School Director Candidate Spotlight: Paul Barbehenn — East Penn School District

This installment of our series of interviews with school director candidates across Pennsylvania brings us to the East Penn School District.

Paul Barbehenn is running for school director in the East Penn School District, located in Lehigh County. He is a registered Republican and works in wealth management and financial planning.

Why are you running for school board? 

I want to help make the East Penn School District the premier district in the Lehigh Valley for our students and a career destination for teachers and other educational professionals.  I believe in the mission of public education and want to be a positive and constructive voice to represent our students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers.  I also want to bring my extensive financial experience and common sense problem solving skills to bear on behalf of our district and community.

What are the most important issues facing your district?

One of our biggest challenges is understanding that our taxpayers are feeling stretched. Emmaus Borough residents, as an example, just experienced a 26 percent increase in their borough taxes. People are feeling the pressure of multiple years of above-average inflation, which while moderating in some areas, haven’t seen a reduction in prices for a lot of household staples.

We have to recognize and balance these concerns against the need to make ongoing investments. A top-tier school district requires investments in our teachers, support specialists, and aids who are directly impacting our kids in the classroom. We have major renovations projects in our facilities and infrastructure that are past due and necessary.

This balance requires adopting a mindset of stewardship that ensures that taxpayer funds are being appropriately prioritized, spent efficiently and transparently, and that we, as a district, are holding ourselves publicly accountable for the results. In short, I will fight to ensure that we have a sustainable budget that balances the reality our taxpayers are facing with investments our kids and district require.

A sustainable budget promotes long-term financial stability, allowing the district to plan for future investments in technology, infrastructure, and curriculum improvements. The Long Range Fiscal and Capital Plan that was recently released by the district should act as a baseline for providing our community with the confidence that we are investing in our priorities while balancing the cost to taxpayers, particularly those taxpayers that live on fixed incomes and fixed budgets.

Additionally, over the past few years, both teachers and parents have reached out to me expressing their frustrations with not being heard. While they were provided with a forum for speaking their minds, their belief is that their feedback was not really wanted and that the forum was just a way to “check the box”. People need to be HEARD and believe that their feedback is genuinely desired. Doing so will help to foster an environment that is truly collaborative and where open dialogue ensures that decisions within our district are made with the input of those directly affected.

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

Professionally, I have extensive financial and budgeting experience, including having built, managed, and eventually sold my wealth management business. Through this experience, I have learned what it takes to develop strong leaders, cultivate a culture of success, and build a thriving organization.  I believe that a diverse range of backgrounds, skills, and experiences is essential for any organization — including our school board.  A business mindset brings valuable perspective in creating a sustainable budget, fostering transparency and accountability, and identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within our district.  Additionally, I have significant experience in board service and leadership with local non-profits.  I am currently the Board Chair for the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown and served on the Finance/Audit Committee for the past fifteen years. I also joined the board of directors for Wildlands Conservancy in 2023.  

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

My first foray into the political universe was a school board campaign in 2023.  Otherwise, my focus has been my business and non-profit work.

Are you running with other candidates?

No

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

School board directors need to think long-term and strategically. Their job is not the day-to-day management of the district, but rather to ensure that the administration is taking time to think about their long-term plans, focusing on district culture, creating a framework for academic success, developing a sustainable budget, and creating a culture of transparency and accountability.  Directors also need to focus on balancing the potentially competing interests of students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers.

Please list any campaign websites and social media sites.

Barbehenn 4 East Penn Website

Barbehenn 4 East Penn Facebook page

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.