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Greg Johnson
Address: 237 White Clover Drive, Chillicothe
Age: 42
Job: President and CEO of One Fire Media Group http://www.onefiremedia.com/
Education: Bachelor’s of Science – Western Illinois University; (Major: computer science, Minor: economics); Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Elective/appointive offices held or leadership roles: District 321 IVC School Board member for the past two terms (eight years) — running for a third consecutive term; Finance Committee Chairman for the past four years; Board Negotiation Team member — twice with the IVCEA
School board member’s role: As a school board member in the IVC District 321 for the past eight years, I believe I have a realistic, practical and effective viewpoint of the role. In my mind, the most important role of a school board trustee is to perform the following 6 items:
(1) Set and enable overall strategic direction for the district. (2) Act as a communication gateway for all constituents. (3) Provide sound, stable fiscal stewardship. (4) Employ a superintendent for the district (5) Set and approve district policy.
(6) Remember that you work for all constituents.
[My definition of constituents is the following: students, community members, taxpayers, teaching staff, and the administrative staff.]
Top priorities: My top priorities and focus items will continue to be the following: (1) The execution of the district’s strategic plan
(2) The financial stewardship of the district’s budget (ensure we live within our means and are a sustainable district) (3) Providing the best possible environment for students and teachers for a balanced educational experience. This includes solid educational opportunities, competitive athletic experiences and the opportunity to participate in many other “growth and perspective widening” extracurricular activities.
District 321’s greatest challenge: The economic challenge. The IVC School District has several important issues to face in the upcoming months. The most pressing issue today and for the future will continue to be budget constraints and funding limitations. School district budget constraints are definitely in the headlines every day — now more so than ever. One advantage the district continues to maintain to date is that the district is being managed in a fiscally responsible manner. Through focus, hard work and efforts of the board and the IVCEA, District 321 is in a better financial situation than many school districts throughout the state.
The now reality is that the Illinois state budget deficits and funding reductions are here today and are affecting all school districts. Protecting the interests of the district is priority one. Steps that the State of Illinois and the legislature are taking, or are evaluating taking, are a definite cause for concern. Inevitably, some tough decisions will likely need to be made at the state, local and district level in the next four years. I don’t profess to know at this point in time what the best solutions will be, but I do believe my professional experiences and the experiences gained serving on the board for the past eight years are key advantages that I have in finding future solutions.
Greg Johnson
Address: 237 White Clover Drive, Chillicothe
Age: 42
Job: President and CEO of One Fire Media Group http://www.onefiremedia.com/
Education: Bachelor’s of Science – Western Illinois University; (Major: computer science, Minor: economics); Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Elective/appointive offices held or leadership roles: District 321 IVC School Board member for the past two terms (eight years) — running for a third consecutive term; Finance Committee Chairman for the past four years; Board Negotiation Team member — twice with the IVCEA
School board member’s role: As a school board member in the IVC District 321 for the past eight years, I believe I have a realistic, practical and effective viewpoint of the role. In my mind, the most important role of a school board trustee is to perform the following 6 items:
(1) Set and enable overall strategic direction for the district. (2) Act as a communication gateway for all constituents. (3) Provide sound, stable fiscal stewardship. (4) Employ a superintendent for the district (5) Set and approve district policy.
(6) Remember that you work for all constituents.
[My definition of constituents is the following: students, community members, taxpayers, teaching staff, and the administrative staff.]
Top priorities: My top priorities and focus items will continue to be the following: (1) The execution of the district’s strategic plan
(2) The financial stewardship of the district’s budget (ensure we live within our means and are a sustainable district) (3) Providing the best possible environment for students and teachers for a balanced educational experience. This includes solid educational opportunities, competitive athletic experiences and the opportunity to participate in many other “growth and perspective widening” extracurricular activities.
District 321’s greatest challenge: The economic challenge. The IVC School District has several important issues to face in the upcoming months. The most pressing issue today and for the future will continue to be budget constraints and funding limitations. School district budget constraints are definitely in the headlines every day — now more so than ever. One advantage the district continues to maintain to date is that the district is being managed in a fiscally responsible manner. Through focus, hard work and efforts of the board and the IVCEA, District 321 is in a better financial situation than many school districts throughout the state.
The now reality is that the Illinois state budget deficits and funding reductions are here today and are affecting all school districts. Protecting the interests of the district is priority one. Steps that the State of Illinois and the legislature are taking, or are evaluating taking, are a definite cause for concern. Inevitably, some tough decisions will likely need to be made at the state, local and district level in the next four years. I don’t profess to know at this point in time what the best solutions will be, but I do believe my professional experiences and the experiences gained serving on the board for the past eight years are key advantages that I have in finding future solutions.
Why residents should vote for you: I have supported and led in the advancement of our district strategic plan at the board level for the past eight years. This encompasses many items including: facilities upgrades for education and athletics, the use and proliferation of technology within the district, increased student performance/measurement/assessment, maintaining a sound fiscal position and enabling a great work environment as the largest employer within Chillicothe.
In my opinion, the voters need to elect the people they feel most confident in and comfortable with to find future solutions. I believe what District 321 needs is effective, experienced people who can objectively view all the possible solutions, who will seek out the opinion of the taxpayers, the community, and the students and work with an open mind towards finding the best possible solution given many competing factors. I believe I have done that very effectively the past eight years and I respectfully ask for your vote once again on April 5.
