Liz K. Sheehan is vice president of New Hope-Solebury Board of Directors and is seeking reelection.
Why do you think you are qualified to effectively represent your community on the school board?
If re-elected, I would be serving my third term on the New Hope-Solebury Board of School Directors. During the past eight years I have served on our Curriculum Advisory and Policy Committees, as the liaison to the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, and remain the founding co-Chair of our Equity Committee, established in 2020. I am a parent of a recent graduate and continue to be a frequent volunteer with the district’s theater program. I have learned a great deal about board governance and district relationships and have worked hard to represent the interests of our community with objectivity, transparency, and good character.
Over the past few years, we have seen attempts by some school boards across Bucks County, as well as PA and the country, to either unilaterally ban books or make it easier for community members to challenge and have books banned, often by usurping the authority of librarians and administrative leadership. What is your position on book banning, and how will you implement policies to support faculty and students?
NHSD has had a long-standing policy around the selection of library books and instructional materials and has always acknowledged the right of parents to restrict titles for their own students in consultation with our librarians. After the more recent and widespread book banning attempts, we revisited these policies and updated the procedure by which challenges are processed, forming a review committee of teachers, administrators, district representatives and community librarians.
READ: The Quiet Creep of Censorship: How ‘Everyday Banning’ Is Reshaping American Schools
As a board member, I strongly support the professional judgement of our district librarians and their responsibility to uphold the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read statement, as well as the 1st Amendment rights of our students. We take great pride in the diversity of our library holdings and in the strength of our reading programs.
Decreasing teacher and staff retention is also a growing issue that school districts are facing. What is your role in the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring process, and what role can a school board play to reverse this trend?
Our board members have served for many years on hiring committees at the administrative level. We are fortunate to share input in the staffing process in order to help maintain alignment with the district’s culture and mission. During my tenure we have worked to broaden our recruiting reach, to support innovation in our HR office, and most importantly, to promote a positive and collaborative district culture that both attracts new hires and retains long-serving staff and faculty members. In practice, this includes supporting faculty continuing education; negotiating fair contracts with benchmarked salaries and benefits; prioritizing open communication; and paying attention to faculty and staff wellness and professional development.
Meeting the social and emotional needs of our students is an ongoing concern – addressing student wellness, screen usage, and appropriate inclusion of AI in the curriculum are all focal points for the next four years.
What are the school board’s biggest challenges in the coming months; over the next four years?
Although not a significant part of our budget, the delay in funding from federal and state sources is a near-term challenge in a time when every dollar counts. Financial and demographic projections for the next four years will require renewed attention to right-sizing spending. Additionally, meeting the social and emotional needs of our students is an ongoing concern – addressing student wellness, screen usage, and appropriate inclusion of AI in the curriculum are all focal points for the next four years.
How will you work with administrators and fellow board members to address the district’s biggest challenges?
I will continue to prioritize relationships with our legislators to keep them aware of the challenges faced both in NHSD and across the county and state. We also work diligently within our community to build both revenue sources and business connections that serve our administrators and students. Our superintendent has done a wonderful job providing avenues for community involvement, and as board members we work as a team to maintain these relationships to increase awareness of district achievements. The district’s biggest challenges require all of us to stay informed and connected, and I look forward to continuing to play a role in that network for the benefit of our students.
