Election 2013: Michael Carroll

Campaign Info

• Position Sought: Orland School District 135 Board of Education
• Website: www.facebook.com/mikecarroll135
• Email: mikecarrollfor135@gmail.com
• Phone:
• Hometown: Orland Park

Personal Info

• Family: Jennifer, wife; Kevin and Danny, sons
• Education: John Marshall Law School -- 1995 -- Juris Doctor; Northern Illinois University -- 1985 -- B.A.
• Occupation: Attorney – Law Offices of Michael F. Carroll (Orland Park and Lockport)
• Political Party Affiliation: Non Partisan

Candidate Questions

Why are you seeking office?

To bring respect, professionalism and accountability to Orland School District 135's board.

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

Getting rid of vindictiveness and decision-making based on agenda and personal relationships.

What sets you apart from other candidates? 

I have children in the district, and I've been active as a volunteer in the community for over 30 years. Also, my legal background appears to be helpful -- based on recent conflicts on the board.

Over the last two years there have been a few sudden staffing changes, including the demotion of Melanie Walsh and putting in an interim superintendent while paying the former superintendent’s salary. Given legal and salary costs involved, should the board consider other means of addressing employee issues, and if so what would you do if elected or re-elected to do so?

Yes. I can’t help but think that the majority of the current board has made decisions contrary to prudent legal advice, and without thinking about their legal and financial consequences. This is the primary issue that focused my attention on the operations of the District. A board cannot be driven by emotion, at the expense of the taxpayer. A board should not hire, fire, promote or demote based on revenge or personal relationships. It is clear that the decisions the board has made in the last few years will have financial impacts for years to come. Legal counsel is present at Board meetings for a reason. The board needs to heed their advice and make decisions that make ethical, legal sense and that strongly consider the financial consequences involved.

How do you propose the school district better communicate the importance of, and better prepare students and parents for, pilots of new educational programs, especially ones geared toward the Common Core standards?

I think communicating the history of the evolution of educational standards, including the Common Core standards, and the short-term impact they will have on testing procedures and results, helps put everything in perspective. As with any policy change, there will be some transitional “growing pains” possible, but I trust the Education field will work through them in time. Perhaps a comparison chart of previous standards and the Common Core standards would best illustrate the changes.

Concerns have been brought up about communication between board members outside of quorum and in violation of board policy. If elected or re-elected, what will you do to rectify these concerns, and do you recommend any new policies to be adopted? 

There has definitely been a growing trend seeking greater transparency and accountability in government – through the Attorney General’s office, and the media’s focus on Open Meetings Act and FOIA issues. While I understand the value and even necessity of some issues being discussed in Closed Session (i.e. ongoing litigation and personnel matters), I firmly believe it should be kept to a minimum.

If elected, I would pledge to follow the oath contained in the Illinois School Code – the oath administered to each elected School Board Member. In it, Board Members promise to follow Illinois law, and they specifically acknowledge that “a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a public board meeting”. Apparently, some members of the current Board have forgotten their oath. I deal with issues like these as an attorney and hearing officer every day, and will follow the law completely if elected.

Do you think the school district should consider a fund balance policy, and why? If so at what amount should it be set?

Absolutely. The Board’s recent decision to again increase our tax levy by the maximum amount possible is baffling. We have approximately $52 million dollars in reserves. The Illinois Board of Education, when ranking school districts, grades a district as “healthy” if it has 3 months in reserves – 25% of its annual budget. For the last several years, our district’s reserves have been approximately 65%!

I’ve met with parents and teachers who campaigned heavily for our last referendum to raise taxes, approximately 8 years ago. When they see how little of that money raised by the referendum actually was spent to educate our students, they were exasperated. One woman even cried – mentioning that a child who was entering kindergarten when the referendum passed would be graduating this year without the benefit of a single penny of that referendum money going towards technology or their education! I’m not sure what percentage of money we should have in reserves, but I am sure that we should have a discussion about it, so that we have a strategic plan as to when we need to increase the levy and by how much.

Revenue from the state continues to dry up, while residents are also dealing with rising costs. Please rank the following in the order you feel the district should be focused on for meeting the district’s costs in light of these issues. 1) Staff Cuts 2) Contract Renegotiations 3) Operating Expense Cuts 4) Tax Increases 5) Other Funding Sources. Please also explain your reasoning.

1 – Other Funding Sources: We should continue to explore grants as a possible source. Negotiating an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Orland Park, which this current Board had terminated, could raise some funds for the District, as well as provide a partnership in maintaining parks at the schools.

2 – Expense Cuts: Exploring expense cuts should be an annual project. No stone should be left unturned to find better deals or ways to share expenses and programs whenever possible. Find what doesn’t work and remove or replace it.

3 – Staff cuts: I am not proposing firing existing employees, but employees retire, so the natural attrition process could reduce staff slightly. In light of reductions in enrollment for several years now, so long as essential services would survive, this attrition process could save the District money.

4 – Contract renegotiations: I don’t support renegotiating an existing contract, but for any contract negotiated at or near the time of the expiration of an old contract, we should be having an open dialogue about the realities of District finance at that time. And then stick with the contract. If we don’t violate it, we won’t have to litigate at great expense.

5 – Tax increases: I think this is the last option in these difficult times. With the reserves the District has, I don’t see the need to tax our residents further right now. Hopefully, as property values improve with the economy, the overall health of the District and State will improve and additional tax dollars will naturally flow into our coffers.

Do you think board members, or potential board members, should have to submit for background checks? Why or why not?

No. The qualifications necessary to run for School Board Member are set forth by Illinois law, in the School Code and Election Code. I don’t think a district setting its own requirements could withstand a constitutional challenge. That being said, candidates could voluntarily submit to a background check. As a former police officer, my background was checked several times, and was checked again when I was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

What can schools do to increase safety?

I think the best method to increase safety is to have a plan with the local police department – in our case the Orland Park Police Department. This plan is already in existence. On a regular basis, test that plan – through tabletop drills and actual live scenarios. Train everyone from building maintenance up through our faculty and students on what to do in an emergency. Make sure our physical plants are secure. Do not allow anyone to become lax – propping doors open for convenience, etc.

The possibility of buying Tax Anticipated Warrants to then loan money out to other school districts and accumulate interest on the return has been discussed in the past. 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? 

No. I don’t think we should be loaning District 135 taxpayers’ money out to other districts. We need to have a frank discussion about appropriate funding reserves and what needs we have that aren’t being met (technology, professional development, etc.). Loaning money to less financially secure districts is risky, and our taxpayers did not sign on for that when they voted for our tax increase referendum.

Have you ever been charged with a crime? Were you convicted? If yes, please say what the charge was, and what was the case's outcome as it stands.

I have never been charged with a crime.

Are there any candidates in other races you would like to endorse here? 

Not at this time.

Read about the other D135 candidates in the April 2013 election.