Carly Taylor is a Democrat and Hilltown Township resident.
Why do you think you are qualified to effectively represent your community on the school board?
I am a former laboratory manager, where I primarily focused on process improvement, training, and compliance. There, I learned an understanding of balancing business needs with the needs of employees while working within a budget. I have lived in Bucks County for most of my life and now have a 5-year-old daughter at Pennridge. I have built a career as a horse trainer and a vet assistant for an equine dentist in Bucks County where I interact with the community daily.
Over the past few years we have seen attempts by some school boards across Bucks County, as well as Pennsylvania 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?
Administrators and librarians should be trusted to make decisions regarding the books our children access. School board directors should hold them accountable by reviewing additions and removals from our libraries.
INTERVIEW: This Pennridge Dad Took His Child’s School District to Court to Uncover a Secret Book Banning Scheme
There should be a clear process for parents to provide their comments and concerns on any literature, as well as a transparent opt-out process if a parent feels content is inappropriate for their child. I will work to ensure these things are true for our district.
Decreasing teacher and staff retention is a growing issue school districts are facing. What is your role in the recruiting, interviewing and hiring process and what role can a school board serve to reverse this trend?
Ensuring our teachers and staff feel both supported and well resourced is an important factor in attracting and retaining new talent. Our district lost credibility and trust with the Vermillion contract, which damaged our ability to attract larger pools of candidates. Negotiating fair contracts for teachers and staff, considering their perspectives in curriculum and policy creation and creating meaningful training programs are some of the things a school board can do to attract high quality teachers and staff.
Funding programs like full-day kindergarten, attracting high quality teachers and staff and providing varied paths to student success are just some of the things I see great value in investing in.
What is the school board’s biggest challenge(s) in the coming months; the next four years?
Short term challenges the district faces are rising cost of goods and services, aging infrastructure and supporting the new full-day kindergarten program. Long term challenges include uncertain state and federal funding structures, along with aging infrastructure and population decline.
How will you work with administrators and fellow board members to address the district’s biggest challenges in the short and long term?
Responsible financial planning is paramount in the face of economic uncertainty in order to manage the tax burden. We need to work together to make fiscally sound decisions which invest in our schools and foster community pride. Unfortunately, poor budget management by the previous board majority has left our district falling behind in areas such as teacher pay/retention and infrastructure maintenance. Wasteful contracts and policies were entered into which saw tax dollars used irresponsibly and opened the district up to legal and financial problems. Funding programs like full-day kindergarten, attracting high quality teachers and staff and providing varied paths to student success are just some of the things I see great value in investing in. Working with the administration to continually evaluate staffing and resources will be a primary focus. The school board needs to hold the administration accountable in providing accurate data and assessments so informed decisions can be made on funding the district. School board directors can also work with state and national representatives to advocate for necessary funding and reform which strengthens our public school system.
On September 30, from 7-9 p.m., there will be a Pennridge School Board Candidate Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bucks County. For more information visit: https://my.lwv.org/pennsylvania/bucks-county/event/pennridge-school-board-candidate-forum
