Lenny Ostach: District 102 School Board Candidate

Name: Lenny Ostach

Age: 40

Family: Sons: Aaron and Joshua (Both in 4th Grade)

Education: MBA, Indiana University and BA in Finance/Economics, University of Illinois

Occupation: Management Consultant

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Current D102 School Board Member, 4 Years

Other community involvement: Teacher, Congregation BJBE and Deloitte Community Involvement

Position sought: D102 School Board Member

Campaign E-mail address: LROSTACH@GMAIL.COM

Campaign committee: N/A

Campaign Website: N/A

Campaign Facebook: Ostach for D102 School Board

Campaign Twitter: candidate did not respond

Why are you running? 

Having grown up in family that focused on the value of education, I have always been passionate about educational organizations and working with those who pursue continual improvement. I have 2 boys who attend Tripp School, and I care about having a district that nurtures their growth, while challenging them to be their best.   

Currently, I serve on the D102 School board, and have been involved with the Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and served on an educational advisory task force for a local politician. I believe that I have only started making an impact in my first 4 years, and hope make an even bigger difference in the next four years.

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

I bring over 15 years in corporate financial and strategic management, as well as expertise in performance technology. With a background in helping corporations define proper governance, my experience directly has helped D102 translate its vision to actionable goals

Where I started on the board assisting to drive changes to our food allergy policy, I have also been especially active in driving changes to personnel evaluations and performance metrics for the district/schools as a whole. The district is financially stable, and we have built an incredible relationship between administration, teachers and students. I believe my experience and skills will enable me to continue to lead our district, while maintaining a world class culture. 

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

Prioritization. D102 is a national leader in academic and emotional education, offering programs that cater to an individual’s learning. However, the educational environment is constantly changing due to new curriculum research, advancements in technology, school demographics, and safety considerations. With all these initiatives, it is imperative that the school board clearly sets priorities/goals to drive the district on what matters most. This requires experience understanding where the district has been as well as where it is going. I have been involved in the long range planning for the district, as well as assisted in creating scorecards that the district will use to monitor its ongoing success. I truly believe that we are well poised to ensure our children are successful at Stevenson and beyond.

What do you think the district does well?

First, D102 creates a unique environment for students to learn and teachers to teach that is unmatched in the area. Specifically, teachers are encouraged to challenge the status quo, leveraging a Teaching and Learning and Technology department that is on the forefront of educational advancements. Yet, all initiatives are always adopted with the children in mind, leveraging an individualized learning approach

Our gifted program has been enhanced in the last 2 years and will continue to grow as part of individualized learning programs. We were proactive at addressing food allergies and individual safety within the schools, and have won awards for our effective use of personal technology. We are a leader in ESL and Special Education programming, serving as a model for other districts in the state. Even our Summer School programming has been redefined in the last couple years, based on a gifted student learning model. But in the end, the key is that our students are successful far beyond D102, both academically and socially.

And I would be remiss not to mention the long standard of financial excellence, which is a true rarity in today’s economic climate.

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

The next four years are going to have key decisions that will impact the direction of our district, ranging from a new teacher’s contract, a new superintendent contract, and ramifications from state pension reform. In addition, we are going to see additional diversity in the community and an influx of new technology that will continue to refine the educational system. With all these changes, it is imperative that we maintain the current culture of success, where our teachers are motivated to excel, and students are provided individual opportunities to grow. Additional priorities include mobilization of staff to manage our changing demographics and new state standards/common core requirements. I have enjoyed being part of the current administration, and believe that my involvement on the board will help take our current goals to the next level of excellence.    

What else would you like voters to know?

A common misconception regarding the school board is that it is a political office. School board members are elected to serve as non-paid volunteers with no political affiliation. I have truly enjoyed serving the community over the last 4 years and hope that I may continue to serve for another term. My passion is and will be to keep our district one of the top districts in the nation by challenging the status quo and instilling financial excellence. Thank you.