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Age
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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27 |
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Family
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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Spouse: Tiffany Harkins, No Children |
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Occupation/place of employment
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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Screen Printer
Premium and Incentive Marketing
nathan.a.harkins@hotmail.com |
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Education
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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BS Mathematics – University of Kansas
BS Economics – University of Kansas
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Political experience
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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I have no experience. |
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Civic involvement
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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Volunteer MATHCOUNTS Coach at Prairie Trail Junior High
Active volunteer and Board member at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Citizen Education Academy with the district
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Number of years you have been a resident of the city
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Demographics / Personal Info )
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5 years |
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Would you support an increase in the LOB (Local Option Budget) to enable the district to increase staff salaries?
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uncategorized )
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Under the current economic circumstances, I would not be willing to increase the Local Option Budget for the purpose of increasing teacher salaries. While it is important to offer competitive salaries in orderto retain excellent educators, now is not the time to put more of a financial burden on property owners who may be struggling themselves. However, if it were necessary to increase the LOB for the purpose of maintaining staff levels and current class sizes, I feel the benefits to the students would make it necessary to consider. |
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Do you believe that the cash balances of the school district are too low, about right, or too high?
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General )
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As Kansas legislators are busy discussing major budget cuts to the current fiscal year, it has become evident that the district is in need of cash reserves substantial enough to smooth out major changes to district funding from the state. I believe that the district\'s current cash balances are too low and need to be addressed. It is important to realize that this likely can\'t be done with the decreased funding for this year and next but we can begin developing a policy for building reserves when the budget allows. |
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How do you feel about the district’s consideration of moving ninth grade students to the high school?
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uncategorized )
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I think that the benefits for the upcoming freshmen classes will far outweigh any possible detriments. The class offerings will be increased which will allow for greater exposure to academic opportunities. The major benefit of this move is placing the freshmen in schools with other students who are taking classes that will be on their transcripts. It is important for them to realize the long term impact of their academic decisions which is difficult when surrounded by students who are not at that stage. The first year will be the most difficult as two grade levels will be transitioning to high school at the same time and we must be careful to make sure that both sets of students, freshmen and sophomores, receive the attention needed to make the transition smoothly. |
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What is your position on charter schools/vouchers that allow for public funds to be spent for private schools?
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uncategorized )
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Having read about many areas that have tried charter schools and vouchers, I feel that there is not suitable evidence that this form of schooling works in the long run. Many charter schools end up closing shortly after opening, sometimes not even completing the first year. This puts a strain on the students as they have to transition back to public schools and on the schools themselves as they try to accommodate more students than they are prepared for. Of the voucher systems in place, I wasn\'t able to find one that was both equitable and funded in such a way that would allow all students an equal opportunity to take advantage of the system. As such, I think we need to capitalize on what is successful about the charter schools and voucher plans, and implement them in the public schools. This includes giving school administrators more tools to deal with students and staff as well as having programs for students with different interests. The 21st century programs in place are a good starting point but we need to make sure that more students can be reached through programs which interest them and prepare them for their future. |
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What is the role of a Board member versus the role of the Board? What do you see as the major role of the board of education?
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uncategorized )
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The most important role of a Board member is to become informed about topics that the Board is dealing, and use that information to act in a manner that is to the benefit of the district as a whole. The Board’s responsibility is to discuss all points of view presented and decide on the best course of action. Once decided, it is important that members support those actions because they were made in a democratic process.
The major roles of the Board are to select a superintendent that is capable of running the district and to develop overarching guidelines that offer direction to the superintendent. Since the board is not involved in the day-to-day operations, it is important that they get input from all sources (parents, students, teachers, and administrators) when making decisions.
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What do you see as the major priorities of the school district for the next five years?
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uncategorized )
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The major priority is to balance the budget without impacting classroom instruction. Academics are the main purpose of public schools and as such, they should be the last thing cut and the first thing restored as budgets change. After that is secured, I think the district should work on expanding 21st Century programs to include more career ready instruction. There are many careers that are still necessary that don’t require a four year degree and with the increasing cost of higher education, introducing students to these rewarding careers can play an important role in future success. |
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What changes, if any, would you recommend in the school finance formula?
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uncategorized )
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The major problem with the school finance formula is that it limits a community’s options in education. While it is important for the state to ensure that all students are provided with adequate educational opportunities, it is counterproductive to limit the citizens’ rights to offer expanded opportunities as they see fit. I would encourage the legislators to remove the cap on localities’ choices to raise local funds. It is important to note that studies are inconclusive when trying to show a relationship between per pupil funding and academic success. So as citizens, I believe it is our right to spend as much as we deem necessary to educate our children, but the Board must demonstrate that the money is being spent appropriately and we are getting a return on our investment. |
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Do you support recent actions by the Kansas Supreme Court to increase school funding?
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uncategorized )
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The Kansas Supreme Court overstepped its bounds by forcing state funding to be at a certain level. The conclusion that the state was not providing for an adequate education put the solvency of the state and all school districts at risk. While it is very important to provide for a quality education, the state can only provide so much and it is up to the residents within a district to decide on additional funding as they see necessary. |
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Why do you want to serve on the Board of Education and what makes you especially qualified to do so?
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uncategorized )
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It seems that the main focus of our district and others in the area is preparing students for college. While this is very important and we should be encouraging all students to achieve all they can, many students don’t have a desire to go to college directly from high school and we should be preparing them for a career as well. Success comes in many different forms and the district should be supporting all students in pursuing their ambitions.
I don’t believe that anyone is especially qualified to be a Board member. I have a passion for education and a desire to see certain changes implemented that will allow for added student success in the future. I am willing to donate my time to become as educated as I can on whatever topics the board undertakes as well as meeting with all parties whom are invested in the district.
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If the Olathe District Schools Board of Education is called upon to make significant budget cuts in the 2009 and 2010 budgets, what approach you would take? (For example, should cuts be across the board or should they be more strategically targeted? If the latter, please list the first 5 budget items or categories you would examine to reduce, prioritized from 1 to 5.)
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Education )
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Clearly, across the board cuts are not possible nor desirable so I would look for targeted cuts which minimize the impact on students’ academic success.
First I would reduce advertising cost. While it’s important the community is aware of their schools, at a time like this I think it is wreckless to tell people what they already know: their schools are good.
Second, I would cut extracurricular stipends for teachers. Many of these programs are popular but at a time like this, paying the football coach $5,200 + longevity seems a bit extravagant.
Third, I would cut all the extras that nickel and dime the district (this would be first but savings would be minimal). This includes t-shirts, donuts, prizes and the like that are purchased using teacher credit cards.
Fourth, would be travel expenses. Instead of having all these Suburbans sitting at the schools, there should be a district vehicle pool from which cars could be checked out for approved purposes. I would also look at removing any vehicle allowances granted to district employees. Finally, we would look at consolidating bus stops and/or routes to maximize efficiency.
Fifth, I would encourage school administrators to find ways they can cut expenses in their buildings. Whether it is cutting janitorial staff or monitoring the copy machines, they are on the front lines and can find ways to cut costs.
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Our local school districts are facing the potential of cuts in previously proposed FY2010 funding increases due to the lack of revenue being generated, and projected to be generated, by the state. As a locally elected member of our school board, please explain your perspectives on the following issues:
i. Should statewide tax rates be increased?
ii. Should local tax levels (i.e. property taxes) be increased?
iii. Should the Legislature grant greater taxing authority to school boards to utilize the Local Option Budget?
iv. Should the local school district simply absorb the loss of revenue through spending cuts?
v. Other thoughts/ideas?
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uncategorized )
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i. When people are facing declining incomes, it is the wrong time to increase their taxes.
ii. This should be done only as a manner of preventing cuts within the classroom. All citizens are tightening their belts and the districts shouldn’t increase the burden.
iii. Granting greater taxing authority is good for the long term, but districts should only use it as a matter of last resort.
iv. This is largely where the balancing needs to be done. The schools are given a mission of providing an education and if it isn’t directly related to that, the district needs to reconsider whether it is necessary.
v. If the public feels that the schools are underfunded and they want to put more of a burden on themselves, that should be their right to do so. However, the community has been very supportive of our district and to come to them without dire need and ask for more might be a short term fix which leads to a long term problem. It is times like these that point to the need to have a strong cash reserve which enables you to thrive even in the rough patches.
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