Anthony (Tony) DeMonte: 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: Gages LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Woodland District 50 School Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, father of four children. One son attended Woodland schools. Two sons and a daughter are currently enrolled.Occupation: School district administrator: Director of Technology and Media ServicesEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Woodland school board member 2013-2017Questions Answers School finances seem to be a problem. What do you see as the main cause of financial difficulties and what solutions would you offer if elected?Almost every taxing body is trying to do more with less. Woodland is no exception. Woodland will continue confronting the uncertainty of State funding which includes not receiving payments on a regular schedule. Residents and businesses alike find it difficult to contribute more due to their own financial struggles from a recovering economy or legal regulations such as tax freezes. Potential cost shift legislation moving dollars from Woodland to other districts and retirement burdens moving from State obligated to locally obligated leave an uncertain financial future. To maintain a balanced budget, new programming should be cost neutral or done in tandem with cuts. Cuts should occur during a program review process. Key questions should be asked such as if it is an instructional or a supportive service, how many students or staff are impacted and how much money does it take to support the program. From that process with various stakeholders, programs should be ranked and adjusted to live within our means.As you know, state funding follows Woodland students whose parents elect to send them to Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake - a longtime bone of contention. Do you see that as a problem? Please explain.The problem lies with whom Prairie Crossing Charter School is serving or more accurately, who they are not. It has a documented history of not educating a similar population to that served by Woodland. If these issues were remedied, my objection to its operation or how it is funded would be lessened. Woodland serves a population that is diversified in everything from race to students with disabilities to socio-economic status. With an active and sincere outreach effort from PCCS to welcome all students, an increase in services for students with special needs, adequate transportation so students from our entire 32 square mile boundaries can attend and programming for those students who come from low income families, they would achieve the goal that every other publicly funded school does which is to provide the highest quality education to ALL of their students. State funding is secondary to this baseline.With enrollment declining to 5,882 from 6,549 in 2012, per the state's report card, how to you view the district's staffing levels. Are there too many employees and what should be done? Please elaborate.Staffing levels are reviewed annually. Woodland contracts with a demographer who provides data to make informed decisions ahead of budgeting. Many cuts can be achieved through attrition like retirements and leaves. This is to ensure that Woodland is "sized right." Other staffing cuts may be done from a program evaluation. With Woodland's attendance center structure, many efficiencies are already in place. The district does a good job of making the most of every position. If you were to ask an average Woodland teacher, I would predict they would say they are not overstaffed. Recommendations for cuts in the near future take aim at office positions, those from operations/maintenance and as many non-instructional positions as possible although they too are not exempt from reductions. The key is to try to be as least impactful on any instructional programming. Sizing proportionally happens regularly.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?See the question regarding school finances for an answer. In addition to what has already been described, Woodland approved a space study with an architect. With declining enrollment, Woodland will be looking to see if usable space can be consolidated. If this is the case, there may be opportunities to rent building space as additional income.Tax increases such as through referendum are a community decision. As cuts may run too deep, the community may want to pass a referendum to keep a specific level of service. Attracting younger families to move into vacant housing could be a deciding factor as many of these families look for quality local schools in home shopping. I support the will of the voters.Fees are assessed to provide very specific services. They should only nominally increase to cover expenses. Fees should not be increased to cover general educational expenses. I'm not opposed to increases provided they follow this philosophy.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?If a voucher system is approved, Woodland's quality programming would need to be touted. As private and parochial systems have figured out already, advertising and outreach can make the difference between someone enrolling or not. A beefier communications effort would be employed to attract and make families feel good about their decision.School choice could come in various forms as noted by neighboring states. It could be regionally, statewide and/or have limitations such as no transportation or only accepting additional students as space allows. Seeing that Woodland has extra physical space and meets the needs of a diverse learning population, I anticipate enrollment increasing as families from neighboring districts take note of the strong academic programming. The appropriate response for the board of education is to comply with the legislation while also remaining vigilant to ensure all students are educated fairly and if not, help shape legislation. A well-educated public is necessary to our country's success.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Quite simply, it is to support strong instructional programs at all Woodland schools, hire and retain the best staff for our kids and keeping a watchful eye on finances. It is honest community oversight of a public taxing body, one of the foundations of our democratic society.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Candidate did not respond.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Candidate did not respond.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Candidate did not respond.