Richard "Rick" Hazan: 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: Long GroveWebsite: http://web.me.com/dist96candidates/Site/Richard_Hazan.htmlOffice sought: Kildeer-Countryside Elementary D96Age: 51Family: Married 19 years to Tracey, an amazing Australian, Two children Sydney (age 11) and Mitch (age 7)Occupation: ConsultantEducation: Bachelor's degree in Education, Western Michigan University, 1981Civic involvement: President of Farmington Bath and Tennis, member of the District 96 Foundation.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continue tradition of a low cost, high achieving district.Key Issue 2 Accelerate the implementation of classroom technology to prepare students to meet the challenges of the 21st CenturyKey Issue 3 Explore #8220;green#8221; options in the schools to reduce long-term costs and foster environmental sustainability to help save the earth for this generation.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?District 96 is a very high performing and exemplary school district. Yet, the district continues to improve as evidenced by the increase from 10th to 9th place in the Illinois state rankings. Among all of the feeder districts, our district is considered the best in preparing our students for the rigorous demands of Stevenson High School.I believe the best plan of action is to continue with the existing successes and accelerate the implementation of classroom technology that has already begun. 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?Due to sound fiscal management, our district is in excellent financial shape and is on track to keep their promise of no tax increases for eight years. There is no need to increase taxes or make cuts in the current budgets at this time.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.I have a Bachelor's degree in Education. My education degree coupled with my success in business has provided me with the experience, unique insight and skills that would be a valuable asset to the school board and the community. Our district teachers and staff are amazing and I am pleased to accept support from my constituents at the union.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 need to continue the tradition of a low cost, high achieving district, while also continuing to provide our employees competitive salaries and benefits. In addition, I believe that we have to provide value to the students, parents and taxpayers. We do this by providing our students with a great education, which in turn increases the housing desirability in the district as well as the taxpayer's housing values. Our district is a model for other districts around the country and this has created a reputation that allows us to attract the best quality teachers at current competitive pay levels.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?I would not support this. The board has three constituents that we must answer to, the students, the parents and the other taxpaying residents of the district. I do not see how this action would benefit any of these groups.