Manchester Man Mounts Last-Minute Write-In Campaign For School Board

A Manchester Township man has launched a write-in campaign for a seat on the Manchester Township Board of Education just days before the election.

Josh Langenberger announced his intention on Facebook Sunday morning, spurred by frustration over a pair of recent situations in the school district.

“I have decided to take an immediate action on improving our community and quality of education by making a commitment to represent Manchester’s children in serving as a member of the Board of Education,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This is a grass-roots campaign at instituting change,” he wrote.

There are two, three-year terms up for grabs on Tuesday, with incumbents Donald Webster Jr., the current board president, and Christopher Nolan, running unopposed.

“Create a new choice. Write in Josh Langenberger for Manchester Board of Education and be part of a positive change,” he wrote.

Langenberger, who teaches in another school district, was one of several parents who were upset with the district’s decision to exclude parents from the elementary schools’ Halloween parades for the second year in a row by holding them inside the schools and not allowing parents inside to watch.

District Superintendent David Trethaway said the move was necessary to ensure the safety and security of the students and staff, and that the schools could not accommodate the added volume of parents.

Langenberger also has raised concerns about classrooms he said are not being heated properly, where students are instead wearing coats in the classroom to be comfortable while they learn.

“I am very aware of the issues in public education with over two decades of experience,” Langenberger said by email to the Patch Sunday. “My child attends our local school, so every decision directly impacts my child. As a taxpayer, I am interested in fiscal responsibility and sustainability within my community. My goal is that each decision reflects an emphasis on the success of our children.”

The election is Tuesday.

(Photo from Josh Langenberger’s campaign page on Faebook)