Benjamin Scherr
Benjamin Scherr was a candidate for at-large representative on the Township High School District 214 school board in Illinois. Scherr was defeated in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Scherr participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2017
Four seats on the Township High School District 214 Board of Education were up for election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Mark Hineman and Todd Younger faced challengers Frank Biga III, Richard Hamen, Kevin Lindell, Mildred Palmer, Benjamin Scherr, and Leonard Walker.[1] Hineman, Younger, Palmer, and Walker ran together as a candidate slate. All four of them won election to the board.[2][3]
Results
| Township High School District 214, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mildred Palmer |
18.90% | 8,694 |
| Mark Hineman Incumbent |
17.75% | 8,162 |
| Todd Younger Incumbent |
14.52% | 6,679 |
| Leonard Walker |
14.16% | 6,512 |
| Kevin Lindell | 10.73% | 4,937 |
| Benjamin Scherr | 9.70% | 4,463 |
| Richard Hamen | 7.78% | 3,577 |
| Frank Biga III | 6.26% | 2,879 |
| Write-in votes | 0.19% | 89 |
| Total Votes | 45,992 | |
| Source: Cook County Clerk, "Consolidated Election April 4, 2017 Summary Report," accessed April 19, 2017 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[4]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[5]
Scherr reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in the election.[6]
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Ben Scherr participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 23, 2017:
| “ | I hope to work with the fellow board members to place a greater emphasis on community service.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Illinois. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Students need more digital and financial literacy, as well as life skills learned in addition to their academic studies to be more post-secondary ready.[9] | ” |
| —Ben Scherr (March 23, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. I don't believe merit pay should be based on test scores. I believe teachers should be rewarded for adding a service learning component to their curriculum. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be best used when it concerns the safety and well-being of the students and staff. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Daily Herald survey
Scherr participated in a survey conducted by the Daily Herald in March 2017. Six of the survey questions and Scherr's responses can be found below. Click here to read the full survey.
Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?
| “ | I am a first-time candidate that supports both Redefining Ready, and the Harper Promise Scholarship initiatives. They both have been board adopted over the previous two years, leading to what I believe creates a new culture shift by valuing student success as more than just a test score. Community service hours are a benchmark in both areas, and am I running to make sure that the board and district place a greater emphasis on service in order to best serve all of the students and the community.
In addition to being a Buffalo Grove High School graduate, I have a Master's Degree in Higher Education with a specialization in College Student Personnel, spending 10 years working directly with college students in the area of student life. I feel that both my education and experience will bring the type of added value that is needed to both challenge and support a highly effective board in a highly achieving district.[9] |
” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?
| “ | The Harper Promise Scholarship program began with the class of 2019, and provides the opportunity for all students to receive up to two free years of free higher education tuition if they meet certain benchmarks that include maintaining a "C" average, having good attendance, not repeating classes, and completing service to their community. Beginning with the class of 2019, 67.9% of student opted-in to the program. While 53% of those enrolled met the benchmarks to continue in the program as Sophomores, the district knows for sure that 29%, and possibly up to 44% of the students who enrolled failed to move on due to not completing five hours of community service.
Since those number were reported in October 2016, the board has not spoken publicly about this. The class of 2020 numbers increased with 2,725 students opting-in, equaling 82% of all Freshman students. The board needs to hold themselves, and the district accountable for making sure the proper tools are in place to provide every opportunity for all students to have up to two free years of tuition. As a step in creating a formal plan for service, if elected, I will propose a minimum 25 hours of community service to be added to the graduation requirements. This is half of the 50 hours required for Harper Promise, and equal to the number already stated in Redefining Ready as being career ready. We need to start recognizing the service all students perform over their four years.[9] |
” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?
| “ | While I believe the board should not directly set the curriculum, they should recognize and support curriculum that includes service learning, career, and life components.[9] | ” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?
| “ | The three current board members that are not up for re-election have more than 40 years of combined experience as District 214 board members, being part of a board that has a record of producing a balanced budget for 22 straight years, as well as not having an official tax referendum in over 40 years for building improvements. If elected, I will continue to strive for the same results while making sure all district stakeholders best interests are taken into account.[9] | ” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?
| “ | I feel that families or future families choose to move here due to this being a highly achieving district, and believe choice is not an issue in this district. The board should stay informed on any state or national future policies that may impact the district in any way.[9] | ” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?
| “ | Working to implement a service hour requirement is my top issue. In addition to service, I believe that there should be a larger emphasis on digital literacy training. This includes, but is not limited to cyber awareness and security, digital footprints, understanding sponsored news vs news, and dealing with internet trolling.[9] | ” |
| —Benjamin Scherr (2017)[10] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "Candidate Filing for April 4, 2017 Consolidated Election," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "April 04, 2017 Consolidated General Election Search For Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Four candidates running as slate for District 214 board," December 3, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Ben Scherr's responses," March 23, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Daily Herald, "Ben Scherr: Candidate Profile," March 20, 2017
| Township High School District 214 elections in 2017 | |
| Cook County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent Mark Hineman • Incumbent, Todd Younger • Frank Biga III • Richard Hamen • Kevin Lindell • Mildred Palmer • Benjamin Scherr • Leonard Walker |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
