Dave Whitson: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Dave "Whitty" Whitson City: Wauconda Office sought: School Board District 79- Fremont Age: 58 Family: Spouse Karen of 32 years, 1979 Mundelein High School Graduate. Son - Bryan 27 years of age - Civil Engineer, 2009 Mundelein High School Graduate. Daughter - Allyson (Ally) 25 years of age - Travel Nurse - Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Cardiac, 2011 Mundelein High School Graduate. Occupation: High School Teacher of 29 years and coach for 33 years Education: MA; Educational Administration BS; Physical Education/Health Civic involvement: None Previous elected offices held: None Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Website: None Facebook: None Twitter:@dwhitson111 Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

I am unaware of any major issues facing the school district at this time, but if elected, I plan on working with the administration on resolving issues utilizing the experience and knowledge I have gained over the last 30 years as a professional educator.

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?

I am extremely satisfied with Fremont School District 79. The district is doing a great job preparing students to transition from Fremont to High School. I see and live this firsthand because I teach at Mundelein High School and I have Fremont students in my class every school. From 2011 and until 2014 I was an assistant football coach at Stevenson High School where several members of the team were from Fremont. I feel in general the students at Fremont are prepared for the rigorous academic challenges of high school. I also believe the students are prepared both mentally and socially for high school. If there is a change I would like to see, it would be educating students on how to be resilient and overcome adversity and foster perseverance with mental toughness in conquering their goals.

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? Be specific.

I'm not versed or educated enough to know what issues School District 79 is faced with in the next four years so to tell you I can support or not support would be irresponsible on my part. Until I have firsthand knowledge on all the programs and expenses, it would be unfair for me to say one way or another if there is a need to make cuts, reduce programs or eliminate expenses. However, it would be one of my major areas I would look at immediately if I were elected.

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?

I'm presently employed by Mundelein High School Community High School District 120 for the past fifteen years. I coach football in the fall, assistant athletic director for the winter season, coach track in the spring and teach summer school. From 2011 until 2014 I was an assistant football coach at Stevenson High School. I have no family members associated in any school district.

As 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 do believe all employees, whether they are in the private sector or as a state or government employee, should receive a cost of living increase as long as they meet or succeed expectations performing their duties at work.

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?

I would not support a substantial increase in their pay to boost the pension's benefits. This is one of the many reasons why the system is not working, and people are having a hard time with the pension system. Past educators have abused the system and therefore the pension system has a poor reputation. I also believe this is why the state is trying to take over the Teacher's Retirement System.