FISCAL DISCIPLINE: It only takes five people to raise your property taxes. Believe it or not, there is a debate right now over how to spend the remaining covid relief money. The competing proposals are: fix the dilapidated HVAC system in the junior/high school or replace the fully functional football stadium score board with a new digital, large screen score board. Guess which proposal is winning? (Hint: it won't keep your kids warm in the winter.)
- As inflation rises and the economy stalls, I will prioritize needs over wants.
ACCOUNTABILITY: I have six boys: one in the middle school, one in the high school, and three Dallastown SD graduates. I can tell you from their experiences that the atmosphere in school is getting more political, while academic standards are slipping. As a school director, I will put policies and curriculum in place to return to a politically neutral, student focused classroom with high standards. When I attended school in the 70's and 80's, no one could tell who voted for whom, what anyone's politics were, or any other inappropriate personal information about their teachers and students. This is the environment I would foster for students and employees.
- Students deserve a safe, politically neutral school with high standards of achievement.
- Parents deserve blanket transparency and control over their child's environment.
GOOD GOVERNANCE: The teachers, administrators, and Dallastown SD employees depend on the school board in three areas: hiring the superintendent, passing a budget, and setting school policy. One thing I have learned from my time as an officer in the Air Force and as an airline Captain is that the best results are achieved when you listen and support your subordinates/employees. I am neither a teacher nor an administrator. I will approach this position with
humility.
Before I hire a superintendent, pass a budget, or change a policy, I will:
- Get informed by talking to a wider range of people involved in the process being changed.
- I will research the Pennsylvania Code which grants "local entities...the greatest possible flexibility...consistent with providing quality education" (Title 22 chapter 4b)
- I will focus on the needs of the Taxpayers, Parents, Students, and Educators.