Benjamin White: 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: NapervilleWebsite: http://www.ElectBennyWhite.comOffice sought: Indian Prairie Unit District 204 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 49Family: Married for 25 years to Kimberly White Son: Benjamin Jr (BJ) 2009 graduate of Neuqua Valley HS and currently a Senior at Yale University Daughter: Logan, Junior at Neuqua Valley HSOccupation: Retired Army Officer; Senior Army Instructor and Department Head for the Joliet West High School, Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC); Consultant: Global Resource SolutionsEducation: BS(Management), United States Military Academy, West Point, NY MS(Kinesiology), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN MBA, Webster University, St. Louis, MO Ph.D. Candidate(Values Driven Leadership), Benedictine University, Lisle, ILCivic involvement: School Board, Indian Praire School District 204 Calvary Church Dupage Area County Project, Board of DirectorsElected offices held: School Board, Indian Praire School District 204, 2012-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Academic performance of the district with a specific emphasis in closing the achievement gap of our subgroups in comparison to the rest of the student population.Key Issue 2 Sustaining fiscal responsibility with taxpayer resources by maintaining a 25% fund balance within the district budget to ensure that the district has the finances to accomplish district goals with a special emphasis on technology initiatives that will enhance student learning.Key Issue 3 Continuous improvement in communication between the school district (teachers, administrators, and school board) and the community.Questions Answers What do you think about the shift to the common core standards? How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?I support the shift to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) because the CCSS will require all children across the country to be responsible for achieving the same standard of learning. I feel this is crucial for our children to be internationally competitive based on the globalization that has taken place across the world; primarily due to the relatively recent technological advances in communication. From a curriculum standpoint, the role of the board is to listen to the curriculum experts within the district to ensure they are positioning the district to be on track to meet the standards of the CCSS. The board is also responsible for approving resources and providing suggestions to assist the administrators and teachers in reaching that goal. The Board of Education must educate itself on the curriculum issues but must clearly understand that it is not the expert in this area. The Board should not try to play the role of administrator or dictate specific curriculum to administration.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?All in all, I am extremely happy with how the district prepares our students for the next phase of their growth. I have seen my own children excel through the district as my own son was nationally competitive to attend any post-secondary university in the country. I have noticed each year that our high schools have been ranked in the top three percent nationally and we have several nationally recognized blue ribbon schools. Our tests scores are literally off the charts and I have been impressed with the administration's desire for continuous improvement. It would be easy for the district to rest on it's laurels, but each year there has been a gradual increase in our scores. With that said, there are still areas in which the district can make improvement. A primary area in which we need to make improvement is the achievement gap of our subgroups. The district is making some strides in this area but I believe a concerted effort in minority hiring and community involvement are key to closing the gap; as it provides the necessary role models who are needed to raise the morale and confidence of the students in these groups.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax increases?The budget issues facing our district are the potential pension reforms, 21st century technology initiatives (that will facilitate the district in reaching district goal number four), transportation for extra-curricular activities, and teacher/administration compensation. The district could be significantly challenged based on the decisions for pension reform. If this happens, then in order for the district to meet its future challenges, we would have to consider the following options: 1. Reduce funding to certain programs with priority to those programs that align poorly with our district goals. 2. Request the teachers and administrators to pay more in order to sustain the pension fund. 3. Let a small percentage of teachers and/or staff go in order to offset costs. 4. Request a tax referendum to offset cost and/or to meet our financial commitments. 5. Some combination of the other four. These are not popular options and I dislike placing an extra burden on our teachers and tax payers, but they are decisions that may have to be made in order to sustain the standard of excellence that has been set in IPSD 204.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups, do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?I think it would best to not make any changes until we get a firm answer as to what the state plans to do with pension reform. However, if the cost of pension management is passed to the school district, then it is important to understand if this will be a gradual process in which a percentage of the responsibility is passed to the district over several years, or will the transfer take place quickly in which the district would be extremely challenged if this is to occur over a 1-3 year time frame. If the pension responsibility is retained at the state level, then I would be in favor of exploring pay increases for our teachers. There is a noticeable difference in salaries and student-to-teacher ratios when compared to the teachers and administrators in our neighboring districts. However, our students perform as well or better when compared to those districts. Our teachers as whole do more with less when compared to their neighboring peers and should be compensated as such.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?I would not support this. Our administrators are all public servants and not CEOs or senior executives for a fortune 500 company which often pays large bonuses to these individuals. The school board is also at risk for paying penalties if these raises somehow exceed six percent. Furthermore, teachers and staff do not get the same opportunity for these raises which could seriously affect the morale of the employees in our district. This is money that could be used for other activities in the district. With the potential impact of pension reform and the current state of the economy, the district should stay away from these types of practices.