Marc Tepper: District 96 School Board Candidate

Name: Marc Tepper

Age: 56

Family: Wife Carrie, daughter Samantha, son Daniel 

Education: BS in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University

Occupation: Chief Financial Officer for Midlane Golf & Banquet facility in Wadsworth, IL

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Elected in 2001 (then reelected in 2005 & 2009) to the District 96 School Board. Currently serve as President of the Board of Education.  

Other community involvement: Serve as an ex-officio member to the District 96 Foundation for Educational Excellence. Serve as a trustee, executive board member and past President for Congregation B'nai Torah, a Sierra Club member, and past member of the Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Position sought: Board Member for School District 96

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Campaign Facebook: 4-Ward Thinking for District 96

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Why are you running?

This is an outstanding District and we need good board members to make sure we stay grounded in our Mission, Vision, and Values. I do this for the children, parents, taxpayers, and those employed by the District. We need to balance all of the needs of these groups to remain successful. 

In what ways would the school district benefit from your service?

We are entering a stage in the District where every part of the Mission, Vision, and Values will be challenged by outside influences. I have expierience, training, and history to help keep the district on a successful path for the next few years.

What is the biggest challenge the school district faces and what should be done to address it?

Our biggest challenge will be the retention of our excellent administrators, teachers, and staff as the State of Illinois moves forward with the common core changes and evaluation process. We are not the highest paid District, but we value our employees. Because we are successful, other Districts will try to entice away our great staff. We will need to be creative in keeping our excellent staff here in District 96.

What do you think the district does well?

We do a great job of providing professional development to teachers and staff to raise the level in which they teach our children. We provide support (coaches) where appropriate so that teachers can use the latest technology anddevices to enhance the classroom expierience. This in turn allows our children to learn from the best and meet our mission of making sure every child achieves their maximum potential.

What should be some of the school district’s priorities over the next four years?

Continue to monitor the State of Illinois for both financial and educational mandates. Leave education to the experts in the schools and classrooms instead of directing from the Statehouse. Implementation of our 1:1 initiative and then further expansion once results are determined. Long range capital improvements needed to our facilities to make sure they stay as outstanding learning centers for our children. Financial stewardship to maintain our current programming without having to ask taxpayers for additional funds.

What else would you like voters to know?

District 96 is seen in the educational community as one of the best. Our teachers, staff and administrators are constantly asked to provide support to struggling Districts. Taxpayers in District 96 should be proud of how we are recognized and received by other Districts. Our reputation allows us to recruit from the very best when there are openings in the District. This is not done in a vacuum, but with a very collaborative team of administrators and board members committed to doing the best we can for the children of District 96. I am currently part of that team and very proud of what we do as a group.