Michael McCormick: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Michael T. McCormick

City: Geneva, Illinois

Office sought: Geneva Community Unit School District 304 board

Age: 56

Family: Wife Jessica, Sons Michael Jr, Collin and Evan, Daughters Ashley and Meghan

Occupation: Attorney

Education: Bachelor of Science in Accounting/Bachelor of Science in Finance/ Juris Doctorate/ LL.M. in Tax Law

Civic involvement: District 304 School Board Member, Finance Committee, Facilities Task Force member and various Charitable Boards.

Previous elected offices held: District 304 School Board

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? 2011

Issue questions

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

In my opinion, the scariest prospect on the horizon that will face the next Board will be an attempt by the legislators in Springfield to pass off the pension problem to local School Districts. This cost shift could be devastating to our bottom line. In my 8 years on the Board, my fellow Board members and I as well as our Administrators have faced down significant challenges … primarily the debt crisis. We did an excellent job of refinancing our bonds and using abatements to smooth out the debt repayments that could have crippled our taxpayers. I am very proud of our work on that issue. We have also been mindful of District spending and have worked hard to keep costs under control so the taxpayers are not burdened with a huge tax bill. In the classroom, the social and emotional needs of our students continues to be important. Our kids face issues and obstacles that didn't even exist when I was young. I am also eager to continue to work on tech implementation in the classroom. Our "one to one" program has been excellent and is preparing our kids to succeed in this modern economy. Having said all of that, the shifting of the pension burden to our district could really upset the apple cart. However, I am confident that a good Board with broad experience and background like the current Board, will be able to address the financial difficulties that the cost shift would create. Like the debt problem we addressed, we will have to be creative in determining how to pay for a problem not of our making.

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 am very satisfied with our students' progress as they go through the system and beyond. As I mentioned above, I think much of that success has to do with our implementation of technology in the classrooms, but also staying on top of the most current teaching methods and curriculum. Our test scores by any measure are some of the highest in the County. If there is an improvement I would make, it would be to find a way to monitor our students progress post-graduation to get real definitive data on how they are succeeding after leaving the District. We have much anecdotal evidence that they are doing well, but it would be nice to have more analytical evidence to determine what, if any, changes need to be made.

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.

As noted above, I am concerned about how we will be able to handle a possible pension cost shift to our district. Rising costs and our debt burden continue to be of concern, but I feel we have a plan to handle those issues. Shifting the pension to the District is impossible to plan for. I fear it would result in significant cuts to programs and staff and would be deeply unfair to our district.

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 am happy to say that we have resolved contract negotiations with a majority of our employees so this issue will not come up in the near future. I feel our employees are fairly compensated and concessions should not be necessary unless we get a curve ball from Springfield in terms of the pension shift. In my opinion, employee concessions, increases in class size and program cuts should be the absolute last resort to balance the budget. Hopefully this will never be an issue the next Board faces.

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?

I would not and have been consistent in this stand in my 8 years on the Board. I am proud to say this has not been an issue in our district of late.