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

Nick Braccio is running for school director in the Souderton Area School District, located in Montgomery County. He is a registered Republican and a semi-retired contractor.

Why are you running for the school board?

“I have always had a passion for volunteering and serving my community. In my time on the school board, I have appreciated the profound impact we can have on all students. I am proud to have witnessed hundreds of Souderton High School graduates become successful members of our great community. I want to continue to serve on the school board because I am confident that together we can continue to build our future leaders.”

What are the most important issues facing your district?

“These are the important issues we are focused on in the Souderton Area School District:

• Academic Excellence: Erasing any learning loss from the pandemic and standing against the indoctrination of your children.
• Maintaining Low Taxes: Maintaining the trend of lower school taxes than the other districts in our county.
• Parental Rights: Committing to transparency and partnerships with those who love and know the students best: their parents and guardians.
• Character Counts: Keeping politics out of our classrooms so that all students and employees feel safe and included.”

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

“I have served on the school board for twelve years, where I have supported numerous projects and served on various committees. I am currently the chairperson of the Technology Committee and a member of the Operations Committee, where I leverage my experience in the construction industry. In addition to my role on the school board, I am an active volunteer in the community. I serve on the Harleysville Lions Club and am the alpine skiing coach for the Special Olympics. In years past, I was a local Scout leader. I have always had a passion for volunteering and serving my community.”

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

“I have served on the Souderton Area School Board for twelve years.”

Are you running with other candidates?

“Yes. I am on the Keep Souderton Strong team with Ken Keith, Mike Barnacz, Bill Formica, and Kim Wheeler. More information on our team and what we stand for can be found on our website.”

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

“I believe that all students in the district, especially students with special needs, should be prepared to attain educational and career goals after graduation. At Souderton, we do this by providing access to an excellent education that is personalized to the child’s needs.”

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