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Name: Dave Gutierrez
What office are you seeking? Board of Education Member - District 3
What is your political party? Independent
What is your current age? 45
Occupation and employer: Logistics and Warehousing, OLIMP Warehousing
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Board of Education Member in District 3 since 2021
City: Fox River Grove
Campaign Website: https://supportfrgschools.com/
Education: MBA in Leadership and Management, Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago
BA in Creative Writing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Community Involvement:
Marital status/Immediate family: I live in Fox River Grove with my wife. We have two children, an 8th grader and a 4th grader in District 3.
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
Our superintendent has put a strong emphasis on improving our test scores across the board, and we’re already seeing that work pay dividends in student performance. I believe that a rigorous, data-driven, research-based approach to our curricula and instructional methodology is critical to driving continued improvement in our student outcomes. Support for STEM programs, SEL, services for neurodivergent and special needs students, and programs for our high performing students are all part of that overall picture
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
Yes, and they are currently attending public school.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
I believe that our educational professionals are more than qualified to evaluate curricula and what materials will be available to students. That kind of meddling in the educational details is not the correct role for a school board or board member--our job is to consider strategic goals and outcomes, not to step in and run the day to day operations of the school. That’s why we have administrators.
Most of local residents' property taxes go to their school districts. Are taxes paid to your school district too high? What would you do to protect the interests of taxpayers?
In my time on the board we’ve been able to build a healthy financial base for the district while making intentional investments in our facilities, staff, and educational needs. I take our job as financial stewards very seriously, and carefully consider the financial ramifications of everything we do.
Most of the COVID relief money from the federal government is coming to an end. What spending adjustments does your school district need to make to address that?
Thanks to careful planning by our board and superintendent, we were able to make good and productive use of that relief money without relying on it for any critical programs or expenses. The expiration of those relief funds will not have a negative impact in our district.
Should Title IX cover sexual orientation or gender identity? What are your views on the use of locker rooms and bathrooms by transgender students and their participating in sports?
Title IX protections should absolutely cover sexual orientation and gender identity. I believe the adults in the district have an obligation to keep our children safe from harm, and that certainly includes protecting the mental well-being of trans and queer young people. Of over half a million student athletes participating in NCAA sports last season, fewer than 10 were transgender students. This is a non-issue in our district and completely irrelevant to the work the District 3 school board has ahead in the next term.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
ICE has no business on our school property. I do not support terrorizing young people to coerce their parents. We are a K-8 school district, our students are nowhere near adults and our school should be a safe place where they can focus their energy on learning and socializing with their peers.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
- Continued Academic Improvement -- we’ve made good progress but need to continue improving our student outcomes. I believe the strategic planning process we implemented in 2024 will pave the way to more success in this area.
- Communication with the Community -- prior to the new administration coming on in 2023 our district really struggled with communication and engagement of our stakeholders. We have seen real improvement here but there needs to be more.
- Continued Long-Term Financial Planning - We have completed several large maintenance projects in the past year, but we need to continue evaluating and prioritizing those needs as well as our other budgetary concerns to keep the district in a healthy financial situation long term.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
I can understand why some parents want their kids to have their phone available at all times, but I also think there need to be rules and guidelines about when and where the students can use those things freely. In most workplaces as adults we’re not able to just sit and scroll our phones while we’re supposed to be doing something else, I think the expectations for our students should be no different.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
Absolutely not.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
We already do this as much as possible, and I am personally happy to sit down and talk through those reports with any stakeholder from the district who is interested. The best way to understand these issues is always going to be to come to the meetings and watch and listen.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
We use a number of methods to include the community in our conversations--surveys, focus groups, comment at open meetings, etc.--and will continue to do so. On a personal level as a board member i have always been happy to hear anyone out when they want to share their opinion on a topic.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
I am adamantly opposed to banning books, and would not support any attempt to set criteria to do so.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
In our district we do this proactively throughout the year. Our board takes input from the administration, the teachers themselves, and the parents into account in setting those appropriate class sizes.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
I believe we can do more for our teachers, and I am confident that we will do so in our next term.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
I’m available in the community for anyone who wants to talk, any time. My email is on the board homepage, and I’m always excited to talk about the cool things we have happening in the district. I invite anyone and everyone to reach out.