Candidates vie for 2-year term
Ott, Rupp square off to fill remaining term of member who passed away in 2016
A total of 10 candidates are running for five seats on the North Penn School Board, with three incumbent Republicans seeking additional terms, and a full slate of Democrats opposing them.
Longtime board members Vince Sherpinsky and Tim Kerr are stepping down after nearly two decades on the board, and two dueling slates of five candidates are vying for four four-year terms, and one two-year term to serve the remaining two years of former board member Carolyn Murphy, who passed away in late 2016.
Candidates Jenna Ott, a Democrat, and Republican Michelle Rupp are running for the twoyear term, and Republicans Josie Charnock, Frank O’Donnell, Pat McGee and Thomas Mancini are running together on the “Quality Education Matters” ticket against the “North Penn Neighbors for Progress” group of Democrats Christian Fusco, Mark Warren, Jonathan Kassa and Tina Stoll. All were asked the following questions, and below are their answers:
Jenna Ott
Describe your background, and why you are running for North Penn School Board.
While my background certainly gives me unique skills that would be an asset to our school board, it’s not what drives me to run. That drive comes from a desire to see this community thrive.
As a resident of Montgomery Township, I have grown to love this community and the people in it. I’ve made the decision to call this home and I plan to raise a family here. With that in mind, I have done my research into the North Penn School District and am confident in all that it currently offers. But, I also know that there is room for improvement. While this district excels in so many ways, it falls behind neighboring districts in certain areas, due to an acceptance of the status quo and a lack of innovation and forward thinking. I truly believe that this district can be even better with leadership that brings a new vision, a new energy, and a new enthusiasm for our schools and our community.
I hold a degree in communications from Ithaca College, which led to an eight-year career as a production coordinator for studios and television shows. This experience taught me how to solve large-scale problems and enabled me with a set of skills that make me capable of facing challenges head-on.
Currently, I work as a marketing strategist, where I have the pleasure of teaching organizations innovative and effective ways to communicate and engage with their audience. This is a skill set that I very much hope to bring to the North Penn School Board so that we can improve our communication and engagement with our parents, teachers, and taxpayers.
It is my hope that the North Penn community shares my vision for leadership that truly represents our community. Explain your thoughts and position on the following subjects:
THE DISTRICT’S ONGOING BUDGET SITUATION
Our district is not alone in facing budget challenges. This is a statewide and national issue. So, addressing our budget situation is going to require both a local
and a more global approach.
Locally, we need to increase the use of the competitive bidding process and end the current practice of awarding higher cost, no-bid contracts to political contributors. We also need to examine our internal efficiencies to find cost savings. With many outdated policies and procedures, updates could help us in this endeavor.
Addressing the issue at a higher level is going to take a collaboration from districts across the state. While North Penn’s current board maintains membership in the Pennsylvania School Board Association, our members are not actively participating. The PSBA is an organization that advocates for our public schools and lobbies our state legislators to invest in our schools. In this respect, there is strength in numbers. It also benefits us to learn from other districts, how they are addressing the budget issues and finding savings without affecting the educational opportunities being provided to our children. Working together with our community and the communities across our state is the best way for us to fight for our schools in the current budget situation.
FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
I am an advocate for full-day kindergarten in our district. The educational and social benefits to children are first and foremost in my decision to support it. With studies showing that full-day kindergarten has both shortterm and long-term benefits, I believe it should be offered in our district.
I also consider the impact it has on our community. While nearly 70% of Montgomery County School Districts offer fullday kindergarten, North Penn does not. This not only disadvantages our children, but it affects our ability to attract new families and new businesses, which in turn affects our property values.
Perhaps the greatest challenge to implementing full-day kindergarten is the cost. I believe that we need to explore funding options that would help shoulder some of the burden. With grants such as the Ready to Learn Block Grant and savings from the efforts mentioned above, I am confident that we have the ability to find ways to overcome this challenge. We also need to be studying those districts that have implemented full-day kindergarten programs so that
we can learn how they were able to do so, in the wake of the same budget constraints that North Penn is challenged with.
What other issue(s) do you feel are important to the district? Explain your thoughts and positions.
I believe that communication and transparency are two things that need to be improved upon by the North Penn School Board.
Our community must be kept in the loop when it comes to decisions made by our school board. For example, when a decision is made to postpone necessary renovations to our schools that end up costing taxpayers more, our board must be held accountable and be ready to explain that decision.
The methods in which the school board communicates with our community are long overdue for an upgrade. Making changes to the structure of the website so that information is clear and easy to find, effectively utilizing 21st-century tools such as social media, and providing opportunities for community members to meet with board members closer to home are just some of the ways that we can improve on communication.
When parents, teachers, and taxpayers address our school board they should be met with respect and a genuine concern for the issues they are speaking about. It is time for real leadership that is willing to listen and give voice to our community. Every single member of this community deserves that.
Your campaign website, and/or social media accounts:
Website: http://northpennneighborsforprogress.com/ Facebook: · https://www.facebook. com/JennaOttForNorthPennSchoolBoard/ · https://www.facebook.com/NorthPennNeighborsForProgress/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NPN4Progress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/np_neighbors_for_progress/
Michelle Rupp
Describe your background, and why you are running for North Penn School Board.
I have a medical background with extensive experience in managing projects and people; managing multi-million dollar projects and staff with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. One of my favorite responsibilities is
learning the strengths of my staff and how to help them fully utilize those strengths while working to develop weaker areas. I have studied education through formal coursework, seminars and personal study. While IEP meetings can be frustrating, I really enjoy working with a collaborative team and dialoguing about how we can all work together to create a positive experience for the teachers, therapists and student/family (in this case my student/family). I’m a dedicated friend who drops everything to help, especially when I think I can make a difference. I’m strong-willed and rarely give up or give in when I believe the cause is just. I’m not a politician and I have no desire to politicize school board issues. I’m running because my twelve-year-old daughter, Emily, became interested in politics. She just happens to struggle to demonstrate her comprehension of coursework and global issues in traditional ways. She, much like her mother, is strong-willed and unwilling to accept that her unique abilities define her and her future. This campaign and my role as a school board member give Emily exposure to politics, a model for responsible civic duty and an opportunity to highlight how Inclusive Education is not just a Special Education concept, but an opportunity to make every student part of a fulfilled and meaningful community. Explain your thoughts and position on the following subjects:
THE DISTRICT’S ONGOING BUDGET SITUATION
The budget situation is challenging. It’s not impossible, but it requires someone who is not afraid to ask the tough questions and who can make the difficult decisions. Now is not the time to commit to programs we cannot financially support or sustain. We need to make measured decisions based on facts. The board (past and current) established a longrange plan that has come to fruition. We are currently ranked in the top 2% statewide and top 1% nationally for academics. For the past 3 years we have received a meritorious budget award; an award granted to only 10 Pennsylvania school districts (of 500) in the 2016 – 2017 year! Currently we are managing a salary and benefits budget of $159 million with a pension obligation of $40 million. Then we must provide for utilities, supplies, equipment and incidental
costs (fixed costs). Simply put we must manage a roughly $252 million budget, so every long term program we add that is not funded with long term monetary commitments reduces the available dollars for renovations, short term student programs, project upgrades and other items essential to remaining a competitive school district.
FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
The school board relies on district administrators, as subject matter experts, for recommendations on what programs best prepare our students for post-secondary education, careers and life in a civilized society. The school board bears responsibility for tough decisions necessary to support those recommendations. My personal view matters little, as the role of school board director is to understand issues, financial impact and develop creative solutions to challenges. Then one must collaborate with the entire board to creatively support recommendations. Earlier this year the board asked administrators for a review of full-day kindergarten. Five options were presented with a recommended program from the administration. Currently the administration supports expanding existing district enrichment programs. As I am not currently a board member, I am not privy to all discussions surrounding the issue; however it is reasonable to assume that at this time district administrators
are not finding trends in academic performance that suggest a need for full day kindergarten across the board. This is an issue that I expect will continue to be reviewed and if administrators determine a need we will assess district programs and finances to find a way to support the need.
What other issue(s) do you feel are important to the district? Explain your thoughts and positions.
I would like the voters to understand our team. We are a dynamic, educated, focused and dedicated group who collaborates well on every issue. Even more so when we disagree. We strive to understand view points and debate our issue strongly, but at the end of the day we support each other no matter the outcome. This is the team you want on your school board. Politics is a necessary part of the process, meaning that an individual or group must have an endorsement and the concomitant finances to run for office. Our endorsement consisted of local committee members reviewing our personal biographies and stance on community issues. Our team was never asked if they supported the agenda of any particular special interest group and our endorsement was never contingent on commitment to support the goals of anyone other than our community at large.