Education, Experience
Bachelors degree plus additional education
Qualifications
Licensed Landscape Architect
I am used to participating in governmental and committee meetings at the municipal level and understand the legal requirements for those meetings. I regularly handle construction budgets in excess of $50 million and can handle a school budget. I also believe that education is very important for the community.
To be involved with the community, support the students and teachers, and maintain an acceptable tax rate. I'm tired of seeing the current divisive nature of the school board and want to bring a more level headed approach.
Divisive directors and bringing national politics into the local school level. The school is about the local community and most of those issues just do not belong. I want to see the business of the school run smoothly and the support given to the teachers and students to better the education.
There is a balance to teaching some of those items in the school, but also supporting the parents to make sure the students learn some of that at home. Financial literacy and civic engagement are vital to moving past school and into adult hood.
AI should only be used to supplement other research and work or to get a starting point. It's still a vital skill to know how and where to look for things you are looking to research. Zoom has become a necessity in handling snow days and other school closure issues. It also helps classrooms connect across the world and to give the students a wider view than just their classroom.
Education, Experience
I have an MS in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Transportation Engineering from Villanova University, which was earned in December 2024. Prior to that I earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Villanova University in May of 2024. I earned my high school diploma in 2020 from Oley Valley High School.
Qualifications
The primary qualification that I bring to the Oley Valley school board is the fact that I am currently serving on the board. With the slate of candidates, the most experienced board member would have no more than 4 years, while some would have no previous experience. Additionally, I have work on large budgets, have served in leadership roles for committees/board, and I have extensive experience with editing governing documents. I'm also a recent OV student and bring that experience to the table.
Campaign Phone
6107870785
I am and have been involved in a multitude of community organizations. These involvements have both connected me to our community and helped me learn critical skills to effectively serve on a board. I now have extensive experience in leadership roles and with editing governing documents. I also have knowledge on infrastructure needs and budget management that are critical components to school operations. Lastly, I come from a family of teachers which helps me understand the world of education.
I am running for school director to help bring stability back to the Oley Valley School District. Over the past four years, the district has been seeing too much negative press due to the actions of the board, when the focus should be on the amazing things our students, faculty, and staff are doing. As a member of the board, my focus will be on providing the best educational value possible for the students in our community, which also generates improved property value for our tax payers.
1) Teacher Shortage - In order to provide a high quality education for our students, we need highly qualified teachers which requires us to create compensation packages that attract these individuals.
2) Unfunded Mandates - We are often tasked with adding things with no funding support, so we need better governmental advocacy.
3) Relying on Property Tax - The costs to run a school are constantly increasing and the bill gets passed on to property owners which can become unaffordable for some.
Many of the programs listed in this question have been cut from our schools due to budgetary constraints, yet they remain critical skills for our students to obtain for success outside of the classroom. While we may not currently have the funds to revitalize some of these high-cost programs, there are things that schools can do to add in curriculum pieces and training on the "soft" skills for minim al costs, which can get our students on track for greater future success.
Technology is the future and schools need to be implementing it to some extent to ensure that their students are prepared for it. In my job, I spend most of my day utilizing video conferencing and various emerging technologies, which I had to teach myself because I didn't have formal education on it while in school. The use of AI will also become a critical part of many careers, so careful implementation of it in the classroom setting will only prove to support their future careers.
Education, Experience
Bachlors of Art in Education, Masters of Education in Urban Education, Masters of Education in Instructional Technology I was appointed and served on the Oley Valley School Board for 7 months to fill an open seat
Qualifications
I am a public school elementary classroom teacher. I have been teaching for over 27 years in the public schools. I have helped write and implemented IEP's, discipline plans, and differentiated instruction. I have written curriculum. I have implemented the PSSA tests. I have been on the interview committee for teachers, principals and a superintendent. I helped negotiate the last 6 5-year contracts at my district.
Campaign Phone
6107805023
I am a career public school educator with over 27 years of experience. I have worked my entire life in public schools. I know how schools work, what is needed, and what is wasted. I can bring this experience with me to be an effective School Director.
I believe in public education. I want to see my home district be the very best that it can possibly be. I want to keep the small school feel of our district while still offering our students the very best total educational experience around.
Budget, Salaries/Benefits, and Mental Health
The biggest 2 challenges are financially related. Keeping taxes low, but raising taxes just small amounts when needed is necessary for any district to be financially secure. Mental Health affects so many students. FInding the resources, staff, and time to help is the challenge.
In today's world we have students preparing to leave HS with so many different paths ahead of them. Some students could need more life skills options in HS, while others need classes that prepare them to think outside of the box for careers that have not even been created at this time. Parents have the ability to teach and share the household skills necessary for children to become successful home owners and members of society. Schools and parents both need to add to a child's education.
Emerging Technologies are the future. These skills should be taught at age appropriate levels to our students so that they can be successful in the future.
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Education, Experience
Exeter HS 1975, Lafayette College BA 1979, University of Pennsylvania DMD 1983; Owner and Dentist; Wegman Dental Group since 1983; Owner, Pagoda Hill Vineyards since 2000
Qualifications
Taught in several dental school facilities as a clinical instructor, so actively engaged with education my entire life, Served as an advisor on the Berks Career and Tech Center's Dental Occupations Program; Chairman of the Reading Parking Authority, Board Member of the Reading Redevelopment Authority, Served on the Pennsylvania Dental Association's Council on Government Relations, Engaged with State Legislature on behalf of Issues involving the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Campaign Phone
6107631300
Graduate, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, and actively involved with Continuing Education Programs in Medicine. Member, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. Former Chairman, Reading Parking Authority. Former member, Reading Redevelopment Authority. Self Employed Dentist for 42+ years. Self employed Farmer for 25 years. Father of three grown children. Oley Valley Tax payer. I also have been blessed to have two sisters who have taught over 35 years each as public school teachers.
Oley Valley has always ranked high in comparison to other Berks County School Districts as this pertains to all performance metrics. I am running to be an Oley Valley School Director to make certain that this remains our top priority. School performance is always high on young family's lists when they chose a community they wish to move into. Keeping our academic performance at a high level will also keep our property values high, such that the Oley Valley remains a desirable place to reside.
Our top three challenges are 1) containing costs; 2) Declining student enrollment numbers, and 3)Competing for a limited pool of high quality educators. To solve these issues, we need to practice what we preach. We need to value education, and educators. We need to support our teachers and our students rights to a high quality educational curriculum and educational environment. We need to meet with our Township supervisors and planning commission, and work to create affordable housing units.
We must lead by example. We need to support the preparation of better, whole foods based meals and food choices, and involve our students in how our school food is sourced, prepared, and delivered. American History from 1945 to present needs a greater focus in our curriculum, and students should spend less time on social media during school hours, and more time involved in peer discussions guided by teachers. We have excellent career training programs available at BCTC that need our support
As a School Director, the technical aspects of these issues may be a bit above my paygrade. We need to balance the community's need for affordable housing and reasonable tax rates, with the need to provide our student populations with the cutting edge 21st Century technology and workforce skills demanded by our business sector. We need to actively listen to our administrative team and teacher representatives to the board, and make informed decisions as how best to achieve both of these goals.
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