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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
Qualifications,
Equity,
Student test results,
Building Consensus,
Budget
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What are your qualifications for office?
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Answer from Kevin Wiesner:
I have been attending the Northwest school board meetings for the last five years. At most meetings, I am the only person in the room that is not a member of the media, an employee, or a school board member! The many years of observation and interaction with the school board and administration have been excellent preparation to becoming a school board member.
I have two children in the Northwest public schools so I am definitely interested in ensuring the school district offers the best educational opportunities possible for our students. As a taxpayer, I also want to see the district managed in a fiscally responsible manner. I provide input along both of these lines at the board meetings and through direct communication with the board members and administration.
I have been a resident and active member of the Colerain community volunteering in many activities for the last 21 years. A few examples include being the Big Brother for 8 years for a young man who graduated from Colerain, several school and church activities, coaching youth basketball at the Clippard Y, and tutoring at Weigel Elementary as part of the Whiz Kids program.
Answer from Dan Unger:
I have attended all but three regular meetings of the Board of Education since my first one in August of 1994.(over 400 meetings in 17 years)I have not missed a meeting since I was first elected in 2007. I have been witness to or participated in every debate over every policy that our district has on record and have seen a lot of good people come and go over the years. I have archival knowledge of where we have been and a lot of positive ideas about how we can continue to improve our district. My lifelong career in private industry has demanded daily fiscal prudence and I will continue to bring the same to our school board in the years to come.
Answer from Bruce Gehring:
I believe in education and have a record of educational accomplishments that supports that belief. I also already served four years on the Northwest Local School Board. So I have a record of accomplishment on this Board people can look at to see how I will perform these duties.
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2. What would you do to advance the concept of "equity in education" in your district?
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Answer from Dan Unger:
Despite differences in economic circumstance, family situation or even the neighborhood that a student lives in, when our students walk into our buildings, I expect all to have the same opportunity to succeed once inside of our schools. Included in this is an equal distribution of experienced personnel for every subject at each building, current learning materials and and up-to-date technology as appropriate per grade level. While the debate will go on forever over the perceived need for increased funding versus the ability of citizens to bear the tax burden, I remain committed to working within the existing budget to provide the absolute best that we can for our students.
Answer from Bruce Gehring:
I will insure the opportunity for a quality education is available to all residents of the community. This will be available to all residents be engaging the residents in the process. This includes complete and open reporting of district activities with the invitation for all residents to praticipate in the discussion of key decisions. The desire is to have an actively engaged community in the education decision processes of the Board.
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3. How would you use your students' state test results to improve education in your district?
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Answer from Dan Unger:
Our most recent state test results are the combined best ever for the district. We currently have six buildings rated as "excellent" and the remainder rated as "effective". There are many intangibles that can not be quantified by a test, yet these observations are still critical assessments of the progress of individual students. However,in the eyes of the State Board of Education, we are still evaluated by test results and we need to focus in those areas in which we are impelled to better progress. I believe that we need to look outside of our district to other schools that are having a greater level of success in certain subject matter and try to compare our methods with theirs, refining from both new innovation to improve our programs.
Answer from Kevin Wiesner:
The improving school test scores and ratings are proof of the value the many academic opportunities provide the children through traditional classes as well as parent and community partnerships. The current programs are making an obvious difference. Imagine what can be done with even greater parental and community participation!
We must strive for excellent schools across the entire district and should not settle for anything less. This is a high goal, but it simply means making education a priority in our community and getting timely and appropriate help to those children who are struggling, while keeping the children performing at grade level or above challenged so they continue to grow and doing this in a financially responsible way.
Answer from Bruce Gehring:
I have a record of accomplishment on this issue. During my four-year tenure on the Northwest Local School District Board we cut expenses by over $4,000,000 while improving the state report card rating of the district from "Needs Improvement" to "Excellent".
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4. What will you do to build consensus in the community in support of public schools?
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Answer from Dan Unger:
Our district is unique as one-in-three school age children with the geographical boundaries of the Northwest Local School District attend parochial schools. The distribution ratio of students has remained fairly constant for a long time, however,in recent years, the pool of age 5 through 18 year old students has dropped dramatically, coupled with a steep rise in tuition at parochial schools as religious staff have been replaced with higher paid lay staff. The result has been a larger number of families sending students to our public high schools and an increased need for communication between the parochial and public schools. I continue to encourage cooperation between the two, whether in academic pursuit, extra-curricular activities or even transportation. I look for opportunities to benefit both, as our students live in the same neighborhoods and can accomplish a lot more later in life united rather than divided. It is not the students, especially the younger ones that see the differences. Most of the potential for greater understanding of both types of schools is in the hands of adults. We all hope that all of our children have the greatest chance for success in life.
Answer from Bruce Gehring:
Open the financial records to the district by availing all financial records on the web while strengthening the requirement to openly bid all district expenditures greater than $10,000. More open access to school board meeting information, including complete access to information discussed at meetings is a necessity.
Answer from Kevin Wiesner:
I will work to spread the news about the many great achievements our students and teachers are accomplishing every single day. All one has to do is attend a school board meeting to see the pride in the students' and teachers' when they highlight their achievements, play their instruments, or show their work during a presentation. I will emphasize the accomplishment of achieving the excellent ratings and the work being done to continue to achieve total school and district excellence.
I will work to understand and bridge the gap that exists between the parochial school system and the public school system. We live in the same community and have the same desires of having strong and viable neighborhoods and seeing our children become amazingly successful. Why, especially in these challenging times, would we not work together to do everything possible to make our community and schools the clear choice for those families seeking the ideal place to raise their families or for businesses to establish themselves?
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5. What are your budget priorities?
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Answer from Kevin Wiesner:
Everyone is aware that the current economy is very challenging. The State of Ohio is also removing funding from the public education system. In the Northwest district it is already understood that in the coming months more budget cuts will need to be made. The issue our school system faces is to what extent the cuts will need to be made. I will commit to making academics the number one priority that should remain funded to the extent that the students are not affected by financial changes. An excellent education is the key to the future success of our children and our community and the school board needs to be mindful of this while making the difficult budget decisions.
Answer from Dan Unger:
Funding for educational materials and district personnel involved in every day direct contact with our students. Maintaining current levels of bus service to families is a safety issue and priority. Second priority items are those services that are important, but do not have an everyday impact on our pupils. Careful stewardship of our existing funds provides a climate where our employees can feel an additional sense of security in their jobs which will allow them to focus on the primary mission of educating students.
Answer from Bruce Gehring:
Maintain our teacher base is our highest priority. Reduce our administrative staff to state minimum requirements is a key requirement. Building a relationship with our teachers to set a new direction for the district is important in these tough economic times.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits may apply. See individual questions for specific word limits. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. Please edit your work before submitting. We are unable to provide spell-check at this time.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
