Rich Nagel: 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: West ChicagoWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Chicago High School District 94 School Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, three adult children, grandchildren.Occupation: Engineer in the medical products fieldEducation: BSEE, BSEMCivic involvement: Board of Trustees D33 Foundation for Educational Excellence, Board of Trustees Foundation for Fire and Life Safety, Board member Gallery TheaterElected offices held: School Board member District 94, 24 yearsQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I hope to be re-elected to continue the progress that D94 is making at providing educational opportunity for the children of our community. This is not an easy time for schools and we need to keep our attention focused on education, educators and our infrastructure as a valuable and irreplaceable asset of the community.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?In my opinion, you can't measure student success by daily quizzes, semester finals or standardized tests. Student success shows itself over the accumulation of the four years that we have the students and the preparation they leave our school with. It is hard to make evaluations when the state keeps changing the rules and destroying the baselines. Ideally, each student gets tracked on their individual path rather than looking at group statistics. Some students blossom early, some later. The important thing is to keep them engaged and supported, both at school and at home, for the 4 years we have them so they have achieved their best as they leave our school. We are using predictability models now to assess where they are along the way compared to where they were when they started as they leave 8th grade. This is a fair method since all students enter high school at different levels. I am hopeful that the move to all students having computers gives the staff better visibility into individual needs and success and that can be used by administration for assessment on a finer resolution basis.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?Curriculum design is the role of the administration at the building level. The board should ask the right questions, establish expectations and provide the resources that the administration requires, to the best of its ability. Curriculum offerings should fairly and equitably address all the levels of needs of the student population, which is a mandate the board should pass along to the superintendent. I am not qualified to know or direct the curriculum but rather to establish expectations to the administration on behalf of the community and then to review the summary results and discuss any needs for adjustments.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 or fee increases?Right now all school districts are in state budget limbo. There are too many moving parts and options on the table to make any sense in 250 words. All any board can do right now is to see what the next year or two will bring and make adjustments as changes unfold.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?School choice is essentially market driven. The best response a school board can offer is a school environment that is as or more attractive than private alternatives. There will always be reasons that students enroll in private schools, but if our district continues to offer rigorous academic programs,, a safe and nurturing learning environment and a rich variety of activities, our local public school should remain the most desirable choice.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We currently have a building referendum on the April ballot. If it passes, we will get busy turning our needs into designs and plans. If it does not pass, we will need to assess the reasons and make decisions on what to do next.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bruce Springsteen. Although not an avid fan, I can't get over how great he looks and how much energy he has at his age.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You have to share.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have spent more time studying and documenting my family history so I could pass along the stories to my children and grandchildren.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Drafting, it taught me the value of accuracy, persistence and the sense of accomplishment. In those days drawings were made on paper with unforgiving ink.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Invest in yourself.