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USD 204 Board of Education candidate Troy Thompson is up against six other candidates for one of four seats on the board. Each candidate completed a questionnaire prepared by The Chieftain. Below are Thompson’s responses.

What made you decide to run for office?

As a parent and district patron, I feel that it is important to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money. I decided to run because we need fresh ideas about the school board’s role in the community. Also, living in Edwardsville, I think it is important that all communities in the district are represented.

What special qualifications would you bring to this office?

I bring private-sector experience in dealing with vendors and customers. Being fiscally responsible is a necessity in business, and the school district must operate as a business.

How do you plan to familiarize yourself with the issues that come before the board?

Clearly the main issue for schools right now is adequate funding. As a taxpayer, I’ve spent a great deal of time researching the present system and seeking out alternatives or changes to maximize the investment of our tax dollars. However, for any issue that requires school board guidance, I’ll seek input from the community, as well as business leaders that have dealt with similar issues.

What leadership qualities do you possess?

I believe in leading by example. I won’t ask any district employee or patron to do something that I’m not willing to do myself. Also, I believe that communication with patrons is very important.

How do you plan to stay in touch with constituents if you are elected?

I would like to see the school board share more information about upcoming meetings and provide details about new agenda items. Personally, I’ll communicate through postal mail, e-mail and other social media tools.

Describe what you see as the main role of a school board member.

A school board member’s main role is to ensure that the school district runs efficiently and effectively. We need to develop policies that minimize the impact to the taxpayers while providing the best environment for learning.

What is the best attribute of our school district and why?

I believe that our district employees want our children to be successful. Our teachers, in particular, have made concessions in the last few years that shows their commitment to our children.

What are the three most important issues facing the school district and how would you confront them?

First and foremost is school funding. We can debate whether or not the schools are adequately funded, but no matter the funding level, taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely. I would ask for a review of vendor contracts to ensure that we aren’t paying for things we don’t need or to make sure we are getting the maximum value that we can get. Also, I would encourage the district to sign long-term agreements at a fixed price as a way to hedge against rising costs of food and fuel.

The next issue facing districts is technology usage. Students have grown up immersed in computers, cell phones and the Internet. I would look for ways that the district can leverage technology already being used by students. This could be in the form of online classes, or sharing agreements with other districts.

Lastly, I think the district needs to be creative with employee compensation. As the cost of living increases, employees will be asking for more compensation. The district needs to look at adjusting the compensation model to increase short-term compensation while decreasing long-term compensation.

Do you think public schools are adequately funded? Why or why not?

I don’t believe that is the correct question to ask. Throwing more money at education isn’t necessarily the answer. The question should be, “Are schools spending money wisely to maximize the taxpayer investment?”

That being said, I do believe that local schools have had a tremendous expectations placed on them by national and state officials, with little or no regard to the financial impact. Based on mandated outcomes, I don’t think the funding is enough. We need to reach a point where school mandates match school funding, but we aren’t there yet.

What areas of the budget would you target for spending cuts if necessary?

I don’t think it’s wise to assume that spending cuts will automatically (be) necessary. We need to assess the district’s current finances and try to project what they will look like three or four years into the future. The two areas of the budget that offer the most flexibility are vendor contracts (milk, fuel, technology, etc.) and learning aids (books, supplemental materials, etc.). As a last resort, we might look at compensation models to maximize short-term compensation for employees while minimizing long-term impact to the district.

Are the district’s teachers being compensated fairly? Why or why not?

We expect a lot from teachers, most of it from mandates by national and state officials. It is very difficult to mandate the outcome of learning, since each student is unique. The district’s teachers have gone without pay increases for the last three years, and last year lost a step of credit (for service) last year. Inflation is about 3 percent per year, which means our teachers have seen a cut of about 9 percent over the last three years.

However, I do think that teachers are compensated fairly over the long-term, when you consider the built-in increases for service time and earning advanced degrees. Numerous studies have shown that advanced degrees don’t necessarily lead to more effective teachers. Also, keeping higher-earning teachers over lower-earning teachers increases costs for the district.

Under what circumstances would you favor increasing property taxes?

I would only be in favor of increasing property taxes if we had explored all other options, up to and including staff reductions or school closures. To begin with, property taxes aren’t a stable source of funding. As property values fluctuate, or the population changes, tax revenues change. To depend on property taxes as the primary source of funding is difficult. Increasing the corporate tax base helps offset this, so I would seek out opportunities to work with the local and county officials to increase our corporate tax base. This can be done by providing incentives for new businesses or by changing tax regulations.

People that pay taxes to support the district are also the same people that pay fees for books and tuition, buy lunches, band uniforms and pay participation fees for sports (and admission fees to go watch sports). Asking parents and patrons to pay more in the form of increased taxes, especially in this economy, is not something that I would advocate.

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