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Helen Scott: Candidate Profile

Gurnee District 56 School Board

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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: GurneeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Gurnee District 56 School Board Age: 67Family: widow, 2 grown children, 2 grandchildrenOccupation: retired writing tutor; former editor magazine writerEducation: bachelor's degree in journalism, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern UniversityCivic involvement: Lake County Women's Coalition (treasurer, vicd president); American Association of University Women - Waukegan Area Branch (president, secretary, treasurer); PEO (president, secretary, treasurer); Kappa Delta Alumnae AssociationElected offices held: president, secretaryQuestions 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?Our district is doing an excellent job preparing students for high school. Administrators and teaching staff use "ABC" ("All Bound for College") benchmarks that the district established to ensure students are making expected growth and meeting educational goals. Last year, through a concentrated and collaborative effort, there were substantial increases in student achievement; that effort is continuing this year, and I think it will produce even greater results.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.Budgetary issues our district will have to face will be any caused by possible declines in state support or changes in the way school districts are funded, especially in the collar counties. Our financial position is stable, so I don't foresee any tax increases.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 retired from the College of Lake County. No member of my family is employed by District 56.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?Contracts talks should continue to be very cordial and collegial since our administration works with the union in a position of mutual respect. Pay increases should be reasonable but fair.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 any increases beyond those that are customary or exceed established and lawful limitations.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Dr. John Hutton, our superintendent!What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Keep your mind open.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would get a master's degree.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Creative writing and journalism, which gave me the desire to study journalism in college and set me on a career path.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Go the extra mile. Even though you may have above-average intelligence, you must still work hard and persevere.