Karen Plaza: 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 in the HillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Community Unit D300Age: 53Family: Married, two adult childrenOccupation: Finance Director - Community Consolidated School District #47Education: Bachelor of Science - Accounting, Illinois State University, 1979Civic involvement: Community Volunteer - McHenry County League of Women Voters, member since 1994 - Deputy voter registrar - Referendum committees including CORE, FACE, SchoolsNow, and Advance300 - Lake in the Hills Rockin' Rotary Ribfest - Lake in the Hills Citizens Police AcademyD300 Volunteer - PTO member, chairperson and officer - School Improvement Plan Teams - Boundary committee memberLake in the Hills Plan CommissionerElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 For D300 there is only one issue - balancing the budget. With a deficit of over $8 million dollars, the Board of Education must concentrate on balancing the budget.Key Issue 2 The first step to balancing the budget is controlling costs. In order to balance the budget, a line by line review of the budget should be conducted to remove any unnecessary expenditures. Labor costs will have to be reviewed as they make up over 75% of the budget expenses. In the last year, concessions from some employee groups have served to decrease the deficit. Further concessions will be necessary to prevent layoffs.Key Issue 3 The second step to balancing the budget is maximizing revenues. Each component of the revenue side of the budget should be analyzed to ensure every dollar available is collected.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for the D300 board? If you're a newcomer, how will you make a difference? If you're an incumbent, how have you made a difference?I was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board in June. I would like to continue to serve the D300 community for a full four year term. I have worked in three school districts as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and in the Business Office. Working in the Business Office I see all facets of a school district's finances and operations. I believe my experiences provide a perspective that is beneficial to the Board.With significant budget cuts already made and more on the horizon, how do you propose the district maintain teaching standards? Please be specific.Teaching and learning standards can be maintained if class sizes are maintained at current levels. This can be accomplished by negotiating concessions from the labor groups to avoid additional layoffs.If various unions fail to meet a list of concessions to save the district about $5.2 million, administrators warn cuts would hurt students. What is your approach to contract talks?My approach to contract talks is to be open and honest about the current and future district finances. Any labor agreements must reflect the current economic times. Additionally, a strong, united Board is essential.Should the district continue to provide programs that receive funding from the state, but are not mandatory? If so, which ones?The district can continue to provide programs that are not mandatory as long as they are cost neutral. In my experience, very few state funded programs are completely funded by the state.What changes can the new superintendent make to ensure the best educational opportunities for students in District 300?I'm confident Mr. Bregy and his leadership team will analyze all educational programs currently in place as well as those of high performing districts to provide the best opportunities possible for D300 students. Mr. Bregy is the instructional leader of the district. As a board member, my role is one of support.