Hal Sloan: Candidate Profile

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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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Grayslake High School District 127 School Board Age: 56Family: Wife, Patty. Children: Scott, Laura, and Kevin.Occupation: SalesEducation: B.A. Political Science: Northern Illinois University. M.B.A. Marketing: Roosevelt University.Civic involvement: Grayslake Park District: Youth Basketball, Youth Baseball, and Youth Soccer Coach. Youth Build Illinois Mock Interview Panelist.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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?While I am satisfied with our district overall, there is always room to improve. Grayslake School District 127 excels at preparing students for going to college. The AP program in the district is thriving. It serves as a key component to the future success of the students on the track to College. I am looking to insure this success to every student in the district, no matter what path they take after high school. In this way, students will be maximize their opportunities regardless of their chosen path. This would be beneficial both to the district and the community.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.The State Legislature has considered a bill that would redistribute state funding to schools. In that scenerio Grayslake District 127 would lose some State funding. I would work hard to keep our State funding, either at current levels or better. The tax levy of the district in conjunction with other funding sources has been sufficient in the last several years to keep the budget under control. I would not be looking at this time to raise the Tax Levy for the District. Cutting programs and raising taxes should only be done when absolutely necessary, however, I believe that reviewing all programs should be done on a regular basis.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?The cost of living has continuously trended upward. I believe that salary and benefits should be adjusted accordingly to account for those increases in costs as is necessary during negotiations. Furthermore, I belive that salary and benefit concessions should only be asked for in extreme economic circumstances and that at this time those conditions do not exist.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 Superintendent at current salary will have a substantial pension.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Senator Durbin. He can relate to heads of State as well as the everyday man.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Having a loving family will help you get you through most things in life.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Buying the Condominium we rented when we first got married when offered to us,What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Word Power was a class that taught the meaning of roots of words that enabled me to greatly expand my vocabulary.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Go Big or Go Home.