CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Candidate:  Richard W. Root          Position Sought:  School Board - Pekin School District 108

1.  Why are you seeking this office?

I have served the 108 BOE since 1991.  I want to continue to be involved in making the best educational opportunities available to the children of the Pekin community.  I truly believe that a successful school system is one of the most valuable assets that a community can offer to attract potential new business and residents.

2.  What are your qualifications for this office?

Having served the Elementary district for 16+ years, I have first-hand experience in the formulation of policies that respond to the mandates of the State of Illinois as well as the requirements of the federal Government.  I have worked side-by-side with Superintendents Parker, Soldwedel and the present Superintendent, Don White as they have taken the district to one of education recognition.  Much of this success has been with minimal access to the types of financial resources available to affluent school districts with gigantic tax bases.  District 108 has proven that additional dollars are not always equal to academic success; however, once achieved successes are not always sustainable without the assurance of reasonable educational funding streams.  I have the knowledge and energy to understand these concepts and I continue to be willing to volunteer my personal time to ensure this community has an educational system that meets the needs of Pekin.

3.  Have you ever owned or managed a business?  If yes, please explain.

I have a small business that I have operated since 1992.  I am engaged in an investigation services to attorneys and businesses.  Additionally, my wife also owns her own small business as an image consultant in addition to her regular employment.  I have been employed by the State of Illinois since 1995 and I have recently served as Chief Fiscal Officer for Illinois Correctional Industries; a division of the Illinois Department of Corrections.  This business operates on gross sales of $38M+ annually.  I am presently assigned to Department of Corrections Central Office Fiscal Operations where I am involved in procurement and budgetary responsibilities within a $1.3 Billion operation.

4.  Do you have any experience with labor relations?  If so, please explain.

I have completed Master's level study in Labor Relations/legal Studies at the University of Illinois.  I am completing my thesis in the study of Interest Based Bargaining/Problem Solving in public organizations.  I have also been responsible for handling of union grievance and arbitration preparation for the last 6 years.  I am presently engaged as one of two facilitators in present negotiations between District 108 and the Educational Association of Pekin.

5.  What role, if any, do you believe the school district should play in the attraction of new residents to Pekin?

District 108 is no different that any other school district in a community that aspires to attract new residents and business growth.  A solid school district is a main reason that young parents choose to settle in a particular community.  The realtors of Pekin have developed a comprehensive DVD offering that is shown to prospective homebuyers.  Pekin 108 schools have proudly been an integral depiction of the quality of life that this community has to offer.  I am eager to remain involved in maintaining and building on that relationship.

6.  Given that one of the critical elements in business retention and attraction is the quality of the local educational system, what would you do to develop the relationship between the education and business communities?

District 108 the local Pekin business still have some distance to travel to partner for growth opportunities.  I have suggested before that businesses should explore "school partnerships" as a means of getting business leaders into the individual schools to observe "education in action".  The "story" of our educational achievement is told in segmented bytes that often fade as quickly as the newsprint.  If we are serious about exploring the true economic potential of what sound schools can offer, we should form permanent relationships that take business into the classroom and classrooms to businesses to make it a bi-directional learning opportunity.

7.  What do you see as the role of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations in local education?

Businesses, through the Chamber, have to become more involved in the current issues facing local schools.  State mandates, inequality of funding, regressive property tax structuring are issues that affect not just education, but business and the quality of life of the community as well.  There is a direct benefit to business to attract new industries, employees and residents to this community because of the need to purchase goods and services that Pekin business has to sell.

8.  What are your thoughts on school district consolidation?

In 1998, as board president of District 108, I attempted to gather all feeder districts to High School District 303 (Pekin) to engage in exploring the consolidation question.  I became quickly apparent (as it is now) that not all feeder districts were interested in moving forward with that idea.  Now we have legislation that was designed to permit less than all feeder districts in a catchment area to consolidate.  However, the legislation is flawed in that it does not permit consolidation of 108 and 303 without either: all districts approving the question, or, each potential consolidation sub district to present petitions of at least 50 voters of each district stating that they want to consolidate.  With those district boards and Superintendents already stating their opposition, the question is not likely to proceed.  Additionally, state law, as it is now written, mandates that the potential tax liability of each district, whether it wants to consolidate or not, must be examined to discover the potential impact.  In our case, it means that 31 potential tax scenarios must be examined and presented to the public before the petition to consolidate can go before the regional Superintendent of Schools.  Lastly, the legislation has never been done in a "hybrid" for which is what 108 and 303 would be considered.  There is a potential that districts having no children involved in the consolidation, could potentially be taxed for transportation and tort immunity liabilities of the "hybrid" consolidation.  This means the potential of court review has yet to be considered and is very likely to be pursued.

9.  What are your thoughts about James Field?

Without reservation, I will hold the board's decision not to sell as the final word.  District 108, at the February 26 meeting, will propose an intergovernmental agreement with Pekin Park District that will take the recommendations of the James Field Options Committee and set the development into action as a green space available to all residents of the community.

10.  What are your thoughts about the school district's current finances?  Are there opportunities to cut expenses?  Specifically, where are those opportunities?  Are there areas where spending needs to be increased?  Specifically, where does spending need to increase and where would that money come from?

The district, over the last 5 years has reduced expenditures over $10 million.  We have gone from elimination of programs, elimination of items not essential to core education to staff that are ore to the educational process.  Yet, in almost every area, we have achieved outstanding results earning National Blue Ribbon status for two schools.  However, we cannot maintain this level of success and achievement and maintain the response to State mandates that remain un-funded.  There has to be a realistic and sustained effort in the legislature to vamp the regressive school funding mechanism that places the majority of school funding on the backs of the local property tax payers.  Spending increases need to be made in curriculum and textbook upgrades.  As the world changes on a daily basis, so must our teaching content and textbooks to reflect an accurate picture of the world community.  These dollars will have to share priorities within the existing level of available dollars.  There is little present hope that the State will ever come close to its Constitutional mandate to provide 50% of the funding for our schools.

11.  What do see as the role of a school board member?

School Board members have legal authority to act only within the parameters of a duly called meeting under the laws of the Illinois School Code.  The Board is a policymaking body that directs the global actions of the district.  The Board has but one true employee, and that is the Superintendent, which is the CEO counterpart of private business.  Board members are laypeople elected to represent all constituents of the community including citizenry, business, parents, students, staff and taxpayers of the community they serve.

12.  If elected, what would be your top three priorities?

1.  Finding a replacement for the Superintendent.  Dr. White has announced his intent to leave the district at the conclusion of the current school year.  We need to look both inside and outside the district for resources that will continue the progress that Dr. White has made.

2.  Make sure that the buildings of the 1960's and 1970's continue to meet life-safety requirements set by the state.  Many of these buildings are beyond the designed life expectancy and are in need of major infrastructure improvements to maintain safe environments for our children and staff.

3.  Maintain the educational progress that 108 has made in the last 4 years.  Both teachers and students have been challenged by tougher academic and certification standards set by State and Federal authorities.  These successes will continue to be an enticement for business and families to locate to our community.

13.  At the end of your term in office, how will you know if you've been successful?

To see a record of continuous student achievement, to see a community able to look to 108 schools as a community resource and to see that families identify and choose this community as a place to locate and raise their children.