Mary Childers: 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: Des PlainesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Maine Township High School District 207 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Eldest of 5 children, raised with primary and secondary (Maine East) education in Park Ridge, lived in Des Plaines since 1980Occupation: RE/MAX Real Estate BrokerEducation: B.A. Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Triton Community College Northern Illinois University Maine East High School DiplomaCivic involvement: Advisory Board, Center of Concern Member, Maine Township Planning Commission Former Alderman, 1st City of Des PlainesElected offices held: Alderman, City of Des Plaines, 1987 - 1993Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Financial Accountability by increasing revenue while cutting expenses. Now is the time to think outside of the box of ideas that have been used before.Key Issue 2 Continuing to develop advance placement courses to be fully accepted by universities and local community colleges. With the cost of all education increasing, secondary schools must be able to interact with community colleges and universities to give graduating students an economic jump start on their education.Key Issue 3 Active oversight for Special Needs Students with mental and physical challenges. We have a growing number of Special Needs students, mostly male coming from the primary grade levels. As these children grow, our high schools need to be prepared to successfully work on their behalf.Questions Answers What, specifically, can the school board do to prevent hazing at its schools?Vocalize and re-inforce an atmosphere of zero tolerance. We see signage about drug free zones; the same needs to be present about hazing. Just walking down a crowded school hallway, one can hear students being mean to others. The ways guns are taboo, so should be mean spirited behavior.Would you ever support deficit spending in a District 207 budget? How can the district keep its finances healthy going forward?We are at a crossroads of individual taxpayers and government organizations needing to think the same way about financial limitations. When an individual doesn't have enough money to pay for something, he or she doesn't have a taxing body to go to to say he or she needs more money to live. District 207 needs to have the same mentality of working within its' means - there are no taxpayers to go to to get more money; they are already tapped out.Should the district tie teacher salary increases to CPI?Teacher salary increases should be based on merit. Attaching teaching performance and success to the Consumer Price Index appears to mix educational guidelines to the economy. The connection is unclear to me.Discuss the health clinic at Maine East. Are you satisfied with how it is working? Should the idea be expanded to West or South?Although controversial, this health center is operating within the confines of the Illinois Consent and Confidentiality Laws. Much necessary attention is given to students' overall health that would probably not be addressed otherwise. It is a bold program that is trying to help all students. I do have concerns that a school based health center is taking on concerns best taken care of by parents.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?To operate in a global world, with our Maine High School students needing to be prepared to compete with young adults from every continent; common core standards give a clear expectation of where we need to be and where we need to grow in educating our children. Just saying our students need a better education, without specific expectations will not give us accountability. Having the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English proficiency will give students, educators and parents a clear idea of when we are successful and where we need to improve.