Allyson Herget: 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: AuroraWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Aurora D129Age: 60Family: Married, two grown childrenOccupation: Student Teacher Supervisor, Illinois State UniversityEducation: Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Bradley University, 1972Master of Arts in Teaching, Aurora University, 1997Civic involvement: Child Welfare Society of Aurora, ILElected offices held: Board of Education, District 129, 1999-2003Board of Education, District 129, 2003-2007Board of Education, District 129, 2007-2011Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 To provide the best education for District 129 students during continued shrinking budgets.Key Issue 2 To be a conscientious steward of district tax money by carefully targeting dollars to those areas that will best benefit our students.Key Issue 3 To advocate for immediate reauthorization and revisions of No Child Left Behind. The punitive nature, unrealistic goals, and inflexible guidelines required by NCLB have left school districts struggling academically and financially. One would be hard-pressed to argue that teachers need to be accountable and highly qualified in the subjects they teach. They also need to be highly effective, engaged and enthusiastic; while being allowed to deliver a curriculum that fosters creativity and critical thinking skills. The narrow focused, test-laden requirements of NCLB do not allow for this. Thus it has taken its toll on students and educators alike.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?In recent years, in order to ensure that our students are college and career ready, we have added time to the school day, implemented an uninterrupted ninety minute language arts block, and added an additional class period at West High. Students need to see the connection between what they do in the classroom, and how it relates to their futures. To that end, West High offers academies within the school in health occupations and culinary arts. To challenge gifted students, the district has collaborated with higher education institutions such as Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University and Aurora University to offer classes and workshops in math and science. Am I satisfied? Yes, in that the district is consistently working to add to and improve opportunities to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Presently the board is examining non-traditional and early learning options.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 has been effective at prioritizing student needs while finding ourselves in the most difficult fiscal time in recent history. As a result, the board constantly reviews our policies and budgets in order to ensure that dollars are directed to those programs that work. Given the economic ""state of the State"", and its outstanding amount of five million dollars owed to District 129, it is impossible to determine specifically what cuts may be needed at this time. With this fiscal uncertainty, and the fact that the voters of District 129 already passed a tax referendum in 2007, I cannot support another at this time. We will continue to do what we can to live within our means.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.It would be an honor for me to have the support of the Aurora Education Association - West. Rather than the perception of a ""pro-teacher bias"", it demonstrates that all parties involved are willing to work collaboratively in the best interests of District 129 students. Each individual board member brings his/her own unique experience, independent perspectives and specific focus to the table. For me, having a background in education has allowed me to provide input in those areas of curriculum and best practice.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?These have been challenging times of fiscal uncertainty. Accordingly, the board and all bargaining units in District 129 have worked tirelessly and collaboratively to make every effort to be fair, yet competitive. Contracts have been re-opened and restructured, and each unit has made concessions. Currently we are working on offering benefits and keeping those costs contained.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. Pension reform is a hot topic these days. If we are all serious in getting this state back on its feet, some kind of fair pension reform is in order. This will be understandably painful, but necessary. That is not to say that we are not willing to give our superintendent and administrators a vote of confidence -- we are. We realize how indeed fortunate the district is to have these professionals in our system.