Schools

Election 2013: Sean Story for D-207 Board

Sean Story is running against Eldon Burk, Mary Childers, Jin Lee, Margaret McGrath, Carla Owen and Jeffrey Spero for Maine Township High School District 207's Board of Education.

The following information was provided by Sean Story. Patch provides a platform for candidates to share their messages, and does not give endorsements. To share your message with readers for free, add it to the Local Voices section on Patch.

Name: Sean Story

Position sought: Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education, four-year term.

Find out what's happening in Des Plaineswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Campaign contact information. Please include any or all of the following: website, email address, phone number, Facebook page, Twitter account, mailing address, etc.

Website: www.seanstory.info

Find out what's happening in Des Plaineswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Email: storman66@gmail.com

Phone: 847-840-4672

Age: 30

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): Wife – former D-64 school teacher; two children (four and one) with one expected in the fall.

Education Include degree(s) and school(s):

MBA – Finance & Marketing - Kellogg School of Management

BA – Politics & Economics – Princeton University (also varsity football)

High School – Maine South High School

Occupation: CFO & COO – Chicagoland Beverage Co.; former Vice President at Northern Trust – Commercial Banking; and prior to that, Large Corporate Commercial Banking at JPMorgan

Political Party: N/A

Official name of your campaign committee (if you have one):

N/A

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

Recently appointed to the board of directors for the Associated Colleges of Illinois

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

N/A

 

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

Positive Leadership:

As a community and a district, we need more leadership focused on enhancing education and less bureaucracy. Therefore, I intend to work closely with the community, school leadership, faculty and students to develop programs and initiatives that develop positive leaders and create a positive culture throughout each school. This includes creating positive environments for teachers, were we can attract, retain and reward our best educators, which will ultimately benefit each student.

Improving Communication:

Communication is a key aspect in everything we do, and should be no exception when it comes to something as important as our children's education. As a board, it will be critical to enhance the lines of communication between the board, school administrators, teachers, as well as the community. Taking an open, collaborative approach to what our district is trying to accomplish will ultimately benefit everyone involved, and most importantly benefit the students.

Investing in the Future:

As a leader within the community it is important not to focus on maintaining the status quo, but challenge our schools to continuously improve and continue investing in our student’s future.

 

What are the most important issues facing Maine Township High School District 207 and what would you do as a member of the board of education to address them?

I believe that our schools and educational systems nationwide are undergoing a time of drastic and rapid educational evolution. Change to the way students are being exposed to information and technology; as well as change to methods in which our teachers and administrators must deliver this information in the classroom. Along with all the other modifications occurring throughout the district and school systems; teachers and administrators must be able to effectively handle the challenges that inevitably come along with change in order to ensure the educational success of each student. I believe to address these problems throughout the district, we must improve the lines of communication throughout the district; and inflict more positive collaborative leadership initiatives at all levels of the system.

 

Why did you choose to run for D-207’s board of education?

My wife and I have invested ourselves in Park Ridge, and to raise our children in this great community and attend the excellent school systems. Having been a product of District 207, I would like to play an integral part in giving back to our community and helping invest in the ongoing success of D-207 as whole given that my children will also being there!

 

D-207 and Maine West High School are involved in litigation and investigations into bullying and hazing, and the district has begun implementing new policies and systems to address this issue. What would you do, if elected, as a member of D-207’s board of education to address bullying and hazing at the high schools?

A key initiative of the Board would be to work closely with the school's teachers, coaches and administrators to develop programs that invest the time to develop more positive, responsible leaders at both the student and teacher/coach level. The Board can look to develop leadership initiatives for throughout athletic programs that promote positive team building (i.e. - ropes courses, small team outings, and assigning veteran mentors to newcomers, etc.). It must be everyone's responsibility to prevent hazing, however, the Board can work to be proactive in preventative measures through working to develop such programs and initiatives.

 

D-207 recently voted to approve a $1-million tax abatement for taxpayers in the district. If elected to D-207’s board, what would your position be on similar tax abatements, the tax levy and expenditures on staffing?

The job of managing the school board’s finances has its unique challenges from the perspective of generating enough revenue to operate the school system, as well as to ensure the district has ample reserves to handle unforeseen expenses, as well as future capital improvements throughout our schools. The challenge therein lies to achieve an appropriate level of income without placing an excessive tax burden on the residents of the community. Therefore, tax abatements and levies should continue to be continued as potential alternative in periods of financial strength for the district.

This is an additional reason why the district must always continue to look at streamlining spending throughout the school system. Nevertheless, when it comes to staffing, particularly at the teacher level, in addition to expenditures for student programing and initiatives, the Board must be cautious on how it approaches cost cutting measures. D-207 does not want to become a low cost service provider of education; therefore, it must that we are attracting, rewarding, and retain top educators, as well as providing premier services to our students and families within the district. In doing so we can continue to ensure the District progresses as a top educational system.

 

Why would you do a better job representing D-207 than your opponents?

More than anything, I believe that I can bring a unique perspective to the district and the community, given my background and experience. I have, and will always approach leadership and positions of leadership from the standpoint of positive collaboration and effective communication throughout all levels of an organization. I have also been an individual, who throughout my career has always challenged the status quo, and continuously worked to inflict positive changes throughout any organization I have been a part of.

Lastly, I owe much of my success to the teachers, coaches and leaders at each of the educational institutions I have attended. In addition to being married to a long time teacher, and part of a family of educators, I have a unique appreciation for the importance of the work these individuals do. Therefore, my role on the school board will be to ensure that my children, and all generations of students in D-207 can benefit from the efforts of our school system now and in the future.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here