Leah Collister-Lazzari: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Leah Collister-Lazzari

City:

Office sought: District 220 Board of Education Member

Age: 53

Family:

Occupation: Attorney, Real Estate Broker, Family business owner

Education: B.S. from University of Illinois in Marketing, Juris Doctorate from IIT Chicago Kent School of Law

Civic involvement: Lines Elementary, Countryside Elementary, North Barrington Elementary, room parent, Active member of PTO, s, active volunteer, Meet the Artist planner and teacher, Station Elementary, Fine Arts Rep for the PTO, active volunteer, Pals volunteer, Barrington High School Fine Arts Booster Member for the Visual Arts, organizer of Arrivals/Departures Art show at the Ice House Mall for 2 years, Lutheran Church Charities, Board member for 20 years, secretary, (known for the comfort dogs), Immanual Lutheran Church, volunteer director of elementary school religious education program KICK

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? No

Website: leah220.org

Facebook: Leahfor220

Issue questions

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

Three issues I believe our district needs to focus on are: student and school safety, student stress and the Blueprint 220 capital improvement plan. Student safety must be a top priority. Barrington 220 has made many substantial investments to safety including upgrading entryways, and hiring a district-wide-safety and security expert. I support these efforts. Student Stress is a problem that deserves more attention. Kids, especially at the middle and high school level are stressed due to social media, peers, parents and high stakes testing. More teens are reporting feelings of anxiety than ever before. I support programs in our schools and community that can reduce student stress, teach coping measures and identify and help high risk kids. Blueprint 220 was created to address the district's capital improvement needs. Many of our schools need infrastructure repairs and improvements. As a member of the Blueprint 220 Committee, I supported a tax-neutral solution. Though the Board put forward a referendum with a small tax increase, I support the Blueprint 220 referendum and hope to help in its implementation.

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?

I feel that Barrington 220 does an amazing job of preparing students to progress from elementary school to middle school and from high school to college or onto a career. Barrington 220 is a nationally recognized school district for excellence. We are consistently rated in the state of Illinois top 5% of school districts. We have partnerships with Harper College for dual credit classes and for post high school scholarship through the Harper Promise program. Barrington 220 has been a leader in connecting students to technology by providing each student with a computer device. Barrington 220 has been a leader in recognizing the unique needs of individual learners and has adapted the curriculum to meet them. We have highly qualified teachers and our schools have a 16 to 1 student to teacher ratio.

If I am elected to serve on the board I would make it my priority to: 1. Retaining our strong financial footing (triple AAA bond rating) through judicious fiscal management. 2. Continue to attract and retain outstanding teachers and administrators. 3. Pass and implement the Blueprint 220 plan. 4. Continue to foster a culture of caring, respect and responsibility to help our students become good citizens who make the world a better place.

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.

Three budget issues that may need to be addressed: necessary capital improvements, reduced funding from the state, and annexation of development communities without commensurate tax support. Blueprint 220 addresses the aging infrastructure of many of our school buildings, and also provides upgrades to school security and learning spaces for the future. I support the referendum. Reduced funding from the State of Illinois could occur if the burden of teacher pensions shifts to the local government, or the State reduces reimbursement for transportation (busing) and increases fuel increase costs. Plum Farms development in Hoffman Estates at route 72 and 59 and the AT&T campus development threaten to increase student population without providing taxes to pay for them in our district. As an attorney and real estate professional, I can provide valuable expertise. I do not support tax increases as a general rule. If these problems arise difficult choices and cut costs across the budget will have to be made. I prefer to avoid cutting teachers or valuable district programs whenever possible and would seek to save money in areas that have less of an impact on our students. I believe it is vitally important to have community input when it comes to budgeting and referendums.

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?

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?

I believe that our teachers are of vital importance to our schools. As a parent with 3 students in the district, I have seen first-hand how a good teacher can positively impact a student's learning environment. We want to continue to attract highly qualified and caring teachers. During contract negotiations, as with any legal agreement both parties need to find a common ground that is agreeable. As an attorney, I am well qualified to understand the nuances of contract negotiations. As a board member, I would seek to keep our district employees secure and happy, while remaining fiscally responsible to our taxpayers and cognizant of the need for a balanced budget. Since the district recently signed a new teacher contract, it will be four years before we need to address this issue again and it will be important to take into consideration the economic climate at the time and the needs of our district. If the economy remains stable, I am confident we will reach a mutually acceptable agreement, which not only satisfies teachers' needs, but also fits in with our budgetary guidelines.

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?

It is never a good idea to give employee in the school district a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits. I would not be in favor of that.