Michael Lord

Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign

Experience: Has served on the board for eight years, has nineteen years in the banking industry and has worked with owners of small- and medium-sized businesses as well as municipalities

What will you bring to the school board?: My top priority will be fiscal responsibility. The board must require that educational priorities be set and programs not matching these priorities be reduced or eliminated to save costs. My second priority is the most difficult goal of the strategic plan, 93 percent of students who have been in the district for two or more years must meet state standards by 2013. Appropriate measurements and scorecards will be needed to determine if the goals of the strategic plan are being met.