Election 2023: Democrat Ed Tate For Council Rock School Board

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.

COUNCIL ROCK — Incumbent Democrat Ed Tate is seeking re-election to the Council Rock School Board in Region 2. Two candidates - Democrat Ed Tate and Republican Jonathan Seamans - are vying for one open seat on the board in Region 2.

Biographical Information

Name: Ed Tate
Age: 67
Town of residence: Newtown Twp.
Position sought: CRSD Board
Are you an incumbent? Yes, 2nd term
Party affiliation: Democrat
Family: Debra is my wife of 37 years. We have two daughters and a son, all graduates of CR North and one is a public school counselor.
Education: B.A. in English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virgnia University
Occupation: Director of Communications & Marketing, Hepatitis B Foundation, Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center

Questions

Why are you running?

I’m an effective collaborator who is determined to move the School Board forward responsibly and make certain that rational decision-making continues to be the way we do business. In my second year on the board, which had a Republican majority, my colleagues unanimously elected me as president. I’ve chaired the finance, facilities and policy committees, led formation of a safety and security subcommittee, and participated in key projects such as the recent Comprehensive Plan development.

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

We must keep pushing to make sure every student succeeds, especially the “kids in the middle.” We have first-rate gifted programs and exceptional special education programs, but students not in those categories can get overlooked if we’re not attentive to every student’s needs. I believe our excellent new superintendent and his new administrative team are implementing ways to better evaluate progress by students individually, which will have a positive impact.

What policies would you change, revise, delete or retain and why?

Our policies are in good shape and generally current after the top-to-bottom policy updating process that I led, with great help from the administration and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. We occasionally need to make changes to policy, such as we did at my initiation earlier this year on a punitive policy that was negatively impacting students, which the board unanimously approved.

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

I will continue to work to preserve academic quality, improve our assessment and evaluation systems and maintain our rigorous program of facilities maintenance and improvement. I want to maintain a strong focus on research-based best practices for policy-making and curriculum design to ensure an exemplary education for the next generation. And I will push for an emphasis on valuing and supporting all our students and our extraordinary educators, who are stretched thin but do incredible work every day.