Five nominations are available for four-year terms on the Weatherly Area School District Board of Education.

Gerard E Grega

Background: I have over 26 years of experience on the Weatherly Area School Board, first elected in 1991. I have held the presidency and vice presidency positions. I have been chair of various board committees over many years. I served on the CCTI JOC and the CLIU-21 Board, as Weatherly voting member for a number of years. I also served as Carbon County Legislative Coordinator for PSBA and as Federal Relations Network member for NSBA for 15 years.

Q: What are your top three priorities if elected?

A: 1. Provide an efficient optimal education for all students while advocating for the nonlabeled average students who appear are being “left behind” in today’s educational environment under various mounting federal mandates.

2. Develop policies to promote greater student awareness and participation in STEM and technical and trades career pathways via greater utilization of counseling services.

3. Hold administrators accountable for producing measurable results given the expansive professional and support staffs being supported by taxpayer dollars.

Q: What still needs to be done to ensure student security?

A: I believe it is essentially impossible to provide guaranteed complete security in any public venue, including students and staff at schools. Unfortunately, there will always be some who feel we are not doing enough. More than imperfect physical security measures, I feel the human response to these potential incidents is the most determinative as to their ultimate positive outcomes. That can only come through ongoing awareness and repetitive training titration for all students and staff.

Q: How would you balance the need for fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer with providing a quality education to the students?

A: Balancing fiscal responsibility with a quality student education is the essence of every school board’s fiduciary responsibility. School boards directly select, retain and/or replace their CEO, the superintendent. Beyond that, it is through the superintendent where all other administrative and educational leadership and staff are selected, directed, cultivated and utilized to educate our students. My board member obligation is to make sure educational policies are properly carried out via administration to provide that quality education.

Barbara Sipler

Background: I am a retired educator with 43 years of service to the school district. I am a strong advocate for public education. As a taxpayer in our community, I will ensure due diligence in overseeing tax dollars. In 1978, I wrote the grant that brought the Title I program to the district along with the funding to finance the program.

Q: What would your top three priorities be if elected:

A: If elected, my three top priorities would be to provide a quality education for every student, to work with other board members to establish updated policies and procedures that address the issue of bullying so that all students feel safe, and to use district resources responsibly while acting as a steward of taxpayer dollars.

Q: What still needs to be done to ensure student security?

A: Ensuring student security has to be a priority for board members. The district recently was awarded a safety grant that will greatly improve security for students and staff. To supplement the grant, regular crisis training, anti-bullying policies, security and safety plans, and the promotion of school-community partnerships will serve to ensure security for our students.

Q: How would you balance the need for fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer with providing a quality education to the students?

A: Providing a quality education and acting as stewards of tax dollars can be achieved through careful planning, responsible goals, and using district resources wisely and judiciously. The school board should ensure that written policies are set for efficient administration of purchasing, accounting, and payroll procedures. I would monitor budget expenditures regularly and keep the community informed about the district’s financial needs. I would welcome public input during the budget process.

April Walters

Background/bio: I am a 1993 graduate of Weatherly High School and currently reside in Packer Township with my husband and son. I currently work for the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit as an instructional aide at the Youth Forestry Camp, a juvenile corrections facility. I am a member of the PTA, a class adviser and have been involved with the local Boy Scouts for over nine years.

Q: What are your top three priorities if elected?

A: 1. The budget needs to get balanced so that we can begin to rebuild the reserve instead of increasing taxes every year. 2. Smaller class sizes. We were always a small public school that offered a private school feeling with small class sizes and excellent teachers. 3. Communication — I think the board and administration need to listen more to the community and the voices of the citizens who elected them.

Q: What still needs to be done to ensure student security?

A: I think our school has done an excellent job in providing a secure environment for our students. We now have two security officers and there are plans to add a secure entrance at both school buildings in the upcoming construction project. I am in favor of also adding metal detectors as well for all visitors and students.

Q: How would you balance the need for fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer with providing a quality education to the students?

A: We need to look at unnecessary expenses within the district and focus resources on additional training for our teachers. Our teachers also need to be held accountable for how they are instructing our students and testing scores. I don’t feel that spending tax dollars automatically means a better education.

Candidates Nancy Mulvaney, William Knepper, Thomas Joseph Connors Jr. and Matthew D. von Frisch did not respond to the Times News questionnaire.