Election 2023: Democrat Linda Szwedo For New Hope-Solebury School Bd.

Candidates running in the Nov. 7 general election are providing background about themselves and their positions on the issues to voters in these profiles, which will run in Patch individually for each candidate.

NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT — Democrat Linda Szwedo is running for one of five open seats on the New Hope-Solebury School Board. Seven candidates are running for the open seats including John Augenblick (D/R), Montu Patel (D/R), Judy McHenry Finn (D/R), Linda Swedo (D), Nik Hebel (D), Ron Felix (R) and Donald Martin Jr. (R).

Biographical Information

Name: Linda Szwedo

Age: 69

Town of residence: New Hope

Position sought: New Hope-Solebury School District Director

Are you an incumbent? No

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married, 2 adult children, 2 school age grandchildren in Western PA

Education: The College of New Jersey BS and MEd in Special Education, + 45 Graduate Credits. Certifications: Elementary Teacher, Teacher of the Handicapped (K-12), Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant

Occupation: Retired, after over 40 years in the field of education

Questions

Why are you running?

Our public schools are the training grounds for the next generation of leaders and innovators. The many challenges facing our society today make the need more imperative than ever for us to prepare our children for the future, not only for their own successes but more selfishly so they can contribute to improving life for all in our community, country, and possibly the world.

What do you see as the top issues facing the district and how do you plan to address them?

Neighboring districts are facing unprecedented controversy regarding curriculum choices, diversity, and the influences of national and state politics. We need to remain focused on providing a quality education with a rich curriculum emphasizing learning factual information as well as developing problem-solving skills.

If elected, what would you fight to change or keep the same?

I support the progress made by the current school board in terms of curriculum and facilities. We need to continue to provide support and appreciation for our school staff. Open communication among all stakeholders and close attention and resources to protect the emotional climate of our schools will be among my concerns.