Richard Gerber: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: SchaumburgWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Palatine-Schaumburg H.S. D211Age: 52Family: Married, three children, two currently attending Schaumburg High SchoolOccupation: Real Estate ProfessionalEducation: Bachelor of Science Mathematics Computer Science, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1983Civic involvement: Old Schaumburg Centre CommissionElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 District 211 needs to maintain a balanced budget.Key Issue 2 District 211 needs to deliver strong educational programs to push students to a higher academic level.Key Issue 3 District 211 needs to evaluate new opportunities to prepare students to be successful after high school.Questions Answers Evaluate how the District 211 has used the money from the 2005 tax-hike referendum.Prior to 2005, the district was experiencing enrollment growth and a widening gap between revenue and expenditures. The district reduced costs, reduced salaries staff, and eliminated programs. The district still needed to borrow to fund the gap between revenue and expenses, but this was not a sustainable model. In 2005 the community supported a referendum to increase the Educational Fund tax rate and maintain the programs in the schools. Five years later, the District is recognized as one of the best high school districts in the state. The District has continued to deliver strong educational programs and a balanced budget while looking for new efficiencies and ways to reduce expenses.What steps must District 211 take to further bolster its reputation as one of the best high school district in the state?A pre-requisite to growth in District 211 are consistent programs for students, being predictable with finances, attracting and keeping the best teachers. The District can then improve programs to further challenge students to grow academically and provide the best opportunities for success after high school. The District evaluates new offerings and has recently expanded programs in languages and hospitality, advanced placement and college credit courses, and special education opportunities. An opportunity also exists to work with the over 12,000 students in the District on a more individual basis. To offer each student a curriculum where they can be successful, with the ability to identify early if the student may need help in a particular area, and then provide additional focused support so that student can be successful. How well does the district spread resources and funding among its five schools? Is there equality or do things need to change? Cite examples, if you can.Resources are distributed across the district proportionally based on the enrollment at each school. Maintenance and improvements are planned for each school, but are not done at the same time. For example, Palatine and Fremd High Schools saw infrastructure projects in 2001 while infrastructure projects at Conant, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg High Schools were completed in 2009.If elected, you will participate in negotiating the next teacher contract. What should change, if anything, in the next contract, and how well does Dist. 211 balance the need to retain top teaching talent with fiscal responsibility?The economy will play a large factor in the next contract negotiation and is expected to impact both salary and benefits. While District 211 needs to be competitive to attract and keep the best teachers, affordability is a key concern.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.The union is a partner with District 211. The district employees 2,030 people making it the 6th largest employer in the area. The quality and commitment of these people is integral to making District 211 successful and the union represents many of these people. The union and District 211 may share many of the same goals, and may disagree on others. As a school board member, my priority is the overall success of District 211.