Feb. 04--School District U46 CEO Tony Sanders was the guest of honor Wednesday at a "CEO Unplugged" luncheon hosted by the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce.
Sanders answered a variety of questions at the Grand Victoria Casino over an hourlong session.
He spoke of the difficulty the state's second-largest school district has in balancing the needs of its diverse student body with today's fiscal realities, as well as the inherent trickiness that comes with being based in Kane, DuPage and Cook counties, particularly as it comes to planning for funding and tax levies.
"We're trying to keep property taxes relatively low in the next year," he told the group of roughly 50 attendees in one of the casino's banquet rooms.
Sanders cracked wise at times, talked about wanting to be a DJ growing up and even sang a quick rendition of the "WKRP in Cincinnati" theme song before shouting out the hard work of district teachers.
"It's a long day on your feet," he said. "I have so much respect for teachers who can stand and deliver all day long."
Sanders said that the realities of the district have thus far made things like middle-school counselors and lower class sizes unattainable at this point.
"We have needs that go beyond our means," he said.
He called plans to implement full-day Kindergarten across the district this fall "a necessity."
The program will cost the district $10 million annually for the first two years, but state funding will help pay the cost after that.
Already, more than 1,800 students are signed up for the full-day Kindergarten, Sanders said, adding that he expects that number to climb to 2,500 by the fall.
Offering full-day Kindergarten also has economic benefits, as it can help attract families considering a move to the U46 area.
"People have an expectation that we will provide," he said.
He also called the state's funding system "broken," and said that less-wealthy districts bear the brunt of the dysfunction.
"The poorer districts have been losing for years and years and years," Sanders said, "and it's time for it to stop."
Sanders also spoke to the changing demographics of the district, one that went from majority Caucasian when he arrived nine years ago to majority Hispanic today.
He said the district's plan to expand its dual language programs next school year will both help the roughly 25 percent of kids who arrive at the district not knowing English and help break down racial and cultural barriers between students and communities.
The federally mandated "No Child Left Behind" Act that has dominated public education in the past 15 years sent morale "to an all-time low," Sanders said, so he tries to instill a "power of positivity" in his leadership position.
"This is where we can actually change the future of our country, through our public education system," he said.
geoffz@tribpub.com
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