Garrett Seaman: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Garrett W. Seaman

City: St. Charles

Office sought: CUSD 303 School Board

Age: 38

Family: Married - 3 Children ages 7, 5, and 21 months

Occupation: Educational Technology Entrepreneur

Education: M.A. & EdD In-Progress

Civic involvement: None

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

Website: Garrett4D303.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUSD303BOARD/

Twitter: @EdTechno

Issue questions

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

D303 must develop a comprehensive strategic plan, aligned to our vision for learning and teaching: With the support of district leadership and stakeholders, we must co-construct a clear vision and approach for how we design and delivery personalized instruction for all learners. We must then ground this work in clear performance metrics and hold staff accountable for growth at all levels. D303 must improve on our staff professional development and recruitment: We must define a comprehensive plan for thoughtfully aligned professional development and effective talent acquisition. The board should align resources to hire the best teachers and staff to support our students, not solely based on availability or cost efficiency. D303 must deepen the contributions and support of our community and stakeholders while increasing accountability and communication. Improve frequency and how we communicate to our community and diligently follow a more transparent decision-making process.

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?

We should never be "satisfied" … We have to provide ongoing opportunities to not only celebrate our successes, but more importantly reflect on programmatic and instructional strategies. More today than ever before, public education is under pressure from increasing competition and instructional challenges. Competition that is creating winners and losers in K-12 education. Public school systems across the country are falling behind in the value they add to their community and future citizenry. Ultimately, D303 risks ending up on the wrong side of this equation by supporting the same strategies and ideas. It should be our responsibility to promote innovation, support new ideas, and provide the best learning opportunities for our students. As a parent, taxpayer, and member of this community, I am deeply motivated to run for school board. It is my promise, that I will govern in a way that will best position our district not only as a winning system for our community, but to be a model in our country by providing our students with opportunities to thrive in the most dynamic learning experiences we can offer. Together, with new ideas, transparency, and collective accountability, we can do better.

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.

I do not support a tax increase, as the current D303 board and leadership has been effective in their stewardship of our funds. Alternatively, it is time to look at other funding sources and how we allocate funds. Through the marketing and communication of our new instructional offerings, we will work to bring back students we are losing to private and charter schools. We will seek more state and federal grant opportunities to support the instructional goals of our leadership. The equation is simple. By providing a world-class education and diverse learning opportunities, we will attract a more engaged citizenry, improve business opportunities and subsequently increase property value for our homeowners.

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?

I am not currently employed by a school district. I have been a teacher in U46, an Educational Technology Director in Huntley CSD 158 and Deputy of Schools in Chicago Public Schools. My wife has been teaching for 16 years in Batavia Public Schools. I have never been employed by D303.

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?

For the immediate, no concessions should be asked from any employee group. We are competitive in salary, but need to improve in staff support and development. Through the design of a collaborative plan to provide our staff the professional development they need to be the best in their role, we will retain the great staff we have now and attract new and dynamic members to our team. We will provide our staff with a balanced, attractive compensation plan and enrich their work experience through opportunities of professional learning and growth.

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?

No. The timing of retirement has no bearing on this topic. Provide clear, stakeholder supported performance metrics for our superintendent and support their work towards these goals. Compensation may be earned or increased based on hitting those targets.