Stevenson School Board Candidate: David Weisberg

Name: David Weisberg

Age: 62

Town: Long Grove

Incumbent? No

Family:  Wife: Cydney & Son: Brian (attending Woodlawn)

Occupation: Retired. CEO & Founder of Actown Electrocoil Inc., transformer manufacturer with facilities in Spring Grove (IL), Mexico & China

Community Involvement: No response

Link to campaign website or Facebook page: united4stevenson.org

Why are you running for a School Board position?

1. To do what I can to ensure Stevenson continues its positive momentum toward educational excellence, remains the "gold standard" it is today among its peer group, and to ensure our kids are prepared and able to compete on a global basis in the future.  
2. To see that the prudent financial management of the school continues, so a solid foundation will be there for tomorrow's students.    
3. To maintain the current culture at the Stevenson.

What are the key issues that the district will have to address in the next four years?

To see that we don't get complacent in our pursuit of excellence. Continue to ask ..."how can we get better" in every category.

What are your top three priorities as a board member?

1. Educational Excellence  
2. Financial Stability   
3. Culture.....maintaining the environment that nurtures the innovation that's there today.

What are some of the district's strengths?

It's people. District 125 has assembled a tremendous group of people....from the board level, to the administration and most certainly...the faculty.

What do you think could be done to improve the district?

Continue on the path that has been put in place by the current board. Stevenson's recent 20 year history speaks for itself. By any metrics, if you look where the school has come from, to where it is....and on to where it's going....it's easy to embrace the team that's there. Continuous improvement is exactly what they believe in and is precisely what they (the board) has delivered.

What role should the School Board play in shaping Stevenson’s curriculum?

None. The curriculum is (and should be) set by the professionals (faculty & administration) who are qualified to set it. They in turn, build the curriculum to meet the standards set by the State. The State of Illinois is the bottom line driver here, not anyone's school board....Stevenson included.   As is the case at Stevenson however, the faculty often has the opportunity to enrich the curriculum so as to exceed these State standards.   That's why Stevenson continues to score higher than it's peer group on State exams.  

What are your thoughts on the district’s financial state?

I think the districts's financial state is commendable. It appears as if the opposition believes one of the easiest ways to gain political favor is to stand up and promise someone that you'll give them the same thing tomorrow... and charge them less for it than they're paying today. This is wrong, and our constituents are smarter than that. This board has done a tremendous job. It has maintained a AAA rating through an incredibly difficult period while NOT diminishing any of it's excellent standards and programs. It has done so while at the same time, providing a cushion to protect our community from a rainy day. This board is prudent....as demonstrated by the fact that its total spend in '10 was over $3,000,000 LESS than it was in '09! By any measure, the "financial state" of this district is excellent....and the management of it has been appropriate.

What distinguishes you from the rest of the School Board candidates?

From my running mates, very little. We are all "in sync" on the big issues. However, this election finds us in a very different corner than our opposition. The gap between our slate (Moons, Lubin, Roberts & Weisberg) and our opposition (Powell, Brady and Cardella) is indeed wide. We are worlds apart on the social issues and it seems to me they're trying to create a financial one.