2013 Election Profile: Dean Fisher

Name: Dean Fisher

Position sought: Yorkville District 115 School Board Member

E-mail address: Deanfisher@aol.com

Phone: 630-553-6237

Address: Yorkville, IL.

Age: 57

Family: Wife, Chris (married 37 years) and 4 children

Education: Yorkville High School

Occupation: Executive Vice President of Service and Operations for CARSTAR Inc.

Previous elected offices: Yorkville District 115 School Board Member (3 terms)

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: As a member of the school board for 12 years, I have served as Board Secretary for 10 years and Chairperson of the Finance committee.  During my tenure as a board member, we have managed the district’s explosive growth, building 4 schools in 5 years and remodeling 3 others during that growth.  We have changed administration successfully and managed our financials to a point in which we can self-fund a new High School renovation for additional classrooms in an effort to enhance the curriculum design and student learning capability.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? I have been asked to continue in an effort to provide continuity to the board during the changes that we have begun to implement, and that will occur in the future.  I am excited to be part of the education process in the community.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? I have typically watched over finances on the board and have a keen interest in bringing value to the tax payer.  I also recognize that we are in a very volatile economic time.  I feel we will need to enhance the student learning experience in an effort to meet those demands, in spite of our funding limitations.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? I have experience on this board.  I also have been a business owner for 37 years.  I have experience with multiple business boards and feel I bring a solid thought process to the board regarding the business of the district.  I also believe that I help to add diversity to the thought process of the board and bring a “good mix” to an already very capable board structure.

How long have you lived in District 115 (if applicable, if not how long have you been involved with the school district)?  49 years / 26 years / 12 year as board member

What's your favorite thing about Yorkville schools? Financial Stability, Administration, and Community Support-Interest-Spirit.

What is the biggest issue facing Yorkville schools? Managing continued growth and the expense associated with those demands on facilities, curriculum, and administrative needs in a State that has poor support (they still owe us 7 million from 2004) and an antiquated taxing (funding) mechanism for schools.  Student learning is a highly interactive and changing environment.  We will need to seek innovative processes and systems in an effort to manage this and provide the highest level learning experience for our students.  This will require that we seek community input and as we work to utilize all available resources to meet the student needs.

As a board member, how do you plan to promote academic achievement while remaining fiscally responsible? Great question…..carefully!  It is a balancing act at best.  One must be aware of the building needs for our students.  Our recent studies show that students today, and in the future, will learn in different ways than they have in the past.  The learning environment is much more fast paced and requires, in some cases, more funding for electronic alternatives and curriculum development.  We will need to manage overhead costs and continue to require our district to deliver a high level of achievement for the funding resources available.  I do not believe we can continue to rely on government to help in the future if we have any hopes of them reeling in their spending waste.

What will you bring to the school board that is currently lacking? The current board is well balanced and thoughtful in their considerations.  I am currently part of that process, and as stated in my opening comments, I believe we have shown integrity and fiscal responsibility during my tenure.  I believe we need to, and can continue to, perpetuate a strong learning environment for our student s through appropriate managed funding.