2021 Candidate Profile: Amy Ginsburg, Wissahickon School Board

Amy L. B. Ginsburg - Wissahickon School Board Director Candidate

Age (as of Election Day)

42

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

I live with my husband, Jake Ginsburg, and our three children, Asher (9), Leah (7), and Giselle (3). Jake is also an attorney and practices at a firm in Ambler. My oldest two children attend Stony Creek Elementary. My youngest is at a preschool in Ambler. We also have four pets - two rescue dogs, Rocket and Drax, and two cats - Tigra and Sanders.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

I graduated from Drexel University in 2002 with a dual BS in International Area Studies and Political Science/History. I then graduated from Widener University School of Law with a JD in 2005.

Occupation

I have been a litigation attorney for the past sixteen years. I worked at a consumer practice in Ambler for fourteen of those years. Recently I started my own practice where I continue to handle consumer protection matters, as well as assist individuals with estate planning and real estate needs. I am also a licensed real estate salesperson in Pennsylvania.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I am currently a Wissahickon School Board Director.

Campaign website

https://www.team4wissahickon.c...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love this community and always knew the Wissahickon School District was where I wanted to eventually raise a family and send my children to school. My husband and I moved here for that very reason - because we wanted to be part of the Wissahickon community. We have three children - two currently at Stony Creek Elementary and one attending a preschool in Ambler. I have been a regular volunteer at Stony Creek - serving as a room parent, helping with lunch duty, and participating at other special events at the school. As a parent I wanted to make sure our voices were heard on the School Board, so I ran and was elected in 2019. I have been serving on the Board since then and hope to continue with that service.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of issues for Districts across the country, including Wissahickon. Students have faced mental health challenges. Ensuring the well-being of our students was a priority for me - and I am happy that Wissahickon made extra resources available to our students and families needing mental health services through this pandemic. The pandemic has also negatively impacted educational growth, and deepened the impact of pre-existing disparities in access to educational opportunities. I would like to see us expand the educational resources available to our students to help us get back on track following this difficult year and a half. I also want to ensure our students who need to quarantine or isolate do not fall further behind and would like to see us provide access to recorded classroom lessons. Parents and students should not feel like they are on their own. I think recording classroom sessions would help keep students on track and engaged in the classroom.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have experience serving on the Wissahickon School Board. Through my experience I know the challenges we have faced in this past year and the challenges we will continue to face in this coming year, as well as, what we have accomplished as a District and what we need to continue to improve upon as a District.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I want to (1) keep our children safely in school, (2) ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed, and (3) work towards better communication between the Board and our community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a Board member since 2019, and it has been a challenging two years, filled with issues not previously addressed by school boards, and creating new issues (i.e. mental health, educational gaps) that will need to be addressed moving forward. Last year I questioned the accessibility to mental health care and made sure we would have expanded services this year. As a parent I also understand the difficulties that COVID has created for our students and parents, and have pushed our administration for recordings of classroom sessions for our students in quarantine and isolation to better assist our families with keeping students on track.

I currently serve on our Policy Committee, Labor Negotiations Committee, Facilities and Transportation Committee, as well as, the District's Wellness Committee.

As a member of the policy committee I have worked with our committee and administration to begin the lengthy process of reviewing and updating every policy in our policy manual. This is a multi-year process, but through this review process, multiple sections were updated and approved by our Board last year.

As a member of the facilities and transportation committee, I have been an advocate for us finding greener options, particularly when it comes to transportation. I have encouraged our administration to locate a larger meeting space capable of utilizing Zoom for future meetings so we can ensure the public can safely gather in person or appear by Zoom. I have also been part of the discussion on improvements to our current buildings - such as how we will use the space currently occupied by the pool in the Middle School - with growing numbers I would like to see this space repurposed and used as classroom space. I have also made sure that our students feel connected to the spaces where they are learning, and worked with our administration to establish ways for our students to do this - recently I helped our students at Stony Creek replant shrubbery that previously was removed for construction.

As a member of the Wellness Committee, I discussed mental health needs to ensure that we had adequate services available to our students. I talked to our nursing staff to find out if we were adequately staffed to do sufficient contact tracing. I also raised concerns about the food choices available to our students. Pre-COVID I was a regular volunteer in the cafeteria and saw what our children were eating. I wanted to make sure that we offered more healthy options. As a result, we now have more healthy options - including vegetarian and vegan options.

I also currently represent our District on the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Board of Directors, and have already addressed with that Board issues that face our District - such as the need for more school bus drivers here in Wissahickon.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Moods are contagious so share positive energy." You can set the tone. Negativity gets you nowhere. I always choose to be positive.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I think it is important for voters to know that I always approach decisions with an open mind, taking into consideration remarks from my fellow Board members, recommendations from our administration, comments from the public, as well as, my own research and thoughts. I will always listen, be open to having my own thoughts challenged, and work to make sure what we accomplish what is best for our children.