About John Martin
Biography
First, let me tell you about myself. I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with two brothers and my parents. My mom taught high school when I was little before going back to school for a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. She finished her career teaching in pre-K and Kindergarten. My dad was a high school counselor early in his career before returning to school for an MBA and finishing his career in the Treasury Department of a major department store chain.
My wife and I moved to Evanston 10 years ago in 2015 from Chicago. The diversity and urban environment along with the strength of the public school system were major drivers in our decision to choose Evanston.
Education
I received a B.S. from Miami University with a dual-major in Business Economics and Decision Science (statistics geared towards business applications). While working full-time at an accounting firm in Chicago, I received a Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University.
Community Involvement
My wife and I moved to Evanston in 2015, and we have two children in the third and fourth grades. Much of my community involvement has been in the way of athletics. I started by first coaching soccer in AYSO, then later became the Registrar, and then the Commissioner, which allowed me the opportunity to get to know many different families and experience the great diversity in our community—which is truly unique. While commissioner, I led our return to the playing field following Covid, which taught me a lot about navigating uncertainty. I also coach baseball through EBSA and flag football through both the programs at the Quad and the Thundercats organization.
Work
By day, I work for a software company that works with large corporations on their internal tax accounting processes and procedures. Part of my job is implementing the software where I have the privilege to teach people how to to effectively utilize our product. There is a lot of data analysis, and I work with clients to make their procedures more efficient and effective. I love the intellectual pursuit of sifting through the data to discover the right answer and using that result to craft a solution.
However, my most important, and favorite, role is a proud father of two children.
Mission Statement
My goal in running for the school board is one of public service. I believe in community involvement and believe that ETHS is a wonderful community to be a part of. My overarching primary objective is to simply bring an additional perspective to the board and participate in the process.
Schools have become political battlegrounds over the past few years, and I find that to be highly inappropriate. Schools should be about educating students. The political discourse should take place at City Hall, not the chambers of the school boards.
Priorities
With that said, the areas I’m focusing on are:
Equity in academic excellence
- Culturally inclusive and reflective education is what we want for our kids.
- We want our kids to be curious and seek out knowledge.
Continued high academic standards and rigor
- This is an already accomplished goal that I wish to continue.
- But how do we address the shortcomings in the students incoming from D65? The reduced academic rigor in District 65 has resulted in many children starting far behind grade level when they arrive at ETHS. Factors like the ongoing effects of the pandemic including shifts to virtual learning contribute to this trend. Reversing this trend is essential for sustaining a vibrant school community and maintaining the quality of education provided.
Fiscal Responsibility
- This is another goal that is currently accomplished, but with concerns around federal funding drying up, I am interested in the different contingency plans that must be put into place.
- The Trump Executive Orders are disgusting in a variety of ways—but especially ethically and morally. Discontinuing the programs attacked by these orders is simply not an option. It is vehemently against what we stand for as a community. Therefore, we do need to consider the very real possibility of losing $4.5m in federal funding, and plan for the various contingencies of where that could fall.
- Building maintenance and repairs prioritization remains an ongoing and continuous area of importance for a 100 year-old building.
Goals
I have a deep-rooted belief in public education, and I like to put ideas into action—taking conceptual ideas and transforming them into concrete steps. Being results-driven provides a way to ensure benefits reach everyone equally—motivated by more than just the results, but how they impact the people involved.
Contact ME
Let's Get Started
Take the first step and contact me to learn more about me and my plans for board involvement. Send me a message, and I will get back to you soon.
John Martin
