2017 Election: Robert Resis, West Northfield District 31 School Board

Name: Robert H. Resis

Age: 58

Town of residence: Northbrook

Position sought: Board Member - West Northfield School District 31

Family: Wife, Leslie, and children, ages 16 and 13.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: J.D., Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law; B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Occupation: Intellectual property attorney for over 30 years (all at the same law firm).

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Position: Board Member - West Northfield School District 31 (elected 2013-present); Vice-President (May 2015-present), Board’s representative on the Northbrook Economic Development Committee (2015-present), and Board’s representative on the Illinois Association of School Boards (2013-2015). Served as a parent representative on the D31 Strategic Planning Committee in 2010. Was chair of the non-partisan D31 Caucus (2006-07), and vice chair (2004-05), which sought out, vetted, and endorsed candidates for election to the D31 School Board for the 2007 and 2005 elections.

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

I believe that the most pressing issue facing our board is providing excellent, differentiated instruction so that each student can achieve their fullest potential academically, physically, and emotionally, while also maintaining a sound budget and strong financial position. I intend to continue to carefully consider action recommended by our administration, and to ensure that possible alternatives or modifications are also considered. Taking this approach will allow us to achieve the best bang for the buck for our students, individually and collectively, and our taxpayers. Our board needs to continue to ensure that we provide our teachers with useful training and tools to improve student growth and proficiency.

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

Due to my experience and involvement, I have a unique wealth of knowledge regarding our community and schools. We’ve lived in D31 since 1997, and we intend to stay for many more years. Our youngest child is at Field, and our oldest child graduated from D31 and is attending GBN. My father was a special education CPS teacher, and I appreciate the issues that teachers face. Since my election in 2013, I have attended every Board meeting, with one exception (to attend a GBN event). To gather useful ideas/approaches to share with fellow Board members and our administration, I attended three Joint Annual Conferences of the Illinois Association of School Boards/School Administrators/School Business Officials. I provide an experienced litigator’s perspective. While I do not serve as an attorney for D31, I closely review proposed agreements involving D31, and ask for clarification or revisions when warranted. I also have a science background, and support science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) initiatives.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I understand the importance of listening carefully to all stakeholder views, and to seek practical solutions and approaches. In the next four years, we will need to ensure that our facilities are updated to meet student needs and programs.

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

Demonstrated student growth and proficiency that is at least on par with neighboring districts. We will also need to have a succession plan because our Superintendent is nearing retirement and her employment contract ends June 30, 2020.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career.

A mistake I made in my youth was not trying to talk my Dad out of installing a concrete driveway by ourselves. From day one, the driveway looked like amateurs installed it, and the money "saved" in not hiring a professional plus more was lost on resale of the house. There are some jobs you need to leave and trust to proven professionals.

Why should voters trust you?

Voters should trust me based on the time and service I have devoted to make D31 as strong as possible:
- D31 School Board member (2013-present);
- D31 Caucus chair in 2007 and vice-chair in 2005;
- parent member on the D31 Strategic Planning Committee (2010);
- campaigned for the successful passage of D31's last referendum (2012); and
- head coach of the "Winkelman" girls team in the Northbrook Park District League for six seasons (Spring and Fall 2009, 2010, 2011).

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

"If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges."
- Pat Riley

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

We rely on our administrators to ensure that all staff know and carry out all district policies, and are using available resources efficiently and strategically. While on serving on our board, when certain initiatives have been proposed, I frequently asked whether there are any available federal grants that can cover those initiatives, and was pleased that the response many times was "yes." If re-elected, I intend to continue to ask whether grant money is available for future proposed initiatives.

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

Fiscal policy and education spending need to be carefully planned and balanced so that both short-term and long-term goals are met. Stakeholders want the most benefit possible for their tax dollars spent, and that means great schools, reasonable spending, and high property values. Our board needs to work with our administration to ensure that we are following best practices.

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

I am proud to be a member of our Board that worked with our administration to become the first school district in Glenview/Northbrook to provide full-day Kindergarten. We also astutely issued bonds at a low interest rate to fund capital improvements for our HVAC systems. While serving on our Board, our district has developed Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). PLCs entail whole-staff involvement in a process of intensive reflection upon instructional practices and desired student benchmarks, as well as monitoring of outcomes to ensure success. PLCs enable teachers to continually learn from one another via shared visioning and planning, as well as in-depth critical examination of what does and doesn’t work to enhance student achievement.

As noted in the January 2017 Progress Report for our current five-year Strategic Plan:

"The District has financially supported all efforts that directly correspond to the Strategic Plan.
Examples include:

• Return and enhancement of the after school programs and corresponding transportation services
• Addition of a Makerspace at Winkelman
• Update and enhancement of the STEM Lab at Field
• Professional development offered outside the District (workshops, conferences, etc.) and in-house via consultants and District staff. Professional development has directly supported curriculum mapping, assessments, professional learning communities, shared leadership, etc. as described within this report. Corresponding supplies and material have also been provided. The use of grant funds, whenever possible, continues to be a part of the plan.
• Return of field trips
• Stipends issued to teachers for responsibilities related to District and School Leadership
• Teams and Professional Learning Communities leadership
• Costs corresponding to committee work including the Gifted, Safety, and Assessment Committees."

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

When I was a young attorney, a partner told me: "Put the same effort into your work that you put on the basketball court, and you will go far."

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

I enjoy being an active contributor at our Board meetings.

Photo submitted by Robert Resis.