Editor's Note: This story has been updated to add the comments of Republicans Natalya Khavulya and Jonathan Seamans.
It will be a busy election year in the Council Rock School District as voters get ready to decide six of the nine seats on the school board.
Like many school districts across Pennsylvania, Council Rock officials are grappling with issues of learning loss from the pandemic, trying to keep school buildings and other facilities up to date and passing annual budgets amid rising expenses and difficulty finding teachers and other staff. Republicans currently hold a 6-3 advantage over Democrats on the board.
Democrat Tracey Osecki and Republican Natalya Khavulya are squaring off in a region where Democratic incumbent Mariann McKee is not running for reelection. Osecki cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries while Khavulya is only running in the Republican race.
Osecki formerly worked in private equity and since has been an active community volunteer in Newtown Borough.
"I want our district to be known for the opportunities we offer our students and for their accomplishments, not for extremism or discrimination lawsuits that have plagued some of our neighboring districts and endanger our property values," she said.
"In my career in private equity, I helped broker deals that had many stakeholders. I supported compromise and made sure every voice was heard and respected. I reviewed company budgets and contract bids, and I will be able to make sure our district's funding is used wisely and for the benefit of our students."
Osecki emphasized that decisions made in Council Rock should always prioritize the students.
"The pandemic has left our students with learning gaps and our district with staffing shortages," she said. "We need to work together to solve these problems, not finger point. Parents should be respected, teachers should be valued, and tax money should be spent thoughtfully and strategically. We need to model respect for each other so our children learn collaboration and problem solving for the real world."
Republican Natalya Khavulya, who works in the information technology field managing global scale system implementations, said she is running for school board after learning how schools operate and wanting to stay involved to make sure students are getting the best education.
"Schools should be brought back to a state where they are respected institutions whose sole purpose is to educate kids with the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful adults," she said. "To that extent, schools are also the centerstone and fundamental entitites within our communtiy. It is critical to maintain high standards and quality school districts to ensure future prosperity in the community."
Khavulya said her job involves formulating plans and driving them through to deployment, and along the way managing budgets and resources, among other tasks. All those skills would translate well to the school board, she feels.
"In my role, I need to make sure that I communicate clearly, effectively, and am able to work collaboratively with team members to achieve our objectives," she stated. "I am well versed in being able to work with others. I am reasonable, I listen to what others have to say and am eager to learn and will always make decisions on what I truly feel is the best path forward."
Khavulya said she would place high priorities on maintaining high educational standards, communication and transparency and making sure spending is prioritized based on need and value.
"Programs need to be robust and challenging," she said. "Parents need to be involved in their children's education. Education needs to be adaptable to support changes in the career and employment landscape. It is important for the school to communicate appropriately with both community members (without kids) and families, and also important that parents are engaged and involved, appropriately.
"We also need to create efficiencies in order to reduce spending and leverage the budget for important projects."
Democratic incumbent Ed Tate, a director of communications and marketing for three Bucks County nonprofits, said he believes his institutional knowledge and memory gained over the last seven years has become increasingly valuable on the school board.
"I bring a unique perspective gained by experience and many hours in meetings and Council Rock schools," he said. "I am also concerned that school boards have become increasingly politicized and less collegial. My intent always has been to encourage civility and collaboration."
Tate added the greatest challenge facing Council Rock is "effectively managing our budget to maintain the excellent academics in Council Rock while minimizing the tax levies needed to properly support the district."
"I understand how a board of directors should function," he said. "That means respecting the line between governance and management. It is our role to lead the district on a strategic level and support the people we choose, who are experts in education, to manage our operations."
Tate cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Republican challenger Jonathan Seamans is only running on the Republican side. He's the director of finance and budget at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs and believes the skills he uses on the job and also his role as a father, husband, brother friend and neighbor would play a big role "In who I am and how I would perform as a school board director."
"I have worked hard over the years to become a good listener, and I believe that is a skill in need on the school board," he said. "That is listening to everyone, not just those who agree with me. I am a pragmatic thinker. Today, more then ever, we need sensible, realistic solutions to the problems we face, rather than theoretical pie in the sky suggestions."
Seeing the impact school board decisions had on everyone during the pandemic played a significant role in his decision to run, Seamans noted.
"For a host of reasons — our children's future, our home values and our property taxes among them — no other elected body has a bigger impact on our families and community than the school board," he said. "I want to help our community by representing all the families of Council Rock."
First and foremost among Seamans' priorities would be to make sure schools always remain open for learning, he emphasized.
"For me, the main lesson of the pandemic was that we did not put the children's needs first when the decision was made to close the schools for in-person learning, and to keep them closed for a year," he said. "We are now dealing with the learning loss and other associated after effects caused by those closures, and we need to develop strategies for dealing with that right away.
"Second, I think we need to always have our most vulnerable students at the top of our minds when we make decisions, and for the school board that means our special needs students. There were so many heartbreaking stories during the pandemic of parents dealing with almost impossible decisions for their children with special needs and trying to succeed in spite of school board decisions. That should never happen again."
Republican incumbent and financial advisor Joseph Hidalgo said he believes he brings a wide range of perspectives and skills to the school board.
"I was educated and worked as an environmental consultant before taking up a successful career as a financial advisor," he said. "This technical, scientific background and finance training has given me the tools to dig in and see situations from a unique perspective. I am comfortable asking questions, thinking through challenges and offering solutions."
As the last of eight children of a first-generation American on his father's side, Hidalgo added he brings empathy to the table from experiencing life "through different lenses, which allows me to share and understand the feelings of others."
The biggest problems in Council Rock, as in the entire nation, are the "swings in the economic cycle," according to Hidalgo.
"Managing the budget with fiscal responsibility while providing the administration with the tools and resources they require to sustain and enhance the educational services we provide to the children in our community is always a give-and-take challenge," he said. "I've always said that a happy child is a child who will learn. We must do our best to provide and encourage a culture of self-respect and respect for others regardless of differences."
Both Hidalgo and Democratic challenger Matthew Laskowski have cross-filed to run in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.
Laskowski, project manager at a major health care company, said he believes his organizational and other skills will be an asset to the board in "working together with others toward a common mission and for a common good."
"The last few years have reminded me not to take anything for granted," he said. "In preparing for my campaign, I reviewed years of school board meetings and decisions. That, coupled with the current movements to ban books and politicize children's education, have given me concern about the future of the district. I want to give back to the district what so many teachers, administrators, support staff and community members provided me, a great education and environment in which I felt safe to grow."
More frequent analysis of district finances is in order, Laskowski added.
"The decisions made today regarding hiring, programs and capital improvements need to have both short and long-term assessments," he said. "Seeing the big picture has always been my forte. Not only do our students' future lives depend on us getting it right, the home values of our area residents are tied closely to the performance and reputation of the district."
Republican incumbent and school board President Ed Salamon said his five years on the board have made him well equipped for the role moving forward.
"This has positioned me well to continue but never forgetting it has to be about the kids," said Salamon, a former Philadelphia police officer who now works in public education. "My ability to have the tough discussions with my colleagues and the administrative team, while balancing and staying focused on budgetary responsibilities has positioned me well in a leadership role the last three years."
The pandemic changed education in a profound way, Salamon added.
"It's a different world," he said. "Things have changed, and our kids have to be the focus of this change. What's best for the kids has always been my No. 1 issue. With that being said, the budget funds everything for the students. Good quality, conservative budgets with attention to detail are a must.
Digging down, reviewing expenditures and finding new revenue streams has to be a priority.
"It's time for a full curriculum review and to conduct an in-depth analysis of how we can find some efficiencies within the budget without affecting the quality of education. We have to be careful about taxing near the Act 1 index. This would directly affect the largest percentage of our taxpayers, those taxpayers without kids in our schools."
Salamon has cross-filed to run in both primaries while his Democratic challenger Linda Stone is running only on the Democratic side.
A substitute teacher and former human resources professional, Stone said she believes her life and work experience over the years has allowed her to become both pragmatic and strategic in finding solutions to challenges.
"I would use these experiences to bring reason to decision making on the board," she said. "My experience raising children and as a substitute teacher has given me great insight into the challenges teachers face. My work in the homeless shelter in Lower Bucks allowed me to recognize that no matter the circumstances, all children deserve leaders who put them first."
Providing students with a high-quality education in a safe environment will be her focus, Stone added.
"I am deeply concerned with the national trend of banning books, censorship and avoiding historically accurate teaching," she said. "Those trends, supported by extremist groups, are undermining the educational standards of our schools and the safety of our children and communities.
"Our goal should be to prepare children for a successful future in our diverse world, with an emphasis on the skills needed to get there: critical thinking, problem solving and a passion for learning. I would ensure that the board is not influenced by extremist groups that want to limit access to age appropriate information, and who want to politicize our school decision making."
Republican Anne Horner and Democrat Kimberly Winnick have both cross-filed to run in both primaries in a region where Republican incumbent Michael Thorwart chose not to run for reelection.
Horner, an independent consultant, praised the education her child received in Council Rock and the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology.
"However, recent events have caused my concern, and I felt the need to step up," she said. "There is now a generation of students who have had their education disrupted and I believe my business and life experiences will be an asset for the board to help get our children back on track.
"I have a well-rounded background and have the capability to make informed decisions for the benefit of students, teachers and the community. I am eager to contribute my knowledge and experience to the school board."
Learning loss due to the pandemic is a very big challenge facing Council Rock, Horner continued.
"We need innovative strategies to encourage current and future students to focus on core academic subjects and ensure that our educational curriculum is relevant and engaging," she said. "It is also imperative to expose students at a young age to alternative career choices, especially the trades, and not only focus on higher education."
Winnick is the marketing director for WXPN, the radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.
"I want our district to continue to be recognized for and focused on outstanding academics and student outcomes, and not fall victim to the extreme partisan policies, book bans and history revisions happening across the nation," she said. "As the mother of three children with special needs, I spent nearly two decades as a parent advocate collaborating with educators and administrators in the district to provide the varying levels of support my kids needed. I know first hand the value of parent input in student outcomes."
Winnick added her biggest priority would be "keeping our school board focused on ensuring all our children get a world-class education that prepares them for future success."
"Empowering every student with the academic, problem solving and teamwork skills they need to reach their full potential is critical," she said. "For me, this means prioritizing excellence in our curriculum, building an environment that promotes critical thinking and mutual respect, and showing that we value all our students."
Republican incumbent Stephen Nowmos and Democratic challenger Nicole Khan have both cross-filed to run in both primaries. Nowmos was appointed to the board earlier this year to fill the vacancy created when Republican Kristin Marcell resigned to devote her time to her new role as state representative in the 178th Legislative District.
Khan lost to Marcell by only seven votes in the 2021 school board election. Whoever wins this year will serve until the board reorganization meeting in early December of 2025, the remainder of Marcell's unexpired term.
Nowmos, a pharmacist working in the industry on breast cancer research and a former school board member in Bensalem before moving into the Council Rock district, said his various experiences including on a previous board will continue to be valuable in Council Rock.
"I want to be able to represent the constituents of my region, both the parents of the students and the (other) taxpayers," he said. "I find the biggest issues currently are finding efficiencies to control expenditures while maintaining high quality education, and assuring there is transparency between the schools and parents regarding all curricular activities and school functions."
Khan is a former elementary school teacher who has been a stay-at-home mom since having a son nine years ago.
"I have been actively involved with local school board matters and have attended CR school board meetings regularly for the past three years," she said. "I have a deep passion for education and am keenly aware of the difficulties, challenges and hard work it takes to have high achieving schools."
An early childhood spent in and out of foster homes has given Khan an especially deep appreciation for the value of a good education, she added.
Among the biggest challenges facing Council Rock are learning loss, mental health, school safety and keeping the focus on education rather than divisive political diversions, Khan stated.
"All parents want the best for their children and like most, our family came to CR for the educational excellence it offers, she said. "We must nurture a safe, inclusive learning environment where every student feels welcome and respected and where our children become critical thinkers who will be successful members of the local and global community."
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