Will Hinshaw: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Will Hinshaw

City: Palatine, IL

Office sought: Board Member, Township High School District 211

Age: 42

Family: married, 3 children

Occupation: Accountant

Education: Bachelor's Degree, Accounting

Civic involvement: member, Palatine Jaycees / past president, Palatine Jaycees / past president, Illinois Jaycees

Previous elected offices held: Board Member, Township High School District 211 - 2015-2019

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? 2015

Website: www.willhinshaw.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FriendsOfWillHinshaw/

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Issue questions

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

I think that the three most important issues facing D211 are: (1) the upcoming retirement of our superintendent, (2) continuing to remain debt free & financially secure, and (3) closing the achievement gap across socio-economic differences. While the details and circumstances surrounding each of these issues is different and unique, the basic steps to addressing them are the same. The board should continually seek community input through outreach and engagement, collect and analyze as much relevant data as possible, and make reasonable decisions based on the best interest of our students and community.

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?

District 211 continues to improve the various ways that it prepares its students for life beyond high school. In recent years, the district developed and implemented the Student Readiness Plan, which focused on 4 primary components: Academic Readiness, College & Career Exploration, Student Involvement, and Global Competitive Skills. Continuing to refine the use of the Readiness Plan and the ways in which progress toward goals are measured and benchmarked will be necessary. In recent years the district has also made significant progress in developing its dual-credit curriculum, making it possible for many students to earn college credit before leaving high school. The number of students taking dual-credit coursework has increased. However, there is a significant gap among minority and disadvantaged students. The district needs to continue to focus on supporting these students, identifying those capable of completing dual-credit coursework and encouraging them to enroll. Internship opportunities have increased for students in District 211. The district needs to continue to grow these opportunities for students. I believe that hands on experience at this stage of education is particularly important for students who chose to enter the workforce immediately following high school.

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.

District 211 has been diligent in its efforts to become debt free. Maintaining its debt free status and its financial security are important. Any time there is an opportunity to reduce costs that do not have a direct impact on student opportunities or programs, those opportunities should be reviewed and acted upon, if appropriate. I support minimal tax increases when required to maintain the district's debt free status and to maintain the high standard that our community has set for educational opportunities.

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?

Neither I nor any member of my family is employed by a 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?

Salaries and benefits represent the district's single largest cost. At the same time, teachers, staff and administrators are among the district's greatest resources in educating our students. The board should approach the negotiations with an open mind, considering the needs and requests of the various employee groups. At the same time, the board should understand the financial and operational constraints of the district, as well as the community's ability to support the district, and work to set parameters that the board or its representatives can use to guide negotiations. Negotiations are give and take. There are many complicated layers to the process and the various resulting contracts. The board should work to find efficiencies and savings where possible. District 211 offers competitive compensation and benefit packages to its employees. As long as the district is able to hire and retain highly qualified teachers and staff, increases to salaries and benefits should be minimized.

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 do not support increases in pay for those nearing retirement to help boost pension benefits. Salary increases for superintendents and administrators should be based solely on performance and merit.