Todd Younger
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Todd Younger is an at-large representative on the Township High School District 214 school board in Illinois. First appointed in July 2011, Younger won a new term in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.[1] Younger ran as part of a candidate slate with fellow incumbent Mark Hineman and challengers Mildred Palmer and Leonard Walker.[2] All four of them won election to the board.[3]
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.[4] Hineman, Younger, Palmer, and Walker ran together as a candidate slate. All four of them won election to the board.[3][5]
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:[6]
- 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.[7]
Younger reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in the election.[8]
Endorsements
Younger was endorsed by the Daily Herald and the local teachers' union.[9][10]
2013
| Township High School District 214, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | James Perkins Incumbent |
25.1% | 14,049 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark Hineman Incumbent |
25.1% | 14,046 | |
| Nonpartisan | Miriam Cooper Spickard Incumbent |
25.1% | 14,024 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Younger Incumbent |
24.8% | 13,865 | |
| Total Votes | 55,984 | |||
| Source: Cook County Clerk, "Suburban Cook County Election Results: April 09, 2013 Consolidated General Election," accessed March 16, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2017
Younger participated in a survey conducted by the Daily Herald in March 2017. Six of the survey questions and Younger'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?
| “ | Graduated from John Hersey High School, settled in the area and support quality public schools. Want to foster schools that prepare kids for what is beyond High School and give each student the opportunity to achieve academic and extracurricular success. Good public schools are great for the community and enhance property values.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?
| “ | D214 is leading the effort to re-define what it means to be college and career ready. Historically, we have utilized a single test score to determine one's readiness. Our Superintendent has utilized some of the best research and findings to create multiple measures that will enhance and better predict how we measure student success. By broadening our measures, we will open the door to success for many more young minds. The research shows, that some students may not fare as well on the college entrance exams, but may excel in other measures that are predictive of success, like algebra proficiency, attendance and the number of extracurricular activities that they participated in. I am very proud of the work and national attention our teaching and administrative staffs have fulfilled with their efforts.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
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?
| “ | The Superintendent is accountable to the Board. The Administration and the Teaching staff set the curriculum. The Board's primary role is to make sure the Administration meets our teaching and learning objectives as a district.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
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 Board has overseen 22 consecutive balanced operating budgets. Each year the Superintendent leads his staff to reduce expenses by 3-5% per year. This is to keep up with the rising costs of medical coverage, employee benefits and the rising costs of maintaining 45+ year old buildings. That's just to stay even. The Superintendent has been able to manage this challenge without major teacher cuts or program changes. The Administration has done a great job managing staff levels as efficient as possible, re-aligning organizational structures to best utilize assets. Also, our schools are sharing best practices and creating an environment where constant improvement is recognized and highlighted. Taxes are a sensitive issue. We recognize that every tax dollar is a dollar contributed by our base. The residential property owner has had to provide a higher percentage of that burden, due to the Equalized Assessed Valuation dropping so significantly over the last 9 years. We understand and work diligently to be good stewards of those dollars and make sure our kids are getting the best education possible. Our communities get better home values as people want to live here and our kids are getting the best opportunity for success.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
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?
| “ | D214 is a model for what a high performing public school can do. People want to live within the D214 borders. The issues of choice and how public education is funded and how those resources are divided across communities will be heavily debated. It is our objective to give our kids the best education we can with the resources we have. Whatever happens nationally, I am sure D214 will play a role in providing guidance on how to educate in the best manner.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?
| “ | D214 has done a great job incorporating career pathways into our curriculum. It has made our HS education more relevant to kids and has helped them determine a much clearer path. Also our College counseling staff's have helped kids get hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in scholarships and aide to help our students. I am also very proud of our 1 to 1 iPad use. Our Teachers and Students have embraced these tools and are continuing to find ways to enhance learning, while becoming better prepared to be successful in our tech-driven world.[11] | ” |
| —Todd Younger (2017)[12] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Todd Younger: Candidate Profile," February 22, 2013
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Four candidates running as slate for District 214 board," December 3, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cook County Clerk, "April 04, 2017 Consolidated General Election Search For Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "Candidate Filing for April 4, 2017 Consolidated Election," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Endorsements: Hineman, Palmer, Walker, Younger for Dist. 214 school board," March 14, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Suburban Education Coalition, "School Board Candidate Endorsements," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Daily Herald, "Todd Younger: 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 |
