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Mark Grosso: Candidate Profile

Geneva Unit District 304 School Board (4-year Terms)

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: GenevaWebsite: Office sought: Geneva Unit District 304 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 62Family: Married, 2 children, 3 grandchildrenOccupation: RetiredEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: President Pepper Vally Home Assoc., former Scoutmaster troop 37, St. Peter food pantry volunteer, Salvation Army volunteerElected offices held: District 304 Board of EducationHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Manage our debtKey Issue 2 Balance our budget while maintaining current curriculumKey Issue 3 Increase educational opportunities within the constraints of our budgetQuestions 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 support common core standards as they set consistent goals and expectations to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be successful no matter where they attend schoolI think the Board should work collaboratively with our Education professionals, both administration and teachers to review curriculum.I would like to see more course offerings related to computer science and information technology.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 many awards, accolades, and rankings are a testament to the excellent job District 304 does in educating our students. Whether preparing for college or a vocational field, a wide variety of opportunities are available for students. I would like to expand our pilot program utilizing laptops and notepads in the classroom. Also I would like to see additional emphasis placed on computer science and information technology.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?District 304 will need to reduce the budget for the 2113-14 school year by at least $900K. Our debt service cost will also increase. My preference is to charge the Administration with presenting options for budget reduction. Make a decision on those options or provide additional areas for their review. Any tax increase must be minimal. I support our continued policy of tax abatement.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 economy has improved very little in the last several years. All of the District 304 employee groups have taken pay freezes for at least one year. Some employee groups are also paying a portion of their health care expenses. I think employees can expect that any future pay increase will be less than they have traditionally received.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?Absolutely not. I am opposed to pension spiking.