| E L E C T |
| SPINOLA |
| PV School Board |
Thank you for your vote!
This site sponsored and approved by candidate - NOT OFFICIALLY AFFILIATED WITH PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Providing property tax relief and reforming the current property tax system is a highly visible issue. What do you believe is the best way to resolve this issue?
As a candidate for State Representative in 2004, my platform was based on ELIMINATING property tax and expanding state sales tax. Calculations at the time indicated expanding a sales tax to all items would generate approximately $11 billion annually. Local property taxes generated $10 billion at the time. The excess $1 billion would be used to provide rebates to senior citizens and low-income families to offset any additional sales tax they may be paying. This plan would allow education to be funded not only by residents but also by tourists who visit our community. With property taxes you never truly own your home. With a sales tax you can control how much you want to spend and therefore, how much tax you will pay. We only have so much control on the local level. We need to lobby Harrisburg to change the educational funding formula and eliminate property taxes. Until that happens, I will be a fiscal watchdog, keeping a tight rein on expenditures in the district. This will start with contract negotiations, where 80% of our expenditures go towards. Our student population has decreased by 40% yet our budget has increase almost 15% since I left the board. That is not acceptable and that is why I'm coming back.
The quality of education in our school district is very important. What are your plans for improving the quality of education in your school district?
Pleasant Valley already provides a quality education to its students as evidenced by our PSSA test results which have improved an average of 2% per year. And our Keystone test results are 5% better than the state average. That being said, we need to be wary of judging our success only on standardized tests. With a 93% graduation rate, we are doing good but we can always strive to do better.Announcements at our school board meetings or perusing the local newspaper reveal the successes of our graduates. One of my greatest joys is hearing about PV students and graduates succeeding. In terms of improving, we must continue cross-curricular development: where correct spelling and grammar are required in all classes and where math skills are used in other classes.
Security is also a concern in todays world. What are your plans for improving security in your school district?
I am proud to say that Pleasant Valley has been very proactive about school security, not only recently, but for many years. Since 2005 we have instituted an armed school police department. Since then we have added enough personnel to cover all our schools. And all of these school police officers have many years of professional experience. Our school police officers are supplemented with school security officers who are unarmed but in communication with the police department. As you can understand, we do not publicize the specifics of our security operations in order to maintain the integrity of these procedures but rest assured, we are being as proactive as possible and continually upgrading our systems and procedures.What distinguishes you from the other candidates seeking seats on the board?
I have been the ONLY board member to vote against ALL the tax increases proposed in the district. Tax and spend must stop and I have a proven record of voting against tax increases. I take the work of the school board seriously and will look out for the taxpayer while balancing the needs of the students.
As an involved parent, a former PV school board member, a former substitute teacher, a sports coach, a musician, a school architect and a taxpayer, I have the unique experience of seeing educational issues from a multifaceted perspective. Of course I want the best education for all our children. Children are our future and the investment in their education will benefit society as a whole.
I see my position as a school director as a steward of the community. It is a responsibility I do not take lightly. The school board has the greatest influence on the taxes our community pays. We need school directors who can balance the educational needs of our children with the tax burden our citizens can handle.
Now, more than ever, we need a school board that will not go along with the status quo but who will look at every expenditure and prioritize its educational benefit versus its cost. As a former substitute teacher in New Jersey, I have seen the needs in the classroom and this gives me a unique perspective in helping to prioritize educational needs. As a former youth football, wrestling and baseball coach, I recognize the importance of athletics and the discipline and team building benefits it brings to students. As an architect involved in the design of schools, as well as hospitals and churches, I have experience in finding ways to eliminate construction while reducing long-term operating costs. During my tenure as a board member, we helped reduce costs by reconfiguring students around the district. This helped balance the classroom student/teacher ratios and better utilized classroom space around the district while eliminating needless construction. I will always be looking for cost savings. And as a taxpayer, I also have a personal interest in keeping costs down for all of us.
More information will be added to this site daily based on the feedback and questions I receive from the community so check back often!
| E L E C T |
| SPINOLA |
| PV School Board |
Thank you for your vote!
This site sponsored and approved by candidate - NOT OFFICIALLY AFFILIATED WITH PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
