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This Spring-Ford Area School District separates board seats into regions in Montgomery County and also includes the Chester County borough of Spring City.
All 10 candidates in this race for five open seats are registered to seek both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines.
An article in The Mercury invited all candidates to respond to The Mercury’s online questionnaire which contained five subject questions — school masking, standardized tests, state school funding reform, school library content and choosing one guaranteed accomplishment while in office.
Their answers are presented here, by region, in the order in which they were received. Not all candidates responded by the May 5 deadline.
Region 1
Region 1 is comprised of the southern part of Upper Providence Township. Incumbent, Wendy Earle, who holds another Region 1 seat, is not seeking reelection. Margaret Wright holds the second seat and is the only incumbent on the board seeking reelection. She is seeking a second term.
The other candidates in Region 1 are Tony Folino, Kathleen Leto and Heidi Goldsmith, who ran and lost in 2021. Folino and Leto did not respond to the questionnaire.
• Heidi Goldsmith, 48, holds a law degree, lives in Upper Providence and has never held elected office.
On the subject of a school board’s authority to require masks in school, Goldsmtih wrote, “first, I am thrilled our kids are back in school and not having to mask. Second, although I hope to never need to vote on whether Spring-Ford School District needs to require masking, school boards do have authority to require masks. This authority is found not only in the school code but also courts have upheld masking in schools. Also, as a practicing special education attorney, it is important to understand that federal courts across this country have upheld children with special needs right to a masked environment if needed to attend school. This is even in states where there have been executive orders prohibiting masks in school. So while, in my personal opinion, the authority exists, it should only be exercised when absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of our students.”
Regarding the importance of standardized tests, Goldsmith wrote, “it is important to understand that there is a variety of standardized testing: group-normed, age-normed, school district-normed, state-normed and the list goes on. While standardized testing is important data point and I believe that parents need objective information regarding their kid’s progress, we must all remember that standardized testing is a small window into a kid’s potential or ultimate outcome. As a parent of student with disability, I have received more standardized testing indicating my child was ‘behind’ than I care to relive. However, I have never let that define my child or diminish my expectations. I’m bursting with mom pride that my oldest is graduating Spring-Ford and continuing onto college. Standardized testing is absolutely informational but doesn’t define a child or predict outcome.”
“Fair-funding and this lawsuit (against the state) is a complicated issue that I have followed for many years as an education attorney. It is an incredibly complex problem that I would never arrogantly believe that I alone could have the answer,” Goldsmith wrote in response to a question on the subject. “Much like many of our problems, one person can never have THE ANSWER. The answer lies in many diverse people working together to solve problems. Much like members of school board, the only way to solve fair-funding is to have a diverse/bi-partisan group of people working together with a singular goal: fair educational opportunities for everyone. As someone who was raised in Minnesota, I will quote Little House on the Prairie: “The education of our children is the future of America. It must be a concern of all of us.” And, although, this is quote is from over 30 years ago, it is still true today. Our future depends on the education of our children and fair funding ensures all of our children receive equal opportunities for education.”
“I do support parents’ abilities to limit access to books that they are uncomfortable with for their child,”” Goldsmith wrote in response to a question about the content of school libraries. “However, parents who have concerns about certain books that may conflict with their own personal views, should still respect access for others. I think the librarians of Spring-Ford School District are simply incredible and I believe every Spring-Ford librarian does an amazing job of ensuring our kids have access to educational important and appropriate books. Fundamentally, we need to value accessibility of a range of books for all with respect for those who have concerns.”
Given one guaranteed accomplishment in office, Goldsmith chose “it would be ensure that all of our students have access to researched-based curriculum. This is different than evidence-based or based-upon research curriculum. This is curriculum that has been tested and proven successful. Every student in our district deserves the opportunity to succeed. Researched-based curriculum ensures every student the best possible outcome.”
• Margaret Wright, who did not provide her age, is seeking reelection to a second term on the school board. She lives in Upper Providence Township.
She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Joseph’s University. She also holds certifications in elementary education, middle-school mathematics, principal K-12, and supervisory of curriculum and instruction. “I have worked in public education for over 20 years. I was a teacher in Spring-Ford for many years before becoming an assistant principal in another public school district. Currently, I am a supervisor in curriculum. I have worked as an adjunct professor and advisor at the university level in the field of education,” Wright wrote.
Replaying to the question about whether school boards have the authority to require masks during a healthy emergency, Wright wrote, “school board members have a fiduciary responsibility to uphold the law while working to do what is in the best interest of their students and community. During my time at the board table, we had many discussions — and ultimately votes — focused on multiple interventions intended to protect our students and staff. Some decisions were easy (e.g., updating air filtration systems), but some were controversial (e.g., masks; virtual learning). During the difficult and uncertain time of the pandemic, the main goal was to keep our children/staff safe and to get them back into our buildings for in-person learning.”
Wright added, “at first, we were all mandated by law to wear masks. This evolved to where all public schools were legally responsible to contact trace. This was a very complex process and challenging job for our nursing and attendance staff, compounded by teacher shortages due to Covid-19. Masking allowed us to return our students and staff to school and to remain in-person. Many decisions made at the board table were not unanimous, but through transparency, listening to everyone, and making informed decisions, the board voted to lift the mandate as soon as the legal restrictions were removed.”
“Standardized tests, such as PSSAs and Keystones, were put into place to hold schools accountable for student learning growth and achievement,” according to Wright’s response to a question about these tests. “While there is a place for this form of measurement, there has been an over-emphasis placed on schools that is burdensome; these high stakes tests come at a financial cost, take time away from other learning, and cause undue stress to our students. I am not opposed to the collection of data made available through standardized testing and the potential it has to improve instruction for our students. However, the state does more testing than the federal government requires. I would like to see Harrisburg cut back on the amount of testing we do and allow schools to focus more on enriching the educational experience for our students.”
“The legal recognition that the state fails to fund our public schools equitably is a huge step toward providing for the needs of all the children of Pennsylvania,” Wright wrote in reference to the court decision that found Pennsylvania’s education funding system unconstitutional. “It is imperative that policy now be created to align with the law so funding is allocated to the districts according to need. As school board members, we should take advantage of the opportunity to speak on behalf of our children to the policy-makers in Harrisburg of the need for the state to invest more in our public schools and our teachers.”
On the subject of the contents of school libraries, Wright wrote “libraries have always been a place for learning. As a parent and educator, I have always felt comfortable encouraging my children to read the books in the library. I know that the professionals in our public schools (e.g., librarians, curriculum specialists, reading teachers) are trained to make the determination as to what is appropriate and engaging for children of different grade levels to read. I believe that any parent of a student in our district should be able to discuss a specific book that their child has been asked to read in class with a teacher or administrator. However, I am opposed to the idea of book banning, particularly if it comes from those without a vested interest in our schools.”
Given one guaranteed accomplishment in office, Wright chose “I would consider it the greatest of accomplishments if all the students under our care were to receive what they need from us to go on to have flourishing lives.”
Region 2
Region 2 comprises the northern portion of Upper Providence and the northern portion of Limerick townships.
Both incumbents here, Colleen Zasowski and David Shafer, are not seeking reelection.
The four candidates seeking these two seats are Kathryn Jones, Michael Lebiedzinski, Theresa Westwood and Sagar Sharma. Lebiedzinski was the only Region 2 candidate not to respond to The Mercury’s candidate questionnaire.
• Theresa Westwood, 41, lives in Upper Providence Township and has never held elected public office before.
Westwood holds “dual bachelor’s degrees from DeSales University in English and dance, and a master’s in leadership development from Pennsylvania State University. “Professionally, I have over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, specializing in the areas of operations, marketing, and relationship management. Further, I have eight years of budget management experience, and four years of board experience with two local, arts-based non-profits, Philadelphia Dance Projects and The Brandywine Ballet,” she explained.
On the subject of masks in schools, Westwood wrote “given we have not had a mask mandate in over a year in our district, my hope is this isn’t something that school boards have to grapple with in the future. I believe school boards, like Spring-Ford, did their best to balance trying to keep our schools open and ensuring our students and staff could stay safe and healthy. At the heart of it, courts have upheld a school board’s authority to require masks in schools, so the authority exists. However, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. When making decisions of this gravity, I believe many other factors, including hearing voices from the community, have to be taken into consideration.”
“I believe standardized test scores, on their own, give only a partial, but helpful view into how a child is developing and learning and if they are keeping pace appropriately for their grade. They can also uncover potential training opportunities for teachers if there is a pattern of lower test scores across their students in a certain subject. Further, they can be a helpful tool to understand, with other factors (ex. teacher feedback, quarterly report cards, parent input) the full picture of a child’s development and what else school staff might want to recommend to either enrich the student’s experience if they need more challenging curriculum or ensure timely intervention if the student is falling behind in certain areas. With all of this said, standardized test scores do not define a child’s success or outcomes in life and have to be looked at as one data point when assessing the overall needs of a student.”
When it comes to reforming state education funding, Westwood wrote “I think there is an opportunity to overhaul public school funding at a federal level, but more importantly a state level, to increase equitable access to education and investment for all children. My goal is for all children to have equitable access to a quality public school education so they can reach their full potential and be successful post-graduation. Funding for public schools comes primarily from local sources. Given this, there could be students in more impoverished areas serving a larger swath of children that could get less funding per student. If the spend is inequitable, that could mean less access to resources for these children, lower national test scores, and lower rates of graduation success, for example. Whereas in an area that is not impoverished, and local revenue may be higher, the outcomes (ex. higher test scores, adequate dollars to ensure students are succeeding academically) are easier to achieve and therefore could lead to an inequitable experience for some students. These inequities can be magnified when we go through times of economic downturn, such as the great recession in 2007 or the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d like to see more investment at a federal level to spur recovery in economic downturns to ensure students don’t suffer during these times. And, more importantly, I would like to see a bi-partisan effort to design reforms at a state level that do not just acknowledge the inadequate and broken education funding system in PA, but also resolve this long-standing problem. The state cannot continue to offer short-term solutions, or what I refer to as band-aids, while not addressing the heart of the issue. A child’s educational experience should not be dictated by their zipcode, and we need to lessen the tax burden on our local community by continuing to put pressure on our state legislators. Even though unfair and inadequate state funding is a long-standing issue, as Board directors, we represent the community, and we cannot relent. I will work to advocate for fair funding in Harrisburg for our local communities for as long as I am on the Board until we start to see meaningful change in this area.”
“A parent has the right to ask that a certain book or books are not used with their individual child. However, I do not believe in banning books broadly simply because it doesn’t align with one individual’s or one subset of the community’s personal views,” Westwood wrote about recent controversies about the content of school libraries.
“I believe books are a critical part of a child’s development, and that our educators and directors of curriculum are well-equipped to select appropriate text and curriculum to educate our children. With that said, districts should also have a well-documented process for reviews in place. Books, in my opinion, open our children’s minds to other cultures, experiences, and perspectives that help engender tolerance, empathy, and understanding. These are all skills that are incredibly beneficial both as our children complete their education and as they go out into the world and set out on their future careers post-graduation.”
“If I could have one guaranteed accomplishment in office it would be to ensure we have stronger curriculum in place to improve reading outcomes and proficiency in our children at earlier ages. To be successful, that would need to be paired with a commitment to professional development in our staff and evidence-based instruction to ensure greater levels of student success and teacher comfort with the curriculum and teaching strategies. Of critical importance to greater levels of reading success would be earlier preventative screening at younger ages so we can identify any gaps sooner and help ensure they can keep pace with grade-level expected reading outcomes. Stronger levels of reading proficiency have benefits beyond just our students. They can reduce Special Education referrals, for example, which in the long run, can cost the district additional money. Making a deeper investment in reading proficiency has long-term benefits for our community, too. This proficiency sets our children up for greater job opportunities in their futures.”
• Sagar Sharma, 36, lives in Upper Providence and has never held elected public office before.
He holds a doctorate in management from Thomas Jefferson University and is a senior systems engineer in the IT industry.
“In general, I believe school boards have the authority to implement policies that promote the safety and well-being of their students and staff,” Sharma wrote in response to a question about whether school boards have the authority to require masking. “This includes implementing policies related to public health emergencies, such as requiring face masks during a pandemic. While the specific authority of school boards to require face masks during a health emergency may depend on the laws and regulations in their jurisdiction, while also it is important to prioritize the health and safety of all students and staff in the school environment.”
“I believe standardized test scores can provide useful information about student achievement and academic progress, but it is important to consider other factors as well,” Sharma wrote. “While these scores are often used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, it is important to recognize that they are just one measure of student achievement. A comprehensive approach to education that takes into account multiple measures of student achievement is likely to provide the most accurate and useful information about student progress and success.”
“To reform the state’s school funding, I believe the state legislature should create a new funding system that is more equitable and takes into account the unique needs of each school district,” wrote Sharma. “By analyzing factors such as student demographics, poverty rates, and educational resources, it may be possible to ensure that schools with greater needs receive adequate funding. It is important to level-set the field and promote a more equitable and inclusive educational system.”
Asked about the content of school libraries, Sharma replied “it is important for school library policies to be grounded in principles of intellectual freedom and to provide access to a wide range of materials while also taking into account the needs and values of the community. I believe that families have the right to challenge a book or request that it not be used for their child. However, I do not believe in the merits of banning books for all based on the views of one. While challenges to specific materials or policies may arise, it is important for schools to follow the review process established by each district’s curriculum department.”
Given one guaranteed accomplishment in office, Sharma chose “as a board member, one of the most important accomplishments could be to create a more equitable and inclusive educational system that prioritizes academics, low taxes, and school safety. This could involve promoting diversity and cultural competence in the curriculum while also implementing academic programs that prepare students for higher education and future careers. Overall, the board has a tremendous responsibility to ensure that all students have access to a quality education. By promoting diversity, cultural competence, academic excellence, low taxes, and school safety, the board can create a system that fosters student success and prepares them for a bright future.”
• Kathryn Jones, 64, lives in Limerick and is running for elected public office for the first time.
Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, and a physician assistant certification from Wake Forest University Medical School.
“I have spent over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning both clinical drug development and commercial sales and marketing. Positions of increasing responsibilities were held including regional sales manager responsible for over 150 sales representatives and nine district sales managers,” Jones wrote. “For the past 20 years I have been the owner of a pharmaceutical market research consulting firm located in Limerick. As a small business owner I employ over 10 staff including parents within the Spring-Ford community. KLJ Associates is a profitable and successful company, utilizing sound business principles with minimal debt.”
Jones does not believe school boards have the authority to require masking during a health emergency. “Determinations such as mask requirements should be the responsibility of local health authorities,” she wrote.
“Standardized test scores are a starting point to understanding our current learning losses,” Jones wrote in response to a question about the importance of those tests. “Unfortunately, they have been declining, indicating that meaningful action needs to be taken to address learning loss.”
“Once elected, I hope to work closely with our state legislature to ensure a more equitable formula for spending per student,” Jones wrote in response to a question about reforming state school funding.
On the subject of school library content, Jones wrote “I have not and will not support a book ban policy. I do support age appropriate, curriculum based materials in the library as determined by professional educators and adhering to the publishers’ recommended audience.”
“If I had one guaranteed accomplishment in office, it would be to bring all of our Spring-Ford students’ reading and math performance up or above grade level, wiping out the past 3 years of learning loss,” Jones wrote.
Region 3
Region 3 includes the boroughs of Spring City, Royersford and the southern portion of Limerick often known as Linfield.
Here the one open seat is held by Jennifer Motzer, who, although she was just appointed to the seat last July, is not seeking election to a full four-year term.
The two candidates running for this seat are David Laky and Kathy Morris.
• Kathy Morris, who did not provide her age, lives in Royersford and has never held elected public office before.
However, she added, “I currently am the chair of the Spring-Ford Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) to which I was appointed by a bi partisan group of fellow committee members.”
Morris wrote that, in regards to school masking, she does not believe the school board has the authority to require it.
“As we are not elected to be public health officials. During a true public health emergency guidance should come from the public health authority,” she wrote.
“While standardized test scores do supply us with data, in my opinion, they do not paint the entire picture for most students,” Morris wrote in response to a question on the subject. “Especially after the unfortunate amount of learning loss many students are currently struggling with. I see other opportunities for us to focus our efforts on while addressing learning loss.”
Morris expressed “hope that our state legislature will create a more up to date, accurate and equitable formula when supplying funding to all school districts. While also following up and holding districts accountable for the proper allocation of the funds they receive.”
On the subject of the content of school libraries, Morris wrote “I have not, and will not, support a book ban policy. Our libraries should be supplied with age-appropriate, curriculum-based materials that will continue to enhance our children’s education.”
Given one guaranteed accomplishment in office, Morris wrote “I would work closely with school administrators and teachers to establish an appropriate approach to address not only the academic struggles facing our students but also to work to regain the social and emotional loss that our kids are currently dealing with. In many cases, we have not even begun to see the true effects of the pandemic, especially in our young learners. Steps need to be put into place to first accurately track and process data sets and then work to equip the teachers with the tools they need to get our students back on track.”
• David Laky, 35, lives in Limerick and this is his first time running for office.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.
Regarding requiring masks in schools during a health emergency, Laky wrote “to answer the question directly, I believe school boards have the authority to establish policies and procedures, which includes requiring face masks, to maintain the health and safety of our school community. This has been challenged in courts, and the authority has been upheld, so the answer is clear. However, making these decisions is not as black and white. As a school board director, I understand the importance of educating our students in-person. If put in the same position, I would want to hear perspective from different parties, which includes all voices in the community. I would want to take in the latest data coming from our County Office of Public Health, PA Dept of Health, and CDC at a minimum to be able to decide what prevention steps would be appropriate to take, while also keeping the educational needs of our students top of mind.”
“Standardized tests have their place in education as a tool to pinpoint areas for improvement and evaluate progress. However, we should treat standardized tests as just one data point among many to provide a true picture of where the student stands at any given point in time,” Laky wrote in response to a question about the importance he places on such tests.
“Standardized tests do not measure a student’s ability or long-term outcomes in life. When too much emphasis is placed on standardized testing, there can be added pressure to teach the test and not specifically the underlying skills. There are also many reasons a student may perform below average on a test, which isn’t a captured when you just look at a number,” Laky wrote. “We need to be mindful of this fact because behind every standardize test result, every data point, is a person, a child. So while evaluating student progress is important, it must be done in many different ways to get the full picture of where a student stands, and most importantly, to determine what supports board members and school districts need to put into place to help support students with their individualized learning needs.”
On the subject of reforming state school funding, Laky wrote “does reform need to happen? Absolutely. Our funding system leads to massive inequities in the quality of education for students in PA, while also putting the heavy burden of funding education onto local taxpayers. If I were a state legislator, I would seek support from all parties to implement a fair funding formula to ensure every school district receives its share of state funding based on student and community needs. All money, not just new money, added to the education budget needs to go through a fair funding formula. This year’s proposed education budget does not do enough to meet the standard set by our state constitution. There needs to be a sense of urgency around this to appropriately fund, not just adequately fund, our schools, and most importantly, to give property owners relief. As a school director, I will look to build relationships with our state senators and representatives to impress upon them the importance of finding a resolution.”
“I believe that school library policies should prioritize intellectual freedom and access to information,” Laky wrote in response to a question about school library content. “Libraries play a crucial role in fostering a student’s love of reading and promoting life-long learning. In my eyes, a parent will always have the right to raise an objection with regards to a book. A parent should also have every opportunity to request that a book not be used with their child. However, that is where I personally draw the line. I do not believe in book challenges or “book banning” across the board for all students, especially when the reason is based on one individual’s perspective. Any challenges to school library policies or specific books should be carefully evaluated by those who specialize in education, like curriculum administrators, reading specialist, librarians, and committees, and should follow a clearly outlined process so that any decision made can be shared with the public as to why or why not.”
Given one guaranteed accomplishment in office, Laky said “it would center on making sure all students in our district receive the support they need to reach their full potential. This not only includes academic related supports but also other supports that impact a child’s experience at Spring-Ford such as facility-related needs. As an example, Spring City Elementary School is 1 of 7 elementary schools in the district that is not on par with the other elementary buildings. Our students at Spring City elementary do not have a dedicated room for music or art like our other students at other elementary schools do, and space is becoming an issue. Not having enough space can impede a district’s ability to hold small group instruction effectively, for example, which impacts academic outcomes. By investing in our schools to address these needs, we can help ensure that every student in our district has the experience at Spring-Ford that they deserve and give them the best chance for success in life.”
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