Daniel Hancock: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Daniel Hancock

City: Hanover Park

Office sought: U46 School Board

Age: I will be 68 in February

Family: I am a widower with 2 sons - 1 son lives with me

Occupation: Retired

Education: BS in Electrical Engineering from MSOE

Civic involvement: I have tutored students through Wayne Area Youth & Family Services

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? NO

Website: None

Facebook: DanforU46

Twitter: None

Issue questions

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

Academic performance and property taxes. The state report card continues to decline - we need to look at the curriculum, common core has been a failure, and the teachers need to be given control of the class room. They should not be overruled by the school administration.

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?

The school district is not doing a good job of preparing students for the next stage. The state report card shows that students, parents and taxpayers are not getting the results they deserve. At this point in time, I don't know what changes need to be made. I will need to do some research to determine needed changes.

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.

One of the biggest issues is that the student population is dropping. As result the budget should not be increased. The school board has to do all it can to hold the budget steady or possibly reduced. I prefer to do everything possible to prevent cuts in any programs. I do not not support any tax increases.

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 am not employed by any school district. I did work in U-46 as a substitute teacher for a few years.

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?

The contract talks should consider the average wages with comparable workers in the area. The current economic conditions

should be considered when determining whether concessions or increases are considered. It is the tax payer that is paying the salary of school employees.

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, they should not get a substantial increase - it is the tax payer that is paying the pensions. None of the non-governmental

workers get any kind of boost in benefits before retiring.