Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
5 seek 4 seats on School Board
Five candidates are seeking four open seats on the school board this year and only one of them, Susan Turner, is an incumbent.
She is joined by two other candidates, Scott Overland and Caitlyn M. Carminito, in seeking both the Democratic and Republican lines on the November ballot.
Candidate Victoria Walker has filed for only the Democratic ballot line, and Emily Shanley for only the Republican line.
According to the Chester County candidate list, incumbents Christopher Caltagirone, Jeesely Soto and board President Blake Emmanuel are not seeking reelection.
As of Thursday, four candidates, Shanley, Overland and Turner, had responded to MediaNews Group’s online candidate questionnaire. Their responses follow in the order in which they were received.
Emily Shanley
Shanley, 27, owns a small pet care business and has never held elected public office.
She wrote that she decided to run because “talking to friends and neighbors, I have heard first hand the struggles that our students have faced this past year. Hearing their stories and concerns has inspired me to step up and serve our community by running for school board.”
Shanley wrote that “my first priority for Phoenixville Area School District will always be to put students first and to empower teachers to do the same. Right now, the most important things that we can do to achieve this are to focus on helping all students safely transition back to inperson learning and on addressing the mental health issues which have arisen among many students during these unprecedented times.”
Scott Overland
Overland, 36, works in media relations and has never held elected public office.
He wrote that he decided to run because “school board races across Pennsylvania and the nation have become increasingly politicized and partisan. I am running because I want to make sure that students remain the number one priority of the school board, particularly as we come out of such a challenging time. We need people who are committed to our schools, not scoring political points.”
According to Overland, the most important issue for the district is “as we return to our new normal, the school board needs to do everything possible to minimize long term impacts from the pandemic. This means ensuring that administrators and teachers have the resources and policies in place to support students and families.”
Susan Turner
Turner, 51, is a math professor who was appointed
to her seat in September, 2020, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Lori Broker.
Turner wrote that she is running for a full term because “I want the best possible education for students in my community. As a parent of two recent Phoenixville Area High School graduates, I served a parent volunteer in the district for many years. Now that my children are grown, I want to continue to serve my community as a school director, working with other members to get the business of the district done in
a professional manner that reflects the needs of students and families and priorities of the community.”
“The biggest challenge facing our district today is addressing challenges caused by the pandemic,” Turner wrote. “As a member of the board, I will work to allocate resources to identify and appropriately address student and staff needs (academic supports, mental health, technology, etc.).”
Caitlyn Carminito
Carminito, 35, is a teacher who has never held elected public office.
She wrote that she decided to run because “as an educator for over a decade, I’ve had a passion for public education. Public schools are an integral part of our community and our future. I feel it is time to get involved so that I can bring my firsthand knowledge and experience to support the growth and progress of our district.”
Carminito wrote that “I feel that one of the most important issues facing our community is continuing with the growth and progress of our school district while also supporting the needs that have arisen as a result of navigating life in a pandemic. Providing our students with a safe environment that can support their growth and development across all areas, including academic, social, and emotional, is something that needs to be prioritized. If I am elected to office, I would support prioritizing the use of time in our school day to focus on the social and emotional development of our students and utilizing resources to meet these needs.”