Candidate Bob Robertson is Concerned About Where the School District is Headed

• Elmhurst District 205 School Board Candidate: Robert G. Robertson Jr.
• Web site: www.BobRobertsonJr.org
• Email: BobBobertsonJrfor205Board-@comcast.net
• Family: married to Gail L. Robertson, two sons, Bobby Robertson III, and Steven Robertson, both 11
• Education: BA in Business Management from Elmhurst College, MBA in marketing from DePaul University
• Occupation: management consultant
• Previous elected offices: none
• Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: PTA member, product of the District 205 schools, business communication training, change management training, finance and operations, communications strategy and planning, active in community

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

 I am campaigning for this position because I'm concerned about the direction our school district is going, and I want to use my vision for the district's future and passion for the community to restore our school district to top tier status for our children and community.

What will be your priority if you get elected?

Enhancing communication and collaboration amongst all stakeholders: School Board, administration, teachers and the community.  We must have each group engaged if we are to move forward effectively while holding each other accountable for our decisions.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I’m an independent thinker with innovative ideas on how to improve district operations while helping to restore the community’s respect and trust in both the board and administration. By experience, I bring change management, communication excellence, collaboration and operations management to the board.  I’m planning to use these skills to help move my vision forward.  I am not part of a political establishment with agendas to promote and interests to protect.  I just want to apply the principles of sound education and good government as a board member.     

How long have you lived in Elmhurst?

46 years

What do you like most about Elmhurst District 205? 

The depth of our program activities and curriculum. 

What is the biggest problem in Elmhurst District 205?

Communication is probably the weakest link in our district.  Most of the time, communication is more of an afterthought.  If the board and administration are to regain the trust of community, then we must operate with complete transparency. Parents should feel comfortable in being able to share their questions and opinions with our school board. Community engagement can provide essential input into decision making and also provide valuable insight to address issues and risks that may not be obvious to those closest to the issue–the board and administration. In our community today, there is no “one size fits all” model to engage the public.  We need to work with all of the stakeholders to develop an effective framework for district communication.

Do you think morale among teachers and staff is low, and if so, how, specifically, do you plan to improve it? 

The answer is yes.  The district must recognize that a teacher’s focus must be on student achievement.  To maximize effectiveness, they need to develop innovative ways to reach each and every student, and where there are gaps, have a support structure and tools to close these gaps. In the past, teachers have been asked to implement programs and tools that placed unnecessary burdens on teachers, causing them to spend time on initiatives not directly tied to student learning. We need to reward high performing teachers and evaluate options for assisting those that are not producing desired results.  We have great teachers and terrific resources but we need to make sure they are used properly and that teachers are able to maximize their time with the students, where they should be.

Do you think District 205’s reputation has been eroded over the past couple of years? If so, what caused that and how, specifically, do you plan to improve it?

I think the district’s reputation has been damaged over the past few years.  I have had friends from other school districts asking questions about our school district and what has changed.  The decline in the district can be attributed to poor communication between the board and the administration, the administration and the teachers, and all of the above with the community.  Our fiscal condition has eroded based on some decisions that were made on capital projects that placed undue financial burden on the budget. To address these issues, I would be an advocate for transparency for each of our major transactions.  I would champion a new communications strategy to reach each and every stakeholder. Finally, I would bring my talents as a business person to the board and evaluate each by how much value it brings to the stakeholders–the students and community. 

What “best practices” would you like to incorporate, either from previous District 205 administrators or from other school districts, to improve curriculum and student achievement?

There are a number of programs that could improve the district’s curriculum.  We should administer the testing process for the Cohort Program earlier than eighth grade.  We need to give our children the opportunity to improve in foundational areas that are crucial for continued student achievement in high school.  Remediation activities that are administered in high school put constraints on key electives critical for higher learning, such as science. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program would be a great addition to our curriculum.  We need to focus on organically growing our technical skills faster than other nations that we compete with for intellectual capital. There would be some cost implications for this, but perhaps grants could be a used to subsidize the costs.    

Do you think the budget cuts are going to solve the district’s budget problems for the long term? What else can be done going forward to maintain a healthy budget? 

Budget cuts may help in a tactical way, but our objective needs to be helping children compete in the world economy by providing them with necessary tools to prepare for college or a vocation.  This has a direct impact on the budget, but we need to balance the need for infrastructure or operation improvements with the need to ensure all of our students learn. We need to reward high performing teachers and evaluate options for assisting those that are not producing desired results. Teachers that reach the children and have proven track records should be rewarded.  Those that don’t should not. We have great teachers and terrific resources, but we need to look at each transaction and ask ourselves, does this add value to our district? The EEPRT process provides a foundation upon which we can build future program evaluation.  As we move forward, we should provide more time for analysis and student and community input.  But, in order for the process to be an effective tool as input to budgetary decisions, we need to have an assessment process of not only the programs, but the teachers as well.