Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
9 seek 4 seats on Owen J. Roberts School Board
Nine candidates are seeking the four open seats on the Owen J. Roberts School Board this year.
School Board President Leslie Proffitt and member Melissa Booth are both seeking reelection. Board members Clifford DeFoor and board Vice President John Diehl did not file to run for reelection, according to the Chester County candidate list.
The other candidates are Sarah Black, Rita Pederson, April Saboe, David Harmanos, Daniel Dougherty, Michelle Mayfield Frees and former board member Heather
McCreary.
Black is running only on the Republican ballot line while all others are seeking both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines for the November election.
Because Pennsylvania law allows school board candidates to seek both lines, it is possible that candidates will win both lines, or only one party line and so appear again on the November ballot.
What follows are the responses to The Mercury’s online candidate questionnaire in the order they were received. (Black, Dougherty and Frees did not respond to the newspaper’s published requests to fill out our questionnaire.)
Melissa Booth
Booth, who refused to provide her age, works in
the graphic design/prepress field.
She has served on the school board since December 2013
She decided to run again, she wrote, because “I remain deeply committed to the OJRSD Community and remain laser-focused to utilize my knowledge of Pennsylvania School Law, practices and advocacy in this time of turmoil and need.
Booth wrote the most important issue facing your district is “recovery of educational loss and social/emotional wellness due to public school closedowns due to the Covid 2019-2020 Pandemic.”
Leslie Proffitt
Proffitt, 30, described herself as a stay-at-home mom, and she is currently the president of the Owen J. Roberts School Board.
She wrote that she decided to run for reelection because “I want to continue all of the excellent work currently being done in the district. Also, I think it’s important the board has elementary and special needs parent perspective.”
Proffitt wrote that “the pandemic is probably the most important issue currently facing the district. It has impacted everything from our student’s well being to our district’s finances. It is critically important for us to recover and to continue moving our district from good to great.”
David Harmanos
Harmanos, 49, is a professional engineer who has never held elected public office.
However, he added, he did serve on the school board of the Charlestown Playhouse for seven years.
He wrote that he decided to run for office “to give back to the community and help make informed decisions to improve the education of our students.”
He wrote that the most important issue facing the school district is “the recovery of students and teachers from this disruptive and difficult year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; look for ways to ease students back, keep students safe and attract students who may have left OJR back into the district.”
Rita Pederson
Pederson, 44, is managing director of Steel River Playhouse in Pottstown who has never held elected public office.
She wrote that “after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in labor relations, I spent the next 20-plus years in support of corporate and community organizations like IBM, the American Cancer Society and Cornell University.
Pederson wrote that she decided to run for the school board because “I had a great public school education. I am the daughter of two public school teachers and the mother of three current OJR students. Because of these facts, I recognize the importance of a public education. Our entire community benefits when we provide a quality education for our children. I spent five years as a PTA Board member and have answered the call whenever the district asked for a volunteer, including being part of the latest redistricting committee. Our community is growing and changing and I think I have the skills required to represent our students and community members in the process.
According to Pederson, “I think the most important issue facing our school district is inclusion. We will be at our best when everyone is represented in the education process. Engaging our entire community; students, parents, seniors, etc, in the decisions will only make us stronger. We must focus on communicating with all of the stakeholders, listening to and understand their needs and then taking the action required to move forward. No one could have predicted what this year would bring but strong leaders, dedicated to the inclusion of all, can see us through unplanned obstacles. I want to be part of that future.”
Heather McCreary
McCreary, 55, is an attorney who previously served on the board from 2015 to 2019.
She wrote that she decided to run again because “strong advocates for the children and community are needed for the future of the district and public education are needed. I feel with my background and being an attorney and proven advocate in the past I am qualified.”
McCreary wrote that the biggest issue facing the district is “prioritizing for the children who have lost so much this past year, and returning back to “normal” after the pandemic. Also making sure the district remains up-to-date on current issues in education, offering top-notch programming so parents choose the district over charter schools, and participating in advocacy to ensure educational equity issues, such as fair-funding and charter school reform continue to move forward. Resources need to be kept in our community and put the students first.”
April Saboe
Saboe, 35, is a registered nurse who has never held public elected office.
She wrote that “I am running for school board because I believe every child deserves the right to feel like they belong in their school and community and that they are important individuals. I want to help the district and community cultivate and foster a feeling of belonging among every individual and create a climate that celebrates, encourages, and strengthens as a whole. I see education as something every child is entitled to, without justification. I will stand up for acceptance, inclusion, and equity for all in our district and community.”
According to Saboe, “I believe the most important issue we need to address is assisting students, families, and faculty as they return to school during and after the pandemic. All these groups have been greatly affected by the pandemic and will be for years to come and in ways we do not fully understand right now. Friendships, socialization, lost instruction time, depression, anxiety, etc. What is more concerning is that these effects are being felt in very different ways based on ability, economic class, race, etc.”
She concluded, “it is critical that we develop a plan to support all these groups: parents, students, and faculty. Equity must be at the center of our plan.”