Angela K. D. Smith: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Sugar GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Aurora D129Age: 42Family: Married to Greg Children Makena (15) Malley (13) Mac (12). Makena attends West Aurora High School and Mac and Malley attend Herget Middle School.Occupation: Currently Finance Manager for the Oswego Community Unit School District #308. Prior experience includes ten years in investments and retirement planning for Castle Bank.Education: Bachelor of Science in Finance from Northern Illinois University, 1990Masters in Business Administration will be completed in March, 2011 from Columbia CollegeCivic involvement: PTA member West Aurora High School and Herget Middle School. Former PTA Board member Fearn Elementary School. Former President and Board Member of Prestbury Citizens Association. Member of Blackhawk Sports Boosters, West Aurora Band Boosters and West Aurora Middle School Band Boosters. Committee chair West Aurora Volunteers for Education which helped to successfully pass 2007 operating rate referendum.Elected offices held: West Aurora Board of Education 2007-presentPresident Prestbury Citizens Association 2007.Prestbury Citizens Association Board 2005-2007.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Improved student learning.We have made great strides and we need to continue to find ways to meet the diverse needs of all students we serve. We need to realize as a community that educating students is a ""team"" effort. Improving student learning will require the help, support and effort of educators, parents and students to reach our goals. We need to identify what works and stop wasting time with what doesn't. Students graduating today face increasing global competition. We all need to do our part to make sure they are as prepared as possible.Key Issue 2 Financial responsibility.As the single largest item on your property tax bill, we owe it to tax payers to spend the resources they have provided us with wisely. I will continue to push for ways to promote efficiency, including collaborations with other districts where possible. A state income tax increase is not a magic bullet for education. We need to manage the resources we have as prudently as possible. While teaching itself may be an art, there is a great deal of education which is a business. We need to continue to explore ways to make our business run as efficiently as possible so that we can handle any curve balls the state may throw our way.Key Issue 3 Transparency.It's my job to be the voice of those I represent and ask the tough questions. I want people to understand why we do what we do. Asking questions helps to shed light on the process. By the time the Board actually votes on an issue, the public should clearly be able to see the information, process and discussion that led to that decision.Questions Answers How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?Transitions are always difficult. As a current member of the school board, we are working hard to identify key benchmarks students must reach to be successful at the next level. We have realized as a district that preparing students for school and beyond begins early. We are increasing the numbers of students we are serving in preschool and exploring full day Kindergarten as ways to lay a solid foundation for all students and to make the home to school transition a smooth one. Administrators and teachers have worked together to help insure that students are successful as they move through the education system. The skills that students need beyond high school are changing. We recently began efforts to increase our dual credit options as well as our vocational programming. We need to continue to look for creative ways to meet the varying needs of our students.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools?Going forward, the biggest issue facing the District is the uncertainty of state funding. State payments have been late forcing the District to borrow while awaiting funds. Areas such as transportation have been subject to drastic cuts forcing us to divert already tight resources from the classroom to cover shortfalls.We have been working to tighten budgets over the past two school years and will continue to do so. As a Board we have made some tough choices. Closing a school building and laying off staff is not an easy decision, but it was a financial necessity. We have put off all but urgent maintenance. We were able to renegotiate contracts to save over $5.7 million dollars this school year. We continue to look for ways to become more efficient with the resources the community has entrusted us with.We were fortunate to receive support from our community through the passage of an operating rate increase in 2007. At this time, with the economy in the state it is and local families feeling the pinch, I would not support a property tax increase.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.I think it is crucial for a Board to have representation from those inside and outside of education. We have Board members who have been educators and can provide valuable information about classroom experience. Those of us who have worked in the private sector bring a different perspective. As a parent, I also bring the viewpoint of the district's ""customer"" and can provide feedback on how we are meeting those needs. All these viewpoints help us to make better decisions. Having the trust and respect of our bargaining units helps to create the collaborative environment necessary for us to make tough decisions and grow as a district. I have never personally been a union member, but I would accept their support and cooperation.As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?We are fortunate that due to the collaborative relationship we have with our bargaining units and administrators, we were able to agree to freezes last year and to modifications to the original agreements for the remaining years of the respective contracts. We have worked diligently with input from our staff to make changes to our benefit plans which will help insure their stability and sustainability going forward. Without any clear indications from the state as to what we can expect in terms of education funding for next year, we will have to wait to see if this planning is sufficient or if we will need to once again tighten our belts.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?I would not support an increase simply to boost pension benefits. While the pension payments would not directly impact the district itself, it would impact the taxpayers of the State of Illinois who continue to be unduly burdened by a grossly underfunded system. I support pension reform and the need to make the system we have sustainable. To award unreasonably large increases locally while at the same time asking state legislators to act to fix the pension system would be hypocritical.