Mary F. Garcia: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Grayslake Elementary D46Age: 48Family: Husband: Bob Four children: Erika - 18, Nicole 15, Lauren 12, Mitchell 7Occupation: TeacherEducation: Masters in Education St. XavierB.S. Education NIUCivic involvement: Manor Lake Association - Preserving our fresh lakes in Lake Co. Grayslake Central High School Music BoostersElected offices held: CCSD 46 School board 2007 - 2011CCSD 46 School Board president 2009 - presentManor Lake Assoc. Treasurer 10yrsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Funding and sustainability of the programs that are currently offered to children and to maintain AYP status.Key Issue 2 Afford our children the opportunities to become successful 21st century learners.Key Issue 3 Attracting and keeping an outstanding staff by providing a positive working environment.Questions Answers How should the district approach the next teachers union contract talks? Would you be willing to pursue salary cuts or freezes? Explain your answer.The board is currently addressing all current contracts. The teacher's contract has an additional year left, so that will be tackled next year. The teacher's did voluntarily cut their overall pay last year; I would hope that they would voluntarily open their contract again for negotiations this year.Transparency has been an issue at District 46. How do you believe the district is doing with conducting the public#146;s business? Any suggestions for improvements?I believe that the term ""transparency"" holds different meanings depending on who you are. Presently, we have an outstanding website and have proven our transparency by posting as much on line as our volunteer webmaster can put on. Many times the discussion of what is good for the education of our children has come second to arguments about being transparent. We are one of the few district that ""live stream"" our board meetings. We also have our individual contact information on the web. Sue Facklam, Vice President, and myself meet outside of our agenda meetings to make sure we are overly diligent in reporting out to the public. Presently, I have been working with the Superintendent about making sure we are as clear as possible regarding the initiatives of the district.How do you view the relationship with South Carolina-based consultant Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Inc., which has given awards the district has promoted and hosted conventions that staffers have attended in warm-weather locations in December?The Superintendent had announced that she is no longer sending staff out of state for professional growth. The Superintendent has demonstrated to the board the continuing growth of the teachers using what the teachers and administration learned from out of state conventions. Tech integration and data dens were two of the professional growth experiences the teachers brought back with them to the district. This type of learning is invaluable to the district.What steps, if any, should the district take in response to an audit late last year that found the need for tighter controls on student activity funds?The business manager and Superintendent has been instructed to create an action plan. The auditor did say there was weakness in this area; however, there was no wrongdoing. The Superintendent and Business Manager will report back to the board with the plan for us to evaluate.Do you think the names of individuals who are the subject of personnel action in an open meeting should appear on the agenda for the meeting? Why or why not? Currently the district omits the names of such individuals.Our district is quite large and the amount of personnel material is daunting. I would be against printing names on the agenda in order to protect the privacy of individuals until their hiring is approved. We could state more clearly on the agenda the types of personnel we are accepting for each position.