The second installment of our series of interviews with school director candidates across the state.

Heidi Brown is running for school director in the Perkiomen Valley School District, located in Montgomery County. She is a registered Republican and a retired special education instructional paraprofessional from the Perkiomen Valley School District.

Why are you running for school board?

“I feel the need to run for school board director because I believe I can provide valuable insight along with a student-first agenda. I want to ensure quality, healthy, and unbiased education for all. I strongly believe in personal liberties, including parents making their own health choices for themselves and their children.”

What are the most important issues facing your district? 

“The most important issues facing my district include providing a curriculum that will ensure our students get back to the highest level of learning and achievement. Providing a safe and supportive place for all students to achieve high academic standards and behavioral expectations is also essential. Bullying is a problem in our schools and there needs to be accountability. We also need to keep inappropriate books that do not promote or align with academic excellence out of our school libraries.”

What is your professional background/experience? What skills would you bring to the board?

“I was employed by the Perkiomen Valley School District for over 20 years, supporting our special education and regular education students. I worked in a variety of educational settings and assisted and collaborated with our highly qualified teachers and district colleagues. I assisted in the day-to-day operations in several schools throughout my years of employment with the district and used my training by applying best practices in the classrooms.

“If elected to the board, I would bring my knowledge and experience as well as respectful communication and intentional listening. I understand the importance of working together for the best interests of students, staff, and the school district at large. Finally, I will demonstrate commonsense and thoughtful decision making which are important to achieve the best outcomes for our students.”

Have you run for political office previously? Have you been politically active?

“I have never run for a political office before; however, I am a member of my township Republican committee, serving and supporting my local community.”

Are you running with other candidates?

“Yes, I am part of a slate of five dedicated and qualified candidates, running under the slogan Vote 5 for PV.“

What is the most important role of the school board in your opinion?

“In my opinion, the most important role of the school board is providing strong leadership in order to set policies as well as setting written goals, objectives, and parameters for actions.”

We contacted the Democratic and Republican committees in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties and asked them to share the questions with their school director candidates. Broad + Liberty will post the responses throughout the summer to assist voters in learning about the candidates running in their district. The series is open to any school director on the ballot in November. Please contact barosica@s46680.p831.sites.pressdns.com for more information.

Broad + Liberty is a nonprofit media endeavor dedicated to sharing voices and stories that are shut out of other media outlets. @BroadAndLiberty