Pennsbury School Board Race Opens

From the BCCT.

Campbell running for school board
The founder of StopTeacherStrikes.com says he supports interactive public comment sessions at meetings and more parental access and input.
By MANASEE WAGH

Teachers strike opponent and Pennsbury parent Simon Campbell is running for a seat on the school board.

A proponent of political change in the district and the state, the Republican wants to run in the upcoming election because he wants to see better financial management and improved test scores, he said.

“It’s a critical time at Pennsbury because there’s a lot of pressure on school boards to be fiscally responsible. We don’t believe the board’s being fiscally responsible. We’ve got sleeping students, [inadequate] academic performances, not enough public transparency in the district,” he said.

Campbell supports interactive public comment sessions at board meetings and more parental access and input, he said.

The Lower Makefield resident has raised his voice against teacher strikes in Pennsylvania, one of 13 states that allow them.

He is the founder of StopTeacherStrikes.com, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending strikes and to making the public more aware of what he terms “compulsory unionism,” the fee that non-union teachers have to pay in Pennsbury for union benefits such as contract negotiation.

He has been extremely vocal in the community since 2005, when Pennsbury teachers went on strike for 21 days over a salary and benefits dispute.

Their contracts again are due to expire this summer. At the school board’s request, the Pennsbury Education Association voted to agree to extend the current contract and freeze cost of living increases for one year. Teachers at the top of the pay scale — more than half — would not get raises, though educational attainment and longevity increases still would be in effect.

The board plans to ratify the agreement later this month.

If passed, the contract extension would still cost taxpayers about $1.1 million.

Campbell is against allowing the union to contribute employee contributions to the union’s political action committee. His contention is that teachers unions influence political figures far too much, making it difficult to pass pending legislation to create a new bargaining method preventing strikes.

Originally from England, Campbell recently became a U.S. citizen.

“He’s a very active and visible community member, and I don’t really have an opinion,” said board member Linda Palsky. “I know he’s very informed and active and he has a desire to serve his community. He seems to be a reasonable, intelligent guy and I guess he feels he has something to offer.”