Andrew M. Welter: Candidate Profile

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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Prospect Heights Elementary D23Age: 46Family: I am married and have two children, both in the District 23 school system (one at Ike and another at Mac).Occupation: I am a self-employed consultant specializing in the field of adult education/training.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Boy Scouts of America, Troop 468, Arlington Heights, Comm. Chair and Asst. Scout Master positionsIndian Princess/Guides, YMCA, Big Waters Federation MemberElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility: Our district cannot continue to support spending that outpaces our income sources. Whether the upcoming tax referendum passes or not, we need to look at how to reduce spending while not impacting the students' educational opportunities.Key Issue 2 Grade Level Centering (GLC): While not a proponent of GLC, I understand the need to save money. We need to ensure that we implement this program with the best possible impact to our childrens' education while ensuring we are saving the monies that were projected.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers 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?While there is always room for improvement, I feel the vast majority of the time our district does an excellent job. Having two children in the district, one in elementary and another in middle school, I have been very pleased with the dedication of the teachers and administrators and in the results I see in both the district and in my own two. The groundwork they are given to exceed and prepare them for further growth is tremendous, given that this is a public educational system. The challenge I see is how to keep this going under the financial constraints we are experiencing.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools?The current fiscal shortfall that plagues our district shows no sign of changing in the near future. We live in a small district, a feature that I appreciate but that puts us at a disadvantage when funds are tight. Our district will need to continue to reduce expenditures that don#146;t negatively impact our children#146;s educational opportunities. For instance, I#146;m not in favor of impacting our excellent music, sports or other extra-curricular programs as I find these to positively impact our students. However, I do feel we need to look at other ways to reduce expenses. As far as additional revenue sources, if we were to increase taxes I want to make sure that we don#146;t find ourselves in the same situation again a year from now. That means that we need to keep our non-critical spending at a minimum.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.I have many friends and neighbors that are teachers and find their insight helpful when it comes to education (primary and secondary). However, I try to keep their perspective balanced among other viewpoints and interests.As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?I typically lean towards improving conditions for teachers whom I feel have the greatest impact on students. Sometimes that means increasing pay or benefits and at other times it may translate into improved conditions. The difficulty lies in how to pay for this. In the environment that we are in, we will all need to make an effort to keep costs down so that we can maintain the high level of education we have in the district.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?While I am not inclined to support this I would have to look at all the facts before making a decision, including where their salary is within the district and without, the wherewithall of the district to support the costs and the merit of doing so.