UD United Candidates are Endorsed by Upper Dublin Residents, not by predetermined political agendas. Here is just a sampling of what people in our community are saying.
Tough Questions...
"It's not about who is right...It's about asking the tough questions and doing the research. It's about exploring all possible solutions to each challenge. It's about valuing diversity of thought and appreciating all input. Our community is a treasure trove of unique perspectives and our School Board needs to take advantage of all feedback, even if it is not inline with their initial point of view. I sincerely appreciate the dedication of the UD United candidates and their dedicated goal to spark conversation at board meetings and opening dialogues on social media. I fear that our current School Board members seem to just go with the flow and no one has the courage to make waves or ask the tough questions or explore diverse resolutions."
Back Door Deals...
“It is upsetting at school board meetings when it feels like decisions have been made before community members even know. Communication is so important and the UD United candidates have been communicating all about district issues long before they decided to run. That is what we need more of.... transparancy and communication.”
It's Time For Change
"We desperately need change - new voices, new ideas and new direction.
The UD Swamp
"I was shocked when Rep Todd Stephens attended a board meeting to advocate for clean water in the schools and was not allowed to speak. Sara Rothman, who was on the board at the time, was running against him to be our state rep and the board decided to play politics and protect themselves and her from his criticism. He was told that although he was our representative, he did not live in the district and was not on the agenda so he could not speak. The thought that they would silence an advocate in the name of politics is very troubling. We need board members to put the needs of our kids above politics. Time to drain the UD Swamp."
Group Think
"Almost every vote taken by the UD School Board is unanimous. Current board members rarely ask questions and there is no diversity of opinion. This has been the pattern for too long. As a result of this “group think”, accountability is seriously lacking. The record of the current board is a five-year decline in test scores and taxes that are far higher than neighboring districts. Most organizations have to take an honest look at their weak areas if they want to improve. The UD United candidates have already demonstrated that they will ask questions and that they will work hard to provide a better educational experience for all students. It’s great that they have children in the district and also refreshing that they are a bipartisan group - Democrats and Republicans working together."
New Vision...
"Being a life-long UD resident and a UD schools graduate, I have seen first hand how the quality of our education has fallen behind the districts we compare ourselves against. In addition, our taxes...well... we all know what has happened here over the past 15+ years when it comes to taxes. The time has come for a new direction, a new vision for the future and new people to represent the students of the school District of Upper Dublin."
Notable Negligence
"It is beyond irresponsible that the current school board knew that Sandy Run was not ADA compliant for many years and never addressed it. This left a student in the district without the ability to attend the school. They had plenty of time to make it compliant but waited until the year he would be attending and after a lawsuit was filed to deal with the problem . Now there will be additional costs to the district and taxpayers and negative ramifications to the SR students because of the board's negligence."
Helping at Heart
"The UD United candidates, are parents and volunteers spending endless hours helping ALL children and the community. UD School Board is a voluntary position and this group of candidates have proven they are willing to put in the extra work and help all UD residents."
Dollars and Sense
"It is proper protocol and common sense for schools to get multiple bids for large projects. But this board seems to be skipping this step and simply selecting the same engineering company for every project. This is strange because the cost of each project has consistently increased after they get the job, which is not surprising because the firm gets paid a percentage of the total cost. Why would we keep hiring a contractor that can't meet budget goals?"
Rocky Rollouts
"The rollout of both common core and de-tracking in our district was extremely disappointing. These were huge changes affecting teachers and students and yet they were rushed through with inadequate training and resources provided. In fact my kid's teachers told us they were learning common core along with the kids. In the case of de-tracking, the teachers were not given the support they needed to produce desired results. If our district is to meet the needs of students we can not bungle the introduction of curriculum and structural changes in this way."
Amazing Advocates
"I am amazed at the time that has been devoted by some of these candidates over the years on improving the lives of UD students. They were not in any official role but dedicated countless hours of their own time and all of our kids have benefitted. If they were willing to spend that time when they had no mandate then I can only imagine what will be possible when they are given a role in the decision making process. These are the kind of people we need in UD. They are involved for all the right reasons."
A Fresh Approach
"Encourage our empty nesters and retirees to stay in Upper Dublin. They are a vital part of our community and fiscal responsibility and being good stewards of taxpayer money as well as quality education must be priorities. Retirees don't want to hear from sitting board members that they should move to Florida if they think the taxes have gotten too high to afford."
District Dedication
“I am so excited to have an alternative slate to vote for in this election. Ginny has proven her dedication to this district by attending and commenting at almost every school board meeting for the past 8 years. She thinks critically and ask important questions in order to understand various angles on each issue. I am grateful she has engaged and informs the larger community, many of whom, like myself, would not have been aware of many of the issues facing our district today. If elected, I believe that she will continue to ask the important questions that are necessary before making decisions. It is clear that, with several of her own children in the district at various schools that she is invested in what is best for the students while also keeping an eye on rising costs. I feel confident that she will do a better job at looking at the larger, long term planning perspective in a more proactive way.”
ISO Fresh Ideas
"My wife and I have lived in the East Oreland part of Upper Dublin for a little more than five years. One of the big draws to the area was the schools. Over this time we have seen the school ranking slowly decrease and our taxes steadily increase. With a young child who will go through the UD school system this is extremely concerning. The current board’s complacency and apathetic approach to governing this board has been detrimental to the future of the UD community. From NOT taking various bids on construction projects to rushing through educational program amendments to the short sighted increases in taxes, this board is moving in a trajectory that does not set this community or its children up for sustainable success in the future. I am glad to see UD United Candidates stepping up as we as a community need a change and advocates with fresh ideas and perspectives."
Candidates Care
"When ever I have a question or concern, I contact Ginny. She helps me advocate and has helped me understand issues and who I need to contact with my concerns. I know she has also helped out other students and families within our great community on numerous occasions. Ginny also attends most, if not all, of the meetings concerning community issues. She is vocal and stands up for our community, for which I am extremely grateful!"
A+ Attendance
"Over the past several years, I have sat at UD School Board meetings to get more informed, to become more engaged and to ask questions about policies or motions that did not make sense. Over the years, every meeting I have attended, at least one or more of the UD United Candidates have been in attendance. They have questioned decisions in curriculum, in sports programs, in student achievement, in long range plans in budgeting and facilities, and in safety and health of our students. The knowledge gained by attending legislative, finance, education, etc. meetings is immeasurable. Each and every one of the UD United Candidates have the knowledge needed to sit on our school board. I trust each and every one of them that they will make the hard decisions, and the best decisions for our students first and foremost and our community. They are deeply involved and rooted in UD. They are your soccer parents on the sidelines. They are your PTA members and organizers. They are the coaches that are involved in kids lives. They are the volunteers running programs to benefit students. Each one of these candidates have students in UD schools. They have my trust 100%. I have lost trust in the current board and their decisions. We can not continue to let a board be run by the same ideology for the past 20 years. Vote for Change. Vote for trust in your school board. Vote for first hand knowledgeable and educated candidates. Vote for Cairo-Vitella, Brannigan, Stein and Burns "
Non-Partisan Please
"Please check out this UD United website for a lot of great information regarding the non-partisan candidates, their platforms/beliefs and much more information... The 4 UD United candidates (Vitella, Brannigan, Stein and Burns) are all running for a seat on the UD School Board. Please do your due diligence and read up on ALL of the candidates, not just vote for who you know that is on the current school board. My personal position is that I found a group of candidates (UD United) that truly want and require the best for ALL students. I believe that they can add fresh ideas and perspectives to help fix past mistakes and avoid future ones from both a fiscal and legal perspective while leading us forward and supporting and driving educational, safety, services improvements across the schools to improve all students education and in turn make UD the best place to live in Montgomery County PA."
An Effective
Mover & Shaker
"Community members like me, see how the candidates are willing to invest much of their time into really listening to the voices of the community. I believe they will help us, the community of Upper Dublin, be heard again. It is with great enthusiasm that I encourage the Upper Dublin community to consider the UDU candidates for election to the School District of Upper Dublin School Board."
Upset Empty Nesters
"Now that we are empty nesters it is hard to rationalize staying in a community where the taxes are so high and continue to grow year after year. I'm not sure I see an end in sight considering we have 3 aging Elementary Schools that will need to be rebuilt as well. I can't blame these tax increases entirely on the School District because my Township taxes have also increased and I continue to see irresponsible decision making. I think it's important for residents to understand that a majority our tax burden is from the School District. We could move to Wissahickon, a community literally right next door, and the taxes would be much lower, almost half for the same size house. I do believe, as upsetting as it is, we may begin our search to leave Upper Dublin as other friends in same situation have already moved because the taxes are just too high."
Earning your vote
I don’t believe in telling people how they should vote. Everyone should vote their conscience and may the best candidate win. I know the UD United candidates personally. I trust their knowledge on the issues and more importantly I trust their character to fight for what’s right for the families of Upper Dublin. They have earned my vote and they will get it. Ginny Cairo-Vitella you and the other three members of UD United have shown far more humility, compassion, knowledge, and energy than anything I have witnessed from the UD School Board during the 13 years I have lived in UD. The residents of UD are lucky to have you fighting for us. I will be imploring every neighbor I have to vote for UD United. Thank you all for the tireless thankless hours of service you all put in, and thank you for refusing to accept a status quo that has obviously not been working for over a decade.
A Candidate You Can Really Count On
"These candidates have shown that they are ready and willing to take the extra steps, get people organized and help with a lending hand. They volunteer for so many groups, in school and in the community and are strong advocates. I know they care about ALL UD children. They have my vote"