Lane Hasler: Candidate Profile

Back to Oak Grove District 68 School Board

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:BioQA Bio City: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove District 68 School Board Age: 50Family: Wife - Kathryn Son - Owen - Junior at Libertyville High School, attended Oak Grove School 1-8 Daughter - Julia - Sixth Grade at Oak Grove School has attended since KOccupation: AttorneyEducation: JD - New York University BA - Wabash CollegeCivic involvement: Member - District 68 (Oak Grove School) Board of Education 2009 - Present Coach - Libertyville Little League Baseball Coach - Greater Libertyville Soccer AssociationElected offices held: Vice- President Chair of the Finance Committee Chair of the Facilities CommitteeQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately 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?Oak Grove School does an excellent job in preparing students for high school. The Administration has worked with Libertyville High School to track the progress of former OGS students in order to use such data in evaluating OGS curricula. The focus of the Board, the Administration and the Staff is on continual improvement of what is already an outstanding instructional program. There are always areas for improvement. One particular area of concern at OGS has been math, particularly in the Junior High, and a great deal of attention and resources have been and continue to be dedicated in this area. For example, OGS retained outside math consultants to review the curriculum; additional math instructors known as "coaches" were tasked with assisting the classroom teachers; and last year OGS added a full-time curriculum director to its administrative team. The math curriculum is a work in process with frequent reports from the Administration to the Board at the public meetings. As a member of the Board of Education, one area of focus for me was Curriculum Enhancement Services ("CES"), otherwise known as gifted programs. I co-chaired a special committee which surveyed the CES offerings at OGS and other districts and proposed changes to the CES curriculum. A second such CES special committee is formed and currently undertaking additional study in this area.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.When I joined the Board, I urged that a Finance Committee be created to provide better oversight of income, expenses and reserves. As its first chair, I oversaw the creation of a system of regular reporting and analysis; implemention a deal with District 70 (Libertyville) to share business office services which allowed OGS to fix its recording and reporting functions; a change in auditors; and a needs-based analysis of its reserves so that the funds are now allocated to specific projects. The Board now has a good understanding of its financial situation. The budgetary issues are (1) an annual operating cost increase of not less than 2.5% due to the current teacher's union contract and general supply costs but a state law cap on its ability to increase revenue which limits revenue increases to CPI which is now .8%; (2) potential loss of government funding, which, fortunately, is just 5% of the budget; (3) a recent request for free full-day kindergarten which has a projected cost, in terms of lost fees and additional costs, of around 1.5% of the annual budget. The Board will continue to look for ways to reduce spending in ways that do not reduce services. At my urging, the Board has adopted a policy of first approving its budget then setting its tax levy in an amount required to fund its budget rather than what had previously been done which was to take the maximum allowable tax increase every year. This is a budget driven philosophy.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?NoAs contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?I served as co-negotiator for the Board four years ago when the current contract was done. I am again co-negotiator for the Board. As such, it is inappropriate for me to answer this question since negotiations are pending. I can say that I believe that the Board is committed to providing a fair contract within its budgetary constraints.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. The "pension stuffing" in the last years of a contract has contributed to the disastrously underfunded pension obligations in the State of Illinois. But the type of Superintendent I would want (and have) at Oak Grove School would have too much integrity to play such pension games.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am chair of the Facilities Committee which over the past four years has overseen the implementation of a comprehensive renovation of the entire school facility. Summer 2015 is the final piece of this program. I am committed to seeing this through. The Facilities Committee is now responsible for technology. The impact of technology in the classroom with the teachers and students, in the building in terms of the equipment and facilities, and on the District's budget is significant. I am committed to assisting in the implementation of technology at OGS. A good union contract is important to both the positive teacher relations which have developed over the past few years and the financial health of the District. I want to see this contract through. Our Board of Education is young, with three of the seven members having just one years service and three of the four remaining seats open in this election. I believe it is important for the Board to have some continuity of service.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Paul RyanWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The value of hard work.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History, as it provides perspective.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work smarter, not harder.