CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Candidate:  Christopher J. Spanos          Position Sought:  School Board - Pekin School District 108

1.  Why are you seeking this office?

As a parent of four children I have an interest in securing the best possible education for my children.  However, as residents of Pekin we all have an interest in ensuring the best possible education for all of our children.  Doing so is a critical step in providing our children with the solid foundation they need to become successful adults equipped with the necessary tools to become contributing members of our community.  The Board's decisions affect the future of our children and our community, and we must ensure that the process through which these decisions are made is reasonable and logical, and that all decisions are made for the right reason: the best interest of educating our children.  I am seeking election to the Board so that I may contribute to this vital process.

I have been fortunate to have served on the District 108 Board as an appointed replacement for Jeff Brooks for the past 14 months.  It has truly been my privilege to serve, and I would appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve after the April 17th election.  I believe that I have had a positive influence on the Board by bringing a calm, reasonable influence to issues that have been sometimes ripe with emotion and controversy.  I believe that the issues considered by the Board are deserving of a careful, diligent and well-reasoned process, and it is my sincere hope to lead the Board in that direction. It is my desire to continue to serve the people of Pekin, and assist the Board of Education in working toward making our school district as strong and productive as possible.

2.  What are your qualifications for this office?

I was born and raised in Central Illinois, the second of six children.  Following high school I attended Illinois Valley Community College for two years, and then spent five years in the United States Navy.  I was stationed in Groton, Connecticut, aboard the fast attack submarine the USS Dace.  After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1988, I returned to Illinois where I worked three jobs to put myself through school, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Illinois State University in 1990.  While at ISU I met my wife, the former Julia Crabtree.  Julia is a 1987 graduate of PCHS and she and her family are life-long residents of Tazewell County.  We were married in 1991.

I worked for Pekin Insurance after graduation from ISU, leaving in 1992 to attend law school.  In May of 1995, I graduated magna cum laude from Valparaiso University School of Law.  Julia and I returned to Pekin following graduation, and have lived here ever since.  We have four children ages 12, 9, 6 and 3.  My three oldest children are students in District 108, and my wife is special education teacher at Dirksen Primary.  From 1999 to 2003, I served on Pekin Fire and Police Commission, serving a chair from 2002-2003.  I have been a member of the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion and Kiwanis.  I have also volunteered for the McLean County United Way, and the Illinois Special Olympics.

Currently, I am a partner in the Peoria law office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.  My practice is focused primarily on civil litigation matters, including insurance coverage and defense, tort liability, product liability, and commercial litigation.  A more detailed professional resume is available at www.hinshawlaw.com.

I believe that my professional and educational background would make me a valuable asset to the Board.  I have experience in negotiations and dispute resolution.  I am familiar with the law and statutes applicable to the District, the Board, and the business conducted by the Board.  My work as an attorney and manager for two large corporate entities has instilled in me a rational, logical approach to decision making.  The decisions made by the Board affect not only the current students and teachers, but also the students and teachers who will come to the district years after the decision is made.  Therefore, it is important that these decisions be based on the relevant facts, and that the outcome be the result of a rational process.  The decision making process should include a balancing of personal and emotional interests of the people affected by the decision, but remain grounded in good business practice.  I feel that this recognition and commitment to a reasonable decision making process is the most important asset I bring to Board.

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

As noted above, I am a partner in the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, a national law firm of over 400 attorneys.  I have also worked as a manager in the claim department of COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services, overseeing a 32-person department with a budget of over three million dollars, and revenues in excess of $30 million.

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

Yes.  I grew up in a labor family.  My father and all three of my brothers are members of labor unions, as is my brother-in-law.  As an attorney I have represented clients in cases involving labor issues, primarily representing management in these cases.  I have also a member of the team that recently completed negotiations on the new contract with the teacher's and staff at 108.

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

It is well understood that for many families looking to settle in a new community, the strength of the school system is an important consideration.  When selecting a place to live parents generally look to provide their children with the best possible education, and the reputation of the prospective school system is often a major factor in selecting a new home.  Therefore, a community's commitment to quality education can attract people looking to relocate.  This growth can lead to economic growth which is clearly in the best interest of both the education and business community.  Therefore, to aid in this growth the district must demonstrate its commitment to quality education.

To promote growth, the district should commit to providing the best possible learning environment given its available funds.  This can be accomplished by ensuring that the district's funds are invested prudently in the resources necessary to maximize student achievement.  These resources include hiring the best possible administrators, teachers and staff, providing students with competitive texts and technology, and ensuring that the learning environment is as conducive to academic success as is practical.  This, of course, requires that the district manage its funds prudently, and balance the various needs of the students with the economic constraints of the district.  Doing so effectively will help ensure that the district is doing what it can to support continued growth.

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?

Communication is the key to ensuring a strong and healthy relationship between the businesses community and the District.  The district must stay in touch with the concerns of the business community, and the businesses must be able to trust that the decisions be made by the district are sound, well-reasoned, business decisions that will positively affect the district and the community.  Regular meetings with business leaders are held, and Dr. White chairs the Chamber's marketing committee, and is a member of the Chamber's board.  This involvement should continue when the new superintendent is selected.  In addition, the district should continue to publicly support the efforts of the Chamber to enhance the economic development of the community.

I believe that partnerships between district and the business sector should be explored and pursued at every opportunity.  Some of this already occurs, but we should continue to develop additional opportunities for local businesses to show their support of the district, and likewise, the district to continue to support local businesses.  These partnerships will allow the businesses involved to be more attached and invested in the schools, and give them an opportunity to invest directly in the future of our children.  In return the district should make every effort to support the local businesses whenever possible.

I would also invite local business owners to the monthly school board meetings, and make them aware that the Board is interested in hearing what is important to them, and sharing ideas on how we can accomplish our mutual and respective goals.  I support any actions that can open the enhance lines of communication between the Chamber, local business, and the district.

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

The mission of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote growth in the Pekin area.  District 108's mission is to provide a quality education to its children.  A quality education system can clearly help attract and retain residents and businesses, which should in turn lead to greater economic growth.  Therefore, one way for the Chamber to accomplish its stated purpose is to promote and support the efforts of the district.

The greater question, however, is how to best implement this strategy of cooperation?  The answer seems to be that the Chamber, local businesses and school leaders must diligently look for ways to foster and support the efforts of one another, and to develop a strong, thriving community.  By promoting and supporting the district's efforts and initiatives, the Chamber and the business organization's help make Pekin a better place to live.  This draws people to Pekin, which in turn leads to economic growth.  Such efforts as the Marigold Festival, and the media campaigns conducted by the Chamber help to display Pekin's many attributes.  These activities help to display the community, and its schools, in a favorable light.  These efforts have a continuing positive effect on the district.

8.  What are your thoughts on school district consolidation?

The current statute provides that the question of whether 108 may consolidate with 303 may not be placed on a ballot unless approved by all of the feeder districts.  The remaining feeder districts have not agreed, and therefore, this issue is moot for the time being.  However, should the issue arise again I strongly believe that it should be analyzed like every other issue relating to the district, and that any decision should be based on a well-informed, rational evaluation of the relevant facts.

If this issue comes up again for Board consideration, the matter should be evaluated based on two criteria:  1) is it in the best interest of the children, and 2) is it economically (fiscally) prudent.  If it can be shown that consolidation will result in a clear educational advantage to the children of the district, and that the decision makes sense from an economic standpoint, I would whole-heartedly support the effort to consolidate.  However, the available information on this issue is to the contrary.

The State of Illinois has informed the boards of 108 and 303 that there is no evidence that the academic achievement will improve with consolidation.  There is likewise no evidence that the cost of running the districts would be decreased.  In fact, the available information suggests that there would be neither a clear academic nor economic advantage.  Most sources have concluded that although there may be some short-term economic relief, there is no guarantee this relief will survive the first few years of consolidation.  Other studies find that in larger, consolidated districts (such as the one proposed here) there is a risk that the lower grades may be neglected in favor of the upper grades.  These findings do not support consolidation.

Some have argued that a study should be performed.  I believe that given the state of the law such a study, one that would be very costly, should not be conducted until such time as the law and circumstances suggest that consolidation is possible.  Until that happens, spending money on the study appears to be a waste of taxpayer resources for no apparent gain.  For the present time the available information suggests that the benefits claimed by consolidation supporters will simply not be there in the end.  Therefore, unless this information changes, I do not support consolidation.

9.  What are your thoughts about James Field?

I was initially in favor of selling James Field as I believed it to be a prudent business decision.  However, after hearing the overwhelming community outcry against the sale, I removed my support and made the motion that the Board form an ad-hoc committee to study options for the use of the field and alternative sources of revenue.  Based on the input from the public and the work of the ad-hoc committee, I now support the proposed lease of the field to the Pekin Park District.

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 currently enjoys a surplus of approximately $8 million.  This surplus exists due mainly to the efforts of the administration and Board in making cuts and avoiding expenses over the past few years.  While this number sounds very large, there is always a great deal of uncertainty regarding federal and state funding of education, and some of the cuts, like text books and technology, cannot go on forever.  At this time I do not believe that additional cuts are necessary.  However, if the financial forecast should change, or the expected income does not materialize, additional cuts may become necessary.

If cuts must be made I support the philosophy of "things first" implemented by the district in the past.  While I believe that the use of current books and technology are critical to a quality education, maintaining or decreasing class size is even more important.  Therefore, if cuts become necessary I would support looking for objects in the budget, rather than people, to cut first.  If cutting people becomes an absolute necessity, after all other options are explored, the board should then work with the association and the administration to determine where the cuts would be made, and to ensure that the cuts made have the least possible impact on the quality of the education provided.  It is my sincere hope that this never happens.

I believe that we need to spend more on books and technology and the infrastructure supportive of a successful academic environment.  I also believe that it is important that we have as many teachers and para-professionals as possible in the classroom with our children.  The money to purchase new books and technology must come from the expected revenue through the year, and should not be taken from the current reserves.  The funding for air conditioning the buildings will come from a combination of existing account balances, cash and reserves.  I am opposed to raising property taxes unless absolutely necessary.

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

The School Board through its members represent the people of the community in which the school district lies.  The Board is charged with providing general direction to the administration in the form of long-term goals, core values, and creating a shared vision of what the academic expectations of the system should be.  The Board is also charged with evaluating the district's progress toward our shared goals, evaluating the success and failure of the system, and overseeing the business decisions of the district.  The individual Board member should be expected to support these goals with a rational, well-reason approach, adhere to the ethical and moral standards applicable to the office, and be a positive contributor to the process.

A school board member's primary purpose should always be to provide for the community's children the best possible education within the economic limitations of the district.  Personal agenda, political motivation and emotional issues, although often present in some form or another, should not drive the deliberation of any issue. In my opinion, the board member should evaluate every question based on two, simple criteria: 1) is it in the best interest of the children; and 2) is it financially prudent. If the answer is affirmative in both cases there is no reason not to act.

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

As I have stated throughout this survey, I feel it is imperative that a school board make every decision based on a rational, well-reasoned analysis of the issues presented.  To accomplish this end, two basic criteria should be applied to every question presented to the Board:  1) is the decision in the best interest of the student(s); and 2) is the decision financially prudent.  My primary goal is to encourage the Board to follow this process in its decision making at all times, and to always put the interests of the students and children of Pekin first.

My second priority is closely related to the first.  An effective and cohesive school board is clearly in the best interest of the students of 108.  Over the past few years there has often been a public perception of dissension and turmoil within the District 108 Board.  Although I believe that this situation has greatly improved over the past year or so, there remains room for improvement.  To address this situation the Board must continue to examine the manner in which it deals with adversity, and how we communicate with each other.  This will not be an easy task, but I believe it is important to the continued success of the District that we make every effort to improve, and instill public confidence in the Board.

A third priority is to continue to update the texts and technology used within the classroom.  I would like to encourage the use of grants to the extent possible, and look for additional ways (non-tax methods) to raise funds to support this process.  But in the end it is imperative that our text books and technology be updated, and that we give our children the tools they need to be successful.

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

I believe that the District is currently in a very interesting state right now.  The recent resignation of Dr. White and current search for his replacement, the contract with the teachers, the looming retirements of many of our capable and experienced staff, and the controversies over James Field and consolidation present real challenges to the Board.  I believe that if at the end of my term we have a capable, effective superintendent to replace Dr. White, that we have replaced our retiring teachers with effective, qualified new teachers, that the clouds of controversy have dissipated, and the overall test scores of our students have continued to rise while the tax rate stays the same, my time on the Board will have been a success.