Jim Burke: 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: Lake ZurichWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake Zurich Unit D95Age: 45Family: My wife Laurie and I have two wonderful sons, a 6th grader at Middle School South and a 5th grader at Seth Paine.Occupation: Stay-at-home dad taking care of two children. Previously, Director of Change Management at Motorola, and Independent Management Consultant to a variety of companies.Education: MBA in Finance, De Paul UniversityBachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Bradley UniversityCivic involvement: Unit Commissioner for Boy Scouts of America, Signal Hill District #8211; (2010 #8211; Present)Assistant Cub Master for Pack 237 - Sarah Adams (2009-2010)Assistant Cub Master for Pack 208 - Charles Quentin (2006 #8211; 2009), awarded Signal Hill District#146;s #147;Assistant Cub Master of the Year#148; in 2008Seth Paine PTO (2009 #8211; Present)Middle School South PTO (2010 #8211; Present)May Whitney PTO (2009 #8211; 2010)District 95 Boundary Study Committee (2008)Little League Coach at Foglia YMCA (2005)Elected offices held: District 95 Board of Education (2009-Present)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Maintain Academic Excellence: The district is doing well academically and improving, as shown by our test scores. The district#146;s average ACT score has increased 4 years in a row and distinguishes Lake Zurich High School as one of the top high schools in the state. We need to continually improve our academics through improving and standardizing our curriculum, investing in and effectively using technology and driving on-going professional development.Key Issue 2 Invest in Technology and Facilities: Over the past 6 years the district has gone from a negative $10 million fund balance to a positive $34 million fund balance. This has been accomplished through a conservative fiscal approach including finding efficiencies, cutting waste, deferring non-critical facilities maintenance and limiting investment in technology. Now that we have a healthy fund balance, we need to prioritize investment in technology and our facilities while maintaining a balanced budget and avoiding deficit spending.Key Issue 3 Continue to Improve Communications: Over the last 2 years, the district has taken some significant steps to improve communications with parents and the community including the Board of Education meeting webcasts, public forums, a monthly electronic newsletter from the superintendent and the redesigned and more user-friendly district website. To continue to improve communications and our responsiveness to the public#146;s needs, the district needs to find additional ways to gather information from the community such as surveys and community meetings with Board members and staff.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?Our district is doing a very good job at preparing our students for college. Our average ACT score at the high school has increased 4 years in a row and is now at 24, which places Lake Zurich High School among the top high schools in the state. For those students pursuing full-time employment after graduation, our Tech Campus program gives them the opportunity to learn valuable skills.Our success doesn#146;t mean there isn#146;t room for improvement. We need a standardized curriculum among the elementary schools and middle schools so that all of the students are at the same level when they move up to the next stage. We need to integrate technology into our curriculum to a much greater extent. Learning about and using technology is critical for preparing our students to become successful in our global economy.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?Our district is fortunate to be in solid shape financially. This has been accomplished by controlling spending, cutting waste and finding efficiencies over the last 6 years. I do not foresee the need to have any budget-related staff reductions or program cuts next year. I would not expect to see and I would not support a referendum to increase taxes to cover operating expenses.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.My professional experience is in engineering, business and management, not in teaching. I have not received an endorsement from the teachers union nor am I seeking one.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?As representatives of the taxpayers and parents, we need to set a level of pay that will allow the district to attract and retain top quality teachers, but we should not raise salaries beyond that point. Going into contract negotiations, we need to review what is happening in other local districts, factor in CPI and look at what is happening in the private sector. The district has worked hard over the last 6 years to put us into a strong financial position; now the Board must continue to maintain the financial health of the district.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?It is currently the practice of our district to give retiring administrators and certified staff a 6% increase in each of their last 3 years prior to retirement. I would like to see this practice eliminated as part of a comprehensive review and restructuring of the district#146;s benefits package. Giving these raises prior to retirement provides an unnecessary retirement bonus at the expense of the state taxpayers.