Occupation
Researcher at University of Pittsburgh
Qualifications for office
14 years on HTSD Board
Education
Bachelor's - University of Virginia; Master's - Old Dominion University; Master's - University of Pittsburgh
I have been a dedicated and effective member of the Hampton Township School Board for 14 years. My three children graduated from Hampton, and I received a public school education as well. Hampton’s documented success is in large part due to consistent and responsible leadership from our school board and our working relationship with each other and with the district administration. I am currently the board secretary and have chaired or served on every board committee, so I thoroughly understand the issues facing public education and Hampton in particular, as well as the need to make decisions that use our taxpayer money wisely.
The best way to address shortfalls is to not encounter them, through careful budget planning and auditing. Hampton manages its finances extremely effectively. We hire private auditors to compile a comprehensive financial report annually, which is unusual for school districts. We carefully evaluate every dollar spent; the board secretary and board treasurer even review all invoices our district receives and pays. We're prepared to proactively address any shortfalls in funding through detailed analysis of our budget, when the board evaluates projected expenses for the upcoming and subsequent years. We won't allow our district to take on more debt than it can handle; in fact, we recently put a large renovation project on hold.
Our administrators, teachers, and staff are professionals in education, and we trust them to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum, including access to books, are appropriate for our students. Hampton has a specific process for the community to review, question, and challenge materials that may be of concern.
Qualifications for office
Currently serve on the Board
Education
Bachelor Degree from Washington and Jefferson College
I have many years as a volunteer in all our Hampton schools. I have worked as a PTO member, in booster groups, and in community groups serving our schools over the last 15 years. I have been on our School Board for 8 years, serving as the Vice President, and currently serving as President. I have worked through labor contracts with many groups, worked on budgets, and through some major renovations. I served during the pandemic, effectively working with administration, teachers, students and families to keep our schools safely open and our kids learning.
I think concerns about school funding in the next few years is something everyone in education is losing sleep over. At Hampton, we are careful planners in stable times, using our resources wisely. We employ a private auditor to review our finances to ensure accuracy and accountability. With an economy that currently feels less stable, we are budgeting even more conservatively. Really examining wants vs. needs, delaying some projects until we feel we are on more stable footing.
As School Board members, one of our primary responsibilities is setting policy. We have well established policies to address curriculum selection and access to books in the district. The curriculum policy is very specific in stating what our curriculum will provide students. Also, we have policy on resource materials (which includes library books) that details specifically what types of resource materials we think are most beneficial to our students. Finally, there is policy that allows parents to review the curriculum, and a process that allows parents or students to challenge library books and other resource materials. Having strong policies in place allows us to be proactive, rather than reactive to the politics of the day.
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Occupation
Certified Public Accountant/Investment Advisor - Retired
Qualifications for office
- Current Hampton Twp. School Board Member and Finance Committee Chair, former President & Treasurer. Current HTSD member of A.W. Beattie Joint Operating Committee (JOC)and former JOC President & Vice President
Education
Pennsylvania State University - B.S. in Accounting, Duquesne University - MBA
I have 45 years as a CPA advising businesses with accounting and investment advice. Currently I'm the only Board Member with this experience. In my first year on the Board I advised on the timing of a bond refinancing which resulted in over $1 million of additional savings.
We need to be as efficient as possible, and control unnecessary expenses while still maintaining our excellent education for our students. That's why I voted NO to last year's budget and the hiring of an architect. The project included unnecessary improvements like remodeling the auditorium and adding skylights in a 3 year old roof. The budget included a $400,000 increase in bond payments for the project.
I think the current school board polices are serving our community and our children. It allows parental control of their student's education with opportunity to opt out of certain subject matter. Also the community has the right to review curriculum for 30 days before it is voted on.
