Get to Know Charles McIntyre, Candidate for School Board

CHARLES MCINTYRE (R/D)

Ambler Patch: How would you balance the district budget? Would you use to help balance the budget?

Charles McIntyre: I might consider using the fund balance to balance the school district’s budget but we have to be very careful how we use this fund and we certainly cannot use the fund balance every year to balance the budget.  The fund balance is a “rainy day” fund and it must be preserved to serve that purpose.  If an unusual expense is incurred for a given year but is not expected to be incurred in future years the fund balance could be considered.

Further I believe we must look at all possible cuts that can be made to balance the budget prior to considering using either the fund balance or any tax increases.  I’m worried about the school district’s budget next year when another teacher’s salary increase goes into effect.  We will have to balance the budget without affecting the quality of education but without necessarily increasing our taxpayer’s tax burden.

AP: One of the Board goals is to support a “.” How would you help support this goal?

CM: As a member of our technical community I use and strongly support the 21^st Century Learner program.  It’s certainly the way of the future and a program that our school district should embrace.  My concern is do our teacher’s know, understand and support the 21^st Century Learner program so they, in turn, can use technology to effectively teach our students.  Our teachers must engage our students to use these technologies and their skills to think, create, analyze, evaluate, and apply because that’s what will be expected of them in their future job or education endeavors.

Since I work for Unisys (a technology company) and work every day with these technologies I can help evaluate the effectiveness and costs of a 21^st Century Learner program and what can best benefit our school’s students.

AP: This year the Wissahickon School District encountered issues with its . How would you remedy this problem so it doesn’t happen in the future?

CM: We should insure that bus routes (including the Montgomery County Transportation Consortium) are reviewed on a regular basis.  This would assure that the bus routes are as efficient as possible and there are sufficient numbers of buses to guarantee that students arrive at their schools on time and are returned home when expected.

AP: Student Achievement is one of the Board’s goals. How would you support this as a board member?

CM: I believe that student achievement is one of the real measurements of a school’s success.  I also believe that student achievement should be recognized and awarded (certificates of achievement) according to their merit (an honor system). 

As a school board member I would continue to monitor PSSA test score results insuring that progress is being realized.

AP: Transparency and Accountability is important to the residents of the Wissahickon School District.  What do Transparency and Responsibility mean to you?

CM: Transparency means that as a member of the Wissahicken School Board everything thing we do and all decisions that we make be made available to the public we serve.  For example, the decision not to make the content of teacher’s new contract available until it was ready to be voted on at a school board meeting was shameful, deceitful and certainly not transparent.

Accountability and responsibility means that how we vote and the decisions we make as school board members will be made public and available to voters the next time we run for school board.

I strongly support transparency, accountability and responsibility.