Jeffrey Bard: 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: Vernon HillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hawthorn Elementary D73Age: 48Family: Married, two children in Hawthorn District 73 schools.Occupation: Environmental Program Manager for an energy company.Education: MBA, Lake Forest Graduate School of ManagementB.S., Engineering and Public Policy, Washington University in St. LouisCivic involvement: School Board Member, Hawthorn District 73, 2007 - presentBaseball Coach, Vernon Hills Park District VHCYAA, 8 yrs.Soccer Coach, GLSA, 6 seasonsProperties Committee for Boy Scouts Northeast IL Council, 2 yrs.Assistance with various charitable organizationsElected offices held: School Board Member, Hawthorn District 73, Vernon Hills, ILHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My No. 1 campaign issue is ensuring the district has the resources necessary to provide a quality education to all of our students so that they can learn to their maximum potential.Key Issue 2 Ensuring that the district provides high quality academic and extracurricular programs that help develop well rounded students, life long learners, and young adults prepared for whatever challenges they address in their later life.Key Issue 3 Ensuring the district attracts and retains quality teachers, administrators, and support personnel to deliver a high quality education.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?Hawthorn District 73 is preparing students for the next stage of their lives. This is partly evidenced by the success many Hawthorn students have had at the next level and beyond. As someone who sets high academic standards and who is a believer in continuous improvement, I think we can do a better job. While the district administration does articulation meetings with the local high schools, more analysis could be done to understand in what areas our students are less prepared for at the next level. Past surveys of the former students were discontinued and could also be restarted to obtain their input. A greater amount of longitudinal study data could also be collected and analyzed to identify trends to target progam improvements that are needed.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?I am a member of the district Financial Advisory Task Force made up of teachers, administrators, and members of the community that has been meeting to identify potential areas to cut expenditures and potential sources of additional revenue. We are trying to close a projected $1.5 million to $2 million gap projected for next year's budget. The Task Force has drafted many valuable ideas that will be finalized over the next few weeks. All potential areas have been discussed and are being considered. My own goal is to retain the quality academic and extracurricular programs that we are currently able to offer. I do not support a tax increase because I know there are areas where expenditures can first be cut and all other options should be considered with a tax increase only as a last resort.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 believe experience can be valuable and useful for learning and personal growth. It is how individuals use that experience that is important and hopefully there would not be a bias that would be detimental to the district. I am not a teacher, however, I have taught classes and training programs and I have worked with youth so I understand some of the issues. I am not a member of a union but I work for a company that has a union workforce. Hawthorn has been fortunate to have a good working relationship with our union and that has allowed us to work together to address issues that have faced the district and avoid some of the conflicts that other districts have experienced. With the challenges that we face going forward, primarily financial and increased student population, it will take everyone working together to be successful.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?Any contract discussions should be about coming to a mutual agreement on how to provide the best education possible for our students with the limited resources that we have. The options that you have presented are not mutually exclusive. There are many alternative ways to do that and the best way will be by working together. I think the Board is elected to ensure these things happen and should take a more active role than they have in the past.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 do not believe a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement should be given an increase in compensation just to boost their pension benefits. The superintendent or administrator should be compensated according to their contract and that compensation should be competitive with persons in comparable positions and with comparable experience. Any increases should be based on performance and market conditions and not due to special retirement considerations. Illinois faces billions of dollars in pension obligations partly from practices such as retirement boosts. In addition, state law penalizes local districts providing compensation greater than 6 percent in the last years prior to retirement.