Elizabeth Bruckner: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Elizabeth "Liz" Bruckner

City: Green Oaks

Office sought: School Board Member-D128

Age: 47

Family: Husband, a freshman at LHS, 8th and 5th grader at Rondout SD72

Occupation: Designer specializing in Kitchen and Baths

Education: University Wisconsin Madsion, B.S., Harrington College of Design

Civic involvement: Libertyville Junior Woman's Club, Libertyville Days Committee

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

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Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

Bruckner: I think one of the most important issues facing D128 is the housing growth in the southern part of the district. This growth has prompted the proposed expansion of VHHS which is currently under consideration by the existing board. On the flip side, it's possible the Illinois economy may be heading into a rough patch given the financial difficulties at the state level that are contributing to Illinois' ongoing out migration problem. We need to make sure we're not blind to the possibility that such macro trends may impact us locally, leading to an eventual reduction in local property tax revenue, if our local housing market is negatively impacted.

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?

Bruckner: D128 does an excellent good job of preparing all students for life after high school. D128 provides the rigor of honor and AP curriculum as well as word shop and automotive classes. The district does an outstanding job at providing curriculum for all students not everyone will attend Standford/Harvard/MIT the world needs plumbers and other tradespeople too.

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? Be specific.

Bruckner: D128 has historically been very good financial stewards but has built up a very high reserve, relative to their yearly budget. This reserve is being substantially spent down by the LHS pool project, and the recently proposed additions at VHHS, and repurposing the old pool space at LHS. Going forward the board should be looking to reduce this reserve to something closer to that mandated by the state, maybe 25-30% of the budget. The one group that is totally tapped out are the local property taxpayers. This is becoming a real problem in the community as it's driving people out of the community. I would support investigating any cost-sharing initiatives, shared services and/or admin, between D128 and its feeder districts, similar to what Lake Forest has done for years and Mundelein recently did.

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?

Bruckner: 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?

Bruckner: The school board's primary function in such situations should be to represent the interests of the taxpayers while also ensuring that the needs of the community are being met. That being said, there's no reason such interactions can't take place with mutual respect on both sides. Assuming the new teacher's contract is mostly negotiated or completed before the new board is seated, labor costs for the next 4-5 years should be known, but in general, if challenges at the state level mentioned prior come to pass, flexibility and compromise from all parties should be expected.

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?

Bruckner: This absolutely should not be happening anywhere, for anyone (administrators or teachers). District 128 pays extremely competitive salaries and is a coveted district to work in. There's no reason such end of career pension spiking should be required to attract and maintain quality staff.