Upper Moreland School District Hosts Meeting of School Board Candidates

Candidates for the five open seats on the Upper Moreland School District (UMSD) Board of Directors gathered for a panel discussion May 9.

The discussion lasted from 8 to 9:30 p.m. and took place at the Upper Moreland Intermediate School (UMIS), in the same room where the UMSD School Board regularly meets on Tuesdays.

The event, called “Meet the Candidates,” provided an opportunity for voters to hear each candidate’s take on their election platforms and issues facing UMSD.

All eight candidates participated in the event, taking turns to answer questions generated by the district’s Home and School Associations (HSA) and the general public.

“This was a joint effort among all the HSAs in the district because we think it’s a really important endeavor for us to talk to people who would like to be making decisions in our school district,” said Stacy Liesner, UMIS HSA president, before the discussion.

Several other HSA representatives were also present with Liesner, who moderated the event.

According to Liesner, requests for candidate questions were sent out to the entire UMSD community in the weeks prior to the event. She said that many of the questions asked by the public concurred with the questions the HSA had already prepared for the candidates.

The First Question: Candidate Introduction

Liesner directed the candidates, who sat in a row, facing a large audience of district voters, to take turns answering each question in a descending pattern that would allow each candidate to answer first and last. Candidates were given 90 seconds for each answer.

The first question asked for an introduction of the candidates and their direct involvement with the school community.

A summation of the candidates’ answers for this first question appears below in the same order that they answered at the event.

• Nick Scull

Scull is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, who taught in the Philadelphia school system, Hatboro-Horsham and Abington school districts for over 26 years. He moved to Upper Moreland in 1983, and had two children go through the Upper Moreland School District. A graduate of Temple University, he is certified in elementary and special education, and as an elementary school principal. He was also involved with Boy Scouts, Upper Moreland Little League (UMLL), marching band and post-prom.

• Stephen Hecht

Hecht is a retired Philadelphia schoolteacher of 38 years, where he also served as a vice-principal and a department chair. He moved to Upper Moreland in 1973, where his children attended school. He was also involved with UMLL. Hecht said that he has been interested in education all his life, and would like the opportunity to get back into education now, in light of budget cuts to school districts across the state.

• Duval Dougherty

Dougherty has children that went through Upper Moreland schools, with one currently attending Upper Moreland High School. He was the operations manager at Fitness Source in Horsham, and currently works in IT, supporting a global data center for a pharmaceutical company in West Chester. Dougherty holds several engineering degrees, and is a graduate of the Chubb Institute. He said that he is running to help the district face future challenges in a balanced and comprehensive manner.

• April Stainback

Stainback currently has children attending schools throughout the district. She has volunteered in the school district with the HSA for the last eight years, holding various executive positions and leading several committees. She is involved with township affairs, as well as UMLL. Stainback came to the school board in January after replacing a school director that left the position. She said that her experience as a parent volunteer of so many years can bring a fresh perspective to the school board.  

• Roger Wolfman

Wolfman graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, which he said is considered to be one of the best high schools in the country, and he would like to see UMSD schools also be recognized as such. An Upper Moreland resident for the last 35 years, he graduated from Temple University, where he majored in business and minored in accounting, and went on to be a real estate agent, working with large apartment complexes in the Philadelphia area. He said that he would like to focus on the business aspects of the district.

• Mark Wenik

Wenik has served as an Upper Moreland School director for the last eight years, chairing the policy and programs and services committees, as well as serving as its vice-president. He moved to Upper Moreland in 1984, and has children currently attending school in the district. Wenik has helped coach soccer and baseball for the district, and has supported the Booster club. He strongly advocates for the presence of extracurriculars. He said that serving on the school board is a great way to give back to the community and is glad that politics doesn’t play a big role in school board decisions, but rather, directors collaborate with each other and keep an open mind.

• Ron Slagle

Slagle has three children currently attending school throughout the district. He has coached basketball, soccer and baseball teams within the district. He said that he appreciates what the district has done for his children, and would like to give back to the district by serving it as a director. Slagle has a background in both banking and real estate finance. Slagle said that he would like to use his background to help the board wisely spend the budget. He is a graduate of East Strousburg University, where he graduated with a degree in communications studies.

• Lisa Berlin

Berlin has served on the school board for the last four years, and is currently its assistant secretary. Berlin has three children in the school district, who started attending in 1998. She started her involvement with the district by volunteering with the HSAs, chairing various committees for them. She calls serving on the school board a passion of hers.

The Second Question: On the Role of the School Board and Its Relationship with the Superintendent.

The second question dealt with the candidates’ perception on the role of a school director, while the sixth question asked their take on the role of a superintendent.

Each candidate acknowledged that school directors are elected to set policy for a school district to be executed by the district’s superintendent, who the school board hires. All the candidates said that a working partnership between the school board and superintendent are key to the success of a district.

The majority of candidates, especially the incumbent members on the panel, sang the praises of the current superintendent, Dr. Robert Milrod.

During the answers, Scull responded to Wenik’s comment on keeping the school board apolitical, remarking that the current school board, and several boards prior, have all been Republicans.

Of the eight candidates, three are Democrats, while the remaining five are Republicans.  In Pennsylvania, school board candidates are allowed to cross-file, meaning they can run as affiliated with both parties, although the Republican and Democratic committees for the township are providing support for their party’s candidates.

The following summations and quotes are listed in the order which the candidates answered the second question.

• Stephen Hecht

“Basically, it’s a policy thing, not a day-to-day thing,” Hecht said on the role of a school director, explaining that the superintendent takes care of the daily process of running a school district. When talking about the role of superintendent, he later added that the effectiveness of a superintendent relies on whether or not the district’s chief administrator has the same philosophies of the board.

• Duval Dougherty

“The role of a school director is to spend taxpayer money as efficiently as possible,” Doughtery said. “And, that our children are the ultimate beneficiaries of that expenditure.” He said that school directors must advocate for all stakeholders in a district, from the student to the taxpayer.

• April Stainback

“A big part of it is to be fiscally responsible … especially this year, when I came in,” Stainback said, adding that the children's academic well-being comes first.

• Roger Wolfman

Wolfman said that the role of school director is to keep the district within its budget, and to ensure that the budget is also fiscally responsible, saying, if elected, he would scrutinize any proposed spending.

• Mark Wenik

Wenik said that the board is there to set the vision and direction for the superintendent, but should also monitor the superintendent and ensure that the vision remains checked and balanced. “As far as the budget goes, yes, our job is really to set a budget within the abilities of our community to support,” Wenik said.

• Duvall Dougherty

“It’s also to make the students know how great they’re doing and what a great place they’re going to school,” Dougherty said, in addition to fiscal responsibility to the community and students.

• Lisa Berlin

“When you speak to a board member, and you think they have influence, they have one-ninth the say of nine other people,” Berlin said. “It’s a team that works together, that builds together.” She added that school directors must approach debates with humor and open-mindedness. 

• Nick Scull

Scull said that schools can become resistant to change, and policies can become locked in as the status quo. He said that school board elections are held to change policies. 

The Third Question: District Priorities

Liesner’s third question asked the candidates to consider the district’s priorities in light of Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed statewide budget cuts to education. 

Each candidate agreed that the quality of education for the students would be their first consideration. During the answers, however, Dougherty mentioned not wanting to state any immediate cuts he would make without first being privy to the depth and breadth of the situation, which sparked individual candidate comments on the low turnout of community participation at school committee meetings throughout the event.

The below answer summaries and quotes are listed in the order which the candidates answered the third question.

• Duvall Doughtery

“We have to focus on the quality of their education first. Does that mean, maybe, football doesn’t get much funding, perhaps.” Doughtery said. “But, being in IT, I know that technology offers a lot of efficiencies.”

• April Stainback

“If anything has to suffer, I would prefer it to be a co-curricular, Stainback said, “rather than the education of our children suffering.”

• Roger Wolfman

Like Doughtery and Stainback before him, Wolfman said that the primary focus should be on the education of the children, however, he said that extracurricular activities are important. “You have to look at the whole picture. I think the (current) board has spent money on things they shouldn’t have spent money on,” Wolfman said, citing unanimous decisions on repairs to a roof and the purchase of a lawn-raker. “I have the ability to say no.”

• Mark Wenik

Coming after Wolfman, Wenik responded that there was much said that wasn’t accurate, specifically addressing that the roof would have cost taxpayers down the road, and the raker couldn’t be repaired. He added that such information is discussed publicly at the board’s committee meetings. “The folks that have attended our budget and finance meetings understand that we are doing everything we possibly can to get between a zero and 1.4 percent tax increase ... that includes co-curriculars and extracurriculars.“

• Ron Slagle

Slagle also said that the district will face a tough budget year, but the board shouldn’t automatically cut extracurricular activities, and said that the board would have to be creative in making that happen. “I do think that the students benefit from being in multiple things, whether that be athletics, or the music programs, or the arts programs, as well as education.”

• Lisa Berlin

“The kids always comes first, education always comes first, but with that is a packaged deal,” Berlin said, citing the maintenance of facilities technology that needs to grow.  She added that the sitting board has accomplished one of its major goals in increasing secondary graduation to college and AP course offerings.

• Nick Scull

“This may be at the heart of the evening’s questions,” Scull said.  He described the current educational climate in the state a “perfect storm of school disasters,” explaining that he won’t give an easy answer on how to balance core curriculum with extracurriculars and still lower taxes. He added that drastic measures may have to be taken, such as the possibility of going to a four-day school week.

• Stephen Hetcht

“It’s all about politics,” Hetcht said. “We elected a governor whose respect for education is obviously not there.” He also said that a tax increase is inevitable, whether it comes from the school board or state. “If you want a quality education, you’re going to have to pay for it,” he said, adding that extracurriculars are a part of education and shouldn’t be cut.

The Fourth and Fifth Questions: Observed Improvements and Concerns in the District

The fourth and fifth questions asked candidates to describe what they liked about UMSD, and the improvements they’ve observed in the last 10 years, as well as their concerns.

The answers below are listed in the order which the candidates answered the fourth question.

• April Stainback

“What’s working well is the education of our children,” Stainback said, citing Berlin’s comment about the increased percentage of graduating seniors. She also mentioned the board’s monthly regular meetings, where students are recognized for their achievements, including the district’s sports teams and music programs. Stainback said she would like to see more of the community come out to committee meetings and offer suggestions on district concerns. She also advocated using more technology in the classroom, such as texting answers to teachers as a way to save on paper.

• Roger Wolfman

Wolfman agreed that the district’s students are working well. Wolfman did say that he was concerned about district overspending. “I think the challenges are the total approval of every expenditure,” he said. “Rather than spend money on accouterments, they should be spent on the education of the students.”

• Mark Wenik

Wenik said that the overall education of the students has improved in the last decade, referring to the increased rigor of the elementary and middle schools, with PSSA scores at the fifth-grade level as being some of the best in the state. He did state that the high school could benefit from more improvement, but also referred to the increased graduation to college level. “We were just recognized by the College Board for excellence with our AP program,” Wenik said, adding that the district was also recognized by the state for excellence in the district’s foreign language programs. Wenik went on to state that the state budget cuts will make the district face tough facts, such as the possibly increasing class size. “We need to get the community out here and understand what their district is facing,” he said. “Because you’re the voters.”

• Ron Slagle

Slagle said that overall education has also been an improvement. “We’ve done a great job at providing a broad range of programs and opportunities for the children,” he said. He said that the budget is also a concern, and that decisions made should weigh how the township will be affected. “I agree with Mark that we need to get the word out to raise it up the line that we can’t be cut so much from … our state government and federal government and still keep the same quality of programs,” he said. 

• Lisa Berlin

Berlin said that it has been a gradual process about how neighboring districts and the Upper Moreland community itself see UMSD. She said that the community, short of attending committee meetings, also works well. Berlin also referred to the Framework for Continuous Improvement program, which addresses classroom and professional development. She advocated creativity in addressing the district’s concerns. She said that the current board closely works with neighboring districts for ideas, often sharing their own with those districts. “Economically, it’s not going to change anytime soon,” she said, emphasizing on looking toward long-term gaols.

• Nick Scull

Scull praised the school community’s diversity, in terms of having middle class working families, compared to neighboring school districts. “It’s not about income,” he said. “Schools can play a larger part, and we need to get off the carousel of comparing us to other districts.” He added that one program the district is facing is that only a minority of taxpayers in Upper Moreland have children in the district, while another problem is that in the last four years, the school district’s budget has increased. He said that a prime concern considering the state budget cuts would be childhood services. “I think the financial issue is the overwhelming problem.”

• Stephen Hetcht

Hetcht said that he’s seen an overall improvement with the school district since his children had attended; however, he also said that more could be done. He said that UMSD students need to be educated well enough, where they can receive scholarships to prestigious post-secondary schools.  In regards to concerns, his were also over the budget. He said if the school board wants to keep the current budget, while maintaining programs, class sizes would have to increase. “I don’t like it, but I’m not sure if there’s a way around it at the moment.”

• Duvall Dougherty

“What works well in our school district are our educators,” Doughety said. “Our children are doing well for a reason because they are getting taught well.” He said that there have been improvements to the collaboration and communication among teachers. He also credited the parents, citing the increased secondary graduation to college as proof. When dealing with the budget, he also said the district needs to be more creative. “We have to find ways to be innovative and efficient,” he said, also suggesting more technology in the classrooms to help create efficiency. 

The final question addressed the PA Youth Survey, which questioned anonymous students on the use of alcohol and drugs. The majority of the candidates acknowledged that some students are using such substances, taking the opportunity to say that a community effort is the best way to combat such issues.

After the “Meet the Candidates” event, audience members were allowed to ask further questions on a one-on-one basis with the candidates.

One audience member, M.J. Schmidt, an HSA member at the intermediate and middle schools, said that in a school district with more than 3,000 students, she would have liked to see more parents in the audience; however, she was still pleased with the turnout.

“Sometimes, it takes a crisis to bring people together,” she said, referring to the possible statewide budget cuts.

In light of the cuts, Beverly Vitek, an HSA member at the intermediate school, encouraged voters to come out to the primary elections May 17.

“If you want to have a say about your children, you have to vote in each election,” she said.

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Editor’s note: Updated at 9:22 a.m. and again at 10:14 a.m. May 12.