Meet the Candidates: Chris Conti Notes 'Our Main Product is Education'

The Nov. 8 election is drawing closer and what do you know about those names on the ballot?

Patch will interview candidates for the , the  board and the  bringing you the stories behind the names and the issues they think are important for Birmingham.

Three candidates are running for two seats on the Birmingham Board of Education: challenger and incumbents and Christopher Conti. The board oversees and sets school policy, hires and works in partnership with the district superintendent, and oversees the district's budget. Members are elected to four-year terms.

The Oakland County League of Women Voters will host a at 7 p.m. Tuesday for  Birmingham Board of Education candidates.

Chris Conti

Age: 42

Family: Conti is married to his wife Katie and has a 9-year-old son Benjamin, who is in fourth grade at .

Education: Conti received his undergraduate degree in marketing from Michigan State University and his MBA from Wayne State.

Occupation: Conti is the assistant treasurer of Automotive Component Holdings at Ford Motor Co.

Previous elected experience/experience in the schools: Conti is seeking a second term on the school board. He's served on Birmingham's retirement board for seven years. As his son was  entering kindergarten when he was first elected, Conti said joining the school board was his first move in getting involved in the district.

Why are you running? "You never know what to expect when you get into these things," he said and admits enjoying his time on the school board far more than he ever expected — a major factor in seeking re-election.

Conti believes that solid public schools are important to the community and wants to continue to help the district with budget and curriculum challenges.

What would you bring to the school board? Besides his background in finance, Conti said one of his main strengths is his objective eye as well as his propensity to challenge the status quo and ask questions.

"I'm always asking, 'Are we doing everything we can for the students?' " he said. "I say, let's make sure we can."

What issues are important to you? Conti said he sees a couple of pressing issues facing the board of education: the budget and what goes on in the classroom.

In coming years, Conti said the district will have to consider the impact of legacy costs and what cuts can be made to protect students and staff, noting everyone is going to have to do more with less. The district is in a good place — relative to surrounding districts, he said — and the challenge is in staying in that good place as financial challenges present themselves.

Conti said the board's main priority has always been the students and that he has immersed himself in curriculum decisions he hopes impacts student learning for the better. Those include implementing and .

"The financials are important, but our main product is education," he said, noting that he strives to ensure curriculum changes are made with care, each dollar is spent wisely and the district receives a return on its investment in the form of well-educated students.

For more

Check out profiles for all three candidates running for the school board: