Liz Biondi: Candidate Profile

Back to Warren Township High School District 121 School Board

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: GurneeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Warren Township High School District 121 School Board Age: 69Family: Married,four children, one foster child, 15 grandchildren.Occupation: RetiredEducation: BS in Business EducationCivic involvement: Very involved with District 112 and School Board while living in Highland Park, IL. Former Director of Religious Education at Christ the King Parish. Secretary at Religious Ed (CCD) at Immaculate Conception Parish. Taught sixth grade CCD at Immaculate Conception Parish. Formerly involved with the annual rummage sale at Immaculate Conception Parish.Elected offices held: Former PTO president in Pleasant Plaines and Highland Park, IL. Former Chief Steward and former President of an AFSCME local. Warren Township School Board 2013 to Present. Previous Treasurer of Warren Township Democrats.Questions 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?Transparency was and still is the issue. The Board and District need to disclose accurate and true information. Equal and fair implementation and execution of policies and procedures adopted by the Board and District. Example: A student was given a parking permit for the Almond campus when there was a list of students who timely applied for parking permits and were still waiting to receive a permit. The student bragged that he and his parent had "sweet talked" someone at the district.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?This has already been developed and adopted by the Strategic Planning Committee and is adequate.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?Students and parents should be fully advised and encouraged to enroll in programs and receive certifications from the Technology Campus at College of Lake County or in the Technology program offered in the high school. It is important for students to be prepared when they leave high school to enter the "real world" with skills to begin earning a living, even if they are planning to attend college. Many students today have to work while attending college.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?The district is going to be $2.3 million in the red this fiscal year. Future school budgets anticipate to be much deeper in the red based upon a public report presented by Business Manager Carol Rogers in 2017. The Board should authorize the sale of 100 acres of land on Sterns School Road that was purchased in 2009 and 2010 for, according to which news source you want to believe, $8 or $8.4 million. Taxpayers have been and continue to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars on the debt service for this property every year. School enrollment is declining. Woodland District 50, our largest feeder school, anticipates it enrollment which was approximately 7,200 in 2007 to be approximately 5,200 students. The Board should use the school wetlands for a solar energy initiative. The district is currently investigating installing solar panels on the roof of our two facilities. We should be including the wetlands in this. Spending cuts to the classrooms and teaching staff should only occur after all other expenditures have been explored and cuts made. I would be against any increase in taxes or fees at this time. The district must live within its means. One cannot anticipate what will be happening within the Federal government and its spending or with the State government and its spending. If taxes are increased on either of those levels, residents will be against an increase at the local level. It is currently reported that Gurnee has over 100 homes in foreclosure.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?Congress and the State have not approved any school choice plans or voucher systems. Upon any legal changes, the Board should engage the community and service the public interest. This point is currently moot.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The district should do a better job of monitoring our students after they leave high school.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard and celebrate your accomplishments.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would become an attorneyWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Reading. Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be your best self