Douglas Beaumont — South Side Area School District

This installment of our series of interviews with school director candidates across Pennsylvania brings us to the South Side Area School District.

Douglas Beaumont is running for school director in the South Side Area School District, located in Beaver County. He is a registered Republican and works in software sales.

Why are you running for school board? 

I’m running for school board because I want to continue to work with our administration and the community to improve the learning environment for our kiddos. I want to continue to lead with compassion, understanding and relationship-building to achieve the goals for our district.

What are the most important issues facing your district?

It is definitely the budget. We lost significant revenue over the last few years due to two power plants closing down and our enrollment has steadily declined. We struggle to find ways to balance our budget without eliminating programs or furloughing staff.

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

I spent twenty years working in the early intervention field and have a strong background in understanding special needs students. I worked on the financial side of several companies and have useful knowledge when it comes to budgeting and finances. The skills I bring are being a good listener and relationship builder. I believe I have the ability to see both sides of an issue and try to find a meaningful middle ground. 

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

Technically, no. A long time board member resigned in April of this year and I volunteered to fill his spot. I was interviewed by the current board — along with two other candidates — and they voted me on the board for the remainder of the year. I have not been politically active in the past.

Are you running with other candidates?

No, I am running as a write-in candidate on my own. I joined the board too late to get on the general ballot for November.

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

I believe the most important role of the school board is to work with the staff and administration to set policy and spend wisely in order to provide the best education possible for our kids.

Please list any campaign websites and social media sites.

Campaign 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.