Dist. 39 Candidates Address Referendum at Forum

Four candidates running for the three open spots on the District 39 school board held a question and answer session with the League of Women Voters on Sunday.

The candidates had the opportunity to give introductory and closing statements, as well as took questions from residents during the forum hosted at Village Hall. Election hopefuls include current board president Keith Dronen, current vice president Karen Donnan, Alice Schaff and independent challenger Laurie Stogin. 

Of particular interest was the issue of placed on the April 5 ballot, which would help raise roughly $6.4 million to cover the district's deficit. If passed, the referendum would translate to a "tax increase of $58.80 per $1,000 in total property taxes paid" to stabilize the budget and avoid significant cuts to school administration in Wilmette public schools. While all of the candidates agreed on the importance of passing the initiative, they disagreed on what to do if the measure fails.

Stogin was adamant that the teacher-to-student ratio should not be affected.

"We must not increase class size," she said. "And we still need to reign in spending. If it's handled responsibly, we wouldn't have to come to the community for a second referendum in a few years."

Stogin was also concerned about spending, which she said has skyrocketed 30 percent over the last four years. Stogin also explained how her previous experience as a teacher meant that she would be a true representative during the collective bargaining, even it that meant sacrificing teachers' pay for students' well-being. 

"I will stand up for the children in the collective bargaining process, should the need arise, as tricky as that can get," Stogin said.

However, the other candidates regretfully admitted that everything but classroom services had already been cut. 

"If the referendum fails, there's no way to balance the budget without impacting the classroom," Donnan said, pointing to the fact that 80 percent of the budget goes to staff salaries. "We've cut the fat. there's nothing left o cut except what affects classes."

Meanwhile Alice Schaff agreed. 

"Increasing class sizes is not something anyone wants to do," Schaff said, imagining a scenario in which the referendum didn't pass. "It's a double whammy. Class size increases, and there's a loss of support."

Other highlights from Sunday's event include the following questions:

1. Was withdrawing from the Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) a good idea?

• Stogin: "Spending for special education has gone up almost $2 million since we left NSSED." She recommended looking at the cost-effectiveness of rejoining.
• All three of the other candidates supported the decision.

2. Would you consider Gov. Quinn's call for the consolidating school districts in Wilmette?

• All candidates said it was something that should be considered, with special attention to any potential curriculum changes.

3. How do you measure and reward teaching excellence?

• Stogin: " I would love to take a good, hard look at merit pay." She said it's important to consider many perspectives, including test scores, students' response and parents' feelings about teachers. 
• Donnan: "It's important that we hold teachers accountable, and we do." She said good teachers could be rewarded by helping write curriculum.
• Dronen: "Not all of the ways you reward teachers are financial." He suggested giving teachers extra influence on committees to steer future academic choices.
• Schaff: "One of the ways to measure teacher performance is to measure students' success." She suggested evaluations of how well students are prepared both academically and socially for high school. 

4. What is the role of the District 39 board in the revision of curriculum.

• All four candidates agreed that the district's job was to hire a capable superintendent who would then make curriculum suggestions to be approved by the board.

5. With collective bargaining in mind, is there the right proportion of salaries across feeder districts?

• Stogin: "Unfortunately, we have the lowest mean income of the feeder districts. We have to stay within the means our district can provide."
• Donnan: "We need to offer teachers comparable salaries to other districts."
• Dronan: "When the new contract comes up in 2013, we'll look at the financial situation at the time." He said the last contract from 2008 was drafted during different economic times to make salaries more competitive.
• Schaff: "We need to develop a structure that is within our means, while still retaining a good teachers and providing stability for the staff." 

6. What's your philosophy on technology in elementary schools?

• All the candidates agreed that "technology was here to stay" and that students must be trained thoroughly, as technology now pervades all elements of learning. However, Stogin stressed the need for caution in adopting technology just for technology's sake and urged the board to consider the cost first. 

7. If the referendum fails,  will you reduce the number of teachers?

• Stogin was adamant that class size not be affected. Instead, she suggested taking a look at the support personnel and special education services.
• The other three agreed that all the cuts had been made that could be without increasing class size. 

8. What skills do our students need to be prepared to progress into New Trier high school?

• Stogin advocated paying special attention to core subjects—writing and math—and foreign language.
• Donnan: "We need to pass the referendum so that students go in on a level playing field as all of the other New Trier feeder students will."
• Dronen stressed incorporating global ideas, social responsibility and technology as a continuous knowledge tool.
• Schaff supported the referendum by sang, "Having the money to educate our children for the future is what we should be doing."

As the March 8 voter registration deadline nears, Wilmette's League of Women Voters will host another two forums featuring Village Board and Park District hopefules on March 6. Also check out the LWV's voter's guide here.