Bill King: 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: Carol StreamWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Carol Stream Elementary D93Age: 46Family: Married, 2 childrenOccupation: FirefighterEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Currently CCSD 93 Board memberHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I am happy with the direction of the District. I have worked on improving school meals. I will continue to push for better meals, nutrition education and allergy awareness.Key Issue 2 Technology improvement. We currently use technology to support education. Over the next few years technology needs to become a major piece of the academic experience.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?Currently I believe we are above average at preparing our students to progress in life. That said, there is always room for improvement.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?Currently we are financially solid. Our responsibility at this point is to improve what we de do and how we do it.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 would accept and appreciate union support only if they believe I am making the right decisions for the improved education of our students.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?At this time, I feel that significant pay increases are out of the question. I also believe the staff has been understanding of that point. I do not believe in reducing benefits in any way.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?""Substantial"" is a difficult word to define. From what I know, there have been increases as personnel reach retirement. If that is part of the negotiated contract, I do believe in some level of a ""bump"". My belief in this is based in the fact that individuals with a ""public"" pension are generally not eligible to receive social security. I believe the increases at the end of their career helps make up for that loss.