Matt Winkle Candidate Profile

Name: Matt Winkle

Position sought:  Batavia School Board Dist. 101

Home address (only the town will be published): Batavia, IL

Age: 44

Family (name, relationship and age): Wife, Chris; Sons, ages 7, 11, and 13

Education (degree and school): Bachelors, Michigan State University

Occupation:  Business owner

Political party affiliation, If any:

Previous elected offices:  School Board

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: 

I have been on the school board for five years and the finance committee for four. I spent four years on the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence Board prior to that. I previously served on an advisory committee for Rotolo Middle School. I served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters and I have been a partner in successful businesses for more than a decade.   

Please limit answers to 75 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, grammar, spelling and length.
•    What is the primary reason you are running for this office? 

I hope to continue to help our district maintain its high quality in spite of our state’s economic environment. I am confident we can both address the fiscal concerns all districts face, and continue on our path of continuous improvement. I don’t believe fiscal responsibility and high quality schools are mutually exclusive.

•    What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? 

To continue to address our short and long term financial environment while never using it as an excuse to allow our district to deteriorate. We can spend our time blaming the state, the economy, the housing market etc…, or we can address our situation. We need to move forward and continue to work.    

•    What sets you apart from the other candidates, if contested? 

I think the candidate pool is great.  Obviously the one advantage I have is having been through the difficult learning curve of school policy and finance. 

•    How long have you lived in the district? 

I have lived in Batavia for most of my life with the exception of a few brief stints out of state after college.

•    What's your favorite thing about the district? 

Batavia is a great community. That begins and ends with its citizens. Batavians have supported our children time and again. It is impossible to have a strong vibrant community without strong schools. Fortunately we have a well informed public that understands that. Batavia is not flashy or trendy, but at its core it is solid. 

•    What is the biggest problem in the district?

 I think our biggest challenge is our economy. It weighs heavy on everyone, and our choices are difficult. Our community and our district will work its way through difficult times. I am confident of that.

 •    According to district projections, Batavia Public Schools will face a $5 million deficit for the 2011-12 school year and this will likely reach $7.6 million in 2012-13, if the current tax rate holds. This year, the district needs to find ways to curb a $4 million deficit. Given these projections, how can the district keep its budget down? What are your solutions? 

The finance committee has asked the board to support a two and a half million dollar reduction in budgeted expenses for the coming year in order to reduce our deficit going forward. We have taken difficult steps to halt the decline of our revenue while keeping in mind that now is not the time to ask the public for more money than they gave last year. We will close the budget deficit without destroying what took decades to build.

•    Our community has unfortunately endured its third teen suicide in less than a year. How will you address this issue as a School Board member? 

Suicide prevention is being emphasized by our administration, counseling staff and other organizations including the Parent Academy. Our district has reached out to professional organizations for additional guidance. I think it’s important for people to know that a review of our counseling staff’s policies and actions indicated that they have been both vigilant and responsive. Student suicide affects them at a very personal level.    

 •    As today’s professions continue to evolve at a rapid rate, what resources or programs do you think are most important to offer to Batavia students? 

I still believe that reading, writing, math and science are the essential foundation for all learning. We are fortunate to have community support for diverse offerings at Batavia. Learning takes place everywhere, in the classroom, on the web, on stage, under the hood, in the orchestra pit etc. We start at the core and work outward based on what our community and our education professionals value for our kids.