William Dussling: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: Arlington HeightsWebsite: Under ConstructionOffice sought: Northwest High School District 214 School Board Age: 72Family: Our family moved to the Northwest Suburbs 34 years ago because of the outstanding schools in this area. I have three children, a boy, Matthew and two girls, Katie and Jessica. All three children attended area grade schools and are graduates of Buffalo Grove High School. My wife, Patricia, passed away in 2012.Occupation: Retired Co-Executive Director of a national adult training program.Education: Bachelor's Degree - Ripon CollegeCivic involvement: I am a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot with six years military service. Served as a board member of OMNI Youth Services and the Northwest Suburbs Special Education Organization (NSSEO). Annually volunteer for Arlington Heights Frontier Days. Lector at St. Edna Catholic Church, Arlington Heights. Coached in the Arlington Heights Youth Basketball Program. Illinois State Board of Education Excellence Award. 2012 - Arts Unlimited and District 214 Friend of the Arts Award. National Journalism Friend of Scholastic Journalism Award. Illinois Directors of Student Activities - Principals AwardElected offices held: Member - District 214 Board of Education - 17 years. District 214 Board of Education Vice President for two years. Board President for seven years. Member - District 214's Environmental and Energy Conservation Committee, Innovation and Change Committee, and Insurance Committee.Questions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately 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 believe that high schools in District 214 do an outstanding job preparing students for the next stage in their lives. Each of the schools has their curricula aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards which provides students excellent academics and has them fully prepared for post high school life. Student participation in Advanced Placement courses, which prepares them for rigorous college studies, has dramatically increased in the last six years. The district is meeting its goal of having students significantly improve their academic growth in English, math and science from when they enter our high schools to their graduation. Success in student growth can also be seen in the annual increase in ACT test performance. District 214 has multiple employment certification programs in a variety of occupations including nursing, computers, manufacturing, automotive, and culinary. These programs along with vigorous internship experiences in those employment fields provides students with an advantage for employment upon graduation. I believe that the district should continue to seek and implement best practices to prepare students for life after high school, whether that is college or employment upon graduation.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.There are a number of issues affecting the district in the next four years. The State of Illinois's dire financial condition has been affecting the district for a number of years. The State is consistently behind $2-3 million in payments to the district and has reduced funding to the district in various areas. In 2007, late approval of the State budget made it necessary for District 214 to liquidate almost all of its investments to meet expenses. Over $1 million in interest was lost, which was not reimbursed by the State. On going unfunded mandates from the State require the district to enact programs with no funding provided. Pension plan changes may require the district to substantially increase funding to pension plans. The Affordable Health Care Act will increase district costs for employee benefits. In 2014, Senate Bill 16 proposed to move state funding from school districts in the Northwest Suburbs to other school districts in the state. If that bill becomes law, District 214 will lose significant annual state revenue. District 214 has not had a tax referendum in over 40 years and maintained a balanced operating budget for the past 18 years. Since 2006, District 214 has realized over $35 million in cost containment from rigorous budget review programs and has instituted energy conservation programs resulting in over $29K cost savings per month. The district will continue to address its annual expense budget and make necessary reductions to maintain a balanced budget.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?I am not employed by or retired from a school district. No member of my family is employed or retired from a school district.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? 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?District 214 recently completed negotiations with all employee represented groups resulting in fair and equitable contracts. As a result of those negotiations a high deductible health benefit plan has been enacted for all groups. The high deductible plan coupled with an employee initiated health care savings plan will significantly reduce the district's benefit program expenses. District 214 has a quality staff. the district and the represented employee groups maintain a collaborative relationship to provide students and the community with an outstanding education organization. Employee costs will continue to reflect equity for the area and with the economy.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?There are very few District 214 administrators retiring in the near future and the superintendent is not nearing retirement. I do not support a substantial increase in pay to boost retirement benefits.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I strongly believe that District 214 must continue to provide an outstanding education for students from the eight communities served by the district. Students must be educated and prepared to make intelligent, positive decisions as they face the challenges of society after high school. Survey results show that the community believes District 214 provides students with an outstanding education and has great confidence in the district staff. Cost containment for all operations in District 214 is important to me. Containing costs has been a priority and must continue. Actions such as innovative restructuring of the curriculum and improved utilization of staff, consolidation of administrative positions, initiation of a high deductible health care plan and energy conservation activities have all contributed to cost containment. The district vigorously seeks funds from state, national and private grants to augment instruction and operations. In the past 2 years, the district received over $6.3 million in grant funding. Continuation of these activities and introduction of other cost conscious initiatives will assist in containing district costs. District 214 Community Education is the premier community education program in the nation. Community Education provides residents the opportunities for lifelong learning. Annually, more than 50,000 participants take advantage of the continuing education programs provided. Community Education is primarily funded by the fees from those participating in programs and classes.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope FrancisWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents instilled in us that education was the key to success and that we must perform will in all levels of education.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would create a better balance between business and family that would allow me to spend more time with my family.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Equally - English and History. English for my ability to communicate and History for my ability to understand development of society.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Enjoy each day and your family because life moves fast.