EMMAUS, Pa. — Accusations and controversy have taken the forefront of a hotly contested race for East Penn School Board, in which 11 candidates are seeking five open seats.
All but one candidate has cross-filed and will appear on both the Republican and Democrat primary ballots in the May 16 primary for the board directing the large school district on the western end of Lehigh County.
- Two slates of candidates have emerged in an 11-person race for five seats on East Penn School Board
- Accusations of extremism and mudslinging have dominated discourse surrounding the race, met with denials of connection to political actors by both slates
- All but one of the candidates are cross-filed as a Democrat and Republican, with elections set for May 16
Two candidate slates have emerged:
One, called Your Voice on the Board, is endorsed by the Lehigh County Republican Committee and consists of registered Republicans Paul Barbehenn, Kristofer DePaolo, Lawrence Huyssen, Matt Mull and Angelic Schneider.
The other is made up of registered Democrats Shonta Ford, Gabrielle Klotz and incumbent Joshua Levinson, and Republicans Timothy Kelly and incumbent Jeffrey Jankowski.
Of those candidates, Levinson, Klotz and Ford were endorsed by the Lehigh County Democratic Committee.
Democrat Brian Wessner is the sole candidate not cross-filed and running without a backing slate.
Current school board directors Paul Champagne, Allan Byrd and Jen Bowen are not seeking re-election.
Voters registered to either party can vote for five of the 11, and the ones that get the most vote on each party's ballot will advance to the November general election.
With 10 of the candidates cross-filed, it's possible some will appear on both the Republican and Democrat tickets in the general election, while others could win only one party's nomination.
Slate positions
Discourse around the two slates online have been mired in controversy over alleged connections each slate has to outside actors, which both slates have denied.
The Your Voice on the Board group has been under fire over concerns of connection to a right wing advocacy group known as Restoring Excellence in East Penn Education after its leader spoke of an unpublicized connection to the group and its cause at a Mom's for Liberty chapter meeting earlier this year.
The group, led by Frank Dumbleton, a member of the Lehigh County Republican Committee and a figure often present at East Penn Board of School Directors meetings' public comment section, has a history of echoing right-wing fears about "critical race theory" and discussions regarding gender identity in the district in addition to concerns about test scores in the district.
Members of the slate say they had only interacted with Dumbleton due to his role in the Lehigh County Republican Committee for help establishing a PAC and procedure for forming a slate, and reject association with or endorsement by REEPE or Mom's For Liberty.
These concerns prompted a website and social media page opposing the Your Voice on the Board slate called Defend East Penn to emerge, alleging extremism among those in the slate's lineup and supporting the opposing slate.
This page is run by Valley Values PAC, which has received donations from current board members William Whitney, Paul Champagne and Allan Byrd.
Discourse around the two slates online have been mired in controversy over alleged connections each slate has to outside actors, which both slates have denied.
Candidates on the opposing slate supported by the site deny connection to or influence over the contents of the site, with the Your Voice slate candidates alleging closer collaboration and decrying the site's and candidate's tones surrounding it as mudslinging.
The Your Voice slate of Barbehenn, DePaolo, Huyssen, Mull and Schneider on its Facebook page lists the priorities of:
- Investing in quality educators to address staff shortage issues
- Classroom/school safety
- Give a voice to parents, teachers, students, and taxpayers who believe that their voices are both not heard and unwelcome
- Focus district leadership to be more collaborative with its stakeholders
- Prioritize special education, learning support specialists, academic support and building infrastructure
- Providing constructive, visible, and engaging leadership throughout our district and community
The slate of Ford, Klotz, Kelly, Levinson and Jankowski list their joint priorities on their literature including:
- Increasing mental health support
- Creating safe and welcoming environments
- Closing learning and opportunity gaps
- Ensuring proper resources for students and teachers
- Transparency
- Ensuring engaging curriculum
- Keep taxes low with a focus on fiscal responsibility
Paul Barbehenn
Barbehenn, a Lehigh Valley native, said he moved back to the area and chose East Penn School District to call home based on its reputation.
A Senior Wealth Advisor at Mercer Advisors and father of two girls in the district, Barbehenn said he seeks to bring his experience in finance and the nonprofit sector to the school board.
He said he also is a member of the district's facilities committee and previously interviewed for a vacant position appointment to the board.
He is vice president of Allentown Boys and Girls Club, with which he has worked for more than a decade, and said he has developed "a good set of skills around setting culture [and] providing leadership."
He said working on that leadership and culture is his focus as a candidate, prompted in part by the vocal opposition at recent board meetings to removal of general track curriculumfrom English and Social Studies.
That move combines college level and general level instruction into one path, and has generated passionate public debate, with some teachers speaking out against the decision.
Beyond that, Barbehenn said he wants to get involved and give back to the district. He said he believes district finances are in a "pretty good shape," but said the district faces tackling facilities expansion.
Barbehenn said that he generally does not favor curriculum choices that can be seen as divisive. He said he thinks academic performance in the district is strong, but the mental health issues and social issues dominating discourse can "take us off course," so it's about "maintaining focus more than anything else."
He said the district has done a good job of managing social inclusivity and balancing the impacts of policies.
"We need to figure out how do we bring people back toward choosing something that resembles common sense, respect for each one of us individually, and not focused on just kind of big, big topics that are going to divide us," he said.
Joshua Levinson
Levinson, the board's current president, is seeking a second full term after being appointed in 2018 and elected in 2019. He has had two children graduate from Emmaus High School.
He has been an engineer in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical fields and formerly taught at Lafayette College. He said his engineering background prepares him to analyze data and problems before the board to build plans and to solve problems.
He is among East Penn's four representatives on Lehigh Career and Technical Institute's Joint Operating Committee and on the East Penn School District Education Foundation board.
He said building a positive district climate is important, and supports work to support mental health personnel and programming, as well as promoting financial relief for local low-income residents.
He said the administration is keeping up to date on all the best safety practices and equipment to manage external threats to schools, and the staff and board maintain a good fiscal policy and management.
Levinson said he disagrees with those who say the board is not listening to or being responsive to what's going on, and that "everybody on the board, including myself, makes an effort to listen and communicate and know what's going on so that it helps us to inform us on decisions."
That includes, he said, efforts to make board meetings more accessible to people via livestreams.
Regarding the issue of detracking general-level courses, he said, "I can certainly speak for myself that I heard, I listened and I have internalized everything that was said there, and that it's important to use that information in terms of making decisions and making things better ...
"There's some people that didn't feel like they were heard, and, you know, that's an active area to make things better and to improve. So I certainly don't feel myself to be someone who was ignoring anybody in that regard, I care very deeply about what goes on in the district."
Brian Wessner
Wessner said he has been involved in the district's superintendent parent advisory council and its facilities committee, which helps him understand why a lot of decisions are made at the district.
He also sat on the interview board for the new high school principal and has been involved in the board for the high school band.
He is currently on the operational excellence team for and said that business analytics background will help not just with specific issues, but also formulating long-term and district-wide goals.
He said he sees both the benefits and shortcomings of having the two curriculum paths, with one of his children having gone through the GP courses.
He said safety at the facilities by examining if there is enough support staff, and considering the need to accommodate growth in the district are priorities for him.
He said new technology investments will be needed in the district and he would be open to considering a new school building in the future. But he said a lot of balance is needed so the budget isn't overextended.
He said it's important to hear from teachers about facilities and resources they need. He spoke highly of the board growing support staff to catch up those still struggling after COVID-19.
Wessner said he believes the school is doing an excellent job in terms of inclusion, trying to be both as neutral and inclusive as it can.
He said he has no comment about the two campaign camps, and that he got into the race for his own reasons and hopes people are not going into the race with very specific agendas.
"I was told because I wasn't one of the two camps that maybe I should consider not running this time," Wessner said. "I totally get it. But after seeing the banter back and forth, I'm not sure. You know, on this level, we're our school board, we should be working for one common good."
Matthew Mull
Mull said both his parents were teachers — one for kindergarten through eighth grade and the other in vocational education. That, he said, gave him a perspective of seeing very different types of teachers in the same household.
Mull said his engineering background as Senior Commercial Operations Manager at Solesis gives him a lot of problem-solving skills working with people of a wide variety of personal and educational background.
He also has been very involved in his children's activities as a coach and in other capacities.
Mull said the issue of detracking and how that was handled also was a motivator in his decision to run. He also ran to fill a vacant seat in January 2022, and continued growing his interest after that process.
He said he has kept engaged with and attended many school board meetings and Lower Macungie Township meetings, trying to be an active citizen.
He said some of his priorities include improving the culture and eliminating any fear of repercussions or being passed over in future efforts if those in the district wish to speak out against proposals, and finding ways to increase transparency.
As with other candidates on his slate, Mull cited efforts such as surveying that could be brought in-house to save cost.
Asked about social inclusion, he said he sees the attitude and programs from elementary through high school as good, and that it's important that children feel included. But he said efforts will need continuous discussion about the district's goals, and there needs to be balance between social and emotional learning efforts and the academic.
"What's the end game?" Mull said. "Do people still feel we have much further to go, or is it a matter of taking what were the programs that are already in place, and letting those programs do their job."
Jeffrey Jankowski
Current school board vice president Jeffrey Jankowski is seeking a second full term after being elected in 2019 following his appointment to fill a vacancy.
An Emmaus High graduate, he has been an attorney for PP&L for nearly a decade, and has been involved in local volunteer efforts such as coaching and other community efforts.
He said the school district gave him and his wife what they needed to succeed in life, and wants to ensure others have that.
"I want to make sure, not just for my own kids, but for all of our kids that they're provided, and East Penn continues to provide, an environment and the resources that are necessary for building strong educational and social and life foundations," Jankowski said.
He said he's proud of how he and the rest of the administration navigated the coronavirus pandemic, despite the volatility and political nature of any decision made on the limited information they had initially.
"Was I happy that I had three kids who were home and being taught virtually? No, and I don't think I don't think anyone in the right mind can say that," Jankowski said.
"We handled it well thought out. There were no rash decisions, or no politically made decisions. We listened to the experts, we listened to the states, we consulted with other schools in the Lehigh Valley and the Northeast Pennsylvania."
He acknowledged that education has been set back by the pandemic nationwide, but said that now, in the aftermath, the administration has the proper focus on catching students up, including during current budget discussions.
Unlike Levinson, Jankowski voted against the detracking measure. He said he's still not in favor of it, but that he will respect the decision.
He said the district's financial position is very strong and that he is "100 percent in favor" of supporting the district's inclusion efforts and making sure students are supported and feel safe in the district.
Angelic Schneider
Schneider, a Parkland School District teacher has two children in East Penn Schools because she said she thinks the board needs to be more responsive and receptive to parents. She has also worked at Metro Beauty Academy, a cosmetology and esthetics trade school, which is owned by her husband.
She said she had been a part of the facilities and operations committee at the high school, is involved in the middle school report card planning committee and runs teacher appreciation events at Eyer Middle School.
She said she is a big advocate for the special education department and advocates for parents and friends working through the IEP process — through which she went for her son.
Aligning the middle schools to a consistent schedule, addressing overcrowding and moving education efforts forward after the pandemic remain high priorities for her, she said.
She referenced expenses related to survey efforts and other programs, and expressed interest in examining what contracted services can be brought in-house to save costs.
Schneider said she doesn't currently see social tension regarding race or LGBTQ issues among students at the school, and that teachers should be treating each student fairly.
Correction: A prior iteration of this piece listed Schneider as co-owner of Metro Beauty Academy. It is in fact solely owned by her husband Chad Schneider.
Shonta Ford
Asked why she wants to run for school board, Ford replied, "Why not?"
A business owner at an event planning and design company and parent of an alumnus, she said she can bring a different background than other candidates, along with a positive attitude.
"I think the fact that I'm also a person of color is a positive because diversity and inclusion have become such a hot button issue," Ford said. "The fact of the matter is, there has to be a voice for everyone that resides within the community."
She previously worked in speech pathology before acting as a mental health counselor and engaging in nonprofit work.
"I think if you can work in the mental health industry, you can work anywhere, because you're really thrown into the fire in terms of having to work with a whole host of people from all kinds of backgrounds," Ford said.
She said important priorities are ensuring equal access to all kids, and acknowledging that different students need different approaches when it comes to issues such as catching them up from COVID-19 education shortfalls and feeling included.
Additionally, she said there is a large concern for both students' and teachers' mental health, and she wants to have conversations to determine important issues in district, and how to improve it.
On her website, Ford lists that she actively volunteers through her church, where she is a licensed minister and acts as outreach coordinator working with local charity efforts.
Kristofer DePaolo
DePaolo, chief executive officer of the Werner & Co. accounting firm in Lower Macungie Township, has two children in the district and said he wants to take his current board experience from serving as vice president at Camelot for Children to his family's school district.
He said the board needs "a little bit more" transparency with parents and educators, and sees teacher contracts as a large priority for the upcoming term.
He referred to the detracking issue as a key observation in the perceived lack of transparency and communication that he wants to mend.
"I don't think this current board, with some of the decisions they've made and what they've done in these meetings, has the back of the current educators in the district," DePaolo said.
"I think that's going to be a big topic that gets a bit more build up as we get closer to the to the general election."
DePaolo said he plans to look at the budget with the board and director of finances, and specifically wants to look at it in terms of school safety and learning where the budget is at in terms of supporting measures such as resource officers in the district for safety both external threats and disciplinary issues within the school.
DePaolo cited survey efforts by the district regarding social issues as an example of a place the district may not be putting its time and finances to the best use.
"I don't think we should be pushing some of the stuff that's being pushed on to some of these children now," DePaolo said. "Just get back to the basics of education."
He said he supports the Jasper program effort at Emmaus that will help children learn in a way that they enjoy, and wishes to accelerate efforts to make the schedules of the district's two middle schools consistent.
Timothy Kelly
Pennridge School District mathematics and statistics teacher Timothy Kelly said he wants to find ways to help teachers, administrators and the district office communicate better.
"That's not happening to the extent that I think would build trust and between them," Kelly said.
He said he believes his background in teaching high school-level classes and acting as a Fulbright teacher mentor can help the school to develop engaging and technology-driven curriculums. He said he feels the district now is a few years behind in terms of platform centralization and use.
"As a parent, I shouldn't be getting communication from email from Seesaw and also checking Schoology," he said. "There's just too many sources, and those are easy fixes that nobody's talking about."
He said that despite that, he thinks district teachers are phenomenal and he's really proud of the district, which his six children attend.
Mostly, he said, he wants to offer suggestions on technology and processes that can be improved. He also praised the social inclusivity measures the administration has taken and the financial position of the school, but emphasized the importance of planning for and managing projected growth.
Lawrence Huyssen
Huyssen, the youngest candidate in the field is a 2015 Emmaus High School graduate.
He said the area is where he had met his fianceé and his close friends, making it have a special place in his heart.
He said he believes he provides an interesting perspective other board members don't, having known many of the current teachers as a student and having siblings still in the district.
"I like to think that I can still kind of engage with the students in a level that they understand more," Huyssen said. "I wanted to bridge the gap between administration, students [and] teachers."
He says he wants to improve communication among the groups.
He said he spent the first 15 years of his life in the Philippines while his parents served as missionaries while attending an international school modeled after the U.S. public school system.
Huyssen now is a banker at Commonwealth Federal Credit Union and said a passion of his is to get more financial education in the district.
He said his No. 1 issue is school safety, especially when it comes to interactions between students and teachers and preventing fights in the district such as he saw when he was there.
He said he supports the increased use of police resource officers in the school if the budget would allow it and to examine the possibility of increased mental health services, which he said is stretched thin.
He said East Penn has always been a top-tier district and still believes that, but that there should be more to make sure more is done for students affected by the pandemic to help them catch up. Also
He says the detracking issue is something he was very concerned about, and said it's a sensitive balance that needs to be met and more should have been done to explain it to the public and teachers.
He said overcrowding in the district already was an issue by the time he was attending, and focus needs to be put on ensuring classroom sizes are at the right level so teachers are not overworked.
Gabrielle Klotz
"I want to run because I love East Penn," said Klotz, vice president of Lower Macungie Middle School PTA and a property casualty insurance agent.
Klotz said she moved to East Penn just more than two years ago and fell in love with Emmaus and East Penn. She said her daughter has thrived in the district, is challenged academically and the current administration has been very supportive.
That make her want to be part of it, she said.
She said a goal of hers is to help the district continue its growth toward being more inclusive "to all of our children, regardless of their gender, their socio-economic status, their race, their religion — anything like that."
Some students, she said, do not feel fully supported and noted some vocal community members have spoken out about transgender students in the school as a reason for that.
Klotz said safety also is a priority for her. She said more mental health initiatives are needed as a step to prevent violence at the district, tying in to her desire for greater inclusivity.
She said her daughter is affected by the education detracking decision, and hopes to see that process go well for the students in the upcoming year.
Klotz said that from watching budget meetings, she thinks the district seems to be as fiscally responsible as they can be in the face of some rising costs, and would reach out to experts and the community to continue to educate herself about what is needed.
