Ken LaCrosse: 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: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove District 68 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 45Family: Married, two childrenOccupation: Stay at home dad and part time contractorEducation: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Central Michigan University, 1989 Master of Science in Finance, Walsh School of Business, 1998Civic involvement: Cubmaster, Oak Grove Cub Scout Pack 194 Oak Grove (D68) Foreign Langauge Task ForceElected offices held: N/AHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My desire is to work with the administration, teachers, parents, and the community to maintain and improve Oak Grove's excellence in education.Key Issue 2 Candidate did not respond.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?Oak Grove (D68) is ahead of the curve in developing and implementing the common core. The board should continue to be involved, as it currently is, by providing oversight for all district educational programs and initiatives via the Instructional Programs and Technology (IPT) Committee.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?Overall, I am very satisfied that Oak Grove is preparing our students to be successful at the high school level. It is important that we continually review our curriculum and programs to look for ways to improve them and to ensure they are still meeting the needs of our students.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 with any budget, we should always manage resources prudently, invest in the future, and decrease unnecessary expenses. At this time, I see no major changes to the budget.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?It is important that we pay a fair and competitive wage to ensure we are attracting and retaining highly qualified individuals. Since contract talks involve more issues then just wages and benefits, they will need to be addressed on a case-by-case when all the information is available.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 do not abdicate large pay increases for anyone in either the public or private sector for the sheer purpose of bolstering pension benefits.