Joseph Kain: 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: Vernon HillsWebsite: N/ATwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hawthorn District 73 School Board Age: 53Family: Wife Bonnie - Director in Regulatory Affairs at Abbvie, married nearly 27 years, Daughter Sarah - Freshman at Wellesley CollegeDog Cassie - nearly 5 year old rescue from OklahomaVernon Hills residents for over 14 yearsOccupation: Financial ControllerEducation: Bachelors and Masters Degrees in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampagnCivic involvement: Charter Member of District 73 Financial Advisory Task (FAT) Force, Member of District 73 Strategic Planning Committee, Member of District 73 Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee, Former Treasurer of VHHS CAST,Elected offices held: NoneQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I have been involved with the District in a number of capacities over the past several years. I was, and still am a member of the Financial Advisory Task (FAT) force which helped the District overcome some challenging financial issues and set the District on a path of greater fiscal stability. I was a member of the Strategic Planning committee which helped to develop the guiding principles that are being used to steer the District into the future. I was also a member of the Long-Term Facility Planning committee which prepared recommendations to the Board as to how they could address the current and future facility needs of the District. So we have developed a number of great plans to guide this District into the middle stages of the 21st century. But there are also additional programs that I feel the District needs to pursue as we move forward. I decided to run for this office to make sure the plans we have developed are properly executed in a timely and fiscally responsible manner, and to bring new ideas to the table so our District can meet all of the educational challenges we face in the 21st century.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?As a country I feel like we are focused too much on measuring student achievement via testing. As a result our District has out of necessity become too focused on preparing for test taking. I believe this District does a pretty good job of using alternative measures to gauge student achievement and tailor individual educational plans to those results. But we also spend too much time preparing for testing as many state and federal assistance programs are tied to these results. Teachers should spend classroom time teaching their students the essential skills they will need to succeed at the next level and not teaching them how to prepare for tests. So as a Board member I would encourage our administration to continue the great job they are doing employing alternative measures to measure student achievement. I would also challenge them to find additional measures of achievement that could be used to better align our educational programs with student needs.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?Most Board members are not employed in the Education industry, thus we are not experts in curriculum issues. So it is incumbent upon us to hire administrators who are experts in curriculum development. And we have to trust that these individuals will design a curriculum that will best prepare the students for their future challenges. As a Board we have to review curriculum recommendations to make sure they align with state and federal requirements. We also have to make sure that the curriculum will provide maximum benefits to the most students in a fiscally responsible manner. However I feel our role as Board members is to hire the best Administrators and hold them accountable for doing what they are experts at doing.As a district I feel like we need to continue exploring how we develop a more global, 21st century curriculum. This involves incorporating additional STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Math) concepts into our daily curriculum and making sure all students have equal access to the programs. We also need to find a way to have Bi-lingual education opportunities available throughout the entire K-8 experience. This doesn't necessarily mean Spanish only as we should incorporate additional world languages and cultures into the curriculum.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 or fee increases?In general, I do not believe any cuts are necessary - though we should continue to evaluate programs and results to ensure we are getting maximum bang for our buck. Implementing many of the ideas generated by the FAT force and the ongoing fiscal responsibility practiced by the current Board has put this District in a fairly stable position. But we shouldn't stop here. We need to continue to look for ways to reduce the amount of money spent on administrative costs so we can spend the maximum amount of money on student programs. We also need to continue to find ways to reward our outstanding teachers and staff within our available sending limits. I would be open to any and all ideas (like the Education Foundation) to fund these initiatives. Given the current political climate, I do feel like many state and federal programs are in jeopardy of spending cuts or elimination. So we need to be creative in generating ways to potentially replace these funds without further burdening the taxpayers.I do not support general or regular fee increases or tax increases. We are blessed with a diverse District and should not make any programs cost prohibitive to our students and their families. These issues do at least need to be reviewed annually to make sure we are being fiscally responsible.I do support the upcoming referendum as the best way to ensure the District has adequate facilities to meet the current and future needs of our students.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?Students are going to go to the schools that provide them with the best education. I feel like this District provides our students with an outstanding educational experience - which is why so many people are moving to this area. So the best way to address this issue is to provide consistent programming and equal opportunities for all students in all buildings. That way everyone receives the best education they possibly can. I don't feel like a voucher system will result in any exodus from our District due to the excellent programs we have. If anything it may result in an influx of students. The best response for the Board is to continue providing the best possible education to all students who come through our doors and let the "experts" figure out whether voucher can be a help or a hindrance to the education process.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The residents of this District have made it very clear that Arts education is important. I want to make sure that we don't lose sight of this given all of the other challenges this District may face in the future. We need to make sure that our outstanding teachers, administrators, and staff are appropriately awarded for the amazing work they do without overly burdening the taxpayers. Creativity will be the key to doing this.We need to make sure we are doing everything possible to assist "at-risk" students so they do not struggle within our educational programs.Finally I would like to explore ways to get the community more involved in our educational process. Not just financially, but through learning partnerships, volunteerism, unique programming opportunities etc. We have a wealth of talent within this district and we need to explore ways to take advantage of this within our education process.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs - he is always focused on achieving excellence but makes sure to have fun along the way.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?If you dream it you can achieve it. Don't let where you come from dictate where you go.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spending more time getting involved in my community and the nation and less time working for my own devices.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History was my favorite subject and it has driven my continued thirst for knowledge throughout every day of my life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Find something you are passionate about and do your best to to excel at it.