Bradley Merkl-Gump is a dedicated educator and public servant currently serving as a director on the Pennridge School Board. An 8th-grade U.S. History teacher in the Perkiomen Valley School District, he brings a classroom-level perspective to state governance, specifically regarding the “fair funding” of Pennsylvania’s public schools. Merkl-Gump was elected to the Pennridge board in 2023 on a platform of restoring trust in teachers and prioritizing student-centered curriculum. He is now running for State Senate to represent northern Bucks and Lehigh counties, positioning himself as a bridge between educational policy and legislative reform.
Reason and common sense are guiding decisions again as the school board turns to teachers and administrators – not right-wing Christian groups or Moms for Liberty – to regulate classrooms and school policy.
An interview with Dawn Curran, Emily Smith, and Kevin Foster about their successful campaign to return responsible leadership to Pennridge school board.
A top goal of the new board, led by Democratic President Ron Wurz and Republican Vice President Christine Batycki, is to support all students in the district.
Over the last several months, school board meetings have been marked by intense disagreements among directors, highlighting what became a stubborn 5 to 4 majority split.
Voters were motivated to elect new school board leadership following radical changes to policies, curriculum, and a complete lack of transparency and decorum.
Inaccuracies, a lack of resources, content, and little time to prepare were some of the chief complaints about the new curriculum that’s being forced on Pennridge teachers and students.
An interactive tool provided by the Committee of Seventy in collaboration with the Bucks County Beacon.
An interactive tool provided by the Committee of Seventy in collaboration with the Bucks County Beacon.
