Harold Lonks: 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: WinfieldWebsite: http://www.haroldlonks.comOffice sought: Wheaton-Warrenville Unit D200Age: 51Family: Married 23 years 2 childrenOccupation: Accounting and Computer ConsultantEducation: Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, University of Dayton, 1981Civic involvement: Pleasant Hill School PTAPleasant Hill School Classroom VolunteerVolunteer Voter Registrar for the DuPage County Election CommissionElected 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 The District's spending needs to be controlled. Budget deficits must end so the administration no longer has to cut additional student programs and educators.Key Issue 2 The fate of Hubble needs to be decided. The District can't afford $300,000 a year to keep the building. It should be either utilized by the School District or sold.Key Issue 3 The District has to look for ways to restore student programs that have been eliminated during recent budget cuts. The education of students needs to be a high priority.Questions Answers How would you like to see the former Hubble Middle School property in downtown Wheaton redeveloped?The School District owns the property, the Park District heavily utilizes and wants the property, and City of Wheaton controls the zoning of the property. In Friday, January 28, 2011 Daily Herald, District 200 Board President Andrew Johnson said four private developers have shown an interest in the property. Additionally, the Park District has a win-win-win proposal. The proposal is to split and sell the property between the Park District and private developers. I am in favor of exploring creative solutions such as this one.What are you thoughts about some wanting the Hubble property to become a Wheaton Park District facility?I don't have a problem selling the Hubble property to the Park District as long as the Park District also commits to a future sale of a portion of the land to private developers as reported in the Daily Herald on January 28, 2011.What is your view of the federal No Child Left Behind standards?The NCLB Act requires 100% of students (including disadvantaged and special education students) within a school to reach the same state standards in reading and mathematics by 2014. Critics charge that a 100% goal is unattainable and some students are simply unable to perform at the level for their age, no matter how well the teacher teaches. Hopefully new Congressional legislation is passed this year to address the shortcomings of the NCLB Act. In general, I am in favor of local control of schools.If elected to the school board, how would you address District 200's ongoing budgetary issues?The biggest ongoing budget issue is spending on wages and benefits which accounts for 80% of the budget. Salary increases well beyond the rate of inflation have been the primary cause of budget deficits. In December 2010, Moody#146;s downgraded the District#146;s bond rating due to deficit spending, and higher than expected wage and benefit increases. I have reviewed the past couple years Auditor#146;s Report, other District financial data, and 5 year Budget presented on January 26, 2011 Board Meeting and have concluded the compensation expenditures have the largest impact on budget deficits. Also, the entire budget needs to be reviewed line item by line item for additional savings.Considering the problems that the state has had providing funding for school districts, should District 200 consider asking local voters to approve a property tax increase to raise additional money for the education fund?District 200 already raises property taxes every year by the maximum amount under tax caps. The District#146;s financial advisor projects a $4,500,000 (3.8%) increase for the 2011/2012 budget year. The Board has also collected an additional $35,000,000 by issuing working cash bonds over the last 5 years to fund the deficits without voter approval. These bonds are paid through property taxes not subject to any tax cap. Raising property taxes further should be an absolute last resort, especially in these economic times. This year, the State of Illinois already passed legislation increasing the personal income tax. The School District must cut spending before raising additional taxes from property owners who are already facing financial burdens. At the January 26, 2011 Board Meeting, one board member suggested raising the property tax rate to raise additional revenue. Enough is enough and the emphasis needs to be on spending and not additional taxes.