Peng Yin: 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: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove Elementary D68Age: 46Family: Married, two daughters, Rebecca and Jessica. Rebecca attends Oak Grove while Jessica graduated from Oak Grove in 2009, now attending Libertyville High School.Occupation: Director of Global Scientific Affairs, Abbott Diagnostics Division (ADD), AbbottEducation: Postdoc Fellow, Harvard University Medical School, 2000Ph.D, University of Manitoba, Canada, 1998M.D, Tianjin Medical School, China, 1987Civic involvement: Oak Grove School Strategic Planning committee member, 2009Chairman of the Board, Massachusetts Chinese School 2003-2006Vice Principal of Newton Chinese Language School (NCLS), 2003Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I want to ensure that we are providing students with the highest quality education possible with a strong, diverse, and up to date curriculum taught by teachers held to high standards and equipped with modern techniques, all working together to ensure that the students are ready to enter a competitive, fast-paced world.Key Issue 2 I want to ensure that teachers educate students with the most updated information available aided by the newest innovations in teaching techniques and technologies. I believe a strong teaching staff is the most important element of a successful education program.Key Issue 3 I want to ensure that the opinions of all members of the community are equally represented on the school board.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?I am very satisfied. Oak Grove School graduates have shown to perform well in high school. One of the reasons for such success is that school curriculum and strategies were all thoroughly discussed and proposed, reviewed by teachers and the community, then approved by the school board. Having been on the Oak Grove Strategic Planning Committee in 2009, I#146;ve witnessed this process firsthand. Though we must continue to use strategies that have proven to be successful in the past, simultaneously, our education program must strive to continue progressing with the world, assuring that our schools and our students are keeping up with the rest of the world as it advances through this modern era. One example of a new strategy is the Leader in Me program.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 district budget is in good shape. However, it is important to be mindful about current economic stress, tightened budget, and decreased student enrollment as we plan ahead to manage expenditure. The district has taken effective steps towards managing costs. An example of such action is that the school worked hard to find a solution to reduce costs on medical insurance premiums for the school and teachers without jeopardizing the coverage. Another example is that the school is planning class rotation and teacher adjustments according to reduced student enrollment in an effort to save costs without sacrificing quality of education. As our current budget is doing well and measures to ensure that it will continue to do well in the future are in place, I don#146;t believe tax increases for local school are currently necessary.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 believe that experience as a teacher or support from a union is valuable. I don#146;t believe it creates pro-teacher bias because students, parents, the school board, the administration and teachers are all part of one community united by a single goal, which is to provide the best education possible for our children. Experience as a teacher can serve to provide insight as we strive towards to this common goal. However, I have not been a teacher, nor do I have support from a union.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?The school board should work closely with the community, administration, union and teachers to collect, review, and discuss the detailed facts, feedbacks, and proposals before making a decision accordingly. Facts like comparable teacher compensations from other districts, percentage of compensations in total budget, and projected budgets and expenses for the next 4 years should be used to guide the contract talks and decision making.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?No, I don#146;t support a substantial increase in superintendent or other administration#146;s pay to help boost pension benefits, because they are fairly compensated.