Linda K. Linder: 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: Mt. ProspectWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: River Trails Elementary D26Age: 64Family: I have been married for 46 years to Don. We have two children, Kari who is a Teacher of the deaf, Geoff who is a Correctional Officer. We have four grandchildren.Occupation: I retired in November from River Trails School District 26. I was a Middle School Secretary for 7 years and my last seven years I was an Administrative Assistant for Personnel.Education: High SchoolCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: River Trails School District 26 Board of Education from August 1986 until July 1996.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Making sure that our students are receiving the best education possible and are prepared for high school.Key Issue 2 We need to address the deficit either by bringing in more revenue or making cuts in our spending.Key Issue 3 Keeping current with all of our programs and technology.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?Our staff is doing a very good job preparing our students for high school.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?We are facing a deficit as are most school districts. I would support cuts in spending but not at the expense of our students. There are more was to cut spending besides cutting programs. District 26 has not had a true tax increase in many years and this would be a difficult time to ask the voters to approve an increase.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.My experience has not been as a teacher, although I have worked for District 26 for 14 years as a middle school secretary for seven of those years and as an administrative assistant for personnel for the remaining 7 years. I believe that this experience has given my very valuable knowledge on a first hand basis on the day to day workings of the school district. Yes I would accept support from 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?Any concessions that would be asked for from teachers and support staff would also have to be given by the administration. We have completed negotations until 2014 so there is time to assess ways to save money.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 believe at this time the state has put limits on salary increases that districts can give to certified staff who wish to retire. Any raise over a certain amount would create a penalty that the district would have to pay. A penalty along with a substantial increase would be a burden on the taxpayers of this district and I would not be in favor of that.