Wissahickon School Board Director Janice Singer seeks Re-election

Political Views

• Republican, cross-filed as Democrat
• Fiscally conservative

Positions Held:

• Wissahickon School District (WSD) Board Director, one term
• Stony Creek Elementary School PTA President, two years
• Stony Creek Elementary School Board PTA Executive Committee member, five years
• Owner of Ruby Slipper Invitations
• Retail management, 12 years
• Pre-school assistant teacher
• Office Worker
• Camp counselor, 10 years

Issues of Focus:

• Math curriculum will be reviewed.  Some eleventh grade students struggle with math and perform " below basic" state standards, based on annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessments.   It must be determined if the math curriculum needs to change, or more remedial help is needed for students struggling with math.
• Review of facilities:  1) For use – enrollment is projected to decline nearly 140 students in the next few years, and therefore, redistricting may be considered, 2) To assess school design and how space may be better used for collaborative learning, says Singer.
• Borrowing for building redesign – if the middle school is partly remodeled for collaborative learning, Singer says there is a fund balance for remodeling.  If it is necessary to borrow money, she would like to borrow while rates are low and WSD has a AAA bond rating.  “Taxes are not the first place we’d go to repay debt; we’re hoping the housing market will turn around,” and generate more property taxes.  Investments made by WSD may be reviewed to determine if changes should be made for better returns, Singer adds.

Accomplishments:

• Served as the Finance Committee chairperson during teacher contract negotiations.  “We are the only area school district to settle with the teachers’ union with a true zero increase, three-year contract,” says Singer.  She explains there would be no pay increase the first year, and increases of 3.88 percent and 3.99 percent in the second and third years, respectively.  Singer was pleased WSD and the teachers’ union settled without a strike.
• Helped create a Wellness Program through a grassroots effort at Stony Creek Elementary School when she was PTA President.  It was adopted by the Wissahickon School District in 2006. Wellness is promoted through nutrition and regular exercise. 
• Technical strides – pushed for WSD to “get on board, and realize technology is not a fad,” Singer says.  She explains “It’s the way kids speak.  Teachers embraced new ways of teaching.  Rather than having students stare like zombies at a screen, the technology is stimulating more classroom interaction.”  Singer says “communication is 100 percent better between parents and students,” because of technological strides. 
• Served on the Curriculum/Technology Committee reviewing science and social studies. 

Her Best Quality to Serve Students, Teachers and Tax Payers

True to her word.  Singer says, “I am always true to my word; I stand by it.”

Janice Singer is a mother of three children attending Wissahickon Middle School and Wissahickon High School.  She says her guiding principle is to be “responsible to the students of Wissahickon for providing the best education, while keeping the tax burden as low as possible to my constituents.”