A total of ten candidates are running for five seats on the North Penn School District’s school board, and will be on the ballot for district voters on Nov. 7.
Incumbent Democrats Elisha Gee, Tim MacBain, Juliane Ramic and Cathy Wesley are being joined by newcomer Kunbi Rudnick on the Democratic "North Penn Neighbors for Progress” team, and new candidates Vince Altieri, Diana Blystone and Liz Vazquez running together as "North Penn Voices 4 All,” and Adam Breaux and Michael R. Jowder as "North Penn United” are running on the Republican side of the ballot.
The five candidates who receive the most total votes will be elected to four-year terms.
The following five-part series is excerpted from the Lansdale AAUW’s 2023 Voters’ Guide. This AAUW Voters’ Guide provides the public with responses to a questionnaire sent to the candidates running for the North Penn School Board.
All candidates were sent identical questions reflected in the survey results; these results are reported verbatim as they were submitted to the organization.
AAUW thanks all of the candidates who responded to the questionnaire.
Candidate background information, taken directly from the candidates’ websites, is in an addendum at the end of the survey results. Two candidates did not respond to this questionnaire despite multiple requests. These candidates are Michael Jowder and Adam Breaux. Candidate background information including party affiliation was obtained from the candidate websites and can be found in the appendix.
AAUW has a long tradition of supporting public education and equity for women and girls.
AAUW is a non-partisan organization that has a public policy program which may be found in its entirety on aauw.org. All responses to this Voters’ Guide may be sent to the branch website: aauwlansdale.org or to PO Box 381, Lansdale, PA 19446.
Question 1: What would you do specifically to moderate the opposing factions in our North Penn Community?
Elisha Gee. (Credit: submitted)
Elisha Gee: I believe that by continuing to offer opportunities for the community to come together to engage in a positive manner, we can all work together for our students. I would support districtwide forums that focus on issues central to our community such as facilities and safety, so that we can continue to facilitate and foster conversations that lead to a common understanding of the needs of our district.
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Tim MacBain. (Credit: submitted) |
Tim MacBain: Disagreements are natural and invite us to test the strength of our own opinions with an open-minded civility that can lead us toward better, more equitable solutions. Our North Penn community is populous, diverse, engaged, and passionate – all the things a thriving community must be to find meaningful solutions to the many constant challenges that a school district will face. It’s my opinion that we must illustrate to our youth how to meet challenges together with the same respect, civility, and understanding that we ask of them as they grow.
Over the past several years we’ve tackled many of our shared challenges together with a civil and open approach, including concerns about student safety, our many aging educational facilities, outdated or limited opportunities for students, or how to fund extraordinary educational experiences for our students while remaining fiscally responsible for our neighbors. Our approach to addressing each of these perennial issues has been the same, starting with the collection of meaningful data – through facility assessments, student climate surveys, behavioral threat assessments, or financial planning – to inform ourselves and our community on the details and dynamics of key issues. We’ve included our community members in finding paths forward with public forums on capital projects, school safety, and addressing diversity in our schools. We’ve made our committee meetings more accessible to neighbors through live-streaming and consistent open feedback opportunities, with the knowledge that all community voices are important. As we continue this work, I remain committed to illustrating the value of a civil, inclusive, and informed approach for my own children, and for the future of the North Penn community.
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Juliane Ramic. (Credit: submitted) |
Juliane Ramic: All great endeavors, big and small, are rooted in collaborative effort. We engage in team work in all aspects of our lives and serving as a member of a school board is no different. In my time serving on the North Penn School Board, I have been afforded many opportunities to work with fellow board members, school district administrators, school leaders, parent volunteers, and community members to share concerns and work to find a common path forward. When you keep the well-being and interest of our community’s students at the center of discussions and decisions, and when you come to the table ready, willing and able, we can and will always find common ground.
There is no doubt that in the last several years, there have been situations, issues, or efforts to try to divide our community- and there might be situations in the years ahead where we might find a divided community on a particular issue. In these situations, I choose to listen, learn, seek the truth, learn from peers and experts, use information to make data informed decisions, and actively work to correct misinformation. And when we struggle to build bridges or mend fences, I seek to search for the good and celebrate small victories. This approach to leadership is no different whether the decisions we are considering as a community are related to the North Penn High School Renovation project, working to align a school budget, or to review and adopt curriculum materials.
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Kunbi Rudnick. (Credit: submitted) |
Kunbi Rudnick: My approach to moderating opposing factions within our school community would be rooted in fostering open dialogue, understanding, and collaboration. I believe in creating a safe and inclusive space where all voices are heard and valued. I would initiate regular discussions with parents, teachers, students, and community members and listen to their concerns and ideas. If it is possible to join already established opportunities, for example, the Superintendent’s community coffee hour. I would use these opportunities and others like them to encourage respectful discussions, helping to bridge gaps and find common ground. Finally, leveraging technology, I would also encourage having a virtual forum dedicated to constructive discussions. These actions would be in service to listening, acting where feasible, and communicating reasoning for actions taken. Through these steps, I am confident we can foster an environment of unity and cooperation, where diverse opinions enrich our decision-making process and ultimately lead to the betterment of our school community.
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Cathy Wesley. (Credit: submitted) |
Cathy Wesley: I want to continue to be transparent and continue listening to the opposition in our action meetings and committee meetings. Based on public comment, as a board member, I am committed to being respectful.
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Vince Altieri. (Credit: submitted) |
Vince Altieri: As a parent, I have seen the damage that Top Down Political Agendas and failed leadership has had on North Penn’s school ranking. As a future school board director, I would unite and rally the community around one common goal – "Partner with Parents and Teachers BEFORE those with POLITICAL AGENDAS”. In terms of specifically moderating opposing factions, I believe that there is "Strength in diversity, both in culture and thought”. As a concerned community member, I firmly believe that fellow community members must empower and work with each other as opposed to allowing bureaucrats and powerful teachers unions to divide.
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Diana Blystone. (Credit: submitted) |
Diana Blystone: Children’s educational success is something everyone should be able to come together for. I will respectfully engage the whole community is a priority if elected.
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Liz Vazquez. (Credit: submitted) |
Liz Vazquez: I believe that it is important to listen to one another. Having respectful conversations helps in better understanding opposing thoughts and opinions.
This is the first in a five-part series presented in partnership between the AAUW Lansdale Branch and The Reporter; for more information visit www.aauwlansdale.org.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
