Colonial School District School Board Candidates

Congressional representatives get paid. State representatives and state senators get paid. Most township officials and mayors get paid. The people who really get stuck with a demanding job and absolutely no money in return are the people who serve on the school board. It is a thankless job; no matter what you do someone is unhappy with you. The hours are long, the meetings are many, and the parents (I say this being a parent) are seldom, if ever, satisfied.

To take one district as an example, the Colonial School District School Board

The nine members of the Colonial School Board are elected at large to serve the citizens of Conshohocken Borough and Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships. The term of a board member is four years and the only compensation is the satisfaction of service to the community. The time commitment of a board member is significant. During the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years nearly 275 meetings were attended by members of the board. Appearances at official ceremonies and school functions and committee meetings for outside organizations take up additional time.

The district's school report card, like all school districts in the state, is on the Internet.

This year five candidates, Fred Dugan, Dave Reppert, Chrystal Taylor, Frank Gillen, and Jerry Glick, are running as a team, calling themselves The Right Team. I salute their foray into the political arena and wish them well.