Election 2013: David J. Lamb, Geneva School Board

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DAVID J. LAMB — GENEVA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE
(8 candidates, four seats)

Name: David J. Lamb

Position Sought: Board member for Geneva Community Unit School District 304

Campaign Contact Information: Davidlamb2@aol.com; C 630-207-5003; H 630-208-7302

Family Members: Wife, Julie Lamb, and sons, Matt, 19, and Mark, 15

Education:

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S. in Finance, 1986
• DePaul University, Accounting Coursework, 1988-1989
• Passed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam and Series 7 and 24 licensed

Current Occupation and Employer: Senior Vice-President, Nuveen Investments

Mutual fund product management and development for a firm that manages roughly $220 billion in assets for shareholders.  Nuveen is a leading municipal bond manager with over $90 billion in municipal assets under management, so I have extensive knowledge of municipal public finance.

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

The School District’s debt service obligation is scheduled to grow to such a level over the next five years that addressing this issue by setting an aggressive plan to pay down debt will be my highest priority. If not addressed aggressively, the weight of this debt load could cause long-term issues for the district, and potentially harm the ability to deliver the academic excellence that the community has come to expect. We cannot allow this to happen.      

Why are you seeking office?     

I am seeking a position on the Geneva School Board because I am very interested in seeing our schools maintain and expand their educational excellence for the benefit of current and future generations of Geneva children. I believe I have specific skills including financial and leadership skills that would benefit the Geneva School District. A part of me feels as though I owe it to the community to get involved, because I truly believe I can do a good job as a board member for the benefit of our community and children.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?   

I believe my professional work experience for a firm that is a leader in the municipal bond market gives me a unique set of skills that can help the board address the district’s debt challenges. In addition to very specific skills related to municipal debt, I have years of experience understanding complex financial matters including modeling and analytics related to financial budgets and forecasts.          

What is your top accomplishment of the past four years?     

I have had many professional accomplishments over the past four years, and while those are important to me, they are not my top accomplishment. If you were to ask my wife, Julie, this same question, I believe she would provide the same answer as her top accomplishment over the last four years. We are both proud of our two sons, and we believe we have raised well-balanced, smart, kind boys who have strong values. While our job as parents will continue, we are proud of the job we have done so far. Being a good parent to my sons is my top accomplishment.
  
Describe your leadership style and how it will apply to your term in office.   

My leadership style is based upon an ability to build consensus amongst various parties involved in tough decisions. I believe in dialogue and engaging various parties in the decision process. I believe my previous leadership opportunities have reflected hard work, strong organization abilities, high character, and respectful approach. I believe if you follow those general principles then you will be an effective leader.         
    
What do you think are the top three challenges facing School District 304 today?     

As mentioned above, the top challenge of the district is the size of the current and future debt service obligation.

The second challenge is the risk that the district becomes satisfied with current academic achievements. I believe we need to raise academic achievement expectations for the district.

Finally, the recent contract negotiations created some tensions within the community that could cause future issues if we do not proactively try to repair any divides that remain between teachers and the community. We need to ensure that community involvement and support for our schools remains high.
  
If elected, how would you address those top three challenges?  

As mentioned above, I would seek to reduce debt outstanding by using reserves more aggressively.

As a district, I believe we need to raise the expectations for success. I have read the District’s goals, and while they are well crafted, they avoid any concrete measures of success. I believe we need to set specific educational goals and measure annually against these goals. Achieving future goals will require strong leadership from the School Board, administration, and teachers. Clearly defining goals that can be measured is important, but having a strong and dynamic leadership effort throughout the district will be essential to educational success.

Strong leadership begins with the board, and I believe the one skill I have and can bring to the board is the ability to lead and inspire others to perform.
The board can play an important role in building back potentially declining community support. The board does this by increasing the transparency in which it conducts School District business, allowing for and encouraging board member dialogue on important issues at meetings, and engaging community input into critical decisions facing the district.  

Issue 1: What will you do to address School District 304 debt?        

The district has refunded bonds over the last several years with budget surpluses in the education fund over certain amounts. These actions have helped contain and smooth some of the future increases to the annual debt service obligation.  I would continue refunding bonds to reduce the overall debt service, but would tilt towards a more aggressive use of fund reserves to pay down outstanding debt. As of the 2012 fiscal year-end, the district’s governmental fund reserve balances were roughly 60% of revenues. I would recommend developing a plan to draw down reserves more aggressively, potentially to the 30% level, and use these monies to pay down additional debt whenever there is a net savings to the district.

Issue 2: What will you do to hold the line on property tax increases?        
In order to limit property tax increases associated with the School District, cost containment, delaying certain expenditures, and indentifying additional budget cuts/efficiencies remains a high priority in the current climate. These initiatives are only part of the story and the real driver of potential tax increases relates to the projected $8 million increase in debt service obligations over the next five years. Debt service falls outside of the levy process so it is not a part of the board’s levy decision. Aggressively paying down debt where possible needs to be a high priority and would directly help limit future tax increases.

Issue 3: How would you approach collective bargaining in the next teachers union negotiations?

To assist with future contract negotiations, I believe it is important for the district to engage employee groups in regular updates on the overall economic climate, competitive marketplace for employee services, and the financial health of the district. Having a common understanding of these factors prior to contract negotiations may help manage each side’s expectations prior to entering a negotiation. The recent teacher’s contract calls for the board and Teachers Association to establish a Joint Salary Study Group to address the issue of future compensation for teachers. I believe the work of this group can provide a solid base for future negotiations and help provide a fair recommendation to the board and association. Again, fair and competitive should be evaluated in the context of the factors I mentioned above — overall economy, financial health of district, and employee’s performance.

Issue 4: Outline what you think should be done with the Coultrap property during the next four years. Be specific.

The decision regarding the future of the Coultrap property was recently decided by the current board. I would anticipate that prior to the demolition of the building, a recovery of all significant and historical items will occur. I expect the property will be a well maintained green space over the foreseeable future until a need for more high school space occurs.
       
Issue 5: What do you think should be done with the Fourth Street property during the next four years? Please be specific.  

Fourth Street should continue to be used as the district’s administrative offices. My understanding is that there is sufficient space in the building to support the current administrative needs.   
     
Issue 6: What would you do to address the issue of enrollment bubbles in School District 304?

Overall enrollment figures for the district have remained flat or have slightly declined over the last five years, so the bubbles that are in question relate to specific grade levels within certain schools. The question of re-zoning within the district is always a tough question. I believe the current initiative under way is the right process in that the community is being engaged with forums while delivering information to those families. The outcome of the process should be one that disrupts the least amount of families while providing equitable enrollments by school.     
  
Issue 7: Is School District 304 as transparent as it should be? Why or why not?

The School District has made significant strides in becoming more transparent over the last five years or so. The district’s website is one way in which information, studies, presentations, and financial information has been made more transparent to the community. As a regular attendee of School Board meetings and forums, I tend to believe dialogue amongst board members seems a bit muted, especially when major decisions are addressed. In my opinion, robust, spirited, and open debate in a collegial way should be encouraged at board meetings.
      
Issue 8: What do you think of the so-called "Enrollmentgate" issue? Should it be further investigated?        

Using the most accurate estimate of future enrollments should always be the way the district conducts its business for all initiatives that require enrollment projections. An independent demographer’s enrollment projection should be the baseline used by the district. If the district has specific information not available to the professional demographer and feels it is appropriate to adjust enrollment projections either up or down, then this is a material item that should be documented in detail. I would expect deviations away from a professional demographer’s projections to be an extremely rare occurrence. I do not see anything productive coming from a further investigation of this issue.

Issue 9: What do you think of the TaxFACTS citizens group? Has it been a help or hindrance to progress?  

I generally believe watchdog groups serve a purpose by providing a counter balance to elected bodies. In fact, I believe watchdog groups can cause elected bodies to become better stewards of community and taxpayer interests. Watchdog groups help elevate discussions on important issues which tends to draw more community members to the discussion. To the extent that the TaxFACTS group has elevated the discussion within the community on important issues, then I believe they have provided a service to the community. There needs to be a balance, though, and anytime a watchdog group becomes an attack group then the mission of the group is undermined.     
     
Issue 10: How would you rate the performance of District 304 Superintendent Kent Mutchler?       

I have not worked with Dr. Mutchler in a professional capacity so it seems inappropriate for me to rate his individual performance. It is easy to observe how the district has performed in certain areas under his tenure, though, and from an educational perspective the district has performed relatively well compared to surrounding communities.

Issue 11: Would you be willing to spend more money on technology in schools? Why or why not?    

In my opinion, spending on technology is an ongoing expense of the district that needs to be part of the annual budget. I do not think we have a choice because the world of technology is constantly changing, and the way children learn involves more and more sophisticated technology. I believe we should provide appropriate technology for our children to succeed currently and in the future.    
   
Issue 12: Do you think educators and administrators in School District 304 are appropriately compensated? Why or why not?        

I believe the Geneva School District should pay a fair and competitive wage to its employees. I believe the determination of what is fair is tied to many factors including the overall economy, the financial health of the district, competitive marketplace for employees, and the performance of the various employee groups. I believe in the recent teacher’s contract negotiation both parties exercized their rights and mutually agreed to contract. Both parties participated in a free and open way and neither party was unduly coerced nor limited in making a free choice. Based upon those circumstances, I believe the district’s employees are appropriately compensated.   

Issue 13: What does School District 304 need to do to improve academic performance?

Raising expectations for all students and providing teachers with the appropriate tools and support is critical for raising the academic performance within the district. The process of setting expectations starts at an early age and is where we can improve. I believe helping parents understand the educational opportunities available to their children as they enter the School District is important. Giving young parents the knowledge and resources of how they can impact their child’s educational experience is critical. By arming young parents of children in the kindergarten through 3rd grade level with the knowledge of how they can interact with the School District, how they can be involved in the schools, how the district’s curriculum evolves throughout the process, and ultimately what opportunities Geneva students can expect following their Geneva educational experience can provide the essential foundation upon which we raise expectations for future success.

Issue 14: What are your thoughts on the Common Core curriculum and upcoming changes in ISAT evaluations?       

I generally believe the shift to common core standards is a positive for the future of our children. I believe the focus on providing clear, consistent, and measureable performance standards will help our children gain the knowledge and skills needed for future success in college and in their careers. One of the objectives of the common core standards is to provide more depth in the core subjects of reading, writing, math, and sciences. I am a very strong proponent of building a solid educational base in these core subjects during a child’s primary educational years. No matter what path a child chooses following their high school education, I believe they will be well served throughout their lives by having a strong background in these core subjects.   

Issue 15: Do you think sports or extracurricular activities should be on the table as possible budget cuts?

I am a strong proponent of children being involved in sports or extracurricular activities and would encourage every Geneva student to be involved in an extracurricular activity. So many lessons are learned from being involved in an activity that you cannot always get from a classroom.  Leadership, teamwork, commitment, and hard work are just a few of the lessons learned from these activities. I believe children benefit greatly in an emotional and social way by being involved in these activities. Passing along some additional costs for participants is always on the table but eliminating these activities altogether would not be something that I would support.

Please add any other information pertinent to your campaign.

No response.