Dorothy Lange: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: BensenvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fenton H.S. D100Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married for 39 years, have 3 sons, all graduated from Fenton High SchoolOccupation: Work in the Child Care FieldEducation: Business and General Studies at COD, no degreeCivic involvement: Actively volunteer at different programs and events at the Wood Dale Park District and Fenton High School.Elected offices held: Fenton High School Board Member for 16 yearsWood Dale Park District Board Member for 25 yearsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NOCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 To continue to maintain a Balanced Budget.Key Issue 2 16 years of Experience.Key Issue 3 To continue to work with the board, administrators and teaching staff to follow our mission statement which is to""Educate and inspire each student to reach his/her fullest potential"".Questions Answers How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?I am very satisfied with how we are preparing our students for the future. We do have gaps, but we use assessments to monitor progress and put in place courses programs to align with our students needs. The present Board of Education at Fenton follows our mission vision statement. As we ""educate inspire each student to reach his/her fullest potential,"" we make a commitment to look at each student individually.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools?In the past year we have cut over $300,000. from our budget while still maintaining small class sizes, which was the number one priority on our 2010 parent survey.To spur economic growth Fenton has participated in backing TIF13, which will benefit Fenton along with our community. I would not support a tax increase for the next few years.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.In the years that I have been a board member at Fenton High School the teacher's union has never publicly supported a board member. We each understand our role staff follows our board policy regarding communicating with board members.I do think having positive relationships with everyone in the educational community can only benefit our students.As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?We do not have any contracts up for the next 2 years.At that time we would have to take a look at how we canlive within our means. We would hope to be able to continuewith our programs and maintain a balanced budget.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?No. It has been past practice, since I have been on the board, that the board has not given administrators retirement benefits that are not already given to the teachers. Our administrators follow the teachers' contact regarding retirement incentives.