District 15 School Board Candidate: Matthew Lyons

Name Matthew Lyons 

How long have you been a resident of District 15? 5 years. 

Biographical Information (optional) family, profession, background, etc.

My wife, Chanda, and I have been married for 14 years. We have 2 daughters currently attending District 15 schools. I am the Chief Information Officer at a trading firm based in downtown Chicago. Prior to that, I worked at Microsoft for over a decade in various product development and management roles. I earned a B.S. in Applied Physics from Purdue University and a M.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Washington.  

Why are you running for the District 15 board?

First, I care deeply about the education of our children.  They always need to be considered when the board is weighing decisions, balancing the needs of students and their families, taxpayers, and employees of the district when setting policies and strategy with the administration.
Second, while I appreciate the improvements made over the last two years in communicating with parents and the community, I believe there is room for improvement.  I want to do what I can to help.
Third, I believe that maintaining a balanced budget and controlling spending promotes stability in the community and is a fundamental duty of all school board members.  I’ve seen irresponsible, financial decisions by some candidates who are running in this election, such as supporting a $27 million bond levy without a communicated plan explaining why additional debt was needed. 

What is your opinion on the Early Start/Late Release issue? 

There is a vocal, passionate group of parents who believe that early dismissal on Friday afternoons is the smartest choice of discussed options.  On the other side, it seems there is someone or some group either in the administration or district staff who would prefer a late start.  I believe the lack of a clear sponsor for late start made the discussion with the public frustrating and tainted with a sense of futility. The biggest mistake in my opinion has been the lack of a clear, communicated plan from the beginning for how the decision of early vs. late would be made and how it would involve parents and teachers.
Different opinions combined with vague wording in the contract have led to a situation where it seems there will be some who “win” and some who “lose.”  However the decision is resolved, I hope the kids are ones who win.

What is your opinion on the possible outsourcing of bus services in District 15?

The decision of whether or not to outsource transportation involves several factors, including safety, efficiency, millions of dollars in annual expenditures, and dozens of jobs in the community.  It’s not a decision to be made flippantly.
I’ve heard arguments that students will be transported more safely by keeping transportation in house, and I’ve heard arguments that they will be safer using additional resources and capabilities that outside vendors bring to the table.  I haven’t been convinced either way.  However, I think that parents in other communities that have outsourced their transportation probably care for their kids as deeply as we do.  If outsourced transportation is truly unsafe, it wouldn’t be continuing in those nearby communities.
In these challenging economic times, the district ought to be looking for ways to trim expenses while maintaining or improving safety and efficiency.  The district is a large employer in the area, and its largest category of expenditures is personnel costs.  As such, trimming expenses likely involves jobs or compensation in some way.  Outsourcing is not the only way to trim costs, though.  It should be seen as one option of many.  Given that the DTU contract negotiations are happening right now, both the administration and DTU should approach the discussion with credible ideas for how jobs can be preserved while still trimming expenses.
Honestly, I don’t think enough is known yet to say what the best choice is for our children and our community.  It depends on topics such as what can be negotiated with the DTU and what updated bids from vendors will show.  I disagree with members Babcock and Bokor who voted that outsourcing shouldn’t even be investigated, but I don’t think that we’ve explored all the options well enough yet to make an informed decision. 

What, if any, improvements would you like to see in the way the board is run?

I believe the board needs to continue to work at improving communication with the community.  Compared to previous boards, the current board has done a lot to reach out, such as holding communication forums to discuss various topics.  However, I would like to see more done, including discussions about how decisions are made and enhancing electronic communication with the community.  I realize there are restrictions about topics the board can discuss and how, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find ways to reach out.

Additional comments and/or information you deem important for District 15 voters to know about you.

I have nothing left to add.