Richard Douglas Burkhart: 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: Deer ParkWebsite: http://www,richardburkhar.comOffice sought: Barrington Area Unit D220Age: 65Family: Married Leonora Two married children Brooke and Matt Two Grandchildren Ruby (4) and Henry ( 6months)Occupation: Retired form Oracle Corporation as a Vice President 40+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE Please see the attached profile. Will forward my photo early next week.Education: Drury University 1968Roosevelt University 1974 MBANorthwestern University Executive Master Program U.S. Navy 1968-1968 JAG legal staff, yeoman, under an Admiral of the Pacific.Civic involvement: TRAC. SERVED ON DEER PARK BOARDS, CHUCH VOLUNTEERING.Supported Mayor Darch and staff for a full year on CN related issues.Submitted positions papers to STB to help with the CN mitigation.I am a Eagle Scout and support the BSA organization.Elected offices held: N/AHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: N/ACandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I am aligning my campaign with many of the ideas of studentsfirst.org. Please visit studentsfirst220.orgThe major issue is that public dollars must be spent where they make the biggest difference- on effective instructional programs and not on ineffective bureaucracy. Schools need smart spending and not more money. #147;Tax dollars should go toward programs that help our kids, ensure their long-term success, accurately evaluate teacher performance, and produce results #151; not layers or bureaucracy that only serve to protect the needs of special interests.#148; (from studentsfirst.org site)Key Issue 2 Schools are currently experiencing profound financial constraints. We believe that teacher#146;s unions should show flexibility in their approach going forward. Automatic dismissal of teachers and increasing class size can not be the only approach to resolving this problem. Additionally,Defined pension plans must be reevaluated in light of the dire financial situation in Illinois. Younger teachers must be shown that their will be a viable pension plan when they reach retirement.Key Issue 3 The ratio of administrators to teachers is top heavy. Far too much of the 76% of budget that is going to salaries is paid to administrators.We have to work to eliminate many unfunded state mandatesQuestions 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?My family experience is that our children were extremely well prepared by attending 220. My son has 2 Masters and a PhD and our daughter has a Masters.I believe the individual contributor and administration in the did a great job.I am looking to give my leadership talents to ensure the children now are prepared for the 21 st pursuit of happiness and will be able to contribute to a peaceful World and a stronger USA.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?We feel that the economy is not strong enough to justify tax increases. Our district is at a historic rate of distressed properties and additional taxes will only magnify the situation. We must use cloud based business intelligence systems that our peer districts have implemented to identify financial fraud and waste.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.The teachers in this district are highly accomplished professionals. My primary focus is the student and student achievement. Teachers compensation should not be predicated on years of experience or post graduate degrees. It should be on student achievement. This is an area I would like to work with the teachers union to strengthen. The student must be the focal point. The students must come first.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 board must align the aspirations of the individual contributors/union with the future of the children as well as their own futures..It will accomplish little to defend a pension system that is fifty billion dollars underfunded and lacks long term viability.Concessions are imperative in the short term and to protect the future of younger teachers. It is hard to imagine any forward thinkingIndividual being willing to pay into a system that is clearly headed toward insolvencyIf 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?Our superintendant has been granted a substantial increase by the present board. He will retire at age 55 with a pension in excess of $200,000Per year. We don#146;t see this happening in the private sector. Can we afford this in the public sector?