Vivian Kueter, 4 years: 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: Round LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Big Hollow Elementary D38, 4-year termAge: 43Family: Married, 2 childrenOccupation: Assistant principalEducation: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Iowa State UniversityMasters of Art in Educational Leadership, Concordia UniversityCivic involvement: Big Hollow School BoardElected offices held: Vice President, Big Hollow School BoardInterim Big Hollow school board from 11-2010 to presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Address the budget issues facing the District: As the district moves forward, we are facing a budget shortfall. It is the Boards responsibility to spend wisely and balance the budget.Key Issue 2 Student Achievement: The school district needs to continue to improve our children's education through technology and updating curriculum.Key Issue 3 Community Awareness and Involvement: Improve community involvement by increasing communication, encouraging parent participation on committees, and providing opportunities for the entire community to understand the workings of the District. 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 38 is adequately preparing students for high school and beyond. As a district, we must continue to expect all students to achieve at a high level of academic performance. We can accomplish this by ensuring student learning is our highest priority and meeting students individual needs through differentiated instruction.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?The district will be confronted with a lack of state funding. The Board is faced with a budget shortfall in 2012-2013 of 2.8 million dollars. I will support budget cuts and/or reductions in all areas of the budget, such as staffing, busing, and contracted services. 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.As a former teacher in a union and as a current assistant principal, I have experience on both sides of this issue. I believe experience as a teacher is valuable. 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?The Board is committed to doing what is best for students and being fiscally responsible.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 a superintendent or administrator should not receive a boost in pension benefits. I believe that administrators' salaries should be based on their ability to be an educational leader and increase student achievement. The state has also enacted laws that no employee can receive more than a 6% increase in pay during the final four years of services or the district would face heavy monetary penalties.