Periscope Staff: Why is your group running for school board?
Citizens for Carlisle Schools: We are running because we believe our community deserves a school board with real plans—not political agendas—to keep our schools strong and confront our current challenges head on. We are local parents, teachers, and taxpayers with years of experience working with children in our community. We have pride in our schools and our kids. We will prioritize academic excellence over culture war chaos. We will promote transparency and communication between the School Board and taxpayers, and never embarrass or divide our community with partisan bickering and gridlock. Our platform centers around four shared priorities, including: putting students first; respecting parents and teachers; responsibly managing District finances; and uniting our community to provide the best education possible for all students.
Staff: What are the top three priorities of your group if you are all elected?
CFCS: Individually, we each have different issues and priorities we would address as school board members. Collectively, we would prioritize:
- Advocating for programs and strategies so our students continue to recover pandemic learning losses, particularly in early math and reading, while also improving graduation rates.
- Expanding STEM education programs, while constantly re-evaluating curriculum offerings so all students, regardless of skills, abilities, or aspirations have opportunities to pursue whatever path is right for them–be it college, career, or the military.
- Seeing through to completion the current K-8 reimagining project to address population growth, balance class sizes, and maximize efficient use of staff resources. This will further help ensure all students have a quality educational experience.
Staff: Would your group support the banning of any books, classroom resources, or AP courses? If so, what criteria do you use to make those decisions?
CFCS: Citizens for Carlisle Schools are the only candidates for school board who publicly oppose book bans. In fact, all five have signed the American Library Association’s Unite Against Book Bans pledge. We believe all parents and taxpayers have the right to know what is taught in our classrooms and to determine what is appropriate for their own child. That’s why we support making curriculum materials available on the District website for review. We also firmly believe any curriculum or program materials used in our schools should be 1. factual and accurate; 2. age and developmentally appropriate; 3. developed and recommended by trusted education professionals, not politicians and special interest groups; and 4. provide appropriate “opt out” provisions for any parent who finds specific materials objectionable for their own child.
Staff: There is currently a projected $7 million shortfall in the budget, what are your thoughts on this deficit? How do you plan to alleviate this debt?
CFCS: The projected deficit for the current school year is actually $2.7 million. If necessary, the District will cover any actual deficit at the end of the school year by using reserves that have previously been set aside for this purpose. It’s important to note nearly 80% of the CASD budget is academic programs and staff. Any discussion about budgets and deficits must carefully balance the needs of our students with the ability of taxpayers to cover the costs. Reducing or cutting taxes means making cuts to teachers, programs, or facilities. The administration always starts the budget process by comparing projected revenues with expenses. We will not have a complete or accurate picture of our annual deficit until February 2024 when we know what the Governor and Legislature propose for public education spending. From there, how much money CASD gets from the State will determine whether we have a deficit, or how much, and we can begin to explore options to balance the budget. When doing so, we should take a critical look at expenses to determine where savings might be achieved. Similarly, we must evaluate the effectiveness of programs developed using Federal COVID relief funds and determine whether those programs should be continued, scaled back, or eliminated. It is only after these critical reviews and deliberations that the School Board will look at the actual deficit and consider whether to propose budget cuts, using reserves, or a modest property tax increase (or a combination of the three) to address the gap.
Staff: The student population in Carlisle School District is growing, which plan for redesigning K-8 schools do you support and why?
CFCS: For those of us currently serving on the Board, we respect the process the Administration and community advisory group is currently undertaking to solicit input and explore all options. Before we weigh in on specific proposals, the public input phase needs to be respected and given time to complete its work. Then, the Administration, along with the experts they are working with, will further analyze the impact of each model on transportation costs, staffing, and financing of debt. Without that information, it’s hard to say at this time which model one prefers.
We can say however, the current status quo is not an option. CASD has growing enrollment in the northern part of the district and two elementary schools which have aged beyond their safe use. The K-8 reimagining is intended to address our district’s critical facilities needs and provide equal access to quality education now and into the future.
Staff: What additional resources or programmatic changes would your group provide or implement for teachers?
CFCS: Respecting teachers means engaging them in curriculum development and problem solving, as well as valuing their professionalism as educators. Therefore, it is important for the Board to listen to teachers, as well as support the Administration in ongoing dialogues with the teachers on the issues of importance to them. An example includes listening to the teachers on the timing of their professional development and modifying the schedule accordingly. Further, the Board made sure teachers could provide insight to the Board on the qualities they believed were important to the Superintendent position and the Board took that input seriously. The teachers wanted the Administration to be more present in their buildings and the Board made this a priority for the new Administrative team. Carlisle’s teachers also do not want the School Board micromanaging what teachers do in their classroom or how they adapt the curriculum to their students’ specific needs, and Citizens for Carlisle Schools respects that.
Staff: What is your plan to improve teacher retention in Carlisle School District?
CFCS: Actually, Carlisle has one of the highest teacher retention rates in south central Pennsylvania. This is a testament to our district’s good reputation and that our teachers feel respected and supported. But, when teachers hear school board candidates accusing them of “grooming” and “indoctrinating” students, or bashing our schools by intentionally spreading disinformation about student test scores, it demoralizes teachers and pushes them to look elsewhere for work, or leave the profession all together. Attracting qualified teachers starts by trusting and respecting them, not harassing and threatening them with culture war chaos. We must offer teachers competitive compensation and provide the resources and support staff they need to manage their classrooms and help each child grow, thrive, and succeed. We should also explore ways to create a welcoming pathway for career-changing professionals who want to move into teaching and put their skills and professional experiences to use to help our students succeed. We would continue Carlisle’s strong, 2-year mentor program for new teachers to help introduce them to the district and support them in early stage of their career. And most importantly, we must foster a respectful environment by having a school board that values teachers, and involves teachers in curriculum development and problem solving.
Staff: Are there any significant political candidates endorsing your group either through public statements or financial contributions?
CFCS: Citizens for Carlisle Schools did not seek the endorsement of any political candidates because we are running a non-partisan campaign consistent with the nature of being an effective school board member.
Staff: Why should eligible students vote for you?
CFCS: Eligible students should vote for Citizens for Carlisle Schools candidates because they are committed to putting the educational needs of all students first in our decision making. We know this means offering a broad range of educational programs for college bound students, students in career and technical education, and programs for students with special educational needs. Citizens for Carlisle Schools believes students need a well-rounded education that includes language arts, social studies, science, math, as well as art, music, and other humanities courses. Students also want a broad range of extracurricular opportunities and clubs where they can explore specific interests and engage in a wide array of activities. Ultimately, Citizens for Carlisle Schools believes Carlisle High School must prepare students for college, the workforce, or entry into the military, and our focus will always be on making sure each student has the opportunities they need to succeed.
