Peter R. Dombrowski

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Peter R. Dombrowski

Republican Party

Prior offices

Township High School District 211 school board, At-large

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Education

Bachelor's

Purdue University

Graduate

University of Illinois, Chicago

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Chief bridge engineer

Contact

Personal website

Peter R. Dombrowski is an at-large member of the Township High School District 211 Board of Education in Illinois. He was first elected to the board in the general election on April 7, 2015.

Dombrowski unsuccessfully ran for Schaumberg village trustee in 2011.

Dombrowski participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 Campaign themes.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Dombrowski grew up on the south side of Chicago and now lives in Schaumburg. He works as a chief bridge engineer at Epstein and is a licensed professional engineer and a licensed structural engineer. Dombrowski earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and his master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He and his wife have three children, two sons and one daughter.

Dombrowski has served on the school advisory board of St. Hubert Catholic School at Hoffman Estates since 2009. He also served as an engineering mentor at the Future City Competition in 2014 and has volunteered for CANstruction Chicago since 2010. Since 2009, he has been a member of the structural committee for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

A Republican, Dombrowski ran as a candidate for Schaumburg village trustee in 2011.

Elections

2015

See also: Township High School District 211 elections (2015)

Four of the seven at-large seats on the Township High School District 211 Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015.

Incumbents Bill Robertson, Mucia A. Burke, George Brandt and Richard Gerber were up for re-election. Robertson and Brandt did not file to run for re-election, leaving Burke and Gerber to face the following six challengers: Peter R. Dombrowski, Roman G. Golash, Robert D. Lithgow, Will Hinshaw, Lauanna Recker and Edward M. Yung.

Burke won another term on the board, and newcomers Recker, Dombrowski and Hinshaw won election to the other three seats.

Results

Township High School District 211, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Mucia A. Burke Incumbent	16.3%	6,890
	Nonpartisan	Lauanna Recker	14.6%	6,168
	Nonpartisan	Peter R. Dombrowski	14.4%	6,089
	Nonpartisan	Will Hinshaw	13.1%	5,569
	Nonpartisan	Richard Gerber Incumbent	12.7%	5,375
	Nonpartisan	Edward M. Yung	12%	5,075
	Nonpartisan	Robert D. Lithgow	11.3%	4,775
	Nonpartisan	Roman G. Golash	5.8%	2,443
Total Votes				42,384
Source: Cook County Clerk, "Election Results: April 07, 2015 Consolidated General Election," accessed April 22, 2015

Funding

School board candidates in Illinois are only required to file campaign finance reports if they accept contributions or make expenditures in excess of $5,000 in a 12-month period.

Dombrowski reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in this election.

Endorsements

Dombrowski was endorsed by Citizens For Accountability in District 15 and District 211.

2011

Township High School District 211, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	George S. Dunham Incumbent	20.1%	4,162
	Nonpartisan	Henry C. Curcio	19.9%	4,119
	Nonpartisan	Mark Madej	19.6%	4,065
	Nonpartisan	Peter R. Dombrowski	14.4%	2,980
	Nonpartisan	Ralph Roller	13%	2,698
	Nonpartisan	Robert Garrett	13%	2,694
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	28
Total Votes				20,746
Source: Cook County Clerk, "Consolidated Election, April 5, 2011, Summary Report - Official Results," accessed February 6, 2015 These election results are unofficial. They will be updated once certified election results are available.

Campaign themes

2015

Ballotpedia survey responses

Dombrowski participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	My top priority is to bring balance back to the board. Open the discussion to the community as an elected and empowered voice.	”
—Peter R. Dombrowski (2015)

Ranking the issues

Dombrowski was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy
Click here to learn more about education policy in Illinois.
Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
2	Expanding career-technical education
3	Improving college readiness
4	Improving education for special needs students
5	Expanding school choice options
6	Closing the achievement gap
7	Expanding arts education

Positions on the issues

Dombrowski was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:

Question	Response
What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?	"Modifications are required before they are implemented."
Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?	"No"
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?	"Higher tax credit for individuals that send to private schools."
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?	"Standardized tests are a partial metric of student achievement. Each student is an individual. Savant Syndrome individuals do not exceed in testing environments."
How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?	"Focusing on the fundamentals that prepare all students to be exceptional members of the community. Provide a common ground standardizing the experiences in the district. An introductory course or common expectation of the high school experience."
How should expulsion be used in the district?	"Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy."
If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?	"Our district has 5 schools. If one school falls behing, the BOE should move to support the school through successful resource redistribution. Either integrating students into the successful environment, or implementing a mentoring program that works to shadow best practices from one environment to another."
Do you support merit pay for teachers?	"I support pay for teachers that lead change with impact. Student success is not entirely the result of teachers. Parents and individuals will be part of this equation. "
How should the district handle underperforming teachers?	"Carefully. Contracts negotiated must be honored. The district should follow the agreed course until a mutually decided revision is comprised."
How would you work to improve community-school board relations?	"Eliminate the silent stares. Open up discussion with the establishment of committees. Discourage the whole "talk to the superintendent" mentality when the community seeks answers. Trust comes from open discussion and shared experiences. The community is currently locked out of that process."

Candidate website

In an email submission to Ballotpedia, Dombrowski explained his political philosophy:

“	I hope to represent the community on the board and advocate for their concerns. I strive to be outspoken and proactive for the voters in my community.	”
—Peter R. Dombrowski

Campaign website

Dombrowski highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:

“	Fiscal Responsibility Issue: Illinois Senate Bill 16 POA: I will act on behalf of the residents I am elected to represent. That means pounding on the doors of our other elected officials and reminding them that their party votes to donate our tax dollars is not appreciated. As a community, we all must stand together and work to benefit each other. Senators Kotowski and Noland voted in direct opposition to the needs of our community. As a Board of Education member, I will speak loudly to remind those who propose to weaken the district. I also praise Senator Murphy for voting in line with the voice of the community. There is a divide in equality of funding for schools. There is also a divide in accepting responsibility for one's own education. If Illinois school funding neglects truancy and dropout rates, and blindly invests in schools that children are not attending, it's throwing the baby out with the bath water. There are better solutions that must come with accountability. Issue: Year after year, the taxes District 211 levies are significantly greater than expenditures, creating a huge excess of funds. The accumulated fund balance is far above the Board’s target of 33%. The actual was 70.7% as of June 30, 2014, which means the fund balance is $80 million higher than target. The lowest cash on hand during past 24 months was more than $150 million. It sits around making .2% interest instead of being in the hands of the community, many of whom are struggling to pay very high property tax bills. POA: Cap the tax levy at the budget amount. Our current Board of Education and Administration has responded that the surplus is a result of late payments from the state and/or uncertainty in the pension system. This needs to change. The levy is not intended to raise funds for future capital expenses, debt service levy, uncertain state politics, or a zombie apocalypse. Paying interest on bonds while sitting on fund balances beyond established Board policy is not responsible. Issue: End of Career Salary Bumps POA: Work with teachers and staff through the established contract proceeding to eliminate the end of career salary increases that result in penalty payments to the state. This partnership must result in an equitable solution that keeps resident tax dollars within the school district. D211 paid a $93,594.36 penalty to TRS in 2011-2012. Issue: District 211 Pensions POA: Obviously our teachers are critical for the education of our students. Unfortunately, less than half the staff employed are considered High School Teachers (696) of the total staff (2,057). The Board of Education approves the salary and schedule without being part of the negotiations. This should be changed through Board policy. Having an elected member of the public representing the community should be a top priority. Working with Local 1211 to keep salary and benefits competitive and sustainable must be part of the solution. This is the whole purpose of having an elected Board of Education. A four-year education from District 211 averages out to be $88,080. There are difficult discussion that always occur when contracts are discussed. I'm prepared to be a voice in the room willing to speak up and bring balance to the table. Issue: Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts POA: Ring the bells and wake people up. It's crazy to think that a residents aren't more up in arms about this. A small group of elected officials decide that a part of town needs to improve. They then decide to make those improvements on the backs of the property owners. Elected officials need to be at the Joint Review Board (JRB). Sending the D211 Associate Superintendent for Business is not representing the people who took the effort to cast a vote. So you have a municipality taking the money that you pay for schools and setting it aside to invest as they deem necessary. Does the school get less money? No. The school districts levy, or request, a certain amount of tax dollars each year and they will collect that amount whether there are TIFs or not. Some current 211 Board members have attempted to use the TIF district as an excuse for increasing the levy. That makes no sense. While TIFs do not affect the school districts, they do affect you. If you live outside the TIF district, you now need to make up for the amount that the municipality is taking. So, for 23 years, property owners outside the TIF district need to make up for the levy revenue taken from inside the TIF district. Why is this important? This is important because it will shift the tax burden. You're paying high taxes for schools but these high tax dollars have just been diverted to bring in a warehouse development. Does that reflect your values as a taxpayer? You've elected your school Board member who is working to determine how much taxes to collect for education. At the same time you've elected a municipality official who is spending that amount of money on a different priority. Where is your representation in this process? I will bridge this divide. When TIFs are being considered in District 211, I'll be at the public hearings vocally fighting to keep money where it's intended. We all share in the success of our community. Our tax bills are a accumulation of all the taxing districts working together. Funding pet projects for one district is not a path to success. Students Prepared Issue: Prepare our Students for STEM Careers POA: Create enough Science and Math classes to meet the demands of the students. From the D211 Annual Report's Curriculum Summary, the number of enrolled students per the number of classes taught are as follow: Applied Technology = 14.5 Enrolled/Class Art = 26.7 Enrolled/Class Business Education = 36.1 Enrolled/Class English = 25.4 Enrolled/Class Family & Consumer Sciences = 19.6 Enrolled/Class Health = 39.7 Enrolled/Class Mathematics = 38.4 Enrolled/Class Music = 87.3 Enrolled/Class Physical Education = 40.4 Enrolled/Class Science = 49.8 Enrolled/Class Social Studies = 26.0 Enrolled/Class World Language = 55.2 Enrolled/Class Shouldn't Math and Science be closer to 26 students per class? Similar to English and Social Studies? Transparency Issue: Board Meetings Not Recorded POA: Get this done. This is a vital bridge to build and logic says it should not be difficult to accomplish. When the issue was last raised in October 2011, the Board failed to prioritize transparency and make this happen. Recording meetings is commonplace and inexpensive in many other school districts and municipalities, including District 15 and the Village of Palatine. It should be no different in District 211. The Board room is state-of-the art. It is highly unusual this is not already being done. We've put iPads into the hands of every student. District 211 could easily use an iPad to stream and record a Board meeting. With the numerous awards presented throughout the year to students, it only makes sense to allow grandparents, friends, and others to witness the accolades earned through the use of modern technology. And, it only makes sense for stakeholders to witness their elected representatives in action (or not), to see if the issues are being discussed and given thoughtful consideration from all viewpoints before proceeding to a vote. The ability to attend meetings in person should not determine access. Issue: Board of Education Apathy POA: Improve the Board of Education through the use of standing and ad hoc committees. The Board currently is reactionary. The agenda is presented and the Board responds. Structured committees need to be established to allow more discussions within the community for all the stakeholders. Recording the efforts and recommendations of the committees will allow for a transparent process and collaboration before a critical vote is required. By the time an issue reaches the Board, the opportunity for an optimized solution has typically passed. Currently, the Board has standing committees for Superintendent's Administrative Council, Curriculum Committee, Principal's Executive Committee, and Principal's Cabinet. These committees have been in place since 1997. It is long overdue for the Board to re-evaluate and determine the need for committees that work on behalf of all stakeholders. Our current Board members are voting without discussion or participation in many areas that have a direct impact on teachers, students, and taxpayers. There should be a better forum for the critical discussions that impact everyone. I believe that forum is a committee meeting and not a YES / NO vote on the consent agenda.	”
—Peter R. Dombrowski's campaign website (2015)

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Peter Dombrowski Township High School District 211. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Peter R. Dombrowski - Google News

See also

• Township High School District 211, Illinois
• Township High School District 211 elections (2015)
• Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Township High School District 211
• Office website
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page
• Twitter page
• LinkedIn page