2011 Election: John Carmody, Orland School District 135 Board Candidate

Four candidates are competing for three seats in this year's race. In Patch's issue-focused questionnaire, incumbent offered his take on how the district can continue to thrive in the face of lesser state and federal funding, and focusing Orland tax money on Orland.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the district faces, and how do you propose to overcome it?

The greatest challenge the District faces is trying to manage our progression when so much of what we do is dictated by outside forces. The Federal Government and the State Government has historically contributed 15% of our revenues. To date we have received no funding from the State. The Federal Government has eliminated, reduced and delayed their participation in our District.

At some point, I anticipate these funding sources will be allocated on a needs basis which would mean that we will probably be receiving little or no funding from outside governmental entities.  We have established budgets based on these historical participation levels.

Enrollment has gone down in District 135 steadily since 2005. How would you cut costs in the district to stay in line with the needs of the student population, but also to not overburden taxpayers in a weaker economy than years past when enrollment was higher?

I believe Math, Science and Communication, (Reading/Writing) are critical components of the educational process but we are not allocating resources to where they can have the greatest impact on a child’s educational outcome. We need to get these critical components in line with our educational goals and move resources to where they can have the greatest impact for our students. 

Two options to cut costs brought up by staff and current board members is to eliminate some specialist positions (P.E., arts, social work, media specialists) and to close Park School. Do you think either of these are viable options? Why or why not?

Unfortunately, there is a possibility that we may need to explore these two options.

During a recent board meeting, D135 HR director Julie Oberwise said one group with rising enrollment numbers are children who need early intervention services. Given that the district is looking to cut costs, how can the district continue to support this group?

I believe we have the staff and resources to continue to educate and meet these children’s needs. Orland Park passed a referendum which earmarked funds to be used for this purpose and to ensure the continued education and success of these children. We have the resources to address these issues.

Staff recently brought up buying Tax Anticipated Warrants to loan money out to other school districts and accumulate interest on the return. If the district has enough money to be able to loan out to other schools, should the district still be requesting the maximum tax levy possible? Why or why not

TAW’s are just an investment option that was considered and not acted on.  The levy is a separate issue from investment options.  Unfortunately, with unknown funding from State and Federal sources, the District has to take a conservative approach.

House Bill 1886 and other proposed state legislation involve the possibility of consolidating school districts across the state. What are your thoughts on such an action, and how it could affect District 135?

Clearly the imbalance in educational funding is a problem across the state.  I pulled a financial summary from Thornton 205. They project $117M in funding and $50m in real estate tax revenues. In 2002 Thornton spent $70M, in 2011 they are projected to spend $108M. The 2011 Thornton is projected to receive $38M form the State and $21M from the federal government.

If Thornton continues to grow at the same rate, their expenses will be in excess of $150M. Their property tax base had provided $50M in support in 2011.  Who is going to cover the additional $50 million? This is just one District. All this information is right on their website.

I would hope the solution would not be to spread those expenses out to others. The people of Orland Park who are currently contributing through their State and Federal taxes would then be expected to contribute through their real estate taxes as well.

Are there any technological investments the district should make, for example e-readers to take the place of buying new editions of textbooks?

We have spent millions of dollars on technology. In the future, we as a board are going to take a hard look at any technology purchase that is proposed. We need to be sure that any upgrade is absolutely necessary and worth the expense. There has to be a benefit in the educational outcome of the students.

District 135 has shown efficiency by doing certain contracting work in-house, such as repairing Orland Junior High’s west wall after the bus crashed into it. Are there any other tasks the district outsources that you think could be done in house and should be done that way?

I can’t speak directly to that except to say, where a specific expertise is required or if the task is inherently dangerous, we should always consider the safety of the students, staff, community and our employees. I have been very satisfied  with the performance of the Facilities Management Staff.

Does the current board engage in enough debate and discussion before voting?

Debate, discussion, and conflicts occur at the committee level. We disagree all the time and the debates can become heated. I believe all the current board members have a respect for each other and that we are trying to do the right thing. We may disagree but there is a basic understanding that the management of the District’s Finances and the ultimate goal and mission of the District are first and foremost on our minds.

Do you have any past arrests and/or convictions?

No.