David Herndon, Lyons Township High School Candidate

LA GRANGE, IL — David Herndon is one of seven candidates for three seats on the Lyons Township High School board. Here are his responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

David Herndon

Town of residence:

LaGrange

Age:

55

Campaign contact email:

David@DavidHerndonLTHS204.com

Campaign website:

DavidherndonLTHS204.com

Family:

I grew up in LaGrange and Graduated from LT in 1986. I have lived in LaGrange with my wife and two daughters since 2000.

Both of my children have attended Lyons Township High School and La Grange District 105 schools:

• Both started and graduated from Seventh Avenue Elementary and Gurrie Middle School in district 105

• My youngest graduated from LTHS in 2022 and is currently a freshman at the University of Kentucky, where she majors in STEM education with a focus on being a high school math teacher.

• My eldest graduated from LTHS in 2018, and attended Western Michigan University with a focus on early childhood education. She is currently working in the early childhood education industry.

Nine members of my family have attended and graduated from LTHS from 1975 through 2022.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

B.A. in communications from the University of Illinois-Chicago

Occupation:

I am currently a director and a lead compliance officer at a Fortune 100 company that provides financial services to academic, research and medical sectors and has been in my current position since April of 2021. Prior to this, I worked in Marketing in a variety of roles including Brand and Advertising, print production and fulfillment management, budget planning and management, creative team management and corporate sponsorships.

During my 23 years with the company, I have implemented changes to multiple business processes that improved deliverables and systems, reducing time to market and enterprise-wide expenses.

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

12 years’ experience as a School Board member in LaGrange Elementary School District 105, an LT feeder district. I was in a leadership role for 10 years, 8 as the Boards President.

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is _________, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is student performance, and this is what I intend to do about it. As an individual board member, I cannot implement any change in the district on my own. Each individual Board Member is 1 of 7, and has no individual power on their own. I would work with the Board and administration on increasing rigor in the classroom, work on improving needed differentiation in instruction targeting students individual needs, ensuring teachers have the tools they need to implement student performance improvement plans, insist on regular updates to the community on student performance, make turning homework in on time a priority, increase the amount homework counts towards students final grades and ensure that tests and evaluations on student performance count with limited retake options.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

School Board experience. Watching the LT Board over the past few years, it is clear they are lacking experience in many areas. I believe my significant experience with communicating with the community, implementing strategic plans, facility improvement evaluation and financing, providing safe environments for children, year over year improvements in student performance, ensuring that strong social and emotional programs are in place, ensuring special education programs are functioning at their highest levels and meeting our students needs, and school district finance experience would be an asset to the community and the Board.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

With the support of La Grange District 105 and its passionate constituents, the following was achieved during David’s tenure:
1. Yearly increase in student performance with La Grange District 105 students scheduled into accelerated classes at Lyons Township High School
2. Yearly increase in student performance with La Grange District 105 students scheduled into accelerated classes at Lyons Township High School
3. La Grange District 105 outperformed students from suburban districts with a similar demographic profile in math and reading achievement
4. Three of the four elementary schools won National Blue-Ribbon awards for achieving superior standards of academic excellence
5. La Grange District 105 consistently earned the top state rating for its financial position
6. Significant facility improvements within budget at all five district schools
7. Development and implementation of two strategic plans
8. Successfully renegotiated multiple contracts with teacher and support staff unions that benefited staff while staying within the district’s financial budget
9. Developed a strong relationship with staff and union leadership, ensured they were partners in education goals and strong fiscal management
10.Successfully renegotiated the districts debt structure to minimize the financial impact on the taxpayers and the need for a referendum
11.Implementation of full-day kindergarten
12.Successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic impact by:

• Implementing hybrid in-person and remote teaching models that allowed the district flexibility to increase in-person learning opportunities
• Reinventing a safe and effective learning environment for students, teachers, administrators, and support staff
• Remained committed to social and emotional support and change throughout our entire La Grange District 105 community
• Established a medical committee that helped set baselines and parameters for COVID-19 infection rates. The state picked up La Grange District 105 models as their guidelines for keeping schools open.

What can the school do to counteract dropping standardized test scores?

Simply go back to the quality and rigor of instruction the district had in the past. Tests need to count, homework should count more than it does, more differentiation in the class room needs to be developed to help kids with the greatest need. Further, the district must address the even higher decline in student performance with their Tier 2 and Tier 3 students.. The administration must come up with new ways to reach this student population and restructure their programs to help improve the performance in our lowest performing students.

Further, I would look to the administration to provide a review of our current curriculum and if it is aligned with the SAT and ACT’s and make any needed adjustments to curriculum to better align with those standardized testing tools. I would ask that student performance be reviewed a minimum two times a year with the Board and the community. Improving performance and making sure our student population is prepared for their next step after graduation would be my highest priority if elected.

Do you generally support the work of the school district's administration? Why or why not?

I support some of the work of the administration. Both of my children had good experiences at LT and many opportunities to chase their dreams through clubs, sports or extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, the districts complete lack of transparency and dishonesty over the years makes them untrustworthy. It is very difficult to govern when people do not trust you. If elected, my pledge as a Board member will be to break down the barriers of communication that currently exist and be completely transparent with the community. If elected, I will spend time learning what the administration does and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the administration. I would also spend time learning what the current Board has asked the administration to do and if they would have done anything different, but were unable because of the Boards direction.

How do you view Lyons Township High School's handling of the sale of its Willow Springs land? Has the school district been open enough with the public about the process? Why or why not?

My biggest question, what do they need 55 million dollars for? The answer given that we are “supporting our strategic plan and facilities updates” is incomplete and vague. They have not shared what facility updates they need to make and how it will benefit and improve the education of our students.
The process the district has taken is completely backwards. Having done school facility improvements in 5 schools, the first thing that should have been done is coming up with plans working with the district’s architects at a variety of price points and presented it to the community prior to engaging in conversations about selling the land. The next step would have been to engage the leadership of Willow Springs and let them know their intent, and finally should have had the property appraised for the zoning that is approved on the land which is residential, then reviewed the value of that versus the facility improvements you would like to do and scale the project based on the money you might be able to receive. Finally, they should have presented their options to the community and the communities that would be most affected by the land sale prior to initiating any part of the sale process.
The district has failed on multiple levels:

1. They have met in secret with Bridge or firms representing Bridge for months, they knew the land was not zoned for Industrial development but were not remotely concerned about that and pressed forward.
2. They seem to have little concern putting industrial development next to a school and park, increasing the potential of significant health issues to children who will now be exposed to increased toxins in the air.
3. They have had discussions in Closed Session about the sale and have not indicated on agendas that they were discussing property in closed session. If they did have these discussions, the Board has violated the open meeting act.
4. They have had little transparency with the community and seem to have little concern of the impact this would have to Willow Springs and the surrounding communities
5. The closed bid process feels like it has been rigged from the start. One firm, that the district has been talking to for months in secret, provides a bid with the exact amount the district is looking for. Only one other company bid on the land, at a significantly lower amount.
6. The Board has been dishonest and untruthful with everything that has been involved with this process, they need to share with the community everything that has gone on in this process, regardless of what affect it might have on them.

What is your view of critical race theory? Is it being taught in the local schools? If so, what evidence do you have of that?

I don’t know much about critical race theory other than it seems to be controversial based on things you hear and read. I am also therefore not aware of it being taught at LT. If critical race theory was part of the curriculum required by the State of Illinois it would be my responsibility as a Board member to ensure that it is being taught. With LT’s student achievement continuing to decline, if something is not required to be taught by the state it would need to demonstrate that it would help improve student performance in reading, writing, math and/or science for me to consider adding it to the curriculum. I would not tolerate any behavior that led to any discrimination, bullying or any other inappropriate behavior directed at anyone due to their race.

What is your view of sex education in local schools? Should an LGBT component be included? Why or why not?

The State of Illinois requires sex education be taught in the schools. I am not as connected to this as I was in my prior Board position and am unsure what the current requirements are. As a School Board member, I am required by law to ensure that the curriculum required by the state is being taught in our schools. Unlike some elected officials I will not break the law and will fulfill my responsibility and ensure the required curriculum is being taught. If there is a desire to provide more education than the state requires, an elective course could be an option. Any additional curriculum that is not required to be taught by the state would need to demonstrate that it would help improve student performance in reading, writing, math and/or science before considering adding it to the curriculum. I would not tolerate any behavior that led to any discrimination, bullying or any other inappropriate behavior directed at anyone due to their sex or sexual orientation.

Will you take questions from the media if you are elected?

Per school board training and protocols, the Board President is the only member of the Board that should take questions and/or respond to the media. The Board President and the Superintendent are the primary spokespersons for the Board. As a Board member, I will always be available to talk to community members and would ask the district to provide me with an individual email so constituents will have an avenue to reach out to me directly. Even in this capacity, I will not speak on behalf of the Board. I would use this opportunity to listen to the community and share any questions that need to be addressed with the Superintendent and/or the entire Board.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Kindness wins

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My 12 years of experience as a Board member would be an asset to the Board and the community. As a Board member, I will be committed and focused on working with the Board and administration and guided by the LTHS Strategic Plan to improve student academic performance, provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, teachers and staff, and build trust, transparency and cooperation within the communities of LTHS.