Carey McHugh: 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: Port BarringtonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wauconda Unit District 118 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 43Family: Husband of 18 years - Patrick McHugh Son - 15 years old - Colin Son - 13 years old - Sean Daughter - 11 years old - AbigailOccupation: Volunteer at schools, church and clubsEducation: BA in Education at LaCrose, WI. Masters in Public Administration at Roosevelt Uni.Civic involvement: Wauconda Area Youth Soccer Board Member- registrar Girl Scout Leader for 12+ years Director for Home Owners Board - Deer Grove in Port Barr. District Board PTO President for District 118 Schools Wauconda High School Booster Board Member-membership/Volun.Elected offices held: District 118 PTO President for last 8 years WHS Booster Board Member for last 2 years On Home Owners board for neighborhood - last 6 years 6+ District 118 School Board MemberHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Roll over to new testing - Common Core ParkKey Issue 2 Budget and what to expect from State of Illinois and Federal government - Pension reformKey Issue 3 Continue success of District 118 programs and extra curricular activitiesQuestions 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?A consistency was needed between states for testing to prepare our students to enter college/trade schools. Our district is lucky enough to have a Curriculum Director for all our schools and their department works closely with all teachers/staff to create/refine our curriculum. Many presentations have been given to our school board over the last several years explaining what is happening now and in the future and we are happy with their progress.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 biggest goal is to prepare our students for the future whether it would be college and/or a trade school after high school. With a graduation rate of over 95% and 90% of our graduates continue onto a 2 year/4 year or trade school - this is something to be proud of.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?Our biggest concern in the near future is the pension reform and what it entails for our district.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?Our teachers and staff continue to put students first which showed in their last 3 year contract of 0%/0%/3.5% when money was very tight and we were close to cutting programs.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?All our teachers and staff deserve the same pension benefits whether they are in administration or in a teaching capacity. No, I would not support an increase to boost pension benefits for any one individual.