Say No to "Business as Usual"

This is an off-year election, and if things proceed as usual - the turnout, sadly, could be low. A few votes could sway the election. Don’t allow others to make the decision for you.

Throughout our campaign, the Next STEP team has made it a point to campaign fairly and truthfully. Now, one of the incumbent school board members is campaigning with a robo-call that attempts to tie the Next STEP team to tax increases. Like you, all Next STEP candidates are taxpayers in the NPSD who do not want to see rates continue to increase each year. The incumbents have, in fact, raised taxes every year for the past ten years in their multiple terms in office.

Next STEP candidates have consistently called for more respect which is clearly lacking in the NPSD. The recent controversy concerning Halloween celebrations points out that lack of respect and the need for better communication between the board and the community. At the last school board meeting when this issue was discussed, the board members’ behavior towards parents was disturbing and demonstrated a complete lack of respect for alternative views. (You can watch the full meeting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2SnXdYCmA)

The decisions that politicians make--even at a local level--affect real people every single day. An incumbent board member is quoted saying that politics is his “contact sport.” For the Next STEP team, politics is not a game in which one side wins and the other loses. All of the candidates are committed to working together with both parties to make the NPSD the number one district in the state. 

The Next STEP candidates have always believed that students’ needs must come first. Therefore, they are committed to making sure that all students can come to a school environment where they feel safe and protected. At a Safe School meeting last year, one incumbent was quoted as refusing to “micro-manage” the bullying issues in the NPSD. 

Even as the leader of that subcommittee, he refused to take any steps towards improving the issue. With so many reports of bullying incidents in our schools, it is clear that this method for dealing with problems is not working.

It is time for our school district leaders to step up and become true advocates for public education. The North Penn School District can no longer afford to take a business as usual approach. With a willingness to showcase policy innovation and political will, we will have the opportunity to strengthen public education for a generation to come. 

Please come out on November 5th, and vote for inclusion, respect, community involvement and educational excellence. Vote for the Next STEP candidates, Tina Stoll, Alex Ryabin, Murali Balaji, and Paul Edelman, because school board elections matter.