My choices for GASD school board candidates

By The May 20th Primary Election is next week. I have had a chance to hear from all seven of the candidates running to serve on the Gettysburg Area School Board. I have read and viewed all the information provided by the candidates in the Gettysburg Connection and on their Facebook pages and websites.

I believe all seven candidates on the Democratic ballot would make good board members who will not be bound by partisan agendas. The candidates prioritize all students and parents in any actions taken by the Board. All the candidates are conscious of the taxpayers who fund our schools and recognize the need for fiscal constraint, particularly now, when school budgets are under threat of federal cuts.

Since I had to choose only four of the seven candidates on the ballot, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I will be voting for two who are registered Republicans and two who are registered as Democrats.  The candidates from both parties who cross-filed acknowledge that school boards ought to maintain a non-partisan approach.   By getting the required signatures to be placed on the Democratic ballot, the three registered Republicans have expressed their willingness to engage with a broader spectrum of ideas and collaborate on policies that reflect the interests of all students, parents, and faculty.  Importantly, those Democrats who cross-filed as Republicans recognize they can’t win without republican votes

The three Republicans who chose to cross-file as Democrats deserve the consideration of we Democrats who believe in the non-partisan nature of the office.  Should they be elected, they will have a chance to demonstrate that they can be trusted to make decisions in an evidence-based, neutral manner and avoid ideological biases.

The school board is not the place to pursue a particular political agenda or party base, and should not be subject to external political pressures. Where better to begin to bridge the divide in our politics than to come together to address student welfare on the Gettysburg Area District School Board without regard to partisan politics.

I’ll be voting for the following four candidates:

 Julietta Booz who has extensive experience managing large budgets and operations for the government; Dale Brennan brings indispensable teaching  and coaching experience and has run a great campaign; Justine Sieg, a teacher who I trust will thoroughly research issues and take a non-partisan approach;  David Sites, who will bring a needed perspective as a businessman and real estate broker and who is a parent two students in the GSAD.