Council Rock School Board Primary Election: Edward Tate, Region 2

Candidates running in contested races in the May 16 primary election have been invited to provide background about themselves and their positions on the issues to voters in these profiles, which will run in Patch individually for each candidate.

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Incumbent Ed Tate is running on both the Democratic and Republican ballots as a cross-filed candidate seeking nomination for an open four-year-seat on the Council Rock School Board in Region 2. He is facing Jonathan Seamans, who is seeking nomination on the Republican ticket.

Biographical Information

Name: Edward F. Tate III

Age: 67

Town of residence: Newtown Township

Position sought: School Board Director, Council Rock Region 2

Are you an incumbent? Yes, two terms, including a year as Board President (unanimous election)

What Towns Does Your Position Cover? Newtown Township

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Debra and I live in Newtown Township. Our three tremendous adult children graduated from Council Rock North and both daughters earned bachelor’s at Penn State. The oldest recently earned a Master’s in school counseling and works in a Baltimore County elementary school.

Education: I have a B.A. in English, Journalism concentration, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University.

Occupation: Director of Communications and Marketing for the Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center.

1. Why are you running for school board?

As senior members of our school board have left, what I've learned over the past seven years, along with my institutional memory, has become increasingly valuable. I bring a unique perspective gained by experience and many hours in meetings and schools. I also am concerned that school boards have become increasingly politicized and less collegial. My intent has always been to encourage civility and collaboration because, as our district's motto says, "Students first, always."

2. What are your top issues?

The learning losses incurred by our students during the pandemic are perhaps our #1 challenge currently, and the district needs to continue finding ways to help our students catch up. We're doing a great job currently--our new Nights for Knowledge program is one example--and the board needs to support our teachers and administrators to that end.

The greatest long-term challenge is effectively managing our budget to maintain the excellent academics in Council Rock and our great reputation, while minimizing the tax levies needed to properly support the district. We need to invest in our district while making certain our spending is responsible and reasonable.

The board must encourage and support innovation in our educational programs. A good example is the STEAM special that we added in our elementary schools last year and are continuing to build out. We also need to maintain a disciplined schedule of facility maintenance and upgrades, rather than avoid difficult decisions and postpone work that needs to be done. It's often a question of equity across the district, such as providing air conditioning for all of our elementary schools, which took longer than it should have.

3. What in your experience or background prepares you for election to office?

I was raised by my mother, an elementary school teacher, who taught me to respect and value education and the dedicated people in that profession. I wrote about education and education research as a reporter covering Penn State and as staff communicator at the University of Illinois,

Educational Testing Service and Rutgers University. I raised three children in Council Rock and
was quite involved in their school experience as a volunteer. Today, I also bring seven years of
experience on the CRSD school board, including a year as president.