Continuing the odyssey

To the editor: Good luck to all the students involved in the Pennsylvania State Odyssey of the Mind competition this Saturday in Altoona. The Delaware Valley School District, after sending 20 teams to the Regional Tournament, now has 14 teams advancing to the State finals. Teams from all three elementary schools, both middle schools and the high school are included. As a past School Board Director I supported Odyssey of the Mind and programs like it, such as Science Olympiad, Scholastic Bowl, HOSA and SkillsUSA/VICA. If elected again I will continue to support co-curricular programs, both athletic and non-athletic, within our school district. Studies have shown that students who are involved in co-curricular programs are more successful in the classroom; which is ultimately what is most important. Colleges take into consideration student participation in co-curricular activities when they make acceptance decisions. There are 3 candidates for School Board in the upcoming election who are running as “fiscal conservatives”. One candidate, John Kupillas, has declared that he would “get rid of programs that do not serve the needs of our children or the taxpayer”. Each year the administration reviews existing programs and makes changes to get the most value for our tax dollars. We are a growing district with growing needs. The high school has added courses (including AP classes) to the curriculum. Additional co-curricular programs, both athletic and non-athletic, have been added at the middle school and high school levels. What programs are the candidates from Taxpayer’s United planning on cutting because they do not “serve the needs of our children or the taxpayer”? Sports, after school busing, field trips, AP classes, DVETV/News, DDTV? The school budget is roughly 42% regular education, 11% debt service, 10% special education, 9% buildings maintenance, 7% administration, 5% student transportation, 3% vocational education, 2% student activities, various other items 2% or less each. What parts of the budget do the “fiscal conservatives” plan on cutting because they do not “serve the needs of our children or the taxpayer”? With co-curricular programs already a relatively small portion of the budget, will they be recommending fewer teachers, more students per classroom? As a parent and a taxpayer, I do not want to pay a dime more than what’s necessary to provide our students with a quality education. If elected I will work hard to be fiscally responsible with your tax dollars, but I will not cut programs at the expense of our children’s future. Pike County’s population has grown 26% since 2000. The quality of our school district will play a major role in determining the future of our county. Chuck Pike Milford Candidate for School Board