Election 2013: Patrick M. Kerrigan II

Patrick M. Kerrigan II is one of five candidates running for the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education in the 2013 election. Kerrigan runs an insurance agency, and holds degrees in accounting. He lives in Lemont with his wife, Karyn, and their two children.

Name: Patrick M. Kerrigan II

Position sought: Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education

Campaign website: www.pkkerrigan.com

Family (name, relationship and age): Wife, Karyn; Children, Patrick, 12, and Megan, 11 (both attend Old Quarry Middle School)

Education (degree and school): Associate's degree in accounting from Wright Junior College and bachelor's degree in accounting from DePaul University

Occupation: Kerrigan Insurance Agency - Farmers Insurance

Previous elected offices: None

Why are you seeking office?

I am running for school board because I believe a high quality education is an important foundation to the future success of our youth, and I believe that I can make a meaningful contribution to the educational landscape for our current and future students.

What sets you apart from other candidates?

I am an active volunteer in our community. I have dedicated countless hours to the youth of Lemont. I have been a coach for T-ball, Baseball, Softball, Basketball and Soccer. I have been Cubmaster for Cub Scout Pack 149 and I am currently a committee member of Boy Scout Troop 149. I volunteer at Girl Scout events and with Hope and Friendship Ministries. As a small business owner I have had make difficult decisions in tough economic times. My accounting and finance background will allow me to analyze the budget and plan for the future success of our schools.

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

Reducing class size is our community’s number-one priority. I plan to work with the administration to not only reduce class sizes but to improve the classroom experience as well. This can be achieved through improvements in faculty, technology, curriculum and facilities. All of these changes will have to be made within our budget to improve our financial position.

What experience do you have, working as an individual or member of a team, which resulted in a successful outcome? As a member of the board of education, how will you apply your past experience to help build upon the school district’s successes and achievements – and work effectively with other members of the board?

Prior to owning my own business I was part of several large software systems upgrades. In that role I was responsible for the financial integration of the various business units and processes. On many occasions I had to work with conflicting requirements from the various business units to come up with solutions to accommodate all of the requirements. I will use this experience to work with the administration and the board to develop a sound financial plan that will allow us to improve the academic achievement in our schools as well as develop a plan for a comprehensive education for our students.

What do you think should be the top three goals for the board of education in the next couple of years? What will you do to help achieve those goals?

Improving the classroom experience is the highest priority. Reducing class sizes by retaining and hiring high quality teachers are the biggest steps in improving academic achievement. Next the district will need to support various academic and athletic activities, including the arts, to have a comprehensive education. Finally, we need to manage our budgets and restore our reserves to improve our district's financials. I will work with the administration to develop a balanced approach so we can achieve these goals.

According to the Illinois Association of School Boards, “Good school boards make every effort to operate openly by encouraging public attendance at their meetings and keeping constituents informed of the district’s progress.” What will you do to help engage and inform members of the community?

Open communication is a must for our community to move forward. With open communications, the school board will restore the trust of the community. I believe a simple cost effective method of communication is at our fingertips.  We only need to use it. Electronic communication either via email or text messages is a great way to remind people and keep them informed of current events. I expect that once our community begins to receive the communications that they will be more engaged and willing to contribute to the success of our schools.

Related Pages:

• Election 2013: District 113A Board of Education
• Election 2013: David Deitemyer
• Election 2013: Michael Clausen
• Election 2013: Brian Bushnell
• Election 2013: Susan Petrarca

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