Andrew Bittman: 2023 candidate for Huntley Unit District 158 school board, 4-year term

Bio

Town: Algonquin

Age on Election Day: 50

Occupation: Not given

Employer: Not given

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

A: This is my first time running for any office. Over the past three years, even before COVID, I have been involved in the school district. Providing a great public education system has always been very important to me. We need to fix our falling test scores, retain and empower teachers, fully fund special education and hold the line on property taxes.

We can address issues like bullying in a constructive way to build a well understood and common-sense approach to disciplining students while working toward the root cause of their issues. We need to reduce the noneducational spending keeping a tighter budget to focus on the mission of our district which is to educate all our kids no matter their abilities.

With the falling enrollment which is expected to decrease another 10-12% over another 5 to 7 years, we can do all of this without raising property taxes.

Q: What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring curriculum?

A: The BoE sets the strategy for the district and this includes providing direction on the curriculum. This does not mean the BoE should be writing the tests for each class. It does mean the BoE should be ensuring the curriculum is effective at educating and appropriate for all the students no matter their faith, backgrounds, and abilities. If the curriculum is leading to worsening test scores, then the BoE may need to take a deeper look at why.

Q: Are there curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?

A: Given the test scores have fallen across the district for several years, even before COVID, the curriculum must be reviewed for its effectiveness. However, as a BoE member, I will be open to a root cause which indicates multiple issues may be driving the test score declines. There is shortened instruction time due to SEL (social-emotional learning) taking up class time, discipline policies, and societal issues such as cellphone distractions in class which may lead to the decline as well.

It may be the district is taking too wide of approach and trying to do TOO much leading to ineffective results as well. A wholistic approach to improve the test scores must be taken to bring the district back on track. A true root cause analysis involving teachers and staff, admin, parents and students must be done to really drive a sustainable improvement on the educational outcomes in our district.

Q: How do you view your role in confronting policy or curriculum controversies: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?

A: This is an area where the current board has failed. They do not address issues which are consistently brought up at the BoE meetings, nor do they show any interest in learning what is happening at the schools.

Constructive discussion about controversial issues is possible if done correctly with a goal to improve the situation. I will use my voice to support parents and staff who have issues even if I do not agree personally. We need to talk about the issues, even the ones which make us uncomfortable.

For example, bullying behavior is a consistent issue brought up in D158. The district needs to review how it handles these issues with the sensitivity they deserve. Communication is the key to the parents involved and understanding in many situations a higher level of discipline is warranted. We need to facilitate a discussion with the community at large so there is clear understanding of how the district will handle things. The board can help drive this to make it happen.

Q: Concerns are growing regarding a new resurgence of the pandemic. If another massive outbreak of infectious disease occurs, what have we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that will guide your decision making?

A: The question merits a review of how terrible the public response was during the pandemic. The decisions around education during the 20/21 school year were the worst public policies in over 50 years. It set back students academically and socially for many years according to The New York Times. Decisions cannot be made in a vacuum and must have an eye toward the mission of the district which is to educate children. Facts and risks must be discussed with an understanding of ensuring there are options for the different views of families and staff.

During 20-21, those with special needs were put into the worst situation of all. We cannot allow this to happen again. Not only do we have terrible test scores, we have a mental health crisis which has bloomed during this time. All of these issues were mentioned at the time, but were largely ignored by the decision-makers in the district, the county and the state. To handle things better, we need a board which is open to exploring options.

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions of your school board.

A: I have negotiated contracts with some of the biggest companies in the world. My work is collaborative in nature, and I often must work through controversial issues and find an acceptable resolution. This will be true in a school board setting as well. The key is to understand the shared goals of the parties and work toward a win-win solution. At times it may not be easy but keeping focus on the shared vision is the best way to come to an amicable solution.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: I have an engineering degree, an MBA and run the North American site for an international company. This experience gives me the ability to understand financial items, human resources, technology and handle the unexpected.

Most of all, I have been visibly involved for many years in Huntley D158 on a wide range of issues and believe public education is important for all of us. Unlike the current board, I am comfortable speaking up even if it is not a popular thing to say. We need to have diversity of thought on our board to work toward the best solutions. The current board is silent and votes unanimously on most issues. Unlike others, I have zero conflicts of interest from a business or personal perspective. I have educated myself over the past three years on most of the current school issues where many candidates and incumbents are either silent or single issue focused. My understanding of the district issues and my work experience makes me the best candidate for the district.

Q: What's one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?

A: The district has a growing employee turnover and hiring problem. We need to use Indeed and LinkedIn, not just the website and signs on several extra buses littered throughout the district. The turnover metrics should be visible in the BoE agenda. We should pay for student teaching and have competitive initial salaries to bring in the best talent.

We need to reduce our wasteful funding on things like electric buses and use this money on the student-facing aides, teachers, and bus drivers. With the falling enrollment in the district for the past 5 years which will continue for the next 5 years due to demographic trends, we can address the teacher/staff salary issues, focus on academics and hold the property taxes.

We will not spend on frivolous items and over staff the administration of the district. We will bring the focus back to where it belongs - recruiting and keeping the best and the brightest teachers to help our students rebound from the academic decline in the district.