Jessica Smith announces Punxsy school board campaign
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Jessica Smith has announced her candidacy for Punxsutawney Area School Board.
The following statement was submitted to The Spirit:
“Following graduation in 2001 from Johnsonburg Area High School, Jessica moved to Brockway, where she worked, caring for elderly and mentally handicapped individuals. After working for a time in personal care, she followed her dream of becoming a veterinary technician. In 2015, she married her husband, William R. Smith of Punxsutawney. They have two beautiful daughters. They are currently students in the Punxsutawney Area School District.”
“Jessica works on the Business Management Team at her family-owned business G~S Hydraulics, Inc. of Punxsutawney. She considers herself a community advocate because of her community involvement and connections with many people. She is a very active member of New Beginnings Church, volunteering with the church youth groups. She also volunteers for the sports teams that her youngest finds joy in.
She’s a proud member of the Punxsutawney Republican Club and the county coordinator for the “Walk as Free People” movement. In 2022, she was the county coordinator for state Sen. Douglas Mastriano and his gubernatorial campaign. She demonstrated leadership, communication and effective team-building skills as a campaign leader. Creating a team of volunteers, she and her team traveled and communicated with residents of Jefferson County, discussing pressing concerns among the voters. She became a poll watcher and had the opportunity to observe the election process in Jefferson County.
“Her primary goal as a Punxsutawney Area School District school board member is to restore confidence in our school district and ensure a proper education for our students.
“Jessica believes education is the most critical aspect of our lives. She intends to focus on educational excellence in the classroom by ensuring a positive environment for all students. Working together to adopt policies
will help students achieve academic success and positive outcomes. A member of the school board should find ways to ensure we set our children up for success in their future endeavors beyond graduation. Focusing on the excellence of students should be the focus of the school board’s agenda.
“Jessica hopes to instill confidence in the public by ensuring that the allocated funding the district operates on is spent responsibly. She believes that taxpayers have a right to efficient spending, and students have a right to efficient education, free of political and ideological influence. Jessica’s goal is to bring the voice of the community to the boardroom. As a board member, she will focus on teamwork and communication, which will build confidence in the district. She will ensure that there are open communication channels for students, parents, teachers, faculty, staff and the community. Through open communication, she will utilize her leadership skills to work on creating an ‘Onboard with the School Board’ plan.
“‘We must encourage students, parents, teachers, faculty, staff and the community to be more involved,’ she said. ‘We must provide the best possible opportunity for students to achieve their academic goals.”
“By advocating for students, faculty, staff and the community, Jessica believes she can positively impact the future of this community, state and country.
“To restore confidence in our school district, Jessica intends to work to adopt an effective antibullying policy and disciplinary plan. Students, faculty and staff must feel that they can attend school in a safe and non-bullying atmosphere. By having an effective plan, she plans to achieve student education excellence. Jessica intends to ensure that teachers are equipped to provide educational excellence. As a school board director, she will work with fellow board members, the superintendent, principal and vice principals to ensure a zero tolerance plan for the whole Punxsutawney Area School District.
“Jessica is a conservative Republican who will be on the primary ballot on May 16 with several other Republican candidates, including those she has teamed up with, Doug Blose, Dee Dee Evans and Trevor Yount, whom she fully supports. She will not be on the Democratic Ballot, but you may write in Jessica or fellow Republicans. Jessica would greatly appreciate your support and encourages voters to get out and vote this coming election.”
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