001The special meeting of the Upper Derby School District, school board, and school directors will please come to order. I have communicated with board member Fields that he is online virtually. Can he hear and see hear and see the proceedings? >> Uh, I'm present. I'm here. >> Great. Great. Thank you. I've communicated with board member War Savage who informed me that he will not be attending this evening because he is unwell. As a board, as a result, board member War Savage is excused from tonight's meeting. >> The district posted this evening's agenda to board docs at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of this meeting. Is there a motion to approve that previously posted agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Are there a any amendments to offer? >> There are no amendments. >> The
002agenda has been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. I >> I. >> Those opposed, please say I oppose. Those abstaining, please say I abstain. Motion carried. The resignation The resignation from school board director Neil Desoyers was effective May 29th, 2025. Under Pennsylvania law and the district's policy 004 BOG just one filling the vacancy the board is now within the 30 days that 30-day period in which it has exe exclusive authority to fill the vacancy consistent with the policy as authorized by the board. The advertisement of the vacancy was placed in the Delaware County Times and ran for 3 days. The deadline for submission for applicants was noon on June 13, 2025. Pursuant to Pennsylvania law, due to the date the vacancy occurred, the district voters will fill the vacancy at the
003municipal election in November 2025, and the individual elected will be seated on the board at the December 2025 reorganizational meeting for a 2-year term. The applicant selected by the board tonight will therefore only serve on the board until the elected person is seated. Time commitments include monthly board meetings generally falling on the second Tuesday of the month, monthly committee meetings generally falling on the fourth Tuesday of the month, liaison assignments and schoolboard professional development. The applicants will be review interviewed individually in the order in which the district received their application. As only one applicant may be in the room at the time of the interviews, the administration will provide seating elsewhere for the other applicant or applicants to quietly wait their turn. Each interview will begin with an opportunity for the applicant to make an
004opening statement that is up to three minutes long. During each of the interviews, each board member will ask one question of the applicants. After the above question, there will be a period for board members to ask or for clar or ask clarifying or follow-up questions related solely to the applicant's previous responses. Members of the public may observe but may not take part in or interject at any point during the interviews. Public comment will take place prior to the vote. The board's pro process is not intended to include applicants questioning or debating each other and no opportunity for such will be given. The first applicant is Michael Fortn. As previously stated, you have three minutes to tell us a little about yourself. >> Thank you. Hello, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to address
005you today. I'm grateful for this opportunity to speak to the board about who I am and what I bring to this district as a member of the school board. My husband and I have a 9-year-old special needs son. I've served as a classroom assistant and a substitute teacher in the Upper Derby School District for the past three years. These experiences have given me unique insight into what the district needs both from the perspective of a parent and as an educator. I have seen and experienced the highs and the lows that our community faces in our schools and how to address them. We are at a critical juncture right now where we as a district face many difficulties including a lack of parental involvement and low morale from our teachers. We need to work across our
006party lines to give our students the education they crave and deserve. And we as a community need to come together to face these difficulties head on. This board needs to work with the parents in our community and with our teachers to raise our standards and help ensure a brighter future for all of our children. We have a very diverse student population which is a tremendous asset that we need to utilize by encouraging open and frank discussions about our schools and recognizing that this diversity presents us with an opportunity to learn from one another and embrace the different cultures and identities of our student population. Recognizing the varied needs of our students and working to achieve nurturing learning environment for all our students regardless of their background is a key to our success and something that
007is very important to me both as a parent and as an educator. Before becoming an educator, I worked for many years in the arts. I attended the Julie Art School and worked many years in theater and currently work with Summer Stage and the Upper Derby Arts Foundation. Part of providing a quality education to our students involves providing equitable access to the arts and other opportunities beyond their basic academics. Music and theater are a universal language. They bring our cultures and communities together. And it is why they have always thrived in this community. If sitting on this board, I will work hard to help continue these opportunities to all of our students both inside and outside of our school buildings. If given the opportunity to work for the district as a school board director, I will
008work tirelessly to help all of you help our district achieve the high level of excellence I know you and I and all the members of this community want to see. This board has worked hard to continue to grow our schools by increasing course offerings, working to bring dedicated teachers into our district, and help lift up the diverse population of kids that we serve. And I hope to have that opportunity to help you continue that mission. My experiences make me uniquely qualified to advocate for those in Upper Derby who need it the most. I'm not here today as a politician or as someone with political aspirations or preconceived notions of what we need to do. I'm here simply as a parent, as a teacher, and a community member looking to serve our schools and our children.
009And thank you for your time and your consideration. >> Thank you. The first question goes to board member Deborah Williams. >> Thank you, Mr. Mr. Forners, nice to meet you. >> I agree music is a universal language. My question for you today is in your uh opinion, what are the responsibilities of a school director? >> I think a school board director needs to first and foremost act as an advocate for the students in this in the schools for the parents. I think it's important to liaison with those parents about their school, about their children's education, to make sure the community is well involved and well informed and what's happening in our schools on a day-to-day basis. Um, I think it's very important for community involvement, not only for people who have children in this district,
010but for everybody. A successful school district and successful children equate to a better community for all of us, whether you have children or not in this district. And so I think the most important role of a school director is to um portray that message, to portray that confidence in the district, and to make sure that everyone is involved and heard. >> I I just have a follow-up question um as well. Can you tell me something um positive about the school district? I heard in your opening statement, you told me all the things that you could um work to try to bring to the school district, but can you tell me something positive about the school district and how you could contribute to the school district to maybe further that thing that's positive? >> Sure. Um,
011one thing that comes to mind personally is when I I started as a classroom assistant in Highland Park and then became a substitute teacher. I in my time though as a social teacher teacher not directly employed by the district um always felt very welcomed by the administration in the buildings that I've worked in and by the teachers I never felt that I was less of a teacher because I was a sub just a substitute um so I think maintaining that welcoming environment for our guest teachers is very important um as a substitute it's a very difficult job not having the same kids all the time um and often rotating to different buildings. So, I think to continue to maintain that welcoming environment for the guest teachers and for all of our students and parents um
012will help create a better, more successful district. >> Thank you so much. >> Next question. Director Glenn, >> good evening. Thank you for your application and for being here this evening. as a school board member, what would you advocate for within the district? >> I think one of the biggest things that we need to advocate um is at the high school level to continue to offer different course options. Um I know that we currently offer VOTE options and I think that's great. Um I think that's something that we need to continue to invest in. Um I don't want to sound negative about our children. Um, but the reality is that college is not always a avenue for everyone and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Um, people can make a good living and
013be very happy going into the workforce in a trained skill. And I think encouraging and making those different routes available to them will help um instill more confidence in our kids and in our community in the schools making sure that they are more prepared for what's happening when they leave us. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Vice President Williams. >> Thank you. Thank you for applying. >> Thank you. Um could you give two experiences where you've you have placed uh your personal desires aside and acted in the favor of the greater good of the organization? >> Sure. Um I started off working at Highland Park Elementary and when I did my son was a student there. Um which is why I went to that specific school. Um, I noticed that a lot of
014times my role as a parent and my role as a uh classroom assistant and then substitute teacher were kind of getting blurred, I think, as it would with any parent wanting to watch out for their child. Um, so I stepped aside and went to a different uh a different building. Um, putting aside my personal needs for, you know, the betterment of my son and for the administration at that at that building. Um, another opportunity that I came across was working at Beverly Hills Middle School where I was this past year. Um, I have, as I mentioned, a strong education educational background in the arts. Um, as a substitute teacher, I was not allowed to directly run an afterchool program because I didn't work for the district, but I did volunteer my time um towards their
015theater program um without taking on any extra pay or anything, but because it's something that I believed in and I think benefited the students a lot. >> Thank you, >> Director Hussein. >> Uh thank you, Mr. Michael for interviewing with us. Uh my question is like uh what skill set would you bring to the board? >> I think uh as I mentioned my experience as a parent and being in the schools um gives me a greater insight into what happens on a day-to-day basis. I have worked with teachers across the district as as a substitute and classroom assistant. um that's not to diminish the skill set that anybody else brings to the table, but I think it is a unique set because I see um what goes on in the district and what our students
016need both as a parent and as someone who has worked inside the district um in the schools firsthand on a day-to-day basis. >> Okay, thank you. >> Okay, I will be asking the next two questions. One is for myself and one is um for uh director Fields who is not with us tonight. When faced with a difficult determination, how do you go about making a decision? I like to analyze the pros and cons. Um I am very much a thinking type of person. I tend not to make decisions spur of the moment. I like to look at all of the possibilities and um implications either way. That's um just how my my mind works. Um so I tend to look at the impact that it's going to have in both ways before making a decision.
017>> Okay. Thank you. Next question. What do you hope to achieve as a board member? >> I want to continue to grow our district that the school has worked hard for. I think we have all seen the difficulties that we face with some issues with school violence in schools. Um it is something that this board has tackled head on and I think we're we're headed in the right direction. I definitely want to continue to see that grow. Um I am sorry to say that I often see a lot of apathy with teachers in the in the buildings that I've worked in. they feel like they are more babysitters than teachers at this point. Um, and I think that is something that we as a district as a whole need to address to communicate with our
018teachers about what they need to be successful, how they're feeling, and how we can overcome that. That will decrease the teacher turnover that we have, lead to us being able to recruit more teachers to fill the vacancies that we have. And I think part of that also involves speaking to students about why they feel the way that they feel. I think often there's a lot of apathy towards education with the students in our schools, too. It's tough for them to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. How is this going to benefit me? Why do I care what I'm doing in math in seventh grade when how is that going to affect me 10 years down the road? I think continuing those conversations and having those frank discussions with their
019parents, with their caregivers, with teachers, with students about how your education now, you might not see how it's going to affect you down the road, but it will and how those decisions are going to impact your future. Having those discussions hopefully will help alleviate a lot of that problems that we are seeing with the students and in turn with the teachers and how they're feeling. >> Thank you. Um, director Pin Pentini Cow, >> thank you. >> Almost. Thank you for applying. >> Um, my question for you is, um, what is your opinion on the various parts that make up the district, including administration, educational programs, the buildings, the grounds, class sizes, and the current board? >> Wow. Okay. Um, I think as far as the buildings themselves go, um, it is, uh, I know there's
020con construction going on with the new middle school right now this summer with Beverly Hills. I think we're making some definite improvements physically to the building that we that we need. Um, obviously finances are always going to be an issue. Um, class sizes are difficult because there's only so much space that we obviously have. I think, um, what the board needs to look at in the long run is the possibility of also expanding or opening a secondary high school to alleviate those class sizes. Um, we're doing that a little bit now by adding a third um, middle school, which I think is great. Once that once that happens, hopefully that will alleviate some of that. And I think alleviating the large number of students that we have in the individual classes will also relieve a
021lot of that stress that the teachers are feeling and help us give a better education. It's tough to have 30 kids in a classroom and um be tuned into what each of those 30 students needs. Um as far as the board itself, I think that um you have a very tough job. Um, we have a lot of different needs with our students and our communities. We, excuse me, have a very diverse board, which I think is fantastic, with different experiences. Um, and I think maintaining that diversity is important to make sure that every voice in this community is heard and everybody feels feels heard. >> Thank you. And I believe there are no more questions. Do you have any questions for us? >> I don't. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next, we will have
022um interview for Diamond Gibbs. Same as the other candidate. You have three minutes to tell us a little bit about yourself. >> Well, hello everyone. Um my name is Diamond Gibbs. I was born and raised in Upper Derby. Um I am an alumni of Upper Derby School District. I'm a graduate of class of 2016. I started out at the kindergarten center um on to Bwood Elementary and then transitioned out to Sanka and Clifton Heights. Went to Beverly Hills Middle School and then of course ended up my my education and academic journey at the high school in 2016. And I have been very much so involved in my community and even an advocate for students since my senior year in high school. Starting out as an ESL tutor and just being able to connect with diverse
023communities and diverse groups and just be able to pour into them when they feel like no one else can understand them or just being able to connect with people on the same level. we were the same age, had very very similar experiences and sometimes kids just need people to show up. Not just show up, but also listen. So, it was good to be able to build those relationships with them. Um, after my journey in Upper Derby School District, I went off to Lasal University. Um, studied a major of things from psychology, public health to sociology, which now pours into the work that I do today. I am the founder of a grassroots initiative by the name of the only pipeline. We work closely with justice impacted youth throughout Delaware County by providing them with recreational
024um diversion and even education academic support. So we're not just based in certain school districts or areas. We serve all of Delaware County and even partner with um groups in the Philadelphia region. And so it has been great to be able to advocate for those who have been just as impacted because oftent times society sees labels especially when it comes to kids of color or even marginalized communities. So it's important that they have that support and even the resources to be able to thrive and grow because we're all deserving of not just one but many chances. We're human. We all make mistakes but at the same time like I mentioned earlier it's important to have people and resources that are able to pour into our youth especially when they already have very very limited resources
025itself. And so that's a little bit about me. Um I'm very much so driven when it comes to working with youth especially those who have been just as impacted. >> Thank you. Of course. First question is for Director Williams. Deborah Williams. Hi, good evening. Thank you so much for coming out and applying tonight. Uh my question for you is what do you think the responsibilities of a >> I would say one of the main responsibilities is making sure and to understand the needs of educators um staff members and students and being able to show up and advocate for them in different levels. So that can be done through a variety of ways, whether it's through policies and procedures, which I know the board handles well. Um, HR concerns, hiring, and firing, but also just making
026sure that whatever they need, they feel like they are able to come to you to share those concerns. At the end of the day, we do represent all staff, all educators, all students, and we just need to make sure that their concerns are heard, but also comprehended so that we can also take action on it. >> Good. Thank you. >> Next question, Director Glenn. >> Good evening. Thank you for your application and your time this evening. My question is, as a school board member, what would you advocate for within the district? I would definitely say um school safety, not just on school grounds, but around school grounds. Community violence does have a big impact, but it also does affect the students when it comes to attendance, whether they want to show up to school or
027not. It also even affects our teachers and whether they feel safely enough to actually serve um through the district or even come back and want to continue to serve in the district. So I do feel as though um violence and just school safety on around and off school grounds does have a major major ma major impact in many different areas when it comes to just quality education. So that is a major thing to advocate for and that can be done by partnering with state rep. Carol Kazim because she does sit on the children and youth committee for the state and she does amazing work when it comes to public education as well as our own state representatives and senators. Um so it can be done on a variety of levels locally just building partnerships with
028community organizations even businesses just to offer resources that the schools may not be able to fund themselves. But it's just good to be able to work locally but also branch out to the higherups whenever that support is needed. Thank you so much. >> Of course. >> Next question. D um Vice President Williams. >> Yes. Thank you for applying. Could you give two experiences where you have placed your personal desires aside and acted in the favor of the greater good of the organization? >> Yes. So I will say being a public servant, it is always the people over the personal. And I will share two recent experiences. I work out in an elementary school in Philadelphia. I help with the school climate and just developing curriculum and programs just to make sure that the culture and
029the climate of the school is okay. So, with the end of the school year, we have a variety of events and one of them was a community town hall um with parents and even with the kids to make sure that they're aware of how, you know, violence can impact them throughout the summer and some things that they can be connected to um just to make sure that they stay on track. And so that was a very very tough week because I personally had um a death of a friend and I still made sure one to pay my duties to my friend and that family by showing up but also making sure that I showed up for the communities and schools that I already serve. So I did make sure to prioritize not just my personal
030needs that day but also when I make a commitment to the people I do want to continue to show up for them. And another example is actually um today we the only pipeline operates weekly programmings in part in partnership with turning points for children. And I'm not going to lie, it can be very tough when working with just teenagers in general, but especially those who are just as impacted. But even in foster care, there's a lot of trauma involved. There's a lot of anger involved and sometimes they just need to release it. And so during our event today, we were just painting self-portraits and guiding them through that. A student did just have a moment, and I'll just call it a moment because it did take some time to get them levelheaded and grounded again,
031and it was difficult to keep the volunteers in the room. So, they did eventually storm out. They went about their day and it was hard. And so, instead of just shutting the program down, we did continue to push for it with the people that stayed there. Um it could be it can be very very mentally challenging um when dealing with multiple kids by yourself, but at the end of the day when you're making a commitment, you you need to push it out. So that's another sacrifice that was made. >> Thank you, >> Director Hussein. >> Uh Diamond, thank you for coming here for taking the interview. Uh my question is, uh what skill set would you bring to the board? So I think I bring a variety of skill sets. Um one I do bring
032a different perspective since I personally am not a parent in the school district. I am still one who is considered to be very young um and have gone through um my academic experiences and challenges myself. So I do have the opportunity and grace to work with kids every day. So, I do have hands-on knowledge about the daily operations of schools, what it takes to pour into curriculum and program development and the process to get that approved and just when it comes to family and community engagement, that is a top priority for me. So, I do think it is important to make sure to consider the needs of the community, but also just stay engaged. When you are a public servant, there are many, many responsibilities that fall on your plate and sometimes just boots on
033the ground. Base level conversations can go over your head when you're super busy, but it's important to prioritize things of that nature. So, family and community engagement are definitely key. >> Okay, thank you. I'll be asking two questions, one for myself and one for Director Fields who's online. When faced with a difficult determination, how do you go about making a decision? >> So, one thing I definitely go by is to promise less and assess more. So, instead of giving out um promises that are based on half-truths or just misinformation, it's important to consider all information that's presented, but also all perspectives before coming to a grounded decision. And just realizing that it takes a collective. is not just one person that decides one thing and then we just sway that way. It does take a
034collective and as I mentioned just making sure to take in all perspectives before a decision is made. >> Thank you. Next question. What do you hope to achieve as a board member? I hope to be able to work more boots on the ground as far as when it comes to school safety measures and considering what we could bring into our schools or even in the surrounding communities to make sure that our kids are safe but also to make sure that teacher retention is addressed because again as I mentioned earlier violence and just community and school safety does impact a lot of different things. So I do think just working more towards how we can operate as a community hub when it comes to bringing in resources, networks, and just necessary supplies that are key to
035making sure that our schools are operating properly. >> Thank you, Director Pianchini Cal. >> Hi, I'm Director Piachini. Thank you for applying. Um, one day everybody will get it right. Um, I'm sorry. What in what is your opinion on the various parts that make up the district that can include administration, educational programs, buildings, the grounds, class sizes, the current board, anything like that? >> So, I do know that they all go hand inand as far as the buildings. I know the board has been doing a great job with making sure that things are physically functioning properly. So, I know that Westbrook recently had their renovations and that was great. and even the playgrounds and the fields that have been done over the course of the years has also been great progress as far as administration
036and just staff in the classrooms. It can be very difficult for teachers when it comes to oversized classrooms. I even was a direct product of taking being taken out of bywood and being moved out to Sanka with my twin brother because of the overcrowding. And I do believe that it is great that thousands and thousands of students want to come to Upper Derby School District. And I now am very very happy to know that more staff is in the building to support those teachers because it can be a lot and especially when trying to give students one-on-one support. That time can easily be taken away because of how many students are in the classroom. So it does take a village to operate the classrooms, the buildings, administration, and even the board. We all have to
037operate with a collective vision. Otherwise, goals are going to be delayed. Barriers are going to continue to be in place and that we're going to be stuck in a very, very extrinic cycle. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Do you have any questions for us? >> I do not. >> I do have a follow-up question. >> Okay. Uh you mentioned that your experiences with um justice impacted students um and so I've heard you use that term over and over again, but I um wondered what your um or how would you work with all students in our community? Do you um think that all students in the Upper Darby School District are justice impacted or just certain students and how would you um represent um all students in the community or in the school
038district or what is your definition of um I guess justice impacted? >> Yeah, for sure. I can definitely clarify. So for justice impacted that just mainly focuses on those who have been suspended, expelled, um have gone through the juvenile justice or even the criminal justice system. So there are some charges that stick to their record or to their name at the moment. But that is not just my only priority. That's just um what I do on a day-to-day. But at the same time, I do think that it is nearly impossible to not focus on all diverse groups and even marginalized communities that make up all of Delaware County school district. Without them, there wouldn't be the schools and even the programs in place that and even resources that we have to properly serve them. So
039I do believe that focusing on our diverse groups, even our special education, our disabled students, they all fall under our umbrella of what makes our school district so special and great. So I definitely am committed to serving and recognizing all groups. >> I have one other follow-up question for you. Can you tell me something um positive about our school district and how you could contribute to that? >> Of course. So I do believe that Upper Derby School District has amazing after school programs and even throughout the summer is able to provide great experiences for students to keep them busy but also that will help them on their academic journey. Summer stage has always been a big thing. My sister was a graduate of 20 2007 and she was also very very very heavily involved in
040theater and the arts. So even though I was not on her level when it comes to dancing, singing, and just being involved in theater, that did spark an interest and just makes you think about all the different things that you can get involved in because there are different options for different groups. So music and arts is definitely a great thing. Sports has always been amazing with the school and even how we pour into our special ed community, especially when it comes to the extensive school year. I think that's an amazing plus to have for us. >> Okay, thank you. >> Of course, >> this concludes the interview process for tonight. The board will vote on the on the election of the new school book school board member under new business during our voting meter meeting
041later this evening. Do I hear a m a motion for adjournment? >> So moved. Ajourned.