Gettysburg Connection supports these candidates for Gettysburg Area School District Board of Directors.
Alice Broadway
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: As a practicing elementary educator, I care about students and the varied needs in our community. I want the public to be informed about public education, and I believe it is important to have professionally diverse representation on the school board that can speak to different facets of the community. I previously served on the GASD school board and am ready to work with all stakeholders to support our schools. I understand how public schools work and how school board decisions impact the students, teachers, and administration in the district. I believe it is crucial for a school board member to communicate effectively, asking questions about long term planning, and seeking to better understand what responsibilities and projects are being prioritized. I bring a level of experience to this position to understand this balance and have the communication skills necessary to think critically about our resources. I am ready to engage in discussion surrounding the prioritization of programs, and to communicate outcomes of those decisions clearly to the community. I believe that everyone in our broader school community impacts the education of our students and therefore deserves the facts about the challenges facing education.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT: If elected, I will do my best to listen, to ask questions, to give voice to underrepresented populations, and to learn from the professional educators who work with our community’s children every day. Supporting our high quality teachers and administrators means treating them like the experts they are in their curricular areas. Public education’s goal is about increasing access to learning, not restricting it. It means funding needed HVAC and facilities projects to maintain a suitable working and learning environment for our schools. It is impossible to run a school without spending any money, however, understanding how larger capital projects are rolled out over multiple school years helps board members vote in an informed way; balancing the amount spent in a fiscally responsible way with meeting the immediate and future needs of the district. The school board is not the voice of one person, or even nine. It is a body of elected officials who represent an entire community of students, families, teachers, administrators, business owners, home owners, and other constituents. Working together to represent the best interests of that community is difficult work that requires open, honest conversation and the willingness to ask questions to better understand viewpoints that may differ from your own. A school board candidate is a public servant, and should be ready to listen to all stakeholders and take their experiences into consideration. This office is not a place for individual interests. As an educator, I have first-hand knowledge of how important it is to have a leadership team that supports public education and the growth of all students and families. I want to know what issues matter to people in my community, and I want to have more open, honest conversation about how our district’s board can better support the whole community.
Elizabeth Blanc
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: I am a mom of two children one of whom currently attends school in the district and one who is a future GASD student. This gives me a strong sense of dedication to the district. I have spent a number of years working with children of all ages. I had the opportunity to assist in after school programs, work in daycare, and nanny before having my own children. I then spent five years working in the House of Representatives. I had the opportunity to sit in on committee meetings, work on legislation and assist state representatives in various activities in the PA Capitol. I was able to have a first hand look at the issues the commonwealth faces, but particularly what our educational system faces. I now work in the Department of Human Services which has given me the opportunity to help the most vulnerable in our community, including families with children. My position allows me to assist families in gaining the tools they need to thrive and succeed.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I want to help our children, teachers, school staff and parents succeed. This means: quality education, safe and comfortable learning environments for all students, an updated bullying/cyberbullying and hate speech policy, a deep look at the impact of book bans on students, teachers, librarians and school expenses, a promotion of college and tech job readiness, as well as general school expenses and district taxes.
Michael Dickerson
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: My name is Michael Dickerson, and I am running for re-election, and will be seeking my 2nd term for the Gettysburg Area School District School Board. I am a proud 1993 graduate of Gettysburg High School, and have lived in Adams County since 1991. I understand the challenges that face public education, that face our community, that face our children, and specifically our district. I am confident that with my experience as current board member along with the key relationships that I have developed with our community, and our districts support staff and administration I can continue to provide valuable insight into the unique challenges and issues facing our district and help solve them. Gettysburg Area School District is increasingly being met with challenges that significantly threaten the quality of education and the wellbeing of our children. A major issue facing our district is the continued effort to balance taxpayer contributions with the demands of properly funding public education. It is critical that we provide our students and administrators with the tools and resources they need to succeed, and we must always consider the source of the funding required to do so. I’ll continue to search for creative solutions when faced with economic uncertainty. If re-elected I will continue to prioritize these issues, work collectively to bring common sense solutions, and to help provide our administrators the tools and support necessary to promote a secure, healthy, and productive environment for our children.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT: First of all I feel that is important for everyone to understand and define who an elected officials constituents are. In the case of a School Director, or School Board member constituents are not just the electorate that votes a candidate into office. As an incumbent School Board member, I have always approached every task, every vote knowing that MY constituents are the students, teachers, support staff, bus drivers, administrators, coaches, taxpayers, and residents of the district. It is the job of a School Director take into consideration and weigh all options to ensure the best possible outcome for all stakeholders. If re-elected I will not play politics, I will listen, and I will always do what I feel the right thing to do is for our children, the district, and this community. Please consider my experience, my record, and values when making your vote count on Tuesday, May 16th. Thank you! Respectfully, Mike Dickerson
Al Moyer
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: – 36 years in public education as teacher/administrator – 10 years as a school superintendent – 5 years in higher ed. serving as Ed Leadership Coordinator at McDaniel College (half-time professor/half-time administrator – Currently serving as Acting Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent in the Shippensburg Area S.D. – Assisted the Education Dept. at Gettysburg College – Currently serving on the GASD board – Doctoral Degree in Ed Leadership – Many volunteer positions in the community – – Regional Commissioner for AYSO soccer – – Session Leader at Church – – Assist with local boy scouts – -Co-chaired a state wide PSBA committee on Charter School Reform – -Consultant/board member for Adams County Christian Academy – I have 2 daughters who have gone through the GASD and currently 6 grandkids in the school system
CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I pledge to do my absolute best to balance the resources of the community with the needs of the school district. I am a product of public schools and credit my experiences with any success I have had. Every decision I make and subsequent vote will be in the best interest of our student body and community. Thank you! Al
Thank you, this is an excellent presentation.