Lisa Roth is running for school director in the Parkland School District, located in Lehigh County. She is a registered Republican and won the Democratic primary in May. She currently works as a project coordinator.

Why are you running for school board? 

I am running for reelection this year and have been on the Parkland School Board for the past fourteen years. I have enjoyed every minute of my time on the board and take this responsibility very seriously. I feel that I have consistently done my due diligence researching and understanding every single item that has required my vote, and I continue to take pride in representing students, families, staff, and all taxpayers in this district.

What are the most important issues facing your district?

Currently, Parkland’s expected enrollment growth within the next three to five years requires us to plan for more room at both our middle and high school levels. Potentially having a need to enlarge and/or plan for new buildings will require a hard look at our current budget, tax rates, and how these projects could affect our debt service. Keeping all this in mind along with an understanding of our taxpayers’ financial situations is key to this fiscal responsibility.

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

I have worked at Air Products for 38 years in the customer service and logistics area, in our corporate policies department, and for the past three years in capital projects. I have also been volunteering in Parkland School District for over 30 years, including PTO/PTA officer in my children’s schools, PSD Community Advisory Council, PSD Strategic Plan community member, and local youth sports coaching. My customer service skills and understanding of policies and procedures at Air Products have definitely enhanced my community engagement within the school district, and my work in capital projects has provided me with a solid understanding of building renovations and new construction proposals. 

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

As mentioned above, I am seeking my third four-year term within Parkland. I have never run for any other office previously and do not consider myself “politically active,” with the exceptions of making sure I understand the Pennsylvania School Code, follow all Senate and House bills pertaining to education, and advocate with our local representatives on certain legislative topics (e.g public school and special ed funding, cyber charter schools funding, school choice, etc).

Are you running with other candidates?

I usually do run with other candidates, and this year I am proud to align myself with three other incumbents, including Carol Facchiano, Marisa Ziegler, Jay Rohatgi, and one newcomer, Chris Pirrotta, who has been attending school board meetings the past two years and taken upon himself to fully understand the workings of Parkland and what this role as school director entails. You can learn more on our campaign website.

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

Back in 2009 when I was first nominated by the Parkland school board to fill the two year remainder of someone’s term, one of my mentors told me that the two most important things we do as school board directors are to hire and consistently evaluate the district’s superintendent and to be educated and fiscally responsible for the district’s budget. The only thing I would add to that piece of advice is to know the importance of two-way communication and to get out there and be part of the community you represent.

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@broadandliberty.com for more information.

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