Election 2013: Kim Barker

Campaign Info

• Position sought: School Board Member for Pleasantdale School District 107
• Residence: Willow Springs
• Website: www.d107focusforthefuture.com

Personal Info

• Family: Robert Barker, husband, 44; Ryan Barker, 13, 7th grade at Pleasantdale M.S.; Kevin Barker, 10, 5th grade at Pleasantdale M.S.
• Education: Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Millikin University
• Occupation: Vice President of Marketing at Collaborative Marketing Group Inc. 

Candidate Questions

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position:

I have 18 years of business experience working with Fortune 500 clients, with a background in marketing/advertising, management, finance, research, and public relations. I have served on the Parent Advisory Committee for Grading and Reporting at Pleasantdale.  I have also served on the Pleasantdale Little League Board for the last two seasons to help drive the direction of the league including developing and gathering feedback from all families to implement improvements.

Lastly, I have been diligent in attending Pleasantdale School Board meetings over the last 2+ years to learn as much as possible about our district and how it functions and have attended other school district board meetings to help form a comparison.

Why are you running for this office?

The primary reason I am running for D107 School Board is to develop a clear Focus for the Future.  The school board is responsible for driving the direction of the district, both through the curriculum and through financial decision-making.

D107’s strategic plan dates back to 2002; we have evolved as a district and a community over the last 11 years and it is time to build upon the foundation that was established by previous school board members.  We have significant challenges ahead, such as preparing our curriculum, students and teachers for the Common Core Standards approaching in 2014-2015. In today’s society, children must be well-rounded, critical thinkers who interact well with people from various backgrounds, cultures and countries.  I want to be involved in the decision-making process that will ultimately turn the students of Pleasantdale into our country’s leaders.  

Last, but my no means least, D107 needs stronger financial oversight by the board; we need to tighten the reigns on spending to ensure that every expenditure will drive a clear benefit for our children. 

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

My single most important priority when I get elected will be to develop a vision or Focus for the Future that creates a school district that is second to none, prepares our children to be successful in life and enhances the Pleasantdale community.  In order to do this, we need to look at improving 3 areas in the district: accountability, responsibility and transparency.  Accountability – Creating a stronger connection between the school board and the community by making the board more accessible and directly accountable to the residents of D107, as well as delivering a better return on our educational investments through increased fiscal decision-making.   Responsibility – Building on our strong foundation to deliver an even better education for the children of D107 , as well as being more responsible with our spending.  Transparency – Promoting greater visibility around decision-making and where we stand in comparison to other LT feeder schools.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

As in business, what sets me apart is that I am very goal-oriented, I take the time to do research to be educated about an issue or topic, I often ask the difficult questions to get to the root of an issue so I can ultimately deliver success and I am a firm believer in measuring ourselves against our competitive set, in this case other LT feeder schools.  These are the children that our Pleasantdale students will compete against at the next level and we need a greater awareness of where we stand, whether we are talking about curriculum, standardized test scores, sports programs, technology, etc.  I want Pleasantdale to be the best of the LT feeder schools, measured not only by standardized test scores, but also by satisfaction levels of our teachers, parents, and students, as well as an increase in our property values. 

How long have you lived in District 107? 

My family and I have been D107 residents for 12+ years.  We are very proud of our community and have volunteered much of our time to benefit the children of D107.

What do you believe is District 107’s biggest strength? 

I feel that our biggest strength is the Pleasantdale community. We are very fortunate to have wonderful residents who fund our schools and keep them running well through their significant property taxes.  We have strong families willing to spend time to ensure their children are excelling in school.  We have amazing teachers who are dedicated to the children of D107 and go the extra mile every day.  And we have beautiful facilities for our students to enjoy both in and around the schools, including the Pleasantdale Park District property that both schools use regularly.  It is an amazing example of how a community works together.

What do you believe is District 107’s biggest weakness? 

D107’s major weakness is a lack of a vision for the future of our district. I believe we need a clear focus in a board-led strategic plan (as our last was created in 2002); this plan will filter to the administration, teachers, curriculum and students.  It will be the driving force for taking us from a good school district to a great one.  A strategic planning process is cumbersome and would require D107 to take a hard look at their strengths and weaknesses in order to map clear, concise and measurable goals – it will be the roadmap for D107’s future success. 

In terms of a school district, how would you describe a board that is fiscally responsible? Does District 107 currently have a fiscally responsible board? 

I believe that a board that is fiscally responsible does the following:

• maintains one year of expenses in reserve
• reviews all major school expenditures and conducts a cost-benefit analysis on any new educational programs or expenses
• requires that the district’s significant vendor contracts go out to bid to ensure D107 is getting the highest quality service/products at the fairest price
• mandates grant applications where applicable to help offset taxpayer costs of major initiatives.

I do believe the current board has done a decent job of maintaining a budget surplus in D107.  Though after attending over 2 years of D107 school board meetings, it appears that they are a bit loose with the purse strings and are not as concerned about keeping costs low or expenses in check, because of the surplus.  My belief is that D107 could operate much more efficiently without impacting the education of our children. Some lapses in fiscal oversight worry me, such as:  D107 incurring Early Retirement Option (ERO) costs of $132,000 for an employee who retired without meeting the eligibility requirements; D107 has spent $40,000 over 2 years on a consultant and were receiving the same information from a testing company; legal fees to manage the board have increased from $900 in 2010 to $11,000 in 2013, and an Elementary School roofing plan which was budgeted at approximately $380,000, with estimates coming in at over $890,0000.  I also have not seen or heard of plans to tackle the unfunded pension liability of over $608,000 (check your most recent tax bill) or scenarios of how D107 will manage Illinois pension reform.