Schools

Prepping for the Primary: Meet the Candidates Slated for Monday

Candidates for Phoenixville Area School Board will take part in an open forum.

For the fourth and final time, primary candidates in the Phoenixville Area school board race will gather Monday evening.

A Meet the School Board Candidates event will be held Mon., May 16 at 6 p.m. at , next to Molly Maguire’s Pub. Three other events were held previously and were geared mainly to home and school association members at the three district elementary schools.

“As I got involved with it in 2009, there was nothing there,” said Mike Ellis, emcee of the event. "There wasn't anything like this."

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He organized two events at the elementary schools two years ago and one at Molly Maguire’s.

“It was a full room,” Ellis said of the forum two years ago. “And this year, people are much more concerned with the financial situation.”

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Seven candidates are vying for five school board positions. Current board president Paul Slaninka and member David Ziev are both up for re-election.

As is typical in school board elections, most candidates cross-filed, meaning they will appear on both the Republican and Democrat tickets for Tuesday’s primary election.

The primary could decide who lands on the board if the same five candidates are selected by voters from both parties.

While the previous three events were held with the home and school associations, Monday’s Meet the Candidates event will likely be attended by those without children in the district.

Ellis said he hopes to keep it snappy, and the event will begin with questions being taken from audience members. A few of the school board candidates will tackle each question, instead of each one answering every question submitted.

“I think that’ll help move it along,” Ellis said.

All seven candidates made it out to the previous Meet the Candidates events this year, and Ellis expects they’ll all be there Monday evening, too. Hot topics that have been cropping up during the primary season include library funding, Spanish immersion, the teachers’ contract and board accountability and accessibility.

The candidates have also fielded some questions about the current budget situation, though they’ll be starting their terms long after the 2011-2012 budget is approved.

“They kind of talk about what they’d do,” Ellis said.

Monday’s event is free and everyone is invited to attend. To see the full list of candidates running for school board, check .

If You Go:

Where: Fenix Martini Bar, 193 Bridge St., Phoenixville

When: Mon., May 16, 6 p.m.

Who’s Invited: The event is open to everyone who lives in the Phoenixville Area School District.

Price: Free

What to Bring: Have questions ready for the candidates if you plan on asking any. Questions will likely be collected at the start of the event.


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