Open Letter from Stacey Whomsley

Dear WCASD Voter,

It’s hard to believe that just two short years ago I was preparing for the 2021 election cycle. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our community, and our school district, for these past two years.

I am often asked what can people --parents, residents, and taxpayers-- do to be more involved in the growth and development of our West Chester Area School District?

The first --and possibly most important-- is to VOTE!

Too many of our residents don’t realize they even vote for School Directors, yet taking the time every two years to do this on the odd election years is critically important. Before mailing your ballot or visiting the polls on Tuesday, please take the time to research all your options.

For the incumbent candidates, who have, over the last number of years --presided over significant budget increases and declining academic scores in reading and math-- are asking for another chance to provide oversight and stewardship. Do you want to give them more time? Haven’t they had their chance?

For the new candidates, do they have the life and/or job experience, a background in education, child development, or experience with school aged children to make well-informed decisions? Do they understand the value of important programs like full-day kindergarten, or do they think in terms of district programming as free daycare?

I was initially inspired by my own children, and their experiences, to get more involved. But it was what I learned on that journey of taking a hard look at how our district resources were being spent, how little was being measured in efficacy, and how there has been an alarming 7 year trend in the decline of our state standardized test scores that made me realize the urgency of needing fresh eyes and new perspective on our board.

I am excited to know that we have five amazing community members running against the incumbents:

• Nick Spangler and Bob Rafetto in Region 1 (West Chester Borough and West Goshen Township);

• Amanda Greenberg and Peggy Schmitt in Region 2 (East Goshen and West

• Alain Oliver in Region 3 (East Bradford, Westtown, Thornbury/ChesCo,

Thornbury/DelCo, and West Goshen Townships);

all of whom are willing to also serve our community and help usher in a new era of growth, fiscal responsibility, and student achievement.

They have attended countless school board meetings, committee meetings, and many events across the district over these last six months. They are a talented group of individuals who bring decades of experience in public education, private education, corporate education, local businesses, non-profits, and their own experiences as parents and grandparents.

So that brings me to the second thing I recommend to anyone interested in being more involved… COME TO THE MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETINGS! These meetings are where the real discussion and decision-making happen, and this is the forum where the board discusses the content of what is voted on as part of the monthly Board Consent Agenda. Monthly board meetings are a great way to find out what is going on in the district from --the students and the Superintendent-- but the real work of the board is done during the Committee meetings. So please check out the annual calendar of events and come out to a meeting to learn more about the Education, Finance & Property, Personnel, Policy, and Pupil Services committees.

In the meantime, please get out the word to everyone you know in the area to make sure they cast their VOTE in this Tuesday’s election…because it can literally come down to just a few hundred votes to decide who will help steer the future course of our West Chester Area School District.

I hope to see you all on election day!

Sincerely,

Stacey Whomsley