School Board Election: Kevin Kirberg Answers Our Questions

Editor's note: Candidates for Plainfield Village Board and Plainfield School District 202 have been asked to complete questionnaires about who they are, why they're running and their positions on some of the key issues. Plainfield Patch will run them as they are received and they will be available up through the April 5 election.

These are the candidates' own words, written specifically for the benefit of those who are deciding how they will vote.

PLAINFIELD DISTRICT 202  SCHOOL BOARD QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: Kevin Kirberg

Address: 24156 Pear Tree Court, Plainfield

E-mail address: kkirberg@4fathers.org

Age: 38

Marital status: Married

Name of spouse: Jennifer Kirberg

Names, ages of children: Nate, 11

Education (please name school and degree attained): Western Illinois University, BA; Northern Illinois University, MA; DePaul University, post-graduate study

Profession and employer: Administrator/faculty, DePaul University

Community (non-elected) groups of which you are a member: District 202 C.A.P.E. (Coordination of Administration and Parent Groups for Educational Efficiency) board member; District 202 Foundation for Excellence trustee/vice chair for programs; Freedom Elementary PTO president, Illinois Fatherhood Initiative president; educational liaison to Illinois State Board of Education and U.S. Department of Education; Illinois PTA M.O.R.E. (Men Organized to Raise Engagement) founding committee member.

Previous and current elected political office history (please include the years of terms): N/A

Why are you seeking this office?

As a very involved parent and community member, I believe this is an opportunity for me to utilize my knowledge and skills for our community and our children. We must create the best school system for our children to succeed and I want to give back and help make that goal a reality. Working together as a community, we can provide the advantage of a first-class education that our children need.

Why should someone choose you instead of those you are running against? 

Based upon my background of involvement in District 202 and working in education my entire career, I believe I possess a knowledge base upon which to serve the community and upon which I can build in my service on the school board. As a board member, I will commit myself to doing everything I need to do to help provide leadership our school district. My experience and background will enable me to evaluate options and data and make informed decisions about our district’s future. 

What do you see as the issues in this election?

We must work together to continue to grow student achievement for all our students, while finding the most appropriate ways to make the district financially secure for both the current year and for the future. Our children and those who will go through our school system and grow up in our community in the future deserve the opportunity to attend the highest quality school system in the state.

What would you like to accomplish if elected to this position? Please be specific.

• Finding the most significant ways for us as a community to come together to provide the best education available in Illinois for all our children and doing this within the funding constraints we have, while needing to balance the district’s budget. 
• Creating more opportunities for involvement and participation among other individuals and groups in the community that can and want to give back to help support the short- and long-term success of our school district and the education we provide to our children.

What is your opinion of the current budget deficit? What would be your proposal for how to eliminate it? What budget cuts do you support? Be as specific as possible. 

The budget deficit is something that occurred for us out of inadequate funding mechanisms and changes in the economy. We must find appropriate ways to deal with the deficit and balance the district’s budget, while maintaining a very high quality education for all our students. I am in favor of looking at all available options and expect that budget reductions should be shared across the district operations in ways that limit the impact on children. We should continue to provide a much funding as possible to the front lines of our schools in the ways that most impact our students. We need to look at how we can restructure services and support to make the district as efficient as possible based upon what we have to work with in revenue and resources.

What is your opinion of the school board’s recent decision to use federal grant money to retain jobs for a year instead of using it to pay down debt owned on land purchases? Please explain. 

I agree with using the federal money for its intended purpose: To retain jobs. For one year, we keep these positions. However, I am not sure this decision will put the district in the best fiscal position in future years. I would like to have seen more options explored about how to use the district budget dollars that might have been available from using the federal money to retain jobs. We must look long term and make decisions that will best position the district to deliver the highest quality education each and every year into the future. 

Do you think the school boundaries need to be redrawn because of shifts in enrollment? If yes, how would you propose doing so? If no, how can you ensure that every school provides the same opportunities if one has more students than another? 

It is important to keep schools within the size capacities for which they were built. Class and building size are components that can impact individual student success. However, the district’s common curriculum does help ensure that equality exists and we also must make sure we offer the same opportunities at each building. We need to consider what the administration recommends for boundary shifts to see if it will help create better balance among schools, but also look at the longer-term projections to not move forward with changes that then need to be changed again in the short term by future enrollment trends.

Would you support a switch in school funding that would increase income tax in exchange for a drop in property tax? 

If this change would result in adequate funding for District 202, given our size and structure, then I would be willing to consider it. I have said before, we don’t have the revenue levels we need in District 202. We must work together to find better ways to create the sustainable revenue we need to provide the highest quality education across the state. This is the only way to stay competitive. I am not in favor of raising taxes or changing the system of funding without being sure it would provide the required funding we need in District 202.