- League of Women Voters Lehigh County held a candidate forum for Parkland School Board candidates
- The slate running on the Republican ticket did not attend
- Candidates discussed a wide range of topics during the forum, from communication with residents to artificial intelligence
SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — “Ditto” was the word at the League of Women Voters’ Parkland School Board candidate forum.
But half of the candidates in the race didn't get a chance to say it — or not say it.
They didn't show up.
The League held the forum Wednesday night at the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown for the upcoming Parkland School Board election on Nov. 7.
Candidates have formed two groups. The group Proud of Parkland, made up of mostly incumbents, will be on the ballot as Democrats, although two of its members are Republicans.
The other group is called Elevate Education and is made up of Republican challengers.
Only candidates from Proud of Parkland showed up.
Republican candidates nationwide have expressed their distrust of the League of Women Voters.
The candidates at the forum often made it clear they agreed with each other: Many of them started saying “ditto” after each other’s answers as a joke.
Proud of Parkland candidate Chris Pirrotta, the only non-incumbent on the slate, alluded to the other slate’s absence several times.
“If someone is not willing to come out in public and talk about their topics and their beliefs, is that someone who should be considered for leadership in our district?”Candidate Chris Pirrotta
“If someone is not willing to come out in public and talk about their topics and their beliefs, is that someone who should be considered for leadership in our district?” Pirrotta asked.
Candidates with Elevate Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mary Erdman, president of League of Women Voters Lehigh County, said in an interview that the organization has had trouble getting Republican candidates to attend its forums.
The league planned to hold a forum with the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners candidates, but none of the Republican candidates agreed to attend, Erdman said.
Erdman said she thinks the Republican candidates have been told that the forums would be biased against them, even though the organization is historically nonpartisan.
Erdman said Republican candidates who have attended the forums, such as one for the Southern Lehigh School Board candidates, have not had issues.
“When people experience it, they see how fair it is,” Erdman said.
A political agenda?
The Lehigh County League of Women Voters is not the only one to have issues with being seen as partisan.
The chief executive officer of the National League of Women Voters was arrested in 2018 for protesting against the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanagh, who was appointed by former president Donald Trump.
The organization’s board released a statement after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol that called the former president a “tyrannical despot” and called for his removal.
League of Women Voters chapters cannot endorse candidates, but the national organization has publicly supported gun control, universal health care and abortion rights — causes typically championed by Democrats.
A 2022 article by ProPublica cited several examples across the country of Republican candidates declining to participate in League of Women Voters-run candidate forums, saying the league has a “political agenda.”
Erdman said League of Women Voters Lehigh County is a nonpartisan organization. All questions asked at forums are vetted by two committees to ensure they are not biased, she said.
‘Parkland pride is on the ballot’
Candidates at the Parkland forum discussed a wide range of topics, such as communication with residents and artificial intelligence, or AI.
School Board President Carol Facchiano addressed the backlash to the district’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There's not one vote that I regret the way I voted, not one. We haven’t lost a student or a staff member during this horrible pandemic. And that's important.”Parkland School Board President Carol Facchiano
“There's not one vote that I regret the way I voted, not one,” Facchiano said. “We haven’t lost a student or a staff member during this horrible pandemic. And that's important.”
Members of the Elevate Education slate previously criticized the board’s decisions during the pandemic, especially around masking in schools.
When asked about how to make sure the district is well-staffed during the teacher shortage, candidate Marisa Ziegler, who is a teacher, said the district needs to make sure its educators feel supported.
“That support can be pay and benefits," Ziegler said. "But it can also be things like curriculum, technology materials.
“When you have to spend some of your own money to buy materials for your class to use, that's not the best environment — you're going to burn out very quickly.”
'Don't sit this election out'
Candidates also were asked whether AI should be part of the curriculum. Candidate Jay Rohatgi said while nothing can replace human connection, the district should consider teaching students about AI.
“Technology is a tool, and you have to prepare the next generation with the tools other countries are going to be familiar with,” Rohatgi said. “They need to know that we are a global economy, and to compete in the global economy, they need to be prepared.”
“We're always listening, so if you think there are things that we should be doing, that we should improve on, please let us know.”Parkland School Board candidate Lisa Roth
When asked what the district could improve, candidate Lisa Roth said she could not think of anything.
“There are things that we've been told that we're not doing, but honestly, we sit there and we say to ourselves, ‘We think we are doing those things,’” Roth said.
“We're always listening, so if you think there are things that we should be doing, that we should improve on, please let us know.”
Facchiano and Pirrotta said there could be better communication to residents to dispel common myths, such as the belief that the district is building a high school, when the likely path forward is to make additions to the current high school.
Ziegler said the district’s math scores could improve, though she said the administration has a plan to do that.
Several of the candidates emphasized how important it is to vote during this ‘off-year’ election, when voter turnout is generally low.
“I think Parkland pride is on the ballot on November 7,” Rohatgi said. “Please don't sit this election out.”
