Council Rock School Board Primary Election: Natalya Khavulya, Region 1

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, PA — Natalya Khavulya is running as a Republican and is seeking nomination for an open four-year-seat on the Council Rock School Board in Region 1. She is facing Democrat Tracey Osecki, who is running as a cross-filed candidate and also seeking nomination.

Biographical Information

Name: Natalya Khavulya

Town of residence: Newtown

Position sought: Council Rock School Board

Are you an incumbent? No

What Towns Does Your Position Cover? Newtown Borough and parts of Newtown Township

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Yes

Education: B.S. in Information Science & Technology, minor in Psychology. MBA in Marketing

Occupation: Information Technology professional

Questions

1. Why are you running?

Seeing what has transpired over the last few years with schools and learning how schools operate, I would like to stay involved and make sure that our kids are getting the best education and are set up for success. Schools should be brought back to a state where they are respected institutions whose sole purpose is to educate kids with the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful adults. To that extent, schools are also the centerstone and fundamental entities within our community. It is critical to maintain high standards and quality school districts to ensure future prosperity of the community. School districts are what attract people to our area, drive property value, and form a community.

2. What are your top issues and how do you plan to address them?

Education: We need to get our kids back on track with educational performance and restore the losses of the past years. We need to make sure that we have high standards and support the kids on their path to meeting them. Educational performance will ensure kids have bright and successful futures ahead of them. Programs need to be robust and challenging. Parents need to be involved with their children's education. Education needs to be adaptable to support changes in the career and employment landscape. I would like to see expanded programming to include additional enrichment programs throughout all levels of school, such as language programs, art, and trade skills training. I would also like to re-enforce mutual respect and partnership between educators, parents, and children, which will ensure that all parties are working together to achieve set goals.

Communication & Transparency: It is important for the school to communicate appropriately with both community members (without kids) and families. It is also important that parents are engaged and involved, appropriately. With our new superintendent, there's been strides made in this area with various forums and opportunities to engage with the administration. I would like to see further expansion of such activities. With the changing social landscape, parents need to be aware of what their kids are taught and have access to materials and discussions that take place. Given how much people have gotten involved recently and learned about school boards and administration, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of this momentum to work closely and collaboratively on paths forward.

Spending: Some voters have said to me that they do not vote for school board members because they do not have kids in the district. In fact, 70 percent of residents do not. However, almost all residents pay school taxes (directly or indirectly). And no one likes seeing their taxes go up without seeing the added value. To this extent, it is important that spending is prioritized based on need and value. We also need to create efficiencies in order to reduce spending and leverage the budget for important projects.

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

Aside from being a mom to two, school-aged children and having a vested interest in their education and success, I am a working professional in the field of information technology. I am responsible for large-scale, global implementations of technology systems. In my role, I work with stakeholders to align on priorities and develop execution plans. I am then tasked with driving those plans through deployment; managing budget, resources, and ensuring that we deliver solutions that bring value and use for the organization. Most importantly, in my role, I make sure that I communicate clearly, effectively, and am able to work collaboratively with team members to achieve our objectives.

These skills are highly transferable to a number of tracks managed by the school board. Technology track is the most obvious one. But also, assessing investments, bringing efficiencies into operational processes, and organization development are skills that are important for managing the district.

I am well versed in being able to work with others. I am reasonable. I listen to what others have to say, eager to learn, honest, and will always, always, make decisions on what I truly feel is the best path forward.