Michael Bongiovanni — Pennridge School District
This installment of Broad + Liberty’s series of interviews with school director candidates across Pennsylvania brings us to the Pennridge School District.
Michael Bongiovanni is running for school director in the Pennridge School District, located in Bucks County. He is a registered Republican and retired teacher.
Why are you running for school board?
I believe that it is an important time to get involved in school board elections. Our schools, once safe havens for learning, are facing new challenges every day. My focus as a teacher has always been toward helping students develop as learners. After retiring four years ago, I still have a strong desire to be involved in the many aspects of education. My two children went through and graduated from the Pennridge School District and I feel an obligation to give back to the district that treated my children so well.
What are the most important issues facing your district?
1) A recent tax increase after several straight years of no increases
2) Co-ed bathrooms determined by gender, not biological sex
3) A need to improve test scores
4) A current focus on activism instead of education
What is your professional background/experience? What skills would you bring to the board?
My educational experience spans over 35 years as a high school Math teacher in a very high performing Bucks County School District. My career exposed me to innovative teaching practices, administrative responsibilities, critical thinking techniques, curriculum writing, collegial leadership, budget preparation, teacher mentoring, and athletic coaching. This experience equips me with skills essential for leadership on the school board. I feel I would be able to bring an abundance of knowledge about the workings of the public school system.
Have you run for political office previously? Have you been politically active?
No.
Are you running with other candidates?
Yes.
What is the most important role of the school board in your opinion?
The role of a school board is to guarantee transparent fiscal responsibility while providing the school district with safe and effective learning environments for all students where the educational emphasis is on intellectual growth, problem solving and critical thinking.
Please list any campaign websites and social media sites.
Pennridge for Excellence 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 [email protected] for more information.
