Robert Friend: 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: LombardWebsite: http://N/AOffice sought: Glenbard Township High School District 87 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 60Family: Married, two daughtersOccupation: Retired,Power Mechanic, United Parcel ServiceEducation: A.A. Transportation Management, Daley College, Chicago, Illinois A.A. Diesel Mechanics, Oklahoma State Tech, Okmulgee, OklahomaCivic involvement: Board of Education, Glenbard High School District #87 Illinois Association of School Boards, DuPage County Chair First United Methodist Church of Lombard, Board of Trustees, Chair; Men's Club former President, Current TreasurerElected offices held: Lombard School District #44 - Board Member 1999-2009 Glenbard Township High School District #87 - Board Member 2009-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 To continue to raise the bar at all Glenbard schools to assure that all students receive a quality educationKey Issue 2 The overall financial condition of the district - including the potential local funding of pensions for all school districts in the state if required by the state legislature.Key Issue 3 Encouraging the district to find the best ways for each student to learn.Questions Answers Do you support the current district policy allowing physical education waivers for some seniors? Why? Would you support such a policy for juniors, as has been proposed by one board member?I support the current policy for senior waivers if the students are involved in sports and marching band. It also allows seniors who are lacking a few credits to make up the classes and graduate on time. I do not support waivers for juniors.What are your views on where commencement exercises should take place?I support Glenbard West and Glenbard South continuing with their traditions of commencement exercises being held on their campuses. Due to the size of the graduating classes at Glenbard East and Glenbard North, their facilities cannot accommodate inside graduation exercises. I support these schools returning to College of DuPage for their commencement programs. The administration has provided information stating that the cost of conducting graduation at the schools vs. College of DuPage are nearly the same.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?The common core standards are good in that they were written by highly qualified educators from across the country. They serve as a guide for teachers to cover the same subject matter/skill development in all schools. It will also allow them to cover material and prepare students for the next level. As Board Members, we should follow the recommendations of the trained professions and work with them to approve the their recommendations on local implementation.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?District 87 has come a long way in the past six years of working with the six feeder elementary school districts to align their curriculum with the high school curriculum. This prepares the students for a smooth transition to the high school. Glenbard 87 has also raised the bar and challenged students to do their best and prepare them for the next stage of their life. We still need to better prepare our students who are not attending college for the workplace.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 biggest potential budget issue is pensions, if the school district is required by the State of Illinois to cover pension costs. Glenbard could absorb a small percentage of this cost, however not a substantial amount. I am also concerned about not receiving State payments on a timely basis. I have no specific recommendations for cuts, however if needed, I would study the overall effects of any cuts on the entire district. The district is fiscally sound. I do not support a tax increase at this time.