Valedictory: Looking Back on 8 Years on the Wissahickon School Board

This is my valedictory speech – not because I’m first in my class, far from it, but by the strictest of definitions, it means “farewell,” as this is my last, “regular,” Wissahickon School Board meeting as my term is up after 8 incredibly exciting and fruitful years.

However, it wouldn’t be a true valedictory speech if I didn’t look back on these 8 years working for the people of our community, so here goes:

1. When campaigning, one of my major “planks” was to do something about the “performance gap” that affected some of our students and I’m happy to say that we’re moving to solve that problem. Is it gone? Certainly not, as if it were easy, the problem either wouldn’t exist at all or would have been solved everywhere, long ago. We’re taking steps, steps that were to have it resolved in 10 years after our hiring of our, then new, superintendent, Dr. Crisfield. The Covid pandemic has set this back by at least 1 year – if not two – but we ARE moving on it as opposed to previous years when it was just remarked upon with no real plan for solution.
   
   
2. We’re moving on another major project: that of changing our start times to better reflect the needs of our students – most especially those in high and middle school whose internal clock makes our near 7:00 AM start times wildly out of sync with their biological clock.
   
   As things stand now, we hope to have the times changed to a later start so our students won’t be half asleep in their early classes.
   How this will be worked out will have to be designed so that it doesn’t cause additional stress to our families but we all must understand that the present schedule does a mighty disservice to our students.
   
   
3. Lastly is the one that causes me to lose sleep most often: Nationally, the combination of a lack of civility in our communications and the lack of understanding of how our government is supposed to work.
   
   Why has this happened? Part of it is because of the so-called “No Child Left Behind Act” which sought to improve our student’s reading and math skills. Unfortunately, in order to accomplish this, other, untested areas, such as Civics – government – as well as history and other social sciences were cut back. The result? One only has to listen to statements made on TV, talk radio and on social media as people, seemingly, will believe anything, no matter how outlandish, as long as it will support their beliefs.
   
   We MUST increase our civics education as I fear this is the only way that we will save our nation and our democracy.

Thank you for your time tonight, and for my colleagues on the Board, for your forbearance; to our Administration, for the support you’ve given us; to our school staff, for your unending efforts in support for our students and finally, and most importantly, to our community for giving me the opportunity to serve you.

To those who will be replacing Tracie and me, good luck and if there is anything you need: an ear to listen, a bit of sage advice, perhaps, I will always be available – and Good Luck in facing the challenges ahead.