David Patterson: 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: Island LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wauconda Unit District 118 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 63Family: Married, one child, five grandchildrenOccupation: Retired from U.S. Navy and High School Dist 214, Wheeling High School (taught Navy JROTC)Education: Associate of Science in Business, Triton College 1986Civic involvement: American Legion, Disable American VeteransElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I am a first time candidate for public office, I believe that my number one issue should be the students of this school district. I want to make sure they have the best education possible and that they feel safe in there schools.Key Issue 2 I want the teachers of this district to have the tools they need to help their students to prepare for life in the future.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.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?I think shifting to common core standards should be done slowly. Not all teachers will be onboard. I think the board of education should listen to teachers and other education professional before making changes to the current curricilum.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?I am satisfied that our district is doing its job in preparing our students for the future. There are always new ways to prepare students for the future. For example more hands on clasea for high school students who don't want go to college, but would like to be prepared for a job right out of high school. There several other high schools in Lake and Cook counties that use in house programs and partner with local Community Colleges.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?As a canidate that is new to the distict issues I will deter comment.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?I beleive that teachers and all emloyees of this school district deserve the wages they are paid. As a board member all pay and benfit issues would be looked at to make sure that the district has money availabe, if not, hard choices would have to be made.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 would not support substantial increases in pay for those nearing retirement. It is an unnecessary expense added to our already out of hand retirement system.