With the terms of five current School Board members expiring this year, the November 8election will prove to be especially important as the five incumbent Republican candidates go head to head against the newcomer Democratic candidates.
In Pennsylvania, School Board elections are held in November on odd-numbered years, with the number of seats up for election alternating from five to four each election cycle. The School Board’s nine volunteer members collectively serve as a legislative body acting on behalf of elected state officials and the Pennsylvania Department of Education by planning the school district’s programs, making policies, and assessing results.
Current members Josephine Charnock, Stephen Hladik, Donald Hill, Rick Miniscalco, and John Schilling will appear on the November 8ballot along with the Democratic challengers: Suzan Leonard, Carolyn Murphy, Paul Edelman, Alex Ryabin, and Tina Stoll.
Upon the withdrawal of Ahsanur Rahman, the North Penn Democratic Committee appointed Tina Stoll as the fifth Democratic candidate on September 9, 2011. Stoll joins her fellow Democratic Candidates elected in the primary to form the campaign program coined as the “1st S.T.E.P. for North Penn School District.” Standing for “Students and Teachers Expect Progress,” the acronym showcases the platform of change on which the Democrats run.
Having served out four-year terms, the incumbent members running for re-elections hope to continue to work through the economic challenges that have faced the North Penn School District and the community at large.
With budget, busing, and class size changes, this election proves to be important, and both sides encourage the public to take advantage of the right to vote.
The School Board holds action meetings typically on the third Thursday of each month, work session meetings on the Tuesday the week before its actions meetings; and committee meetings that are open to the public and held at various times in any given month. As the election nears, the Knight Crier will be profiling each of the candidates and incumbents based on a series of interview questions, providing citizens with the opportunity to make a more informed vote on November 8. If you would like to find out more about the structure and function of the School Board as well as more information regarding the upcoming election, go to the “School Board” tab on www.npenn.org, or http:// 1ststepfornpsd.blogspot.com, the official site of this year’s democratic candidates.