Greg Smith: District 96 School Board Candidate

Name: Greg Smith

Age: 49

Family: Married over 25 years, 2 kids in District 96, ages 9 & 11

Education: B.S. Finance, Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Financial Planner

Occupation: Investment Manager

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: None

Other community involvement: Various activities, including District 96 5k Dash

Position sought: Board of Education

Campaign E-mail address: gwsmith262-D96@yahoo.com

Campaign committee: None

Campaign Website: None

Campaign Facebook: Change is Good for District 96

Campaign Twitter: None

Why are you running?

I believe change is good for our district. Our elected representatives have served enough years, and a new voice is needed. Most of the board does not have any children attending District 96. Although we have high educational standards, I think we can improve fiscally. D96 will be running a deficit next year, while our tax rates are among the highest in the consortium. I also believe we need improved transparency – so taxpayers can asked better questions and get a better understanding of our finances.

In what ways would the school district benefit from your service?

My background in finance will help serve the community to ensure our tax dollars are being better spent. Having children in school also allows me to be better connected to what is happening within our classrooms. 

What is the biggest challenge the school district faces and what should be done to address it?

Certainly the roll-out of the Common Core Standards has already been felt within the middle school. We need to focus our attention to ensure these standards are rolled out well across all levels. And of course, since District 96 will be running a deficit, financial policy will be critical to lower the burden of an eventual new levy to the taxpayer while keeping up our educational standards. 

What do you think the district does well?

The enthusiasm of the teachers and educators is just electrifying. It is a privilege to work with all of the educators in District 96.

What should be some of the school district’s priorities over the next four years?

• Ensure the Common Core Standards are rolled out effectively
• Improve Transparency to taxpayers, including webcasting board meetings and improved information on their website
• Address the financial shortfall

What else would you like voters to know?

According to the Illinois School Board of Education Report Card, since our last tax levy, our enrollment has decreased by over 8% while the number of teachers has increased by 6%. Over the past 6 years, our instructional expenditures per student have increased by 33%, while the pupil to administration ratio increases by 34%. Our district claims we’re getting top value for the tax dollar. But the fact of the matter is we aren’t.