League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
	Hamilton County, OH November 5, 2013 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of Board of Education; Deer Park Community City School District

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, Improvement, Building Consensus, Equity Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are your qualifications for office? Answer from Justin Binik-Thomas: I am married to Casey and the proud father of two preschool aged children (aged 1 and 3). I'm a nine-year resident of Deer Park and graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University (MS) and the University of Cincinnati (AA, BS). In addition to working as a contract manager in the medical research industry I specialize in media relations as owner/consultant of Conservative Media Group. In my free time I volunteer as a chaplain at my synagogue and lead the sunshine committee. I have taught at our religious school (grades 2, 3, and 7), teach a social media course annually at a local university, and responsible for training new employees at both businesses. 2. What can be done to improve your school district's results at current funding levels? Answer from Justin Binik-Thomas: One of the largest issues at hand is a projected budget shortfall. The administration suggested a tax increase to cover this gap and the board concurred. Voters will now be asked to approve or reject a significant tax increase. It has been a few years since our last levy; however, this was done primarily by using one-time taxpayer funds (Federal). Various government entities have forced school systems to adopt a number of unfunded mandates, including energy efficiency, common core standards, and changing funding schema. 3. What will you do to build consensus in the community in support of your school district? Answer from Justin Binik-Thomas: Regardless of the outcome of this levy, we need to engage in long term revenue planning to ensure we can cover mandates, educational needs, and emergencies without continually asking for taxpayer bailouts or levies. We have two success stories in town to use as a model: my alma maters, Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati. Each has provided ways to grow funding, using many under-$20 donors, to achieve their goals. 4. What would you do to advance the concept of "equity in education" in your district? (No candidates submitted answers to this question) 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.