League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton, Clermont County, OH November 6, 2007 Election
	Richard W. "Rich" Neumann Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Forest Hills Local School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your qualifications for office? (50 word limit)

Elected to Forest Hills School Board twice previously serving eight years. Twenty-two years as business owner/executive. Nine years as high school history teacher/coach. Three years as high school administrator. Certified Superintendent of Schools by Ohio Department of Education. Parent of four Forest Hills School District graduates.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

Actively participate in the search for the new Superintendent of Schools replacing retiring long-term Superintent John Patzwald. While continuing fiscal responsibility, I remain committed to providing our professional staff and students the necessary resources to maintain the district's "Execllent" rating achieved in each of the past seven years. At the same time, the issue of District Facility Upgrades must be addressed.

3. What is your position on amending the Ohio Constitution with regard to the funding of public schools? (150 word limit)?

I support amending the Ohio Constitution with regard to the funding of public schools for the following reasons: 1) Ohio's public education funding system has been declared unconstitutional four times over the past ten years, yet nothing has been done to correct it; 2) the Ohio State Legislature has increasingly left the burden to local property owners; 3) the proposed amendment will force the state legislature to change the school funding process by requiring that the State determine what an adequate education would cost and require that it fund a higher percentage of that cost; 4) this amendment will not result in a tax increase, but rather a change in the process that will gradually shift some of the tax burden away from local property owners to the state; and 5) it will reduce the frequency of local property tax levies, cut property taxes for senior citizen and disabled homeowners.

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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.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 4, 2007 17:44
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