Mark Layne: Candidate Profile

Back to Medinah District 11 School Board

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: MedinahWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Medinah District 11 School Board Age: 54Family: Wife, Karen Daughters, Amanda and AllysonOccupation: Consultant, WriterEducation: BSBA - Marketing, University of Illinois, 1983Civic involvement: School board memberElected offices held: SecretaryQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?Our director of curriculum does an excellent job aligning our instruction and curriculum to the needs and expectations of Lake Park District 108. My oldest daughter attended District 11 schools and is now a freshman at Lake Park. She is enrolled in honors and AP classes, and seems to have been well prepared for the rigors of high school. In terms of changes, I'm hopeful Governor Rauner will find a way to eliminate some of the many unfunded state and federal mandates which interfere with the education of kids by taking time and resources away from instruction.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.We run a very lean operation already. One of the advantages of being a small district has been our ability to maintain small class sizes and deliver quality instruction with minimal resources. However, our size works against us in terms of the sacrifices we're forced to make in programming as a result of budgetary constraints. While we would love to offer a more diverse educational experience to our students in terms of gifted programs, music, athletics, clubs, and foreign language as many of our larger neighbors are able to provide, we regrettably don't have the financial wherewithal to do so. Looking forward, I support the idea of consolidation, both with respect to local districts joining forces to reduce costs and take advantage of operational efficiencies and synergies, and in terms of reducing the size of the education apparatus in Illinois as a whole. Locally, we attempted to consolidate our three buildings into two back in 2008. The measure would have reduced our operating costs dramatically and allowed us to devote more resources to educational opportunities for our kids. Unfortunately, the referendum would have resulted in a small tax increase and was voted down. As a result, we remain a three building system today.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?No. N/AAs contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?Our board has traditionally had a very positive relationship with our teacher's union, and I believe we have made every effort to accommodate their needs in exchange for their outstanding performance and loyalty. Regrettably, we are operating under a finite budget funded primarily by local property taxes with no projected increases in future income. That said, there is only so much to go around. As a result, we've been forced to part ways with a number of quality educators which is a sad statement of the financial condition of Illinois.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?Absolutely not. We have worked as a district to eliminate end-of- career pay bumps.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?As a state, perhaps we should look to our neighbor to the north for inspiration and guidance? Visit a public school in Wisconsin. Their facilities are top-notch and their program offerings robust. At the same time, they pay far less in property taxes than we do (at least in Bloomingdale Township), and their state budget is balanced. If they can do it, why not Illinois?Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Jonathan TowesWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Football is a metaphor for life.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Three more do-overs.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Typing. I'm a writer. It's a skill I use every day.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Belief makes all things possible.