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Richard Heim: Candidate Profile

Glenbard Township High School District 87 School Board (4-year Terms) (Independent)

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: LombardWebsite: http://www.facebook.com/VoteForRichardHeimOffice sought: Glenbard Township High School District 87 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 51Family: Married, 4 childrenOccupation: Hospital PresidentEducation: Bachelor of Arts in Business, Loras College, 1983 Masters in Business Administration, Lewis University, 1988Civic involvement: Current President of the District 87 School Board Former President of Glenbard East Booster ClubElected offices held: Glenbard Township High School District 87 School Board MemberHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continuing to provide an outstanding education for students within the changing economic environment.Key Issue 2 Maintaining fiscal stewardship and financial solvencyKey Issue 3 Increase the partnership with community members and leaders to support the ongoing education of students in the district.Questions Answers Do you support the current district policy allowing physical education waivers for some seniors? Why? Would you support such a policy for juniors, as has been proposed by one board member?I do support waivers for Seniors in certain situations. Each child and each case is different and should be evaluated individually. I would prefer to look at other alternatives at this point for Juniors.What are your views on where commencement exercises should take place?Commencements should be held in locations that are easy for the students, parents and families to attend and participate in each year. This would include both at the schools as well as offsite locations that make sense.What do you think about the shift to the common core standards? How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?The shift to the common core is the right thing to do to raise the standards of education and make it more consistent across the district and the entire area. The School Board should support the District Leadership to establish the curriculum by providing an understanding of the expectations, feedback from the community and financial support to implement changes. The Core Curriculum is still in the process of being implemented so changes are constantly being assessed.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?The Board of Education has expectation of having graduates of District 87 "future ready" - ready for the rigors of college, ready for the global work force and ready for their personal success. I have seen this first hand having 4 children graduate from District 87 prepared for college and working in a global economy. District 87 has been working on preparing students for years. Each year, additional initiatives are completed with: - Elementary feeder districts to prepare students for entering high school with all the necessary basics - Improving the high school education experience at all schools to prepare students for college or a career.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax increases?The Board does a great job of managing the majority of the funding for the schools that comes from local property taxes. We have finished each year under budget and solvent for the following fiscal year. There are many legislative issues happening at the State of Illinois level that could have a significant impact on District 87. At this time, we are making sure that the local representatives know the financial impact these decisions will have on District 87. At this time, programs will not be changed unless the financial situation changes dramatically. The budget for this school year has been implemented and we are managing this each and every day. To date, property taxes are not being discussed by the Board of Directors.