Michael McCormick: 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: GenevaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Geneva Unit District 304 School Board Age: 52Family: Jessica/Wife Michael Jr. Son Collin/Son Evan/Son Ashley/Daughter Meghan/DaughterOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Juris Doctor Double BS in Accounting and Finance LL.M Tax LawCivic involvement: School Board Member Various Charity BoardsElected offices held: District 304 School BoardQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately 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?I am very satisfied with the job our district is doing to prepare our students for the next stage in their lives. We have a terrific symbiotic relationship between our parents, teachers and administrators that benefits our children and their educational journey. A quick review of any of the myriad state and county rankings from various sources shows us at the top or near the top in the county as well as the state. Although I am satisfied with where we are, I always think good things can be improved upon. I would like to see more feedback from parents on issues and concerns they have. I would also like to see more parental involvement in some of the decision making in the district, like class offerings and feedback on staff, teachers and administrators. I believe we have the best teachers and staff in Kane County, but we have a vast untapped resource in our parents.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.The biggest concern I have going forward is the District's debt. As a Board, we have been wrestling with this since I was elected and while I am happy with what we have done so far, there is much more to do. Even with our plan to address the debt through abatement and re-funding, I think it is imperative that we hold the line on spending and carefully craft our budgets going forward. Abatement and re-funding can take chunks off the debt load, but keeping the budget under control is essential. I do not believe in increasing the tax burden on our fellow citizens and have voted no on the last two levy's that have increased our property taxes.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?No.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?Every employee group in our district has taken a pay freeze of some sort over the past few years and I am so proud to say that district wide, our employees know the pain our fellow Genevans are feeling economically and have stepped up to the plate to help control our budget going forward. I know they share my concern over our debt problems and I am confident that we have a good partnership working to ensure that our property taxes do not skyrocket. However, I also feel it is imperative to both our students' success as well as economically to ensure that our employees are compensated fairly so we employ and retain the best talent. I believe deeply that fiscal responsibility and educational excellence are not mutually exclusive.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?Absolutely not. When I was elected to the Board four years ago, I felt this was a terrible, systemic problem and am glad to say that this no longer occurs in our district. I am confident our administrators support me on that.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe that we are approaching a time of great change in American education with the implementation of the Common Core Standards, the various testing regimens, the ongoing unfunded mandates and our continuing economic challenges. We as a community must be vigilant in electing local school boards that will address these challenges. We owe it to our students to make sure that they have the tools to succeed and we owe it to our taxpayers to be good stewards of their money. Educational Excellence with fiscal responsibility can be achieved, but we need a Board that can craft objectives for its administrators to get that done and the tenacity to follow it through.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Congressman Paul RyanWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Growing up in a household of moderate means I learned early on that education was the key to success.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I have been very lucky in life and can honestly say I have no regrets and would donate my do-over to someone else.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History. It taught me that sometimes you can use lessons from the past to guide your future.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Having 5 kids I ask myself this every day. I tell them to enjoy every day, the rest will work itself out.