Scott Coffey: 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: CaryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Cary Elementary D26Age: 49Family: Married, 3 daughters, 1 grandchildOccupation: Business OwnerEducation: Bachelor of Science, Accounting, Univ of Illinois, 1983Certified Public Accountant, 1983Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Cary District 26 Board of Education Dec 2009-PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The District needs to get to a financially sustainable position in order to deliver a quality education over the long term. The next step in the District's financial recovery is to address its labor cost issue.Key Issue 2 Candidate did not respond.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for the D26 board? If you're a newcomer, how will you make a difference? If you're an incumbent, how have you made a difference?At the time I came onto the Board, the District was in the middle of severe financial crisis. I believe my financial background has assisted the Board in making the best decisions possible to help the District recover financially.The board has discussed closing a school to save money, but administrators recommend against it. What is your position and why?One of the scenarios generates a concern about the impact to the Junior High given the capacity constraints in that facility. A thorough analysis needs to be completed as to the impact to all of the educational programs, at all of the buildings before the Board can finalize a decision. The decision boils down to the trade off between the impact to the quality of education versus the reduction in expenses. In general, I would prefer we keep our current staffing levels and focus on driving savings by reducing our unit labor costs.Did you support the resident bid to raise $4.3 million? If you were a part of the stalled parent-led bailout attempt, why did the initiative fail to get off the ground?No.District 26 will continue to face budget reductions. Do you support further program cuts in order to balance the budget? If so, which programs would you reduce or eliminate? If not, how would you ensure the district's financial viability?The two remaining variables that can drive significant savings are staffing levels and staff compensation. Reducing staffing levels will impact the quality of education, therefore, we need to bring our unit labor costs in line with what the District can afford for the forseeable future.How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made to ensure academic success?While the District's overall test scores are excellent, we need to maintain our forward momentum, as well as address the challenges of NCLB. The District needs to restore the length of the instructional day.