Douglas Nerge: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Grayslake High School District 127 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 46Family: Married, 2 Children ages 7 and 9Occupation: Marketing ProfessionalEducation: B.S.- Graphic ArtsTechnology. Northern Illinois University, 1990 MBA- Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, 2011Civic involvement: Adventure Guides, Prairie Crossing Neighborhood. Member of National Eagle Scout Association, National Society of Hispanic MBAs.Elected offices held: Member of Grayslake Community High School District 127, 2007-2011Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The number one responsibility of the School Board is in preparing our children to become active, engaged and responsible adults by providing excellent public education. We do this by providing school governance of GCHSD 127 through the administration and by being engaged on all levels of governance.Key Issue 2 To continually challenge and actively engage the Administration leadership to provide the highest educational standards to the student and to challenge their Staff and exceed expectations.Key Issue 3 I am the check-and-balance for the community. I serve to represent the district taxpayers. I do this be scrutinizing all decisions of governance including district policies and distribution and approval of all financial-related distributions.Questions Answers 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?Through the years, everyone always talks about core standards. As a society, we sometimes get lost in our journey. We do this by sometimes placing a higher importance on non-core programs, which diverts from educating our children. It is not part of core responsibilities of the School Board in setting the curriculum. It is ESSENTIAL that every Board member COMPLETELY understands the curriculum and CHALLENGES the Administration (through the mandate of Governance) to ENSURE that teaching CORE standards at the highest quality are always one of the top, if not the primary, goals of ALL educators.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?Preparing students for the next chapter in their journey of life is an ongoing process that constantly needs to be evaluated (yearly). Societies demands and the needs of our children constantly change. It is my philosophy that we need to show, guide and counsel students all of the possible paths that they may choose. It is also very important that the students choose their own path. I think that we can always increase student exposure to local businesses in order to help them in the choosing of their path.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?All school districts consistently address budget issues. It is the School Board Members job to make sure that all allocation of monies are fiscally responsible, transparent and are in line with the goals and focus of the district's taxpayers. At this point, I do not see a need to reduce or eliminate any programs. I do not support any tax increases.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups, do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?In this economy, everyone is making tough choices and concessions. The motto of the district is "Every Student, Every Day". I strongly believe that administrators, educators and employees should all consider concessions, if deemed necessary by the financial statement, to make sure that the quality of education is consistently rising.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?While on the Grayslake H.S. D127 school board from 2007-2011, I never voted for, or supported, a substantial increase in pay or benefits for any administrator or any employee associated with the School District. It is immoral to give increases in pay or benefits just because someone is nearing retirement. Raises should be based on merit. I will never vote or support any substantial increases in pay or benefits for anyone nearing retirement.