Lake Park candidates worrying about district finances
Even with a balanced budget, financial constraints are weighing heavily on the minds of candidates running for seats on the Lake Park High School District 108 school board in Roselle.
Incumbents Judith Briggs, Joan M. DiPiero, Patricia Szerlong and Martin Tasch joined first-time candidate Kenneth Snoeck this week to discuss issues facing the district with the Daily Herald editorial board. They are seeking four open 4-year terms.
All the candidates agree financing the district's curriculum and programs will become a challenge as state and federal funds decrease, revenues tied to the consumer price index fall flat, and teachers expect raises. The board currently is negotiating a contract with the teachers union.
"Until now the decisions we've made have been very cost-effective," Briggs said. "Now whatever we do will have a bigger effect on staff and programs and we are getting into the really difficult decisions. Everyone is looking at how we can deliver the best services in the most economical way and do what we can with the resources we have."
The candidates say they each offer specialized skills and ideas for dealing with future challenges.
Tasch, who formerly served as board president, is an attorney who was the only male elected to the board at the time he won his seat in 2001. Tasch said the board selected him as president to offer leadership among divided factions and to develop better communication with district administrators.
Briggs and Snoeck both share professional backgrounds in education. Briggs said some of her main concerns include increasing test scores, evaluating current academic programs and securing professional development for teachers that compliment Lake Park's changing demographics. Snoeck wants District 108 to become a trailblazer in integrating technology into classrooms, suggesting ideas like using Kindle technology to replace text books.
DiPiero, who has worked in both educational and public relations sectors, values keeping all district residents involved in Lake Park activities - whether they have children attending schools or not.
"I want to have the lights burning and the fields filled 24/7," she said. "Lake Park is a community center and that's what I want it to continue to be."
Szerlong, a certified Illinois assessing official and tax revenue specialist, said the district must be proactive in creating ways to save money before any financial crunch threatens the budget.
The incumbents say they have worked together to heal a once-divided board, which has led to a balanced budget over the past two years and curriculum improvements, such as Lake Park's Blueprint for Excellence that aims to improve the district's performance under the No Child Left Behind Mandate. District 108 did not make adequate yearly progress, or AYP, for 2008.
"Everyone plays a specific part extremely well and that should be allowed to continue," Tasch said.
Snoeck agrees board relations have improved in recent years, but said members need to explore options to change how education is delivered by using technology, alternative teaching methods and even re-evaluating whether high school should be four years for all students.
"As a board member I'd like to challenge every employee to be creative in giving a new system of delivery in education," he said. "Essentially, we are still doing things the same way we did 100 years ago."