Blue Bell Tea Party Patriots Hold School Board Candidate Forum

The Blue Bell Tea Party Patriots held a School Board Candidate Forum on Wednesday night to a crowd of more than 100 taxpayers. Six of the seven candidates were present for the forum, with Seth Grant, current Board member who is seeking a third term on the School Board, absent. 

Background on Each Candidate

Each candidate provided their resume to the Blue Bell Tea Party Patriots with the background and qualifications for School Board.

Burunda Prince-Jones – Prince-Jones graduated from MIT with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and from Harvard Business School with a Masters of Business Administration. She has served on the Wissahickon School Board since 2007.

Ron Stoloff – Stoloff received his Bachelors of Science in Education from Temple and a Masters in Computer Science from Beaver College. He was a Social Studies teacher in the Philadelphia School District for 35 years.

Eugene Murphy – Murphy received his Bachelors of Science from Temple in Business Administration. He has business experience as a principal program manager and as a senior manager. He has previously served as the Vice President of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Young Park – Park received his Bachelors of Arts from Dickinson College in Economics, his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Masters from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is the owner of the Law Offices of Young K. Park in Philadelphia and has been on the School Board since 2000 and has been president of the Board since 2009.

Barbara Ullery – Ullery graduated from Chestnut Hill College with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and worked for Accenture at SEI Financial Services for 14 years as a senior program analyst. She is also served as Republican committeewoman in Whitpain Township for four years.

Janice Singer – Singer will be running for he second term on the School Board, and for one year, served as Vice President of the Board. She is the mother of three children who went through the Wissahickon School District and spent five years on the executive committee of the Stony Creek Elementary School’s PTA, two of those years as the president.

Taxes, School Budget and Professional, Administrative and Support Contracts

Burunda Prince-Jones – Prince-Jones voted yes on the teachers contract vote. She said, as a Board, they set parameters fro the negotiations team, which were met. “It’s a compromise,” she said.

“80 percent of the budget is for the teachers and I think it should be,” she said. “The single most important factor [in student learning] is the teachers.”

“The contract was fair,” she said. “Was in the best interest for the students of Wissahickon and, in turn, for the community.

As far as the budget, Prince-Jones said the Board and the administration are constantly looking at programs and looking at better ways to provide those programs to the students. “Program effectiveness is [important].”

She added that it’s all about how the Board uses and invests the resources at their disposal.

Ron Stoloff ­– “You have no other choice than to accept what [the negotiations team] have done,” said Stoloff in relation to accepting the teacher’s contract. He added the District now needs to find ways to save money in their operations.

“You don’t want a strike…I’ve been through some pretty ugly strikes. … You don’t want it to happen in Wissahickon.”

Eugene Murphy – Murphy said he would have looked at some creative options during the contract negotiations process, including a one-year contract, to get the teachers and Board through while they were in negotiations, a five-year contract with incentives for good teachers and others.

As far as the budget, Murphy said, “Money is not directly related to student achievement.”

He went on to say that by reducing expenses, not programs, the District can do more with less. “I believe we could have been resourceful enough [to get it done].”

Young Park – Park was part of the negotiating team for the teachers contract for the School Board, but voted no on the contract vote. “I do not like the contract,” he said, “The contract is 75 o 80 percent of our budget.”

“Even with the freezes, [the teachers] are still the top paid in the county,” he said.

In regards to the budget, Park said, “We have to work with the entire budget. … We are looking forward for the years ahead.”

He added that the fund balance, which is being used to balance the 2011-12 budget came from taxpayer money.

“We have cut $1.5 million this year,” he said. “We cannot cut over $5 million overnight without disrupting out students.”

Barbara Ullery – Ullery said she would have not voted for the teachers contract as it was presented to the Board, “ You have to look at what’s happening in the economy.

When it comes to balancing the budget, she said, “Programs should not be cut. … Music and art…are shaping are students and should not be cut [from the budget].”

Janice Singer – Singer was part of the negotiating team for the teachers contract for the School Board and voted yes on the contract vote. “I believe it was a fair contract,” she said.

However, she added there is more to the contract than just the teacher raises and it did include a pay freeze for the first year of the contract. When resident Bob McCammon asked about removing collective bargaining rights of the union, as other states are doing or have done, Singer responded that it is a legislative thing, and not something the Board can change.

When it comes to the budget, Singer said, “We look at everything constantly.” She added, “I have no doubt that we’ll be able to cut [the budget next year].”

School Voucher Program

Burunda Prince-Jones – The school voucher program is one of the tools to fix struggling schools, explained Prince-Jones. She added, you need to look at what’s best for your child. “I’m willing to entertain lots of possibilities,” she said.

Ron Stoloff – “Vouchers are an attack on public education,” Stoloff stated. He continued that vouchers take money away from public schools and give it to private schools, but it is all paid for by the taxpayers.

“It’s a way to steal money out of your pocket,” he added.

Eugene Murphy – “We need to get the state legislators here,” said Murphy. “I love to have that conversation…let our voices be heard by the people who can change it.”

Young Park – Park said that school vouchers have not played a part at Wissahickon, but if they ever do show up or become a problem, then he will put his time and energy into it.

Barbara Ullery – Ullery echoed Park that vouchers are not an issue at Wissahickon.

Janice Singer – “Vouchers are great in theory and very poor in practice,” said Singer.

Improving student proficiency

Burunda Prince-Jones – Prince-Jones, the chair of the Curriculum and Technology Committee, invited those and the community at large, to join their committee meetings, during which this is discussed at least once a month.

“There is no one size fits all,” she said.

The Board is reviewing the curriculum, as well as has to support and enrich the students and teachers, she said. They also look at industry standards, looking at best practices at nearby school districts, such as Upper Dublin and Colonial School District, they also look nationally for best practices.

Ron Stoloff – Stoloff said that No Child Left Behind was one of the worst pieces of legislation passed by Congress, “the law is awful.” He added that it raises the benchmark of proficiency beyond what is feasible, and that private and charter schools aren’t accountable for the same standards as public schools.

Eugene Murphy – “There are internal and external environmental issues with every student,” said Murphy. “The Board should provide the governance, policy and framework [for learning].”

He added, “A lot of good work is being done in this area already.” Wissahickon has student and teacher after school tutors in the elementary and middle schools, as well as a program for teachers to learn alternative methods of teaching.

Young Park – “We provide extra help to kids in need,” said Park. “But it’s not just about the teachers.” He went on that the community and families must also bear the individual responsibility of raising their children. However, he added that the District is looking at the students who are failing and finding ways to help those students excel.

Barbara Ullery – “There is no one answer,” said Ullery. She said the Board needs to look at the teaching staff and find out if the students are prepared to take the tests. “Sometimes its just an approach.”

Janice Singer – Singer said the District has to look at if the kids are taking the tests seriously and if they were given the tools to take the test. “There’s no magic bullet,” she said.

How the Board works together as a team

Burunda Prince-Jones – “We have a single focus of putting student achievement first,” said Prince-Jones.

“We represent the community well,” she continued, “everyone can always do better…we’re feeling our way as a Board. … We can disagree, we can argue [and] I think that healthy.”

Young Park – “We have nine great Board members and are trying to improve at this time,” said Park. “My object is not just ‘Mr. Nice Guy’…but we have to work as a Board and be a team.

Janice Singer – “I think we do a lot of things well,” said Singer. “Our best decisions come from multiple points of view.”

School Board and other local elections are May 17.

CORRECTION: Is was stated that Eugene Murphy is the Vice President of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. This is a position he has held in teh past but no longer holds.