Transparency & parental involvement in curriculum: School board candidates offer views
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2023 primary election: School board candidates
The Centre Daily Times recently sent a survey to all Centre County school board candidates with questions about a number of issues. Read their responses below.
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Transparency & parental involvement in curriculum: School board candidates offer views
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Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times recently sent a survey to all school board candidates with questions about a number of issues. Twenty four candidates responded and 18 did not. We have published their unedited responses, which were limited to 1200 characters. We will publish additional responses in other stories.
In recent years, educators across the country have seen a rise in calls for increased parental involvement in policy and curriculum decisions.
Legislators have introduced bills to increase parental control over curriculum and topics, including Florida’s controversial “Parental Rights In Education Act,” more commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The 2022 bill was recently expanded to ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in grades 4-12.
Critics of these bills said these open the doors for parents to block information about diversity and marginalize LGBTQ students.
The Centre Daily Times asked candidates about how involved should parents be in deciding school policy and curriculum.
State College Area School District candidates
Amy Bader — Pennsylvania has always valued local control of schools, indeed School Code ensures many ways for the entire community, not just parents, to impact how schools function – which includes policy and curriculum. There are a variety of laws and procedures that support engagement – the ‘sunshine’ law regarding public meetings; required public comment at meetings; a formal process for reviewing textbooks; requirements to publish curriculum; a public hearing on the district budget and many others. Many avenues exist for parents and the community to impact school policy and curriculum, including the election of board members. Good schools also expect their educators, who are professionals, to engage with parents/guardians. Learning is a partnership between the home and the school. This is another natural avenue of input. It is worth noting that in PA teachers must acquire a master’s degree in their first 6 years, and thus become highly-trained experts in pedagogy and curriculum/instruction. Their input and knowledge merits appreciation and respect. Public education’s role is to provide a setting for all students in a community to gain knowledge and meet the state standards and requirements
Nathan Bish — The district parent relationship should be 50-50. Parents should have every right to know what their children are being taught.
Gretchen Brandt — The board approves all curriculum as per School Code, and the Board is a representative body. Therefore, parents have input in curriculum through participatory democracy via their vote for School Board Directors.
Anne Demo — I believe learners do best when parents are involved. In my experience, SCASD encourages parent involvement in multiple ways. Teachers and administrators respond quickly to questions and concerns raised by parents. Instructional materials are available for review upon request. SCASD also offers multiple venues for parent and community feedback. I encourage all parents to learn more about school policies and continue sharing feedback. As a former middle school paraprofessional with 20+ years teaching in higher ed, I witnessed first-hand the expertise that SCASD teachers have in their content areas and cognitive development. Beyond state certifications and the master’s degree required within the first six years of teaching in PA, our teachers also understand the state standards essential to academic progress and what is needed to be competitive among applicants at elite colleges or plum apprenticeships. Just as I support parental involvement, I also advocate talking more about the expertise teachers share with the community and why our schools benefit from their guidance on curriculum and policy.
Daniel Kolbe — Parents should review curriculum during the public comment period to make sure their voice is heard. SCASD and parents need to work in conjunction to ensure we are providing the best for all our children.
John Krajcovic — School policy should be decided by the elected school board. Concerns by parents can be voiced at School Board meetings or via email. The current school board has held different meetings where parents could meet with them and voice concerns. However, all the meeting times have excluded parents that work 9a-5p jobs. I want to select times that are more inclusive. School curriculum has always been a sole responsibility of state and local education officials. The professionals with years of training and education should be making the curriculum for core science classes. I believe in transparency within curriculum. For subjects with controversial material parents should have the opportunity to opt their child out of teachings that may not align with their and/or their child’s beliefs or possibly take substitute classes or do substitute assignments.
Aaron Miller — Involvement without interference. Parental feedback is already welcomed by the SCASD school board in many formats. I also trust the expertise of our staff and faculty to select high-quality educational materials without interference.
Michelle Young — Parents and families should be very involved. Go to facebook.com/young4scasd2023 for more information.
Laurel Zydney — The Board should be proactive in providing information and soliciting feedback before enacting or revising policies and must allow sufficient time for public awareness and comment before approving policy. The Board must be transparent about its process and timetable for making policy. SCASD’s Policy 009 outlines the process parents or other interested parties can use to suggest a new policy or a policy revision Parents should always be able to view curriculum and materials, and the district should make it easy to find information. The district must make a genuine effort to respect and accommodate every families’ values, but ultimately the school district must have the final say in curriculum. SCASD’s clearly delineated opt-out policy allows families with objections to particular pieces of curriculum to work with their teacher to choose alternatives. This wholistic approach allows for materials selected by professional educators and approved through an open curriculum adoption process to be implemented, while allowing space for differing values and approaches to the curriculum.
Barry Fenchak and Megan Layng did not respond to the survey.
Bellefonte Area School District candidates
Jennifer Barnhart — All parties should be included. More perspectives in the discussion improves that decisions will have a positive and long-term impact. It is administration’s responsibility to make the best decisions that comprises experience and resources.
Patrick Buck — Parents and the community should be directly involved in shaping the curriculum their children are taught in public schools. They ultimately know what is best for their families. Full transparency of the curriculum is essential to build trust.
Nate Campbell — Parents have a voice through the school board, and are given options in many cases of alternatives that better fit their personal needs. Any group of people will have differing views about things, the boards role is to help find the balance.
Julie Fitzgerald — Parents are important partners in the educational process. Knowing what their children are learning in school and helping to support the learning process through reinforcement of activity at home is fundamental to a student’s success. Parents’ opinions and thoughts related to curriculum and policy need to be heard and considered as they know their children best. Partnerships through PTAs and parent councils can also be valuable tools for the school to seek ongoing feedback and input to addressing global concerns parents may have across the district.
Darrell Sharp — Electing school board members who represent their values is the best way for parents to get involved in school policy. They should also be attending school board meetings to stay well informed.
Donna Smith — Children whose parents are supportive of their education do better in school. Parents are thus strongly encouraged to view the curriculum that our educational professionals are tasked with writing, prior to State and Board approval.
Kimberly Weaver — Parents have every right to take part in their child’s education. Having curriculum meetings with community involvement is essential is showing transparency for our parents and community.
Joe Yech — Parents should be kept informed of policy through school board transparency. Curriculum decisions should be made by trained educators the district employs & trusts to teach our students. Parents and educators should keep open lines of communication.
Denelle Korn, Timothy Kessling and Paul Dombrowski did not respond to the survey.
Bald Eagle Area School District candidates
Erica Danneker — Bald Eagle Area School District’s mission includes a vision to involve and communicate with the community and they believe that a successful educational experience is the responsibility of the school, student, family and community. Therefore, the board would welcome parental input. Parents should have a voice, especially when it comes to issues that directly impact their children’s education. This can also enhance the transparency and accountability that will help foster a sense of community. With that being said, Bald Eagle Area School District has their own administration and academic structures and they need to maintain their autonomy to make decisions based on the best interests of their students and the broader community. Parents should be seen as valuable partners in the process, but not as decision makers who dictate the school’s direction.
Gary Heverly Jr. — Overwhelming research cites parental engagement as a strong indicator of increased secondary achievement and postsecondary success. Reinforcement of school work, positive communication with teachers, participation in school events, and involvement in academic and career pathway decisions all lead to improved outcomes and success. I think all school boards prefer community member feedback and involvement in constructive conversations about local decisions. Curriculum, policy changes, budget reports, and fiscal planning are discussed openly during work sessions and regular board meetings through a very transparent process. It is required through the “Sunshine Act” that discussions on these topics take place openly so anyone can ask questions or voice concerns before board voting. To become better-informed anyone can see agendas posted at the district building and online. If community members would like to research, course booklets, curriculum descriptions, and school policy is readily available on the BEA website. I believe community members should be informed about and involved in the processes and decisions of the district. There are plenty of ways to do so.
Jason Penland — Curriculum is mostly driven by PDE standards. Where able, BEA focuses on career ready curriculum to help students succeed beyond BEA. It is data based. School policy is dictated by an elected school board, so parents already play a part with this.
Molly Hoover and Brandi Bartley did not respond to the survey.
Penns Valley Area School District candidates
Kim Kellerman-Domin — As a retired educator, I believe that it is crucial for parents to be involved in all aspects of education. Staying informed and understanding all policies of a district is a daunting task. Parents should not have to be involved with the creation of every policy, but, if they so choose, their input (as well as that from any resident who is a taxpayer) should be given significant consideration when developing policies, especially those that relate to the day-to-day education of children. Currently, in Penns Valley, the public has access to curriculum materials. Parents should always be informed as to when a new curriculum is being considered and should be able to review its contents. If parents, or any member of the public, has concerns about the contents of the materials in the curriculum, they should make their concerns known to the board and the board should take into account all concerns. I would consider it a great opportunity to speak for all residents of Penns Valley who are unable to or who do not feel comfortable speaking when it comes to policy and curriculum. The board needs to make decisions based on what best meets the educational needs of the children.
Michael Pase — I believe that the school board represents the parents, and the parents’ opinions should take the highest amount of consideration when decision making in terms of policy and curriculum.
Celesta Powell, Molly Miller, Dan Hall, Karla Groy, Daniel Pick, Domer Smeltzer, Nickelaus Engle and Scott Butler did not reply.
Philipsburg Osceola Area School District candidates
Tiffany Warlow — As a parent, taxpayer, educator, and current school board member, I have a well-rounded view of public education. Parental involvement in education is an important component. A community effort — parents, teachers, administrators — are vital in school success. Attending school board meetings to understand and be proactive in education is an essential component so that parents are aware of what is going on and can be part of this team; volunteering in the PTO, booster clubs, elementary classrooms are ways to become involved in the school district. Educating yourself on the current PDE requirements, whether it be testing, funding, or curriculum is important to understand what our schools are up against each day. We trust doctors’ expertise with our health; we trust mechanics to fix our vehicles; our teachers and administrators have been educated in their fields, devote their lives to our children every single day, and should be entrusted with school curriculum and policies. There is a lot that goes on in education that, unless you are directly involved, is difficult to understand all the moving parts. Education trends and requirements are always changing.
Tim Bainey, Todd Jeffries and Alexander Boumerhi did not respond to the survey.