The latest installment of our series of interviews with school director candidates across Pennsylvania brings us to the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District.

Christina Laczko is running for school director in Region 3 (Easttown and Tredyffrin East 1) of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, located in Chester County. She is a registered Republican and currently works as the U.S. Director of Industrial Performance for a global laboratory testing company.

Why are you running for the school board? 

“I am running for the school board to improve the financial and operational performance of school resources, to create an atmosphere where all students succeed to their fullest potential, and to add more analysis and views to the decision-making process. Our current school board is monolithic, and my goal is to include more voices and opinions in the discussions the school board undertakes while using a data-driven approach to how we operate for the betterment of the students and staff.”

What are the most important issues facing your district?

“Our district is faced with challenges such as resource utilization, academic achievement growth, and financial constraints. The PSSA test scores in math for eighth graders have 40 percent of students in 2022 at basic or below basic levels. This indicates that many children are not achieving. We need to evaluate the root cause of why they are struggling, propose solutions, and implement a program to rectify the situation.

“Our school spending has increased 35 percent since 2016, and our student enrollment has increased by one percent. We need better fiscal management, improved efficiency, and resource allocation. There is a proposal for a new elementary center, which needs a critical analysis and evaluation of enrollment and utilization of our buildings.”

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

“I am a corporate operations professional. I have spent over twenty years assisting pharmaceutical and laboratory companies in improving both operations and financial outcomes while becoming more customer-responsive. I have a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, which is a certification for improving operations and quality. I also have a project management certification, two bachelor’s degrees, one in chemistry and the other in business administration, and an MBA in finance. I have worked in both the scientific and financial industries. My analysis, evaluation, and operations skills are what we need to review the financial and operational issues facing the school board to make our district more successful.”

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

“This is my first time running for office. I have been a committeewoman in my precinct for the last two years. I have been elected four times to the presidency of my community’s board and serve with charity and beneficial organizations.”

Are you running with other candidates?

“I am the only candidate in Region 3 of Tredyffrin/Easttown School District; however, there are four other candidates running, two each in Region 1 and 2 of Tredyffrin Township. You can learn more about our campaign on our website.”

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

“The most important thing a school board can do is manage their resources and operations so teachers and students have what they need to learn, achieve, and succeed. Money and time spent on the students’ learning environment should be the number one priority, and we should reduce red tape and administrative bloat.”

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.

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