Region 1 Candidates for Great Valley School Board

• Charlestown,
• East Whiteland 1, 2, 3, 4
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Cynthia McSweeney (website) has lived in the district for 21 years and has children who have gone through the district. She is a certified public accountant who has worked at small and large firms including Sun Oil. In her opening statement, she said it was disturbing that "for $14,000 per student, we as a nation still lag behind other industrialized nations."

Ellen Behrle (website) is a member of multiple civic associations and a Great Valley mom. She often speaks during the public comment session at school board meetings, including a February trip to the podium to discuss . In her opening statement, she noted that she was against the early bird contract and expressed an intention to "thin middle management."

View the attached videos to hear the candidates in their own words.

Here are excerpts of their answers from the Oct. 24 debate at :

Behrle
  
McSweeney
"First, I think the job of the school board is to educate the children. If we have really strong educational system, our property values will be strong." How can you strike a balance to serve students, teachers, taxpayers and other constituencies?
"We all have same objective – we want the best quality education we can provide for students. " "The board most definitely has been discussing consolidating elementary schools ... I'm vehemently opposed to closing Charlestown or any of the elementary schools."
Would you consider closing an elementary school, specifically Charlestown?
"I think we're a long way away from that. ... [If we closed a school,] we'd have about 95 percent capacity, and that wouldn't make sense. ... As far as rumors for Charlestown, that is not on the table."
Yes.
Did/Do you have kids in the district? Yes. "A lot of really good state schools are not on there. ... Goals that are most effective are those that measure the classroom piece of a student."
What do you think of the goal of increasing attendance at the Princeton Review's "Top 376" schools?
"You need to set the expectations because when you do that, you get higher achievement. ... It's not telling the students they have to go to those colleges, but it's important to set the goal."
"Wages have to be more realistic and in line with the private sector. ... Furthering education."
Which elements of the teachers' contract would you renegotiate? "We just have to have a really reasonable pay increase in line with the economic situation. ... Health care ... [teachers'] education"
"It's a terrible thing to have people work in good faith ... then say you're not going to pay. ... I do believe our legal fees will exceed the $11,500 [in payments]."
 How did/would you have voted on ? "I do not believe mentors should be paid. ... [However,] I would have voted to make this payment."
"Under this current board, we've lost 17 teachers over the last two years and we've cut aides ... There is a serious problem with the lack of transparency on this board. ... We need to get board members who are pro-education." Closing statement. "That is the most important thing, being creative and going into the 21st century ... Going to the top schools in Chester County ... find the best, model that. ... We have to partner with businesses."