Election 2023: Democrat Matthew Laskowski For Council Rock 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.

COUNCIL ROCK — Democrat Matthew Laskowski is seeking election to the Council Rock School Board in Region 4. He is challenging incumbent Republican Joseph Hidalgo for a four year seat on the board.

Biographical Information

Name: Matthew J. Laskowski
Age: 37
Town of residence: Richboro
Position sought: Council Rock School Board Director, Region 4 (Northampton Township)
Are you an incumbent? No, I’m the alternative to the incumbent.
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: Parents are from Port Richmond and Croydon, Sister is a nurse out in Colorado, my partner of 6 years went to Pennsbury H.S. and Drexel Law School. Cerberus Bernard is our brilliant and kind rescue pup.
Education: Council Rock K-12, Graduated CR-South ‘04, Temple University, Business Management & Legal Studies.
Occupation: Over a decade of work in cancer clinical trial management from Data entry to Project Manager. Experience in working for public service, non-profits, academic research institutions, and for-profit biomedical pharmaceuticals.

Questions

Why are you running?

As a Council Rock graduate, I remember what it used to be like, before political games snuck into our district. It seems to have gotten worse over the last few years. Our neighboring school districts are experiencing the effects of it now with book bans and chaos during their board meetings. During our last school board meeting, my opponent, the incumbent, engaged in political theater in what appeared to be a coordinated effort by his party. It was inappropriate and disrespectful to use that time and space as such. It takes someone with courage, curiosity, and compassion to effectively listen to the people he represents and support their needs. If elected, I pledge to serve respectfully and keep political games out of our schools.

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

As I've knocked on hundreds of doors and met parents throughout our region, they've told me their biggest concerns. I will stand tall and protect the rights of parents to decide what is right for their own children, rather than let the loudest voices dictate that someone else’s kids can and can’t read, via book bans and erasing history. If you don’t have kids in the district, this should trouble you just as much as anyone else. The Moms for Liberty group and their school board friends are aggressive in their tactics and have already cost neighboring school districts millions in legal fees and PR firms, not to mention their reputations. Bullying and harassment impedes the learning process for those targeted directly, and for students who witness it. CR parents have bravely spoken publicly during the last few school board meetings and shared with me privately their experiences. To address it, the board will need to work with the administration to assess the true extent of the problem, and develop a plan accordingly.

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

I trust our district’s official policies are up to snuff, but the question is, are they being used and applied across all schools. From what I’ve learned after speaking with parents and teachers in the district, that does not always seem to be the case. The phrase “sweep it under the rug” came up too many times during our conversations. That’s not fair, not right, and would not fly under my watch.

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

I don't believe the term "fight" is applicable for the way I work. When I hear of injustice, ineptitude, or inefficiency, my problem-solving mind kicks into gear. The only way to effect change in any organization is to clearly identify the problem, then work with everyone impacted. It's the only way to ensure solutions work for all and won't create more problems. I have a lot of professional work experience that focused primarily on process improvement, I know that it's really only a solution when you get everyone onboard.