League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
	Hamilton County, OH November 3, 2009 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Board Member; Indian Hill City School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Qualification, Priorities Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit) Answer from Kim Martin Lewis: My experience as a restructuring attorney provides me a unique background including corporate finance, budgeting of revenues and expenses, employee benefits and union agreements. My husband Mike and I have 5 children and have a vested interest in the maintainance of top tier academic ratings and quality extracurricular activities. Answer from Elizabeth Johnston: I have had the privilege to serve on the Board of Education for Indian Hill Schools for the past four years, holding leadership roles on various Committees and Volunteer Programs including a Finance Committee. All four of our children have attended Indian Hill Schools, the youngest is a sophomore. Answer from Sourushe Zandvakili: I am an educator, with understanding of issues in education, public finance and economics. As a Professor and Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Cincinnati, I have academic as well as administrative experience, both of which are suitable for the board of education. Answer from Karl J. Grafe: I am a 1978 Indian Hill graduate, having attended Indian Hill schools K through 12. My wife Donna and I have two children in the district, a senior and a sophomore. I am a corporate attorney for a financial services company with extensive experience in transactions, finance and governance matters. 2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit) Answer from Sourushe Zandvakili: I have to gain respect and trust of other board members and the school administrators, to work together to achieve our common mission. I will articulate the necessity of operating a balanced budget to gain public's trust and support. I hope to work with all constituencies to ensure readiness for college and beyond by improving curriculum, guidance counseling, instructional technology, foreign languages, etc, at all levels. I am ready to provide leadership to better motivate and support students to meet higher expectations by addressing their unique needs. Answer from Elizabeth Johnston: Developing the each student's potential can only be achieved through Whole Child Development. The three essential components to maximizing this potential involves: educating the intellect, nurturing the emotional well-being and nourishing the physical wellness of every child. It is not possible to address only one of these fundamentals and expect the child to reach his/her potential. Preparing the student for higher education requires challenging the intellect through rigorous academics, providing positive atmosphere and healthy environment to promote a passion for life long learning. Tax dollar spending is an enormous responsibility and represents a significant investment in the our future. Answer from Kim Martin Lewis: Work as a team with the administration in reviewing curriculum and programs and assuring quality academic performance and top quality guidance in providing students with excellent college placement as well as maintaining opportunities to develop talents of students in top quality extracurricular activities. Assisting with the budgeting process and assuring that opportunities for revenues are maximized and expenses are managed wisely. Continue to maintain adequate cash reserves to support our programs. During the continued difficult economic times it is important to balance the need to maintain high quality education and programs with the expected decreasing revenues. Answer from Karl J. Grafe: Provide conservative oversight of taxpayer funds and district expenditures. Maintain adequate reserves, while still seeking ways to operate efficiently and generate additional revenue sources. Focus on preparing students to gain admission and succeed in college through enhanced guidance activities, parental involvement and college-focused high school curriculum. Continue to improve district academic excellence through personnel, program and curriculum development. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.