Neil Harnen: 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: WheatonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wheaton Warrenville District 200 School Board Age: 53Family: Wife - Carrie Nelson - Resident for over 20 years.Occupation: Wealth ManagerEducation: BSMBA - Concentration in FinancCFPCivic involvement: Board Member for a domestic violence and sexual assault non-profit - Mutual Ground in AuroraElected offices held: noneQuestions Answers How will you address the success of failure of your building referendum? How will you continue to inform the community about your commitment to funding capital projects regardless of the outcome?I will address the outcome of the referendum by working with the board to be transparent and accountable to the community. If the referendum passes, it is important to provide a clear picture and time line on how the funds will be spent. If the referendum does not pass, the board needs to come up with a viable solution that can address the most important needs and how to fund them. If elected, I will utilize my financial background and experience to help the board come up with a solution. It is important to keep the community informed on the process of the board's progress and I will be a proponent of transparency to the community.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?I believe the process for measuring student success is sufficient. It is my understanding that the metrics used to gauge how our student's performance shows our district ranked at a very high level.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 believe the board has the responsibility to ensure the teaching community has a strong curriculum structure. If elected, I would review the current curriculum structure and seek input from the teaching community for recommendations on improvement.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?The referendum is the most pressing matter addressing the current board and community. I believe, if the referendum passes, most of the districts budget issues should be addressed. This does not mean that there will not be other issues that will need to be tackled in the coming years. If the referendum does not pass, the board will need to consider many alternative solutions while triage the needs of the school budget. If elected, I will be committed to finding workable solutions while providing transparency to the public.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?I believe school choice system provides value in some communities where there are major issues with the educational structure. Where there are no major structural issues, a voucher system may detract or degrade the sense of community and school spirit. If Congress or the state approves a system that gives students broader choices, this may create instability our educational system and may lead to lower educational effectiveness. The board would have to rethink the way education platform is being marketed to the community showing the strengths of why the current structure is superior and the benefits remaining in the public school system.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.Warren BuffetWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The biggest lesson learned is keep positive attitude and open mind.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I don't really believe in do overs since it would change who I am and what I have learned from the choices I have made.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Biology and it provided me insight on how everything is interconnected in life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Patience, positive attitude and honesty will take you a long way.