This past local election season, the Democrats held on tight to their control of the Lower Merion School Board; With a full sweep of the five available seats, Democrats Abigail Lerner Rubin, Shayna Kalish, Sarah Thomas, Jason S. Herman, and Todd William Ridky won their races for the position of school board director. Pursuant to the LMSD website, the board of nine members “sets the District’s fiscal and educational policies, approves the annual budget, and votes on school matters in consultation with the District’s educational leaders.” The topics that are discussed and voted on by the board shape the nature of public education within the district. The LMSD School Board of Directors is tasked with fostering an optimal environment for both students and parents in the district, all while aiming to enact positive policy changes. Just last year, the board approved official new start times for the elementary, middle, and high school that are set to be implemented in September of 2024. Additionally, they are guided by Policy 101: Equity, adopted in 2021, that outlines their objectives to bolster inclusion within the district.
These ideals are brought to life with the help of a set of core goals the five elected members hope to implement throughout their terms. As laid out in their candidate priorities, they hope to implement full-day kindergarten by the fall of 2024, resolve the school start time debate, reach a conclusion regarding Oakwell forest and the needed field space for BRMS, move towards a more inclusive district, and bolster school safety. Their objectives include other goals, too, such as implementing curriculum on sustainability, the preservation of educational tools, and open communication. Both individually and as a collective, Rubin, Kalish, Thomas, Herman, and Ridky are all looking to leave a positive mark on the district. When asked about her position on book banning and restricting educational materials during the school board debate, incumbent Kalish clearly outlined her intentions in her role, “One of my main priorities as school board director is student voice, and I will not limit the materials they have access to in order to quell that voice.” This sentiment, guided by a hope to increase DEI
efforts and representation in schooling, was echoed by fellow candidate Thomas, who responded to the question by arguing for the necessity of diversifying and expanding the staff throughout the district.
Although united by party, each of the newly elected directors set out different goals for their term. Herman, a community member and experienced attorney, places great emphasis on the opportunity for each student to feel respected, valued, and safe while they are at school. He follows in the footsteps of his father, who similarly ran fortheir local school board while Herman was in elementary school, in striving to provide a strong education.
Kaylish, the only incumbent candidate, is a current co-chair for the Legislative and Curriculum Committees, aswell as a founder and chair for the Equity and Anti-Racism Committee. A resilient member of the board, Kaylish has helped find solutions through major events such as COVID-19, the search for two superintendents, the K-4/5-8 switch, and the construction of BRMS. She is an experienced member of the school board who hopes to spread her passion for public education throughout the district.
A committed member of the full-day kindergarten action group, Rubin is “a passionate advocate for all students in LMSD.” The work for an increase in diversity, equity, and inclusion remain integral to the new members of the school board. In the same vein, freshman member Thomas has big plans to bolster the communication and engagement with the community of Lower Merion. As a current school counselor at Upper Darby High School, Thomas is well versed in the functionality of school systems and districts, and hopes to carry this knowledge into her new position in order to benefit LMSD. During the school board debate she made her policy on the expanding number of students and how to accommodate a larger school district especially clear, saying “going forward in the future I’d like to see us be more proactive and planning for an increased population,” further stating that the addition of BRMS was reactive.
The elected members were running against Republicans Samantha Brooke, Debora Cohen, Robyn Gilbert, Laya Martinez, and Gerald Perese Jr. According to the Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth, their main plans can be summed up into three objectives: budget, curriculum, and parental rights. As the school board has been fully made up of Democrats for many years, the Republican candidates wanted to highlight the problems that they have with past school boards. This includes the alleged overtaxing of residents, radicalization of our curriculum, and development of natural areas. Had they been elected, these candidates would have placed more emphasis on fiscal responsibility while reinstituting tools such as homework and memorization in order to rectify these issues.
Less than a third of eligible voters vote in many school board elections, but don’t be mistaken about the importance of these roles and the part they play in shaping the overall environment and experience for students and parents. LM Democrats President Noah Barkan ’24 says “voting is important and I think people don’t always understand the effect that voting in local elections has on youth.” The members of the school board serve to advocate for change on problems interfering with the students’ education, and propose relevant solutions to these problems. The importance of civic involvement in the school board was more than evident only last school year, when many students showed up at school board meetings advocating for the preservation of Oakwell forest, later school start times, and full day kindergarten, pushing to have their voices heard. These new members of the board affirm their commitment to making positive policy changes, and students are eager to see them fulfill their commitments.
debbie cohen • Dec 22, 2023 at 6:22 PM
The article mistakingly wrote that the Republican candidates “alleged overtaxing of residents” when spoke of fiscal responsibility.
FACT- treasurer siphoned 30 million to different small bank account in order to show a deficit so that school board will approve hiked taxes to lower merion residents. LMSB was taken to court by Arthur Wolk Esq. and won a 30 million judgement against them in which every lower merion resident got a refund for the overcharged taxes. So no, not “alleged” but FACT.