About the Candidate
Tell us
about you: (Such as your
family, children, are they CASD graduates etc.)
My dear wife
Angelina and I have been very happily married for 45 years. She has always been
right by my side and encouraging me. She worked for 19 years for the school
district in learning support and as an emotional support person. We worked
together at Gordon Middle School for many years and we now work together teaching
at Longwood gardens. My Children are
CASD grads: a teacher, Architect, 2 Lawyers and a corporate exec.
Tell us about
what you do for a living:
I taught History for 40 years, I teach
at Longwood Gardens part time now.
Public
Service:
Civil Service Commissioner and
History Commission
Campaign
Website: None
Campaign
Facebook Page: None
“I applied for a seat on the school board because I want to help
improve the future of this district. I have encouraged all the board to look
very carefully into expanding STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering the Arts
and Math) I have been looking at this whole new way of learning. Students today
are different from those that I taught. Technology has been a part of their
entire lives. STEAM gets them up and more involved in their own education. As a
Social Studies teacher there is still the possibility of Social Studies driving
the curriculum. We must all work together for a better future.”
What
motivated you to run for the school board?
With my many years in
education I thought I might be able to help.
What
skills or experiences do you have that makes you different from the current board
members or those running?
I have had a great career.
I served on the National Education committee and House of Delegates for NCSS, I
was a member of the National Social Studies Supervisors Assoc. I served 16
years on the Executive Board of the PA Council for the Social Studies and was
Awards Chairman for the State. I was the National History Teacher of the Year
1999 2000. I edited the bestselling History Textbooks for Houghton Mifflin Pub.
CO. I edited scripts for the Schlesinger Video series on US History. I was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by
the Twin Valley Ed. Assoc.
Do
you primarily see yourself as a representative of the community or as a representative
of the school system?
Community ✔
| School System
Please
Explain: I believe that all School Board members must
represent the community because the school district is there to serve the
community
What
type of opportunities/strengths do you feel CASD has and how do we accomplish
them?
I believe we have a very
serious perception problem. This school district encompasses 75 square miles in
the heart of Chester County, one of the richest counties in the state. Yet we
cannot attract new residents or business to the district. I remember when
Coatesville was called the Heart of Chester Co. We had it all until it was
decided that Coatesville would be the place to warehouse the poor. We have done
an outstanding job of educating everyone for the past 60 years but it now is
becoming unsustainable. This district must be more competitive with the rest of
Chester County Schools.
What
is the most pressing issues facing the CASD and how would you address them when
you are on the school board?
The most
serious problem facing the Coatesville Area School District today is
diminishing returns. We must do anything and everything in our power to
increase the tax base not the tax rate. What will it take to improve the school
district so that we can attract new families to consider moving into the school
district and encourage the parents of children attending charter schools to
attend our schools. We must make Chester County realize that we have done a
tremendous job of educating the majority of the poor residents of the county
for more than 60 years. We see the other communities in Chester County
prospering while we stagnate. Phoenixville and Kennett Square are both
experiencing a renaissance. What can be done to bring this prosperity to
Coatesville? We live in the middle of one of the wealthiest counties in the
state. We must do whatever we can to bring about positive change.
Please
share your ideas on the challenge of balancing the budget, while not cutting
too many programs or jobs?
I am very anxious to hear
all about the upcoming discussions on the budget. I am very aware of the fact
that the residents can no longer have tax increases. We must do all in our
power to increase the tax base not the tax rate. Last Tuesday I traveled to
Harrisburg and met with 4 legislators. They must understand that we need help
from the state. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King said there is never a wrong
time to do the right thing. Now is the right time to help this district
The
hiring and retaining of highly qualified teachers and administrators has become
more and more challenging. How would you help CASD address this issue?
Having been a teacher for
my lifetime career I believe our professional educators are the most important
asset this district has. They meet with and work with our students every day.
We must open lines of communication and work together to do everything we can
to move this district toward a much better future.
What
are your thoughts on the current discipline problem and what will you do to
address it?
I had a reputation as a
strict taskmaster. I had very high expectations for all of my students. I
believe that an education does not come cheaply or easily. I encouraged my
students to realize that a good education is the key to a better future. I had very, very few discipline problems in
my classroom. I kept my students engaged
in their own learning. I believed that every teacher must be a teacher of
language and reading because that is the way we learn. I used Social Studies as
the vehicle to teach basic learning skills. I am anxious to open discussions
about discipline.
What
are some of your ideas for improving school safety and significantly reducing
bullying in our schools?
The Pennsylvania school
code says that no one will be allowed to disrupt the learning of others. Sadly
the subject of bullying and school safety is today a serious problem
nationwide. One of the great assets of the district is that our students very
early get to know and appreciate the differences and the qualities we all have
in common. They develop a respect for the beliefs and cultures of our diverse
population and they learn to work together.
If
a parent comes to you with a particular school issue, how do you see your role
as school board member to resolve that issue?
All during my years of
teaching I worked very closely with parents to solve problems. I spent untold
hours talking with troubled students and parents and doing everything in my
power to solve problems. I had a great reputation with students’ parents and
other teachers and administrators as a problem solver.
How
transparent do you feel the district is now?
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Looking
forward, what are your views on transparency and what kinds of school-district
information should be made public? (Excluding information that pertains to student records and the
particulars of personnel records that would constitute an invasion of privacy.)
Everything that is legally
open for view should be available for the public to see.
Are
you committed to a yearly survey of families, students, graduates, community
residents, faculty and staff about what they see as major strengths and
shortcomings of the district and its schools?
Are
you committed to yearly surveys? ✔
Are
you committed to publicly sharing the results? ✔
Why
or why not? I would favor
public surveys the more people we can get involved the better things can
become. There are many very intelligent educated and successful people who live
within this district lets form a think tank with residents input to make things
better for all. It does no good at all for anyone to sit and complain or have
only a negative attitude. Let’s all join together with a new commitment to do
all we can to bring about positive change.
Have a question
for the candidate?
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enter your comment (in this blog) below in the “Post a Comment” section. We will work diligently to get a response.
