Letter: Voting for experience

There is an election for CASD school board on May 16. Two “teams” of candidates present different paths for the future of CASD schools.

Experience working collaboratively on the school board is important to me. The pandemic with its unprecedented and ever-changing public health guidance required school districts to pivot and adjust to keep everyone safe and continue education during a disruptive and unplanned crisis. Everyone is still recovering from that, but the experience of working through it, setting a path for recovery, and restoring success for the future is valuable experience. These veterans are on Citizens for Carlisle Schools team.

School boards do not make all the rules. You need to know regulations for public school districts, including formulas, funding and standards. Teacher and staff losses is an issue nationwide, but not here. For this knowledge with no learning curve, I choose members of the Citizens team.

Serving on school board requires time, taking members away from their families, jobs and personal lives. There is more to this “volunteer” job than formal board meetings. Committees of board members, teachers, parents, admin staff and others meet to evaluate and make recommendations to the board on critical issues. Have the Team for Change members volunteered their time to serve with other concerned parents and community members to have a voice in advising the board that would give them experience as elected members? I did not find any record of that.

As a Carlisle graduate, when Typing, Home Economics and Shop prepared us for life, I am proud to see what is available today. How would change affect how well the school board serves my family of grands and great grands? I voted today for Paula Bussard, Bruce Clash, Gerald Eby, Joe Shane and Jon Tarrant, the Citizens team.

Patricia Sheaffer Cipolla

North Middleton Township

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