Eva Cole: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Eva Cole

City: Fox River Grove

Office sought: Barrington 220 School Board member

Age: 56

Family: 2 adult children

Occupation: Sr. Financial Analyst

Education: Bachelors in Business working on my Masters

Civic involvement: Previous volunteering in retirement communities

Previous elected offices held: none

Incumbent: If yes, when were first elected? n/a

Website:

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Issue questions

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

There are some pressing issue facing our schools today as well as a

need to look towards the future of education. Some of the most vital issues are

improved security measures, replacement of out dated equipment, repairs to existing

buildings and forward thinking educational tools that will keep our children prepared

for the next steps in their academic and profession lives.

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 think overall the school district is adequate to prepare students for the next

stages of their lives no matter the grade level. I do however, believe that additional

work need to be done to prepare teachers to help the atypical student to reach their

full potential.

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.

Funding the various project listed in Blueprint 220 if the funding is not approved next

election or determine which project need earliest attention if the funding is approved

in April. No one likes tax increases but our needs for the best education for our

children should always take priority. In this case there are several projects that need

to be addressed of which school security is but one that I feel needs to be addressed

and the proposed tax increase is one way to cover those project vital to our children's

health and wellbeing.

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? n/a

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 believe just like

any other job raises should be proportionate with inflation. However, having said this

I also think that if a community is facing adversity that concessions should be

considered and implemented based on what is best for the students and teachers to

keep cost down and to be able to support the best environment for the safety and

health of our children.

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 believe that pensions are an antiquated retirement concept and is

a heavy burden on the tax payers. The private sector has already eliminated this

retirement option and has successfully replaced it with other options such as401k. By

adopting this type of self-funding for retirement approach could save millions over

the next 20 years allowing for additional investment in schools and programs for

student that we may not be able to afford in the future without raising taxes.