Citizens of East Penn School District packed the Macungie Institute April 30 to meet the candidates for the board of school directors.

Six of the eight candidates appeared to answer questions gathered from the community by East Penn Invested Citizens and the East Penn Chamber of Commerce. Questions were drawn from a jar; the first asked the opinion of the candidates on the district's strengths, and how each would maintain and maximize those strengths.

Candidates Chris Donatelli, Alan Earnshaw and Rebecca Heid focused on the educational prowess of the district, from preparing students for college, to attracting parents to move into the district, to providing better opportunities for their children. Ziad Munson praised the district for the opportunities afforded to its students. Wanda Mercado-Arroyo and Garrett Rhoads called for more community and parent involvement.

When met with questions regarding the budget and tax increases, Earnshaw stood by the decisions of the current board where he has served for 12 years. Earnshaw emphasized the board has taken cuts to reduce spending but always protected areas of core spending for students, and later noted he has advocated to reduce and reform pensions and benefits for district employees.

Donatelli promoted ideas for advancing community involvement and promoting dialogue between the board and the taxpayers, in particular by extending public input time at board meetings to include a three-minute response period. Dr. Ziad Munson, a professor at Lehigh University, agreed, calling the current system a broken one: "It doesn't benefit anyone." Munson called for "a more robust system of bringing community input," even for a systematic way to get issues raised by taxpayers on the agenda.

Donatelli aims to bring both levity and brevity to board meetings. "Acrimony in government doesn't get things done," he said. "I'm here for you, I'm here for my constituents."

Heid, who has served on the board for four years, emphasized her desire to maintain the high educational standards of the district. For Heid, the best measure of an administrator's effectiveness is visibility. Heid recalled her high school days in East Penn and the accessibility of principals and administrators: "It isn't a nine-to-five job, it's very busy. They have to be available to students and the community."

Donatelli says one of the biggest issues facing the district today is the economy. When asked if he would approve a tax increase Donatelli responded, "Not before reviewing the facts," and stressed the importance of looking "outside the box" to cut costs and using private industry business practices in the school district, such as rolling over budget balances.

Wanda Mercado-Arroyo, a former educator and current business owner, agrees. She called for a hybrid system, employing some business practices from the private sector, but cautious to leave the quality of education unaffected. Mercado-Arroyo's idea of a director's role is of an active listener, "to make sure parents' voices are heard," and to focus on the children first. Mercado-Arroyo faced budget and tax increase questions optimistically: "Cutting the fat is simply a matter of being creative and open-minded."

No candidate would pledge absolutely to vote against tax increases. Heid and Earnshaw stood by the current board's actions regarding the budget, Heid stating "We've had good financial and budget constraints. We must keep [tax increases] either steady or zero."

Garrett Rhoads has lived and served in the district for 37 years. Asked what are the benefits of a strong public education system in the community, Rhoads gave two points: producing better educated youth, and increasing the property value in the district.

Rhoads' top two priorities for the district: maintaining and improving the quality for those reasons stated above, and finding "innovative and creative ways to do that without taking dollars out of the classroom." Rhoads said it would be irresponsible of him to promise to vote against any tax increase, but that they should be avoided at all costs.

Rhoads also wants to see parents more heavily involved with the district, both in board meetings and through established programs; he said it's the number one thing that contributes to higher grades and test scores.

Alecia Weaver and Michael Moxley are also candidates for East Penn School Board. Both are cross-filed on the republican and democratic tickets.

Moxley contacted The Press and said he is running because, "I have always felt a duty to serve and help out where I can. Currently, there is a need for qualified citizens to step up and serve the community and help guide and support our education system to help keep it's high level of excellence."

The Press was unable to contact Weaver.