2017 Election: Laura Greenberg, District 31 Board

Name: Laura Greenberg

Age: 41

Town of residence: Northbrook

Position sought: Member, District 31 Board of Education

Family:

Brad Greenberg, 42, Husband
Three boys between the ages of 3-11.

Education: MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Accounting and Marketing Bachelor of Science, Northern Illinois University; Continuing education: University of Chicago: Organizational Development, New Venture Growth, Decision Making, Harvard University: Change Management, Productivity Management, Team Dynamics

Occupation: Management Executive, 20 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Position: Board of Education Member, District 31, 2014 - present

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

This school board will continue to be challenged to deliver educational excellence in a changing economic and educational landscape, while maintaining critical fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers. I will continue to fight for all our constituents to maximize outcomes for all: students, staff, and taxpayers. Most importantly, we will be challenged with how to invest critical funds as our population grows and facilities need updating, at a time when curriculums need to be updated as well. Balancing the needs across these initiatives will be important.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a dedicated, passionate, authentic, and caring person and bring everything I have learned and all of my energy to every meeting, every decision, and every initiative. I care deeply about our children, community, and staff. The work I do everyday, from organizing a block party to volunteering in the classroom, to sharing how organizational development is optimized, demonstrates my commitment to our community.

I bring tremendous experience to the school board. First, personally, as a parent who has been in the district for 7 years and still has 12 to go due to the large age gap in my children, I have a vested interest in maximizing our resources and how our schools are run. I come from a family of teachers and administrators, so understand our educational team's motivations, frustrations, and goals. Professionally, I have worked to optimize educational outcomes and have walked 100’s of different schools nationally through my work as SVP of New Futuro. New Futuro was an equity backed social enterprise that partnered with many outstanding organizations, including Stanford’s social innovation review, Lumina Foundation, Teach-for-America, Communities-in-Schools, and others to accelerate success in education. Because I have seen how schools across the spectrum - from resource strapped schools in the inner city, to country schools, to resource rich/cutting edge schools in silicon valley, use their resources, engage all types of communities, and deliver results, I bring a wide view and can offer creative solutions that might not cross our radar.

Additionally, I have served on several not-for-profit boards, including Northern Illinois Girl Scouts, our Education Foundation, and others. I hold an MBA from the University of Chicago (Booth), giving me the financial background to strategically and responsibly manage the district’s resources. Finally, I currently manage a thriving consulting practice that focuses on organizational growth and maximizing performance of teams, critical to leading any organization. I have had significant post-graduate education in organizational development, decision making, group and team dynamics and learning, from University of Chicago and Harvard. These skills help as we maneuver the often difficult ground of running a school district.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I believe in a continued focus on the commitments our board made during the referendum to our broader community: to keep class size low, to create resource rich learning environments, to use financial resources strategically, to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff, and to strive for educational excellence, to keep taxes low - these are the things I believe in and will continue to work for.

If you gain this position, what accomplishment would define your term in office as a success?

If we accomplish the following in the next four years, I would consider these capstone accomplishments:

- Identify a strong facilities plan that will allow both Field and Winkelman to provide optimal educational environments for our students. We are running out of space at Winkelman - without increasing class sizes, we may not be able to house all of our classrooms. We need to solve this proactively and not reactively. Class size increases are a non-starter.
- We must identify and plan for succession of our current Superintendent who is retiring at the end of the next 4 years.
- We must address our staffing needs from an aide and teacher standpoint and seek solutions to lower staff turn over.
- We must find a comprehensive and rigorous solution to our needs to differentiate for different learners. For math, we have accomplished this at both schools. We need to bring reading/writing differentiation to both schools, not just for children struggling or gifted children, but for children across the learning spectrum.
- We must create a strong solution for our gifted/high achieving students. Differentiation not just in Math and Reading, but across subjects.
- We must continue to execute our strategic plan and continuous improvement.

Like many people, when I was younger, first entering the work force, I was very committed to my opinions and points of view. With age, came wisdom. I have learned that things are seldom as simple as they seem. Asking questions, listening, and really understanding situations from various standpoints is critical to optimizing results and decisions. I've also learned that it is best to take the long view whenever necessary and ask "are the decisions we're making today helping the future we want to see tomorrow?" about every question can help frame thinking for best success. Finally, I've learned that balancing this nuance with expediency - making decisions quickly rather than being paralyzed by information - is critical to moving the ball forward.

Why should voters trust you?

I strive to live by these five pillars: 1) Be impeccable with your word, show integrity; 2) Don't take things personally, because its very rarely about you, 3) Don't make assumptions, have courage to ask questions and express what you're thinking. 4) Always do and give your best. Success is defined by what you do when others have quit. 5) Be kind. When you don't know the answer, ask yourself "What's the kind answer?" and go with that.

These pillars have given me a reputation in the community and with those I've had the good fortune to work as someone who can be trusted, who is thorough and researched, and who strives for fairness, kindness, and the best possible outcomes for all. Voters should trust me because I have shown worthy of trust in all that I have done.

This is more my life philosophy than anything...

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

― Calvin Coolidge

I believe that all of our team need to be held to the highest standards. We need to ask if they are using resources not just frugally, but strategically. We cannot be penny wise and make pound errors. They need to be challenged to drive and deliver above what's expected. We need to ask that all of our team, not just our teaching staff, is held to and given performance reviews and feedback. We need to ask them to be partners with us as we work to deliver excellence in education.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

In terms of fiscal policy, it is important to be responsible, to plan for the future, and to spend carefully but thoughtfully. As school board members, we face a multifaceted challenge (fiscally). First, we have an obligation to our tax payers to keep taxes low, to use their funds strategically, and to make choices that keep our schools strong so property values remain high. We also face the challenge of the increasing costs of education, staffing, and needs of our student population. These goals are not mutually exclusive - they are complimentary - if properly managed, we can maintain gold fiscal management AND create winning educational environments. This task requires critical thinking, strategy, and a strong board. Educational funding is different than corporate or personal household funding and it is often complex and arbitrary. Understanding the complexities of the tax, bond, and capital implications is important.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am prepared to continue to provide strategic decision making and leadership on our board. Over the last four years, I’ve been fortunate to serve our district as a School Board Member. In that time, we’ve smartly used our budget to maintain low class sizes, bring back extra-curriculars and field trips, update curriculum, become among the first school districts in the area to add Full Day Kindergarten, among other improvements. We have received a gold financial rating for fiscal management.

For the past five years, I’ve served as the President of the District’s Education Foundation, raising over $150,000, bringing 1:1 technology, updated wi-fi infrastructure, an award-winning STEM lab, 3D printing, and a Makers Space to our schools. All of this was accomplished through fundraising, bringing these cutting-edge improvements to our schools without using taxpayer dollars. My husband and I have also served as active volunteers within the schools, volunteering across many, many district events and initiatives.

Professionally, I have grown several companies, some by hundreds of staff and hundreds of millions of dollars, and been highlighted as a top manager and leader in Chicago and Nationally. I know how to work with people and teams to maximize results and understand how to create win-win environments.

I am the proud and successful working parent to three wonderful children, and my husband and I have created a successful and happy home. I know how to balance!

The best advice I've ever received comes from my mother. She always said the secret to life was: Don't compare yourself to others. The race is against yourself so do what's right for you. Always behave and speak as if it might be replayed for your children or parents. And above all, do good and do God's work - because karma is real and what you put out in the world comes back!

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The important thing is to elect someone thoughtful, intelligent, prepared, and dedicated so you know that they will understand, research, and make the best possible decisions in every circumstance. I am that candidate and hope they vote for me!

Photo submitted by Laura Greenberg