Ann Welk: 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: Round Lake ParkWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Round Lake Unit District 116 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 55Family: Married, five children, four grandchildrenOccupation: Production Planner / ExpeditorEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Member Round Lake Board of Education, 2001. Master Board Member since 2007. LeaderShop Academy Fellow since 2011.Elected 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 Improving our AYP numbers by engaging all students in the learning process.Key Issue 2 Space for students. Our High School was built to accommodate 1500 students and we are already pushing 2000.Key Issue 3 Improving communications between the district and the community. As much as we try, we are still hearing that many people do not know what is happening in the district.Questions Answers Do you believe the district needs to pursue a Round Lake High School expansion and other improvements? If so, how should this be financed? Please explain.Yes, we definitely need more space. We will need to run a referendum in the near future to provide additional space at the High School. We will spread the tax burden into the future so as not to raise taxes on the taxpayers of the district above what they are currently paying.How satisfied are you that your district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be high school, college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?I am not satisfied that we are preparing students for their futures. We need to find more methods to engage those students who are not meeting or exceeding standards.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measure do you support to address them? Be specific. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Be specific.We will be starting the negotiations process with the union soon. Having been out from under state financial control for a few years now, it is extremely important that we all work together to maintain our financial stability while providing a fair contract to the staff, and keeping our taxpayers in mind.Do you support the health center proposed for Round Lake High School? Why or why not? Please elaborate.I do support the proposed health center so that students will have more options for getting routine vaccinations, sports physicals, immediate care for injuries, asthma attacks, etc. I do not support giving out prescription medications, including birth control, without the parent's knowledge or permission.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 shift to common core is a good idea. I do not think the board of education should be involved in setting the curriculum. We are not the experts. But we do need to be informed of the best practices and recommendations from our staff and be able to intelligently approve or disapprove of those recommendations.