What do you see as the primary role of the school board?
The primary role of our school board is to execute on three major governing responsibilities: 1) developing the annual budget to run the school system; 2) setting school policies; and 3) hiring and evaluating the superintendent; all of which can encompass the oversight of a wide range of academic, legal and financial issues.
The board also serves as a liaison between the community and the school district with a responsibility to represent, engage, and listen to wide-ranging perspectives when making decisions. School boards are closely linked with their local communities, and it’s also crucial to partner with other elected officials, as well as local employers, colleges, and nonprofits.
High-performing districts need School Board Directors who believe in Public Education and are willing to work together to solve problems, while balancing the needs and priorities of a diverse set of constituents:
– Students – strong academic standards, a robust curriculum, schools safe from bullying and violence, and support for
their social, emotional, and physical health.
– Parents – involvement with their child’s education, parent teacher conferences, Individual Education Plans (IEP) as
needed, and one-to-one access to teachers.
– Teachers – professional respect, a work environment that supports their best efforts, collaboration and input on
policies; resources to help students struggling with mental health issues and academic challenges in the aftermath
of the pandemic, and a focus on recognition and retention.
– Taxpayers – fiscally responsible use of tax dollars, elevated school ratings which can positively impact property
values, and competent strategic growth planning to help avoid tax hikes in the future.
– Overall Community – public School Board meetings that promote civil and constructive communications, decisions
that balance the needs of all students, parents, staff, and taxpayers.
PASD’s theme is “You Belong Here.” How would you encourage a sense of belonging among all students?
I believe encouraging a sense of belonging among all students expands far beyond just those serving on the School Board. As students, parents, faculty, staff, and taxpayers, we should all be focused on reinforcing this sense of belonging throughout the Phoenixville community.
As a school board director, I envision reinforcing the PASD culture of “You Belong Here” with an emphasis on empathy via the following goals:
– Create a welcoming and inclusive environment; making sure that students feel safe, respected, and valued.
– Provide opportunities for students to connect peers, teachers, coaches, and staff; specifically through an continued
focus on Athletics, Clubs, Arts, Student organizations, and a broad range of extracurricular activities. Investments in
these areas pay many dividends, including; cultivating a sense of belonging and camaraderie among students,
providing a source for pride in the school and community, and elevating mental health and physical well-being.
– Listening; giving students a voice to ensure that their concerns are heard and providing students with
opportunities to share their ideas and perspectives.
– Celebrate diversity. recognizing and valuing the different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences of all PASD
students, while creating opportunities for students to learn about different cultures and perspectives.
– High expectations for all students, believing in all students’ ability to succeed and providing them with the support
needed to achieve their goals
What groups, if any, have endorsed your candidacy during the primary and/or general elections?
Northern Chester County Democratic Committee
Phoenixville Democratic Committee
How long have you resided in the Phoenixville Area School District?
13+ years
Municipality of residence (Phoenixville Borough, Schuylkill Twp or East Pikeland Twp)
Schuylkill Township
Please list your education and professional background and local volunteer experience
I’ve earned a BS and MBA from Villanova University and have spent the past 25 years in the private sector in a variety of leadership and individual contributor roles, with a heavy focus on business development, project management, and contract negotiation. I currently work for Google in the Cloud division on a team that supports large deal capture efforts, focused primarily on structuring commercial agreements and negotiating the final contracts.
I am passionate about civic engagement and currently serve as Treasurer on the Board of Ann’s Heart, having been a team member for six years. Ann Heart’s mission is to provide a place of welcome and human services for all Phoenixville Area people. It’s a community source of pride as a non-profit that operates a variety of programs from the old Sacred Heart school campus downtown. One program is Code Blue, an overnight warming shelter helping the community’s homeless population. Other programs include serving the community’s food insecure population from an industrial sized kitchen that hosts regular meals, and also to provide space for other local nonprofits to operate.
As a committed and passionate supporter of youth sports, I currently coach teams in our wonderful PMYC and Phuture Phantoms programs.
In the past, I enjoyed serving as a tutor with the Volunteer English Program of Chester County, teaching English as a second language to recently immigrated Spanish-speaking members of our community.”
What is your relationship to PASD? For example, do you / have you had children or family members in PASD schools?
My wife Christina and I have lived in Phoenixville for the past 16 years with our three children, Kaitlyn (21), Michael (15), and John (11), all students in the District; Kaitlyn is a proud graduate of PAHS class of 2020 and is a junior at Penn State, Michael is a freshman and two sport athlete at the HS, and John is in 5th grade at Schuylkill Elementary, ready for the challenge of Middle School next year.
Please disclose any potential conflict of interest, for example, do you have a business or professional relationship with PASD? Do you have any family members or people living in your household who are employed by the district?
No conflict of interest or family members employed by the district
What motivated you to run for school board?
Participating on the School Board can be a great way to serve the community while helping positively impact our childrens’ expanding educational and extracurricular needs. My interest in joining the Board is rooted in taking the opportunity to help influence and enhance the educational experience for Phoenixville students. I am grateful for the experience I have accumulated serving on a high-functioning local Board, and combined with my current professional capacity as a contract negotiator, I am confident I can serve as a member who can drive positive outcomes by virtue of collaboration and effective communications between the Board and its stakeholders. I can offer a unique perspective as a parent of three students across a wide age range, while bringing a diverse skill set and the pragmatic approach needed to add value to the District as a School Board member.
One of the school board’s responsibilities is setting policy for the district. Are there current policies that you believe should be changed, or are there policies that should be added?
I am eager to have the opportunity to learn more about specific drivers and data points behind policy matters, as these learnings will inform my ability to assess those that might benefit from modification. As a parent in the school district today, I would like to better understand the policies surrounding the use and access of technology in each school; I am specifically interested in cell phone usage rules and regulations. The proliferation of cell phone use in the classroom seems to have amplified in recent years, and from my perspective is negatively impacting the students’ learning experience. It is unclear to me if this is a policy gap, or an enforcement issue, but it is one issue I would like to see further addressed.
Another example would be to better understand the rationale for not allowing students to bring their work product (ie, tests, quizzes, etc) home immediately after grading for review with parents. These are two policies where I have seen the arc shift over the years.
I would also like to see continued strategic investments in district facilities, aspiring to include a renovation of the High School, as well as targeted improvements to our students’ extracurricular and athletic experience, aimed at increasing levels of engagement.
Please list your three top priorities for the school board, if elected.
I believe in having overarching principles and goals, and I am not solely focused or motivated by one single issue. In my opinion, having a disproportionate focus on a single item can cloud judgment when evaluating the wide array of issues continuously contemplated by a School Board.
I understand that three key responsibilities of the school board are to hire and evaluate the superintendent, set the budget, and establish policy. With that in mind, my top three priorities encompass commitments to the following:
– Ensuring all students maximize their potential and increasing of overall achievement levels, while providing a safe
and welcoming environment for all PASD children
– Effectively balancing the needs of students, educators, parents, staff, and taxpayers in a fiscally responsible manner
– Being accessible and communicating with transparency to all district stakeholders
Where can voters go to learn more about your candidacy? (Website, social media handles, etc)
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/venezia4pasdschoolboard; Email – favpasdschoolboard@gmail.com
Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about you?
I’m a diehard fan of Villanova and Philly sports teams and in my spare time, enjoy playing the “middle aged triathlon” of fantasy football, cornhole, and bowling.
