Scott McConnell: Candidate Profile

Back to Lake Zurich Unit District 95 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: KildeerWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake Zurich Unit District 95 School Board Age: 44Family: My wife, Ann Marie, and I have been married for 17 years and have resided in District 95 for 13 years. We have two children - Jack (13), an 8th grader at Middle School South and Grace (10), a 5th grader at May Whitney.Occupation: Managing Technology Director, Allstate InvestmentsEducation: Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 1995 (Majors in Accountancy and Management Information Systems)Master of Business Administration, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, 2003Civic involvement: Community Unit School District #95 School Board 2012 - PresentLZBSA Little League Coach 2008 - PresentBuehler YMCA Adventure Guides Chief 2008 - 2010Elected offices held: Community Unit School District #95 School Board 2012 - Present, Vice President 2015 - Present, Board Finance Committee Chair 2015 - PresentQuestions Answers What do you see as priorities for facility upgrades in the district?The district's facilities are well maintained, however much of our physical plant is aging and the effort and funds required to maintain those facilities continues to increase. The district currently has a backlog of almost $40 Million of Life Safety and Maintenance items, in addition the board and administration have identified another ~$15-30 Million of high priority capital improvements. I believe the district's objective in terms of facilities should go beyond simply catching up on our maintenance backlog. We need to create learning environments that support the needs of today's students, insure that the district's facilities can meet our needs for the next 20-30 years, and address the parity issues that exist between our buildings - which range in age from ~90 to 13 years. The public, through the on-going Forward95 strategic planning process, should ultimately determine our priorities. Beyond addressing our maintenance/life safety backlog, some items that I believe are of high priority are: Secure entrances at LZHS and May Whitney, Library/Media Center improvements at all schools, the creation of STEM Labs at the middle schools, renovation of the 2nd floor of LZHS, an accessible cafeteria and meeting space at Seth Paine, flexible and efficient learning spaces for English Language Learners and Special Education in our Elementary schools, and addressing the parity issues inherent in our oldest buildings.There has been talk of seeking voter permission for a funding mechanism to pay for building projects without raising taxes. Is this something you support or should the district seek more money through a tax increase referendum to address building needs faster?At this time, I am not supportive of a tax increase. District 95 has approximately three years left on an existing bond issue that was approved by the community in 2000. The District has the opportunity, with voter approval, to address our facility needs by issuing new bonds to that would replace the bonds scheduled to be repaid in the next few years. Under current interest rates, the district could raise almost $70MM without raising taxes. Based on the facilities study the board and administration have under taken over the past year, this amount should be more than enough to address our facilities needs and position the district to meet the needs of our students, teachers, and taxpayers for the next 20-30 years in a timely manner.Has the district done a good job in conveying information to parents on the Lake Zurich High School football team hazing situation? Please elaborate and explain if you have ideas on what could have been done differently?This was a difficult situation that did not permit any decision that would please everyone. The administration and board worked hard to insure that the community was as informed as possible while respecting the legal, privacy, due process, and contractual rights of those involved. While I would have preferred to communicate more frequently and reach closer faster, the much of the timeline was dependent on the actions of other bodies (e.g. the LZPD, the Lake County Prosecutor, DCFS, the Lake Zurich Education Association, etc.). I am comfortable with the way the administration balanced the need for transparency with the need to protect the rights of those involved.What should the district do in an effort to prevent a similar hazing problem in the future?The district needs to place a greater emphasis on the supervisory responsibilities of coaches and staff, make its existing anti-hazing policy a point of emphasis for all extra-curricular activities (not just athletics), and pay closer attention to the culture present in its extra-curricular programs. Ultimately, the district will need to make culture changes that will require work and time at the High School and Middle Schools. The publicly available independent report on the incident prepared by Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick Kohn LLP provides a number of detailed recommendations for the district to follow, all of which I am supportive of and which the district is in the process of implementing.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?School Choice is unlikely to play a large role in District 95. District 95 is a high achieving district with excellent teachers and finances; it is the key reason people choose to live in our community. A voucher system, depending on how it was constructed, could potentially draw additional students and funds to District 95, while this situation could present some short term challenges it would be a positive in the long-run.The primary responsibilities of the Board of Education are to set district policies, identify desired outcomes for the district, and hire and evaluate the administration to carry out those objectives. Most of the Board's focus should be internal. School Choice is a matter for the state legislature and the Board of Education has no role in shaping legislation. It is appropriate, and vital, for the Board of Education to understand any proposed laws and the potential impact those laws would have on the district. The Board should work with its administration to insure the district is prepared to address any impacts that might occur. It is also appropriate for the Board to factually communicate the impacts of any changes in the law to members of the community so that they are informed and can discuss any concerns with their legislative representatives.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My Top 3 priorities are:(1) Ensuring the district's sound finances and relatively low tax rate continue to be maintained. The district has conservative budgeting and spending practices, sound reserves, an AAA credit rating (one of only 47 school districts in the nations), and has one of the lowest tax rates in Lake County (within the 5 lowest). The current teacher's contract provides fair compensation for our teachers while controlling the growth of employee expenses. However, the state's budget and pension crisis are likely to place additional budget pressures on the district over the next few years. Springfield is currently contemplating a pension cost-shift, changes to the state aid formula, and a property tax freeze "â#128;œ any of which would put additional pressure on the district's finances. While the district is well managed and is prepared to meet these challenges should they occur, it is imperative that the School Board is populated by individuals who have the background and ability to ensure that the district's administration is appropriately managing its finances.(2) Continuing to improve student outcomes and achievement, insuring that all of our students are prepared to be successful in college and/or careers.(3) Preparing the district's facilities and technology infrastructure to meet the needs of our students, staff, and taxpayers for the next 20-30 years.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I had an enormous amount of respect and admiration for the late Archbishop of Chicago, Francis Cardinal George.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Take Risks - try things you haven't done before, but understand you may need to put in some work to get it right!If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have spent more time with my grandparents.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Social Studies/History - it provided me with a perspective about the larger world, its past, and my place in it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Engage with your community - get involved, make friends, share your gifts.