By Cliff Lewis
On the evening of Tuesday, May 12, five candidates for School District of Lancaster (SDoL) School Board met at Fulton Elementary to introduce themselves and their agendas to local citizens. The forum included an opportunity for each candidate to introduce himself, followed by four prepared questions for the candidates, followed by three questions submitted by the audience.
The five candidates (pictured from left) were Richard Caplan, an attorney and former member of the Ephrata Area School Board; Todd Heath, a parent of students at Martin Elementary who has worked with Tabor Community Services to help children deal with the effects of homelessness; Charlie Crystle, a longtime human rights advocate and creator of commercial software; Nick Jabbour, a city-based real estate agent involved in multiple areas of local government; and Harvey Miller, a city resident with a long family history in the SDoL and owner the Pemberley Tea Shop on N Mulberry St.
Early on, the issue of poverty took center stage. 81% of SDoL students are considered “economically disadvantaged,” compared to the 21% county average. Jabbour attributed these figures to “generational poverty,” which tends to be rooted in community values: “We’re called upon as a school district to be the gateway from that poverty, and to break that cycle….Giving these kids someone to look up to is absolutely vital; getting the parents involved somehow is absolutely vital.” Miller did not agree that the School Board could do much to affect poverty rates in the city, considering it more of a national issue.
Heath mentioned his concern about homelessness among SDoL students: “At any one time in Lancaster we have up to 1000 students who are experiencing homelessness of some sort—living in a shelter, living out of their own home with a relative….Those types of things begin to address some of the issues that we have with poverty.”
After the meeting, NewsLanc asked Jabbour for his thoughts on the current state of SDoL’s athletic program. Jabbour said that the program is important for a good educational offering, especially for students in need. Although he did not directly affirm the introduction coach training programs, Jabbour expressed that, in the hiring process, he would be mindful of applicants’ qualifications.
NewsLanc also spoke with Caplan about what measures he would take in dealing with underperforming teachers. From his experience in Ephrata, Caplan explained that both school code and Union negotiations prevent a school board from replacing teachers due to poor performance. Caplan asserted, however, that there are some ways to work around the red tape: Underperforming teachers can always be reassigned to less desirable positions, if necessary.
Next Tuesday, May 19, elections will be held for the four open positions on the SDoL Board.
