Matthew Marra: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove District 68 School Board Age: 54Family: Wife- RitaThree sons, Luke (22), Gabriel (19-Currently attending College of Lake County), Andrew (15-currently attending Libertyville HS, previously attended Oak Grove)Occupation: Senior Vice President, Safety, Health and ComplianceEducation: BA- Biology-Rutgers UniversityMS- Environmental Science-Rutgers UniversityJD- Seton Hall Law SchoolCivic involvement: Baseball coach, YMCA. The Woodlands TX 2012Minister to the Homeless, St. Brendan's Church, Cumming, GA- 2009Elected offices held: Nickels and Dimes Homeowners Association, Libertyville, IlQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?Our kids are our future. I've reached the pinnacle of my professional career and feel it's time to give back to my community. I now have more time to spend in my community, as I travel far less for for my day job these days. What better way to give back to my community than to ensure the generation coming up now will have the best educational experience possible to prepare them to take the reigns from the previous generation?What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?The current metrics for measuring student success are driven by state mandated test scores and the like to normalize data to compare to other schools in the state and the nation. The Administration, through the District's Curriculum Director Dr. Sarah Cacciatore, has continuously updated the tests given in order to stay compliant with state standards.The fact that OGS has achieved National Blue Ribbon status and ranks in the 98th percentile in test scores speaks volumes to the effectiveness of current programs, staff and administration. If incremental improvements can be made, I'm all for it, but I also subscribe to the philosophy of, "if it's not broken, why fix it?"How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?The Board of Education is charged with the final say on curriculum. This is Board Policy. But a Board operates at the highest level - sets the general standards for the District - and the implementation of those standards is the responsibility of the Administration. In practice, this means the Board must ensure the District's curriculum meets the State standards. In order to do that the Board requests from the Administration periodic reports confirming that the curriculum meets the State standards.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?There are not any current substantive budget issues that I am aware of. Increasing taxes should always be the very last resort, as proerty taxes in Lake County are among the highest in the nation already.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?When the schools are as good as they can be like OGS, a National Blue Ribbon school, why would anyone want to go to another school? If we continue on the current path of excellence, there would be little reason for someone to prefer a different school.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?To make a positive impact on our student body, to make OGS even better than I found it. The Board must act in the best interest of all students and resist the periodic pressure from special interests seeking specific changes designed to benefit a minority of the students. The Board can achieve this by relying on the Administration to evaluate requests, provide a range of options, and make a recommendation. The Board then has the information necessary to make an informed decision.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Elon MuskWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Respect others. Always walk a mile in others' shoes before rushing to judgment.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have bought more real estate earlier in lifeWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Science. A good foundation in science helped steer my career in Environmental management and compliance.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Buy real estate as early in your life as possible.