Election 2013: Margaret McGrath for D-207 Board

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Name: Margaret C. McGrath

Position sought: Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education, four-year term.

Campaign contact information. Please include any or all of the following: website, email address, phone number, Facebook page, Twitter account, mailing address, etc.

Email: margaret.c.mcgrath@gmail.com

Age:  54

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): Married, three children. Two Maine South High School graduates and one current Maine South High School student.

Education Include degree(s) and school(s):

B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics, B.A. in Economics, Loyola University of Chicago

J.D. and LL.M., The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL

Occupation: Attorney

Political Party: N/A

Official name of your campaign committee (if you have one):  N/A

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

Incumbent Board Member, Maine Township District 207 High School, elected in 2009

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

I have extensive experience in contracts, employee benefits, and employee relations matters in my professional life.

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

Ensuring the long-term financial health of the District, providing a quality education for all students, and implementing policies that will provide a safe environment for all students.

What are the most important issues facing Maine Township High School District 207 and what would you do as a member of the board of education to address them?

The most important issue the District faces is the unknown financial challenges that may come from changes at the state level.  Further reductions in state financial payments and increases in pension costs could negatively impact the District and its core mission to provide a quality education for all students. This is the most important issue because we cannot control it, but we must deal with the impact. I would address this by making sure that the District maintains a strong financial position; we must have reserves and strong fund balances so that we can deal with whatever happens without negatively impacting students and without going to the taxpayers with a referendum.

Why did you choose to run for D-207’s board of education?

I think that giving back to the community is important.

D-207 and Maine West High School are involved in litigation and investigations into bullying and hazing, and the district has begun implementing new policies and systems to address this issue. What would you do, if elected, as a member of D-207’s board of education to address bullying and hazing at the high schools?

Hazing is not condoned by District 207 but some traditions and practices that could constitute hazing have lurked in the shadows.  The district must be proactive and shine a spotlight on those traditions and practices. It must help all stakeholders, including board members, administrators, teachers, coaches, other staff, students, and parents, recognize behavior can rise to the level of hazing and what they must do when they are aware of such behavior. The District should have ongoing training for all employees and students. There should be a way to report an issue anonymously and it should be available to everyone. I would propose that any potential hazing issue be investigated by a dedicated team that includes at least one person from each school. Finally, the District must consistently discipline those who foster or promote any kind of hazing, whether they do it actively by participating in the hazing or inactively by ignoring a practice they should know is wrong, because every member of the staff and all of the students have a responsibility for making District 207 a safe place to learn.

D-207 recently voted to approve a $1-million tax abatement for taxpayers in the district. If elected to D-207’s board, what would your position be on similar tax abatements, the tax levy and expenditures on staffing?

The tax abatement is a conservative way of giving back to taxpayers.  It does not impact our ability to raise funds in the future and I would support continued use of this method until we have a better understanding of the possible changes in state funding and changes in pension costs.  I don’t support deficit spending for short-term popularity and will not support it until we can be sure that the long-term financial health of the district is secure.

Why would you do a better job representing D-207 than your opponents?

I am always willing to go the extra mile and delve into issues so that I can understand them thoroughly and I look for solutions from among the best ideas that I see implemented in a global company.