ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Allentown teachers union is throwing its support behind two candidates in the Allentown School Board race ahead of the upcoming election Nov. 4.
The Allentown Education Association endorsed Evette D’Amore and Robert Smith Jr. after a round of panel interviews last week.
“We were looking for answers that aligned with our vision as an association for the work that we want to do in the district,” said Allentown Education Association President Leslie Franklin.
Franklin said the endorsements were submitted to the Pennsylvania State Education Association on Thursday.
The AEA panel — which consisted of four union leaders — was looking for candidates with “experience in supporting education and the betterment of the school district,” Franklin said.
Franklin said all AEA members were given the opportunity to join the panel if they were interested in doing so.
“We were looking for answers that aligned with our vision as an association for the work that we want to do in the district."Leslie Franklin, Allentown Education Association President
The endorsements came after Franklin expressed a slew of teacher concerns at last month’s board meeting.
At the time, Franklin said teachers were “exhausted and overwhelmed” just weeks into the school year.
She said that was because of staffing shortages, administrator turnover and “ever-changing expectations.”
Franklin also said educators were lacking classroom supplies and technology.
Candidates
Five of the eight school board candidates were interviewed by the AEA panel.
In addition to D’Amore and Smith, those candidates included: Diane Michels, Nick Nicholoff and David Zimmerman.
According to the AEA, candidate Thomas Houck applied for an endorsement, but missed his interview, and candidates Cereta Johnson and Denzel Morris didn’t apply.
Five seats are up for grabs on the Allentown School Board this election cycle. All are four-year terms, except for one two-year term.
Nicholoff, a current school director and an independent on the Democratic ticket, is running for the two-year term against Smith, a former longtime school director and the Republican candidate.
Smith also is competing for one of the four-year terms.
D’Amore, Houck, Johnson, Michels, Morris and Zimmerman all are competing for four-year terms.
D’Amore, Johnson, Michels and Morris will appear on the Democratic ticket. Houck, Michels, Smith and Zimmerman will appear on the Republican ticket.
Michels, a registered Republican, is a candidate for both parties in November because she cross-filed in the May primary and was successful in each race.
Evette D’Amore
On their endorsements by the teachers union, both D’Amore and Smith said they were honored to receive the support from the district’s educators.
“It speaks volumes that they trust us and they have high expectations of us and they know that we’re there to help them,” said D’Amore, a district parent and an office manager for an electrician.
D’Amore said it’s essential teachers get the support they need in order to help students succeed. Right now, she said morale is low among staff, and students can sense it.
If elected, D’Amore said she would prioritize communication with teachers and staff.
“I’m not just there as a figurehead, I'm there to do my job,” she said.
"I’m not just there as a figurehead, I'm there to do my job."Evette D'Amore, Democratic candidate for Allentown School Board
That includes making sure the district has a balanced budget and that teachers have the resources they need in their schools to be successful.
If elected, D’Amore also said she plans to hold the district administration accountable and won’t be “just signing off on whatever they want.”
She said school positions remain open as more administrators continue to be hired.
“If you're top heavy, eventually the tree falls over,” D’Amore said.
“You have to make sure the roots are healthy, and our roots are not healthy right now.”
According to the district's job listings, there were 50 teacher vacancies and 91 paraprofessional vacancies as of Saturday.
At the September school board meeting, the district hired 44 new teachers and 36 paraprofessionals.
At the time, the district’s chief of talent management and labor relations said 98% of classroom teacher positions were filled.
The district also hired a new deputy superintendent in September – there’s now three deputy superintendents on staff.
Robert Smith Jr.
Smith said he and the teachers union share the “same hope and values.”
He pointed to safety and a lack of classroom resources as top concerns. He also said the district is struggling with deteriorating buildings and failing to retain employees.
“There’s a lot of issues, and I'm going to take them all on,” said Smith, a former district parent and a program specialist for people with disabilities.
Smith also raised concerns about administrators' treatment of teachers and a district culture of fear that stops teachers from speaking up about issues.
"There’s a lot of issues, and I'm going to take them all on."Robert Smith, Jr., Republican candidate for Allentown School Board
“Bullying of teachers has got to stop,” Smith said. “Berating people has got to stop.
“I’ve got the teachers’ back on this.”
When he was previously on the school board, Smith said teachers would regularly come speak during the public comment section of meetings. Now, that’s almost never the case.
Smith said teachers are scared of repercussions for speaking up.
“Right now, they don’t think they have a voice,” he said.
While he advocates for teachers now,, he said, Smith hopes to address teachers’ concerns more quickly with a direct line to the district administration, if elected, he said.
