Gordon Snyder: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Gordon Snyder

City: Elmhurst, IL

Office sought: District 205 Board of Education

Age: 49

Family: Wife - Meg Snyder; Sons - Hayden (17) and Everett (14); residents of Elmhurst over 20 years

Occupation: Civil Engineer

Education: BSE - University of Iowa

Civic involvement:

1. District 205:

• Finance committee - current member

• District 205 Community Advisory team

• YES for D205 New Schools Referendum - committee member

2. Schools:

• Treasurer of the Emerson PTA for two years.

• Served on multiple committees for the Emerson and Churchville PTAs.

• Member of the York Athletic Boosters Club.

3. Youth Sports Coach:

• Elmhurst Eagles football

• Elmhurst Baseball

• Electric Baseball

• Knights Basketball

• Elmhurst YMCA Basketball

• Elmhurst Lacrosse

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? N/A

Website: https://gordon205.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gordon-Snyder-Candidate-for-Elmhurst-District-205-434647523741829/

Twitter: @_gordon205

Issue questions

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

It's an exciting time to live in Elmhurst. The community recently passed a $168.5M referendum to support the construction of two new schools, make important upgrades to facilities throughout the district and foster academic achievement. The construction projects are complex and will take place over many years. I want to offer my extensive construction management experience to the board to ensure we create safe, modern and flexible learning environments that meet the needs of our community for the long term.

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?

Our district provides excellent academic and extracurricular content, programs and support for students at every stage of their education. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.

Forward-thinking organizations should continuously stretch and change to meet the needs of their members. The expectation should be that District 205 will always keep an eye out for ways to improve to prepare our youth to thrive in our dynamic, global economy.

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.

In the near term, our focus needs to be being good stewards of the funds made available by the referendum in addition to the operating budget. Construction projects must be carefully managed to stay on budget. I do not see the need for tax increases in the near future. Thecurrent board has done a good job of being fiscally responsible over the last 8 years to increase the fund balance so short-term borrowing is not required.

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 - N/A

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?

Our school board needs to listen to all parties in the district to work toward a mutually

acceptable outcome. We need to balance the practical realities of the expenses and incomes that impact our district while offering fair compensation to teachers, support staff and other personnel.

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?

We value all members of our educational community and want to provide compensation that is fair and equitable throughout their careers. With that said, we need a system that is reasonable across a staff member's career and does not artificially inflate an administrator's compensation near retirement.