This Tuesday, October 13th, Forks School’s PTA will be hosting a meet the candidates night for all School Board and Township candidates.
This event will take place in the school’s cafeteria with the following agenda:
7:30 Welcome from Mr. McCauley, Principal
8:00 Candidates Q&A
Please join me at this great event!
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Lawn signs are now available!
If you live in Forks, College Hill, Easton’s West Ward, or Martin’s Creek and would like a sign for your yard, please contact Sarah Bilotti and a campaign volunteer will deliver a sign right to your door!
Please be sure to include your address on the contact form located here: Contact Sarah
I recently took part in an interview with the Easton Area Education Association. Below are my responses to their questions.
Philosophy of Education
1. Why have you decided to be a candidate for the School Board?
I have a passion for education and feel that I can make a difference in our public schools. I currently am a school administrator and I feel that the logical next step for me is to become involved in my town’s own public schools. This desire to be a positive part of Easton’s public school system is what prompted me to run for the BOE.
2. What is your view on the purpose of education?
I believe that public schools are charged with creating unique, thoughtful, and responsible citizens. I believe that students have a right to an academically challenging program of study and that they should be educated in a manner that is effective for them and respects the diversity of all learners.
3. What are your top 5 objectives if elected to the school board?
If elected, I would like to ensure the following:
1. Instructional integrity
2. Compliance with state and federal regulations
3. High level of ethical integrity
4. An effective and efficient education for all students
5. To make a positive impact on the students of Easton
4. Do you oppose tax support of private and parochial schools through a system of tuition vouchers or tuition tax credits?
Yes!
While I respect a person’s right to send their child to private school, I do not agree that it should be at taxpayer expense. Public tax monies need to go to support our students at our local public schools.
5. Privatization, or the corporate takeover, of public services is receiving increasing attention. Would you oppose efforts to allow private companies to provide the services now offered by our public school district such as custodial, transportation, or food services?
Yes, I am opposed to this.
I do not agree with the privatization of public school services. However, I do support districts entering into shared services agreements and joint ventures with other government agencies (such as other LEAs, townships, etc.) to provide services and support for schools.
For example: sharing the costs of out-of-district transportation with neighboring schools with special education students attending the same out-of-district school, providing free use of facilities to a township in exchange for free snow-removal, buying energy or fuel in bulk in conjunction with another school district to save money, etc.
6. Do you have children in public schools or did you have children attend public schools when they were younger? Do you have children in private or parochial schools or did your children attend non-public schools when they were younger?
I do not have children, but if I did, I would proudly have them attend Easton schools.
7. Have you done volunteer work with public schools? PTA/PTO?
Yes!
I have done extensive volunteer work for both PTOs and Boards of Education. I have served on numerous committees as well as spent time volunteering directly with students through tutoring, adult education, reading engagements, and direct instruction for struggling students.
8. How would you respond to a parent who wants the district to limit access to, or remove books from, a school library?
First, I am a strong believer in chain-of-command; if a parent has a question, the parent needs to approach the classroom teacher first. I do not believe it is the role of a board member as an individual to respond to parent complaints or suggestions. If a parent came to me directly about this issue, I would refer the parent back to the librarian or building level principal.
If this were an issue being brought before the Board, I would first want to ensure that the current policies covering the selection and retention of library materials was current and in keeping with PA Regulations. It looks as if currently, BOE policies 105.1, 107, and 702 cover this topic. This policy sets forth a procedure that ensures that the books selected are:
“considered on the basis of content as a whole. Evaluations shall be based on the total effect of the material, not on the presence of words, phrases, or situations which might appear objectionable or taken out of context…evaluate[d] thoroughly any material which is manifestly unimportant, cheap and trivial, deliberately distorted, or sensationalistic, particularly in the areas of religion, sex/hygiene, race relations, political ideologies and fiction” and that while public suggestions are considered, they are not binding. (EASD Policy 107).
This policy also sets the framework for a book selection committee, comprised of “professionally-trained personnel employed by the district.” These committees may involve “principals, teachers, librarians, directors, and coordinators.” (EASD Policy 107)
That said, I think this policy clearly gives the discretion of library materials to the staff who serve on the library committee to choose and maintain the books they feel are appropriate and meaningful to the instruction of the students. I personally agree with this policy, the selection of library books should be left up to appropriate personnel who have been hired to provide their educational expertise to better the students of Easton.
Incidentally, the courts have ruled that schools may have items such as bibles, so-called ‘banned-books,’ and other controversial material available for borrow in public school libraries, citing that students have the choice of taking out said questionable material; therefore, the rights of a student are not violated simply by having the material present in the library.
School Funding
18. Tax reform is a subject of ongoing debate in the state Legislature. Do you think additional school tax reform is needed, and would you support completely eliminating the property tax?
I think that the governor is proposing some interesting funding ideas through the taxation of casinos in PA which could benefit both taxpayers and school districts alike. That said, I do not believe that eliminating property tax is an effective or efficient method by which to fund schools. I also would not support eliminating property tax and then substantially raising flat taxes, such as sales tax, to pay for public education.
19. The issue of education funding has been an ongoing debate in the legislature for many years. Would you support changes to Pennsylvania’s education funding formula that would both increase equity and the percentage of state support?
I do not support substantially raising flat taxes to pay for public education but I do support taxing things like casinos and slot machines to subsidize education.
I realize that the legislation mentioned in the next few questions has not passed into law; however, I hope that my answers help you further understand my views on schools and taxation.
20. The backend referendum requirements of Act 1 of Special Session 2006 prohibit school districts from raising taxes above a set rate unless the school board gains voter approval. Would you support seeking a referendum to increase taxes above the rate of inflation, if deemed necessary?
I would not compromise on instructional integrity or school safety. If data was shown to me that it was necessary to raise taxes above the rate of inflation in order to maintain high instructional standards, then I would do so.
21. Act 1 of Special Session 2006 permits school boards to raise tax rates up to the rate of inflation each year without seeking voter approval. Would you vote to increase taxes up to this rate on a consistent basis in order to ensure that no unnecessary cuts to the school districts’ educational program are required due to a failed referendum?
If this question is asking if I would inflate the budget one year in order to avoid the chance of a failed referendum in the next year, the answer is no. I believe that type of practice to be unethical.
I prefer a style of accounting that is more transparent and is clearly aligned with state and federal guidelines.
I believe that there is a balance between instructional integrity and fiscal responsibility; that said, I would not compromise on instruction or student safety.
22. Act 1 of Special Session 2006 does permit school boards with the ability to raise tax rates above the rate of inflation without seeking voter approval in limited instances, when school districts have what are deemed “exceptable” costs. Would you support seeking all available exceptions to avoid costly and polarizing backend referendum ballot questions?
I would not allow an administrator to manipulate the budget in order to circumvent state regulations. I believe that school boards have an ethical responsibility to the students, faculty, and community to represent themselves honestly and transparently. I also believe that boards need to ensure they are clearly operating within current state and federal regulations.
School Reform
13. There is much discussion of “education reform.” What would you consider to be the important elements of education reform?
I believe that the most critical element of education reform is providing an effective and competitive curriculum to our students. It is embarrassing that the United States scores so poorly in relation to the rest of the world’s pupils in comparative tests. I believe that teachers need to rethink the structure of their classrooms, collaborate with one another and with students and parents, and utilize scientifically-based approaches to instruction.
14. The terms “charter school” and “cyber school” are popular buzzwords in education. In some ways charter schools and cyber schools can serve a purpose to provide for experimentation in education, but in other instances it is a euphemism for corporate or private take-over of schools for profit. In either case, charter and cyber schools have diverted a large sum of money from public schools. Would you oppose efforts that permit individuals or corporations to form for profit charter or cyber schools?
I do not feel that taxpayers should take on the burden of providing for a private school under the guise of it being a ‘charter’ or ‘cyber’ school. I believe that students need to excel and be held to a high standard. I believe that tax money as well as local students should go to accredited public institutions. Spreading the money thinner by diverting it to charter or cyber schools is not the answer to improving our education system.
I understand that larger cities have been met with some limited success in their charter schools, especially those that are Middle States Accredited and that provide a niche curriculum designed to support particular student subgroups. I do not know that Easton has the resources or student population to support such entities.
15. Would you be willing to meet with our local association members, on a regular basis, to discuss issues of importance to children and education in our school district?
Yes, I am always willing to listen to stakeholders and I feel that Easton teachers hold the key to the district’s continued success.
16. Do you support all day kindergarten and reduced class size (classes no larger than 18-20) in grades K-3? If yes, what steps will you take to institute reduced class size within our school district?
I wholeheartedly support all-day kindergarten. In today’s technology-based society I feel that it is imperative for our students to start school with a strong instructional foundation. I also believe that there is a tremendous cost benefit as well as the obvious instructional benefit to full-day kindergarten in that it helps prepare students for the elementary grades and helps avoid remedial instruction in the future.
That said, I also support early intervention and early referral services to students age 3+. These services show an undeniable success rate which not only helps individual students to succeed but also helps avoid more costly remediation further along in their schooling.
I would need data on class sizes at Easton before I could objectionably answer the second part of this question. For example, I feel you need to consider multiple factors when determining class size such as student instructional level, additional available supports such as instructional aides or basic skills teachers who may be assigned to a classroom throughout the day, and inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. If a teacher has an instructional aide, a special education teacher, and a basic skills teacher assigned to his/her classroom s/he could manage quite well even with a class size of 22, but a teacher in an inclusion class without additional support might have a difficult time managing just 16 students.
Things that I have done in the past to reduce the instructional burden on classroom teachers include the inclusion of instructional aides, a sharing of support services among classrooms for core subject instruction, inclusion of reading specialists or remedial instructors, implementation of differentiated instructional programs such as balanced literacy and activity-based approaches to math and science, etc. In my experience, these types of strategies often yield a high benefit to student learning while maintaining efficiency.
17. Would you support and take steps to lower the Certified School Nurse (CSN) to student ratio? Current state law provides for one CSN for every 1500 students. Additionally would you consider instituting ratios for guidance counselors?
Local boards of education may choose to go above and beyond current CSN ratios and I believe that Easton has done just that. I would not support lowering Easton’s number of nurses to fall in line with that ratio as I feel it would negatively impact student safety.
I would look to national school guidance counselor associations for recommendations on the ratio of guidance counselors to students. I am not sure that instituting ratios has benefitted students, especially in the case of the CSN ratios. I firmly believe that you must have data in order to make informed decisions; therefore, I would also look at data from the nurses and guidance counselors themselves as well as from building administration showing statistics to determine EASD’s guidance and nursing needs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOCAL PRINCIPAL TO RUN FOR EASTON SCHOOL BOARD
Sarah Bilotti, College Hill Resident, Announces bid for Easton Region III School Director Seat
Sarah Bilotti, Principal of Greenwich Elementary School in Stewartsville New Jersey, announces her bid for a seat on Easton Area School District’s School Board. Bilotti, a life-long Easton Area resident, will run for one of the two available Region III seats.
Bilotti has lived in Region III her entire life. She grew up in Martin’s Creek before earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Penn State University. She then moved to Easton’s College Hill neighborhood and earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University.
Sarah Bilotti feels that her experiences as a school administrator will give her unique insight into Easton’s budget and curriculum and will allow her to be a valuable member of Easton’s School Board. Bilotti was a Special Education Teacher before stepping into her current role as Elementary School Principal in the neighboring town of Stewartsville, New Jersey.
Instructional integrity and fiscal accountability are two facets of Bilotti’s campaign. She feels that Easton’s School Board needs to meet the needs of all students by upholding high standards for instruction while maintaining transparency and accountability within the budget and district spending.
School Board members have three primary responsibilities: setting policy, planning, and evaluating results.
Easton Area School District is split into three regions (Region I, Region II, and Region III).
Sarah Bilotti has lived in Region III her entire life. Region III consists of Lower Mount Bethel Township (including Martin’s Creek), Forks Township, College Hill, and the West Ward.
Ms. Bilotti grew up in Martin’s Creek and currently lives in College Hill. She attended Easton Area School District Schools from Kindergarten through 12th Grade including attendance at Edward Tracy Elementary School, Easton Middle School, Shawnee Intermediate School, and Easton Area High School.
