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MAY 15, 2007 PRIMARY ELECTIONUNITED SCHOOL BOARDCandidates who have cross-filed (qualified for both party ballots) are listed only once. Each entry includes the candidate’s name, post office, and year of birth. REGION I 4 YEAR TERM (VOTE FOR TWO) Denise Miller-Buzzinotti QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member? I am not running for school board on an agenda. I'm running for the school board because I care immensely for the students. I am proud of our teachers and excited with the direction of our new superintendent. I go to the meetings and I leave them feeling satisfied that I am making a positive difference. The meetings are not always fun, but they are productive and in the end, the members support one another. I am a former vice-president of the Indiana County YMCA Board of Directors and the Calvary United Methodist Church Board. Currently, I am a member of the Cambria-Rowe Business College Administration Board. I was in on the early years of the Alice Paul House and was selected as Volunteer of the Year having served as a Facilitator, Rape Advocate and Crisis Volunteer. I am a Criminal Law Assistant for Tom Johnson, Attorney-at-Law, for 21+ years. I asked Tom what my title was and he said "I could pick whatever I wanted". I picked Criminal Law Assistant...actually that is just a fancy title for "person who does everything in the office". Also, I am a state, national, international and world level cheerleading and dance judge. I have the opportunity to travel all over the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom judging cheer and dance. I am honored to have been selected by the current board to fill a vacancy that occurred. I now wish to earn my place on the board through the support of the residents of Brush Valley and Buffington Townships. QUESTION 2: There is some concern that the No Child Left Behind focus on testing in reading, math, and science leaves scant time and attention for other important goals of public education. What other areas do you think are important to emphasize so that our children grow to become healthy, responsible and productive citizens? I listen to former graduates and try to make adjustments, based on their recommendations, to strengthen our school for future graduates. Some schools are eliminating the arts due to mandated testing. At United, however, we value the arts. Also, I have concerns that the PSSA does not measure other equally important skills--working as a team, thinking critically, and public speaking, to name a few. QUESTION 3: The PA School Boards Association Standards for Effective School Governance state that school boards govern by reviewing, revising and adopting board policy and delegate to the superintendent responsibility for implementation of board policy. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not? Absolutely. Boards should not micro-manage. I have attended many PASBA Seminars and they have been invaluable to me. They have taught me the "what" and the "why" of being a board member. I have learned that policy is the backbone of the school board. I am so passionate about this that I am now the Chair of the United School Board Policy Committee. We need to make sure that our board policies are up-to-date, provide our school district the strongest foundation, and assist our administration and teachers in achieving the best possible results for our students. At United, our school board is known as "The Team of Ten"....nine board members and our superintendent. Together we can excel and make a positive difference in the United School District. QUESTION 4: Much of the burden of paying for public education falls on local taxpayers. Under Act 1 (2006) school districts may not raise their tax rates above a state-determined index without voter approval-- the “back-end” referendum. In what areas do you think funding could be decreased or even eliminated to balance the school budget and stay below the index? Maintaining spending within the index will certainly be a challenge. Public schools are doing a tremendous job in providing quality education within the limited funding parameters. However, given the ACT 1 legislation, there will be a time when the district's expenditures will exceed revenues. Should the voters not support a tax increase above the index to meet expenditures, the board will be forced to make difficult funding cuts. The district would have to explore cuts in the extra offerings---extracurricular activities, elective courses, and staffing additions. As school board members, we have a moral obligation to provide the highest quality education to our students; therefore, our fiscal practices must reflect this obligation. REGION II 4 YEAR TERM Pam Fisher QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member? QUESTION 2: There is some concern that the No Child Left Behind focus on testing in reading, math, and science leaves scant time and attention for other important goals of public education. What other areas do you think are important to emphasize so that our children grow to become healthy, responsible and productive citizens? QUESTION 3: The PA School Boards Association Standards for Effective School Governance state that school boards govern by reviewing, revising and adopting board policy and delegate to the superintendent responsibility for implementation of board policy. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not? QUESTION 4: Much of the burden of paying for public education falls on local taxpayers. Under Act 1 (2006) school districts may not raise their tax rates above a state-determined index without voter approval-- the “back-end” referendum. In what areas do you think funding could be decreased or even eliminated to balance the school budget and stay below the index? REGION III 4 YEAR TERM (VOTE FOR TWO) Kenneth W. Heming QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member? QUESTION 2: There is some concern that the No Child Left Behind focus on testing in reading, math, and science leaves scant time and attention for other important goals of public education. What other areas do you think are important to emphasize so that our children grow to become healthy, responsible and productive citizens? QUESTION 3: The PA School Boards Association Standards for Effective School Governance state that school boards govern by reviewing, revising and adopting board policy and delegate to the superintendent responsibility for implementation of board policy. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not? QUESTION 4: Much of the burden of paying for public education falls on local taxpayers. Under Act 1 (2006) school districts may not raise their tax rates above a state-determined index without voter approval-- the “back-end” referendum. In what areas do you think funding could be decreased or even eliminated to balance the school budget and stay below the index? |
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