155 students.Occupation: K-5 STEM teacher/ South school/ school district 47Education: Associates in Science/Harper CollegeBachelors in Education/Illinois State Masters in Education/Northern IllinoisCivic involvement: Educator in Crystal Lake School District 47 for last 27 years.Administrator in D47 for 21 years. Principal of Hannah Beardsley MS for 18 years. Opened Hannah Beardsley MS in 1996.Sponsored over 30 Eagle Scout projects in 18 years at HBMS.Former Board Member of Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of McHenry County.Have worked with NISRA for past 25 years.Elected offices held: NoneQuestions 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?First time running.To help foster continued excellence at our four D155 high schools.To give back to our community after their support of my career in education, while working in D47 the last 27 years.To continue to work closely with D155 administration to finds ways to bridge our students from graduation into careers that have great opportunity(both in job openings and financially) and will still exist into the next decade (especially in the area of science and engineering).To work with all stakeholders to better support and educate the sub-groups of minority, low-income and special needs students.Finally to create opportunity and expectation for all high school students to be part of some type of community service before they graduate high school and become very busy adults. Many of our current students already serve in some capacity. I would like to see all D155 students have this great opportunity in their life.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?D155 has had excellent student success over the years. Like most high schools, they measure their success by utilizing graduation rate, ACT building average, and student surveys (asking seniors what direction they will take post-graduation: 2/4 year college, trades, tech schools, military).Many plans of students change shortly after high school graduation. It would be great to be able to track students 5-10-15 years down the road to see if they have become positive contributing members of our society.I do believe we need to develop a measuring device for student success beyond what we currently hear about from the district.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?We must always respect the administrators that are being paid to oversee the current trends and needs in the area of curriculum, but they must have the foresight to be able to let go of traditional teaching and look to the future where are students will be expected to find a job in the work place. We must grow the number of D155 graduates that move into the area of science and engineering post graduation. STEM job are abundant and compensation is above average in the workplace. We need to work as much as possible with our community members in the work place to help determine the skills that will best serve our students upon graduation.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?D155 and all of our feeder districts are experiencing a reduction in student enrollment over the last number of years. A board of education is elected, by our community members, to be the overseer of the district budget (taxpayers money). If done correctly and timely, as student populations are reduced then the need for staff should also be reduced at the same rate. The board should always challenge D155 administration to create responsible and efficient strategies to save taxpayer money.I do not support a tax increase.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?We are very fortunate that all four of D155 high schools provide excellent education and great opportunities beyond the classroom. I do not believe that if the state approves the voucher system that it will change the landscape of our current student body in D155.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.Billionaires giving 1/2 of their wealth to better man kind throughout the world.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Hard work pays big dividends.Delayed gratification.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?More time with my children when they were young and in school.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math/AlgebraWorking with numbers comes easy.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Nothing is free in life. Everything comes with a price tag.