Susan Facklam: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Grayslake District 46 School Board Age: 62Family: Husband, David, of 40 years. Three sons, Jeffery, Chicago, Michael, Denver, CO and Brian who attends college in Providence RI.Occupation: former Registered NurseEducation: Associates Degree in NursingCivic involvement: Currently serving 3rd 4-year term on District 46 BOE; actively involved over the years in PTF/PTO in District 46 and the Athletic Booster Club at Grayslake North High School; Lake Co. election judge for approximately 20 years; actively involved in and supported the SEDOL Foundation.Elected offices held: District 46 Board of Education -President -Vice President -Secretary SEDOL Executive Board -President -Vice PresidentQuestions 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?Overall, I am satisfied with the progress we have made over the last 4 years, but I believe that we have areas for continued improvement. Feedback from the high school administrators indicate that our students generally assimilate well and are prepared for the high school environment and the more rigorous curriculum. Importantly, our district has held meetings with District 127 at frequent intervals to make sure we are doing all we can to help our students effectively transition to the high school. In addition, there are several measures we have taken that I think have a direct impact on our students and their ability to be more prepared for the next steps in their education. District 46 is doing a great job implementing the Common Core State Standards and we are now beginning to work on implementing the New Generation Science Standards. We also approved last spring the first year of a 3-year technology plan as we begin to explore expanding our WiFi network capacity as well as the possibility of providing a device to each of our students.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.Recently, most of this district's budgetary challenges have been on the revenue side. There are many unknowns with regard to our state and federal funding and this is combined with a declining EAV (equalized assessed value) which directly affects the amount we collect from property taxes, which in turn has a direct impact on our budget. As a first step, we routinely look closely at our expenses and control them as much as possible. Fortunately, I don't believe that program cuts are necessary at this time. However, we will need to be prudent about future expenditures and we will continue to strive for a balanced budget. Controlling expenses and negotiating realistic contracts need to remain a priority.Should air conditioning be pursued for the schools without it? Please explain why or why not.Currently, all but two schools (Meadowview and Woodview) have air conditioning. On the surface, it would seem to be an easy decision to fit the remaining schools with air conditioning. However, as was noted above, this district is facing shrinking revenue and relatively large expenditures, such as this, need to be carefully considered and prioritized. To that end, last fall the board approved the expense to complete the design phase for air conditioning the two schools. Sometime this spring we will have a more precise estimate of the cost to complete this project. This information, along with cost estimates of other upcoming Operations and Maintenance projects, will allow us to make a more informed and thoughtful decision that will consider the costs and priorities of the various projects for the district.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?I think the district should do its best to be fair to its employees and to our community. I think that this will require very careful projections on what is affordable in the short term and sustainable in the long term. The current contract that was agreed upon last fall won't expire until 2017, which will give us the time to better understand the expected level of state funding and our projected revenue. During the previous contract negotiations, some changes were made with medical insurance that will help keep those costs down. I believe that it is nearly impossible to predict what will be the outcome of the next contract, but I am hopeful that the district will not need to ask for concessions.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?NoWhat other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Beyond ensuring fiscal stability and continuing to improve our curriculum, there are several issues and activities that I feel are important. For most of this school year, we've had a very vocal group of parents encouraging us to implement an all-day non-tuition based Kindergarten program for all of our students. We currently only offer a full-day tuition based Kindergarten program to those with the ability to pay the tuition. I think that this program will offer substantive value to the community and our students and should continue to be discussed. Additionally, I also support a foreign language program for all students K-8. Both of these initiatives were also addressed in our board goals that were approved late last summer. This past fall, the district along with members of the community, went through a strategic planning process. This was a tremendous effort and allowed the board, administrators and members of the community to have meaningful discussions on the future pathway for this district. This document should serve as a starting point for our upcoming discussions and serve as a roadmap for the district.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Mitch Albom, the author, inspires me with his writing to embrace life, meet challenges head-on and to be happy who you are.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Take on a job with passion, work hard and do your best.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would wish for our daughter Sarah to not have died at birth.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was math. It is a skill that has helped me as a nurse and as a board member.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be happy, life is too short.