Election 2023: (UPDATED) Where Do Saucon Valley School Board Candidates Stand?

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Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a single set of answers submitted after our Monday deadline by the slate of five incumbent candidates. The slate includes Susan Baxter, Bryan Eichfeld, Michael Karabin, Shawn Welch and Laurel Erickson-Parsons.

Saucon Source recently asked the nine candidates running for five seats on the Saucon Valley School District Board of Directors to answer the same questions, to help our readers be better informed about this important local race.

Their answers appear below, along with a photo of the corresponding candidate (if provided) and links to additional information on campaign sites/social media and email contacts (if provided).

The answers below have been edited for grammar, punctuation and editorial style.

Note: Pennsylvania has a closed primary system in which only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote for candidates from within their own party. In Pennsylvania, most school board candidates are also cross-filed in the primary election, meaning that they appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. If a primary candidate received enough votes to win in both the Republican and Democratic primaries, they appear on the fall ballot under the party from which they received a higher total number of votes (listed as Democrat/Republican or vice versa).

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling station, check your voter registration status and view additional information at Vote.PA.gov.

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Vivian A. Demko (D)

Discrimination and bullying–including cyberbullying–are issues in schools that concern many parents, including parents of students who are members of a religious, ethnic or racial minority group and/or identify as members of the LGBTQ community. What do you believe Saucon Valley is doing/not doing well to combat bullying, and what do you think the district could do better? How would you advocate for students affected by bullying/discrimination if elected?

As a school board candidate, many community members offer anecdotal incidents regarding bullying and discrimination. Without the ability to learn of the investigations into such claims, it would be inappropriate to determine the legitimacy. They claim the district is “sweeping it under the carpet.” The latest Safe Schools Report indicates two incidents of bullying and 11 incidents of “All Other Forms of Harassment/Intimidation.” These numbers are for the entire district for a year and may support parents’ contention. Most concerning is the Race/Ethnicity Report of offenders. The following enrollment data is from U.S. News & World reports for 2018-2019. The Safe Schools Report provided offender numbers. It certainly appears that certain racial groups are proportionally being overidentified.

White: Enrollment 80.8 percent – Offenders 58.46 percent
Black/African American: Enrollment 1.4 percent – Offenders 3.08 percent
Hispanic: Enrollment 9.8 percent – Offenders 20 percent
Multi-Racial: Enrollment 4.9 percent – Offenders 6.15 percent*

Any discrimination regarding targeting any group needs to be addressed. Training for all stakeholders, student support groups, listening to parent/student concerns and hiring an outside group to analyze the district are all possible actions.

The controversy about an extracurricular group known as the After School Satan Club earlier this year attracted negative national headlines, drew protesters to the district, resulted in bitter recriminations on both sides of the issue and ultimately proved a distraction from the district’s mission to educate all students. What is your interpretation of how this chapter in district history was handled and do you think it could have been handled better? Please explain why/why not.

The After School Satan Club is the latest chapter in Saucon Valley’s never-ending book of disruptions. When serving as a School Board Director, personal beliefs and feelings must be set aside to make rational, lawful decisions. As a lifelong resident, I understand that some do not readily accept differences. A weak argument was presented based on a required disclaimer–stating that the club was not a district-sponsored club–allegedly being missing. It was not. The courts determined that the district acted unlawfully. The board spent $8,200 for the unwinnable legal battle. The group should have been permitted to meet on district property per the policy. Community members’ concerns should have been addressed, indicating that the law permits groups to meet and that there is no choice. Additional precautions during the club’s meeting times could have been implemented. The Satan Club fiasco led to another chapter. The policy on meeting on school grounds has significantly changed. It has caused many groups, which support all members of our school community, to be displaced regarding meeting times and affected the ability to send home flyers.

The Saucon Valley School District is one of the largest employers in Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township, as well as a community hub for athletics, the arts and civic pride. Do you believe that the district currently does a good job of communicating news and information with all residents? Why or why not? If you think there could be improvements in communications, what would you like to see changed and how would you work toward that goal on the board?

The district does not do an adequate job of communicating with all residents. Community members feel offended when addressing the board and receiving no response. Some board members are openly and verbally hostile to community members. As a community member, not a parent, my tax bill is the only communication received from the district. The community members have no idea what is happening in the school and thus only refer to the taxes. The school district hired a communications firm and has addressed some communication issues since late October. As a board director, you must consistently listen to those you represent, not just at election time. Hold public meetings as an opportunity for the public to address their concerns. Schedule committee meetings at an appropriate time to encourage attendance and record these public meetings so all can hear the discussions. Hold meetings with the administrators and teachers to listen to their input. Consistently update the website with current and relevant information. Listening and responding to the community’s communication needs is imperative.

Please discuss your life, professional, volunteer and other experiences and any other relevant skills or personal qualities. How you think they will be an asset to the district if you’re elected?

I am a lifelong community resident. I have served in various capacities throughout my 28-year teaching career at Saucon Valley. Leadership positions included Instructional Coach, Coordinator of Academic Services and serving in Saucon Valley Education Association positions. I hold a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees–one in curriculum and one in instruction. I am an Orton-Gillingham teacher of reading. I am the founder of Buy Nothing Hellertown/Lower Saucon, a group with over 2,000 members who gift items, keeping unwanted items out of the landfill. I am a member of the Friends of the Hellertown Area Library, a board member of the Hellertown Historical Society and a member of their Education Committee. I volunteer with Neighbors Helping Neighbors group, Blessing Boxes group and I Want to Mow Your Lawn group. I also help maintain the Free Little Libraries. Although I have lived in Lower Saucon or Hellertown my entire life, I travel extensively, experiencing and learning about other cultures. My extensive knowledge of this community and the schools offers an excellent asset to the district I wish to serve.

Campaign website: Saucon Choices for Change
Campaign social media: Saucon Choices for Change (Facebook page)
Email address: Vi*************@gm***.com

*Note: These numbers have not been independently verified by Saucon Source.

Jay Santos (D)

Discrimination and bullying–including cyberbullying–are issues in schools that concern many parents, including parents of students who are members of a religious, ethnic or racial minority
group and/or identify as members of the LGBTQ community. What do you believe Saucon Valley is doing/not doing well to combat bullying, and what do you think the district could do better? How would you advocate for students affected by bullying/discrimination if elected?

Personally, I don’t believe the current board has any time to worry about the students, what they’re learning or their overall experience. The board has been embroiled with too many controversial issues to focus on what’s important, which is the well-being and education of our students. They have just recently looked into/hired a curriculum subject matter expert. This was due to persistent parents advocating and fighting for their children. Parents shouldn’t have to beg the board to work with them. The board works for their constituents, not the other way around, and that includes the students. Bullying, along with Prom funding and the student’s yearbooks, is most likely the last thing on their minds.

The controversy about an extracurricular group known as the After School Satan Club earlier this year attracted negative national headlines, drew protesters to the district, resulted in bitter
recriminations on both sides of the issue and ultimately proved a distraction from the district’s mission to educate all students. What is your interpretation of how this chapter in district history was handled and do you think it could have been handled better? Please explain why/why not.

Clearly it was handled poorly. The district opened itself up to lawsuit and lost a $200,000 settlement, plus attorney fees.* If that’s success, then I would hate to see what failure looks likes. The fact of the matter is that we’re dealing with a board who knows nothing about the law and makes arbitrary decisions with no planning. The board will have spent $1.6 million on settlements and lawyers’ fees in the past four years, but will complain about permanently hiring critical staff like substitute teachers. They mismanaged this situation, like they’ve mismanaged the budget and the
student’s curriculum.

Communication is the board’s biggest problem. The board has a hard time communicating important and pertinent information. When I was in school, there would be a newsletter that was sent out on a monthly basis, just to address some of the activities and events that were occurring that month. This was sent home with me and allowed me and the family to better know what was happening in the community. Personally, I haven’t seen any such communications being sent home with my son, nor have I heard of any efforts to better communicate with the public. Given all of the recent events, it seems to me that the board would rather communicate as little as possible with the public for fear of another lawsuit.

Please discuss your life, professional, volunteer and other experiences and any other relevant skills or personal qualities. How you think they will be an asset to the district if you’re elected?

I have had eight years of experience in the Business Intelligence field as a Computer Scientist. I have worked with and led teams to partner with public entities and deliver solutions based on their requirements. I have worked as a paralegal for over three years and have read many briefs and case law. Not only do I have the business acumen to make sure our district is capitalizing from the best circumstances, but I also have enough legal background to understand how the law actually works and I will fight for our students using those skills, rather than ignore them.

*Note: These numbers have not been independently verified by Saucon Source.

Bill Broun (D)

Racialized bullying in Saucon Valley attracted national media attention a few years ago. That controversy spurred some decent efforts to address bullying in the district, but those efforts have now faded. Like so many issues in the district, we’ve taken our eyes off the ball because we’re so distracted. I would hard work to refresh and update our anti-bullying efforts. We have a moral and legal responsibility in schools to protect the rights of others, and one right is a safe learning environment. While nothing replaces good parenting, we can work to challenge bullying at every step and to stop it before it poisons a school’s culture. We can also help better educate families about bullying prevention. Victims and perpetrators both need compassionate counseling resources. Bullying isn’t merely an individual behavioral flaw. It’s a problem of the community’s heart, and in my view, a community’s love is ultimately the only answer. Our whole Panther community must look after victims and potential victims, speak up, report and stop bullying. Pretending it doesn’t exist enables it.

Could it have been handled any worse? Saucon Valley will shell out—if rumors be true—nearly a quarter million dollars to settle with the ACLU. We got played. The larger context and Saucon Valley’s 30-year history of costly legal fights and silly culture wars (remember Pumsy the dragon puppet?) matter here. Does anyone believe it’s a coincidence that Satanic Temple targeted Saucon with its After School Satan Club lawsuit? I do not. The Temple’s pattern of making club requests, and, if denied, filing suit, was widely known. We should from the beginning have treated the club’s request for meeting space as the strictly legal matter it was—and quietly granted the space without a fuss. We actually never had any choice, as the courts have expensively confirmed for our blinkered district leaders. Instead, the district did what it always does: It went to legal war, and this time, foolishly and hubristically, took on one of the best-funded and best-lawyered organizations in the country—the ACLU. Now, taxpayers will pay the price. Satan must be laughing.

I have been publicly and privately lobbying district officials to take media communications seriously for ages, and indeed, it’s a key item of Saucon Choices for Change’s platform (see our blog). The district has obviously if belatedly been influenced by our campaign and tried to take some small, not-too-persuasive steps towards professional public relations. But we see all kinds of “fixes” right before elections, don’t we? I know for a fact that our district doesn’t do the normal things school districts do to manage community relations or protect our district brand by working with our many great local and regional media partners. We don’t really do news releases, we don’t have action plans for managing crises (consider the ham-fisted PR handling of the After School Satan Club debacle) and those few on the board with an appreciation for Saucon’s brand identity, such as Cedric Dettmar, have few allies. We need a real community relations plan, new board members and either a trained staff member dedicated to community relations part-time or a contracted, experienced, part-time professional.

Please discuss your life, professional, volunteer and other experiences and any other relevant skills or personal qualities. How you think they will be an asset to the district if you’re elected?

I love Steve Jobs’ famous saying, “Stay hungry and stay foolish.” We must be eager to learn, not only as students, but also as leaders, and we must sometimes take risks. For 17 years, with great joy, I’ve taught professional and digital media writing at East Stroudsburg University, where I’ve earned the highest rank of full professor. I’ve authored innovative curricula in our state university system, including a whole online MA in digital media writing, and I worked on two of ESU’s pioneering strategic plans. I serve as a university senator, too. I also taught for four years at Yale University. I would bring endless passion for educational innovation; a road-tested understanding of how learning works in the classroom; and a deep understanding of good organizational communications. I’m also quite creative—and I say this with all humility: a good board needs creativity, too. My novel Night of the Animals (2016) was critically acclaimed around the world, and I’ve written for publications including the Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and many others.

Campaign website: Saucon Choices for Change
Campaign social media: Saucon Choices for Change (Facebook page)
Email address: wi***********@gm***.com

Donald L. Carpenter III (D)

Bullying and discrimination, including insults or violence directed towards minority groups, are serious issues that require a well-functioning district to combat. Unfortunately, our opponents consistently approach school governance as if they and the teachers are adversaries instead of partners. While the school has certainly attempted to combat these issues with (scientifically well-regarded) positive behavior programs, it is clear there is still more work to be done. I think one frustration many parents have is the lack of transparency about how these issues are handled. While we obviously won’t be able to ever provide specifics about individual students, I do believe that being more honest and transparent about the process that the school uses will help. Tackling complex tasks like bullying first requires rebuilding the relationship between the board, the administration and the staff, and that has been a constant refrain from myself and Bill Broun, Viv Demko and Jay Santos as challengers to incumbents.

The events surrounding the Satan Club showed disqualifying behavior by the incumbent board members. The board was either too cowardly or too vindictive to explain to the public that this was a clear constitutional rights issue. It was obvious that no matter how much taxpayer money they wasted on doomed-to-fail lawsuits, the club would be allowed to meet at the school. Many residents incorrectly believe that the district can just kick out all religious clubs, but that is not possible under current Supreme Court precedent. There are no realistic options to remove these clubs without impacting dozens of other extracurriculars. The current board members should be ashamed of themselves for their complete abdication of the necessary leadership on this issue. The situation should have been handled in the only fiscally responsible (and legal) way possible, allowing the club and explaining that decision to the community with direct and honest communication. Saucon Valley was not the first district to contend with a Satan Club, and the legal failures of other districts on the topic were easily researchable.

The district has a communications strategy that rarely goes beyond the parents of current students. There seems to be almost no relationship with local media, and the community-run methods of
communication are typically more informative than the district’s offerings. Several of my fellow challengers in the Saucon Choices for Change group have called out the district for their apparent
abandonment of public relations. It’s clear the district needs a dedicated staff member to handle PR, not to just have the current administrators perform it as a side job. Our district has been in Rolling Stone, an A&E documentary, the New York Post and many other national media outlets in the past few years and none of those showed the district in a positive light. It will take a skilled effort by a dedicated person to ensure that kind of bad press doesn’t happen in the future.

Please discuss your life, professional, volunteer and other experiences and any other relevant skills or personal qualities. How you think they will be an asset to the district if you’re elected?

I’m a parent, Little League coach and labor union president. I believe I have the background, drive and love for this community necessary to help lead our district. I’m a graduate of Lehigh University with a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering and was a high school valedictorian. I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania in a former steel town just like this one. My son attends Saucon Valley Elementary and I proudly went to public school K-12. As a union president, I represent people as diverse as pipefitters and chemical engineers and I know how to bring people together by the values they share. I have hands-on experience leading an organization funded by the people it represents and ensuring it runs as efficiently as possible while delivering great results. Our district needs representatives on the board who want to forge a shared sense of community and are responsive and honest when difficult situations come up. I strongly believe I can achieve that better than the incumbents.

Campaign website: Saucon Choices for Change
Campaign social media: Donald L. Carpenter III for Saucon Valley School Board (Facebook page)
Email address: do***************@gm***.com

Susan Baxter (R, Incumbent); Bryan Eichfeld (R, Incumbent); Michael Karabin (R, Incumbent); Shawn Welch (R, Incumbent); Laurel Erickson-Parsons (D/R, Incumbent)

We believe learning and growth can only happen in a safe and secure environment. Saucon Valley is an inclusive community that is welcoming to all. The District has strong policies in place to support our students and staff and underpin a welcoming environment. The District is more diverse today than ever, with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in key positions of leadership and employment. The School Board and administration should always strive to lead by example and set the tone for creating an environment that is free of harassment. In a school environment, an important focus is to educate the kids and community to care for one another and have compassion. Protecting kids who are the subject of bullying and harassment is a key priority within those goals. The School Board takes threats and violence seriously. We have been proactive in our preventative approach and hired a firm that is providing blanket security during the entire time the school facilities are occupied (including during curricular and extracurricular activities). Our contracted security is well postured to quickly neutralize any hostile threat to our district’s students, employees and families.

The issue with the club was handled by the administration in the best interest of our community and we support the process and the actions. As a result of advertisement by the club in national outlets, the school received threats of violence that were deemed by law enforcement agencies in two different states as well as the FBI to be credible and serious. The threats resulted in the closure of the school and severe anxiety among our families. The suspect was later apprehended and has been in custody for over six months now, which is an indication of the seriousness of the threat. While the threat was not initiated or coordinated by the club, the club was in clear violation of the “Use of Facilities” policy and thus was removed from the campus. This action by the administration allowed for a smooth and continued operation of the school for the remainder of the school year and allowed the students to be back in classrooms. It is easy to be critical of the decisions when one is not responsible for the safety, security and operation of an organization, but we stand by the decisions that allowed our community to move on from the mayhem that the club had created and the threats of violence that it had brought to our community.

The District has existing policies and practices for providing meaningful opportunities for the community to receive information about all of its activities, including forums for participation and
engagement through open and public meetings. School Board meetings (two per month) as well as Board Committee meetings (three per month) are frequent and open to the public. The meeting
agendas are published, and interested individuals attend and participate. In addition, this year the District has partnered with Donovan Group, which is an award-winning school communication, marketing and public relations firm that focuses exclusively on public education. As a result of this partnership, the frequency and quality of the communication from the school on social media and direct electronic messages has already increased this year. The first edition of a quarterly community newsletter will be received by all of the residents of the District, regardless of whether they have children in the schools or not. At the building level, the principals and teachers are in constant communication with the parents. Each building principal sends out at least one newsletter per week to all parents. The Superintendent and Athletic Director also communicate with the school community on a regular basis. Having said that, there is always room for improvement for communication and we will explore other opportunities to interact with the community while not adding a significant cost to the taxpayers.

Please discuss your life, professional, volunteer and other experiences and any other relevant skills or personal qualities. How you think they will be an asset to the district if you’re elected?

We are five district residents that have extensive experience in a multitude of disciplines and environments. We leverage our collective experiences to keep Saucon Valley the best district in the Lehigh Valley. We focus on empowerment of our administrators and educators within the boundaries established by law and district polices. We are fiscally and operationally focused. We are committed to bringing the best education at the best value to our residents. We work within our financial resources to avoid increasing taxes. In the past 12 years, we have only increased taxes twice, and both increases were below the index. Our millage rate is one of the lowest in the Lehigh Valley. We guided the administration in the development of our strategic plan, which is available on the district website. The plan was developed by committees that included members of the community. We have incorporated a curriculum process that values community input as evidenced by our new policies. We are advocates of our kids and believe in the well-being of our students. We have developed a process to ensure our facilities are well-maintained over time without resorting to taxes or loans. We built a fund balance that was able to support the cost of major cyclic maintenance projects such as roof and structure repairs and building system upgrades required over the lifecycle of our buildings. We have a dedicated program of major transportation (vehicle) replacement that ensures our fleet is both effective and safe. We have negotiated contracts with our unions that are fair, within the financial capacity of our taxpayers and maintain a competitive compensation and benefits package to attract and retain the best possible employees. As a result, district educators and support staff are among the best-compensated in the Lehigh Valley. These skilled professionals have rewarded our constituents by making Saucon Valley one of the highest-ranked school districts in the area and in Pennsylvania.

Email address or other contact detail for public dissemination:

Su**********@sv********.org
– Retired engineer with experience in manufacturing operations and financial oversight. Her three children attended Saucon Valley schools.
– Ensure transparency in curriculum.
– Reviews all expenditures to ensure Board is informed of district financial commitments.

Br************@sv********.org
– In business making it easier for local businesses to communicate with their representatives and senators in Washington. Retired Naval officer. His children attended Saucon Valley schools.
– Strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and cost controls to ensure taxpayer affordability.
– Advocate for Vocational/Technical and special education programs.

La*********************@sv********.org
– Pediatrician with over 16 years experience.
– Four children attending SV schools.
– Focus on arts and sports experiences of the district’s students.

Mi*************@sv********.org
– Retired senior Accounts Receivable and pricing analyst and Army veteran. Over 20 years’ experience on the SVSB. His children attended Saucon Valley schools.
– Long board history focused on school academic structure and student performance.

Sh*********@sv********.org
– Life and career focused on serving our country and our community.
– Established 20-year school facilities plan that is affordable without tax increases.
– Over 30 years’ service in the U.S. Army (Engineer, retired Colonel) with extensive policy and financial experience supporting facilities construction and maintenance.