11-10-2023 12:29am

About Boyertown Area School Board Election Results

Lesley Misko Editor

Region 1 (Berks County; 1 seat available)

Christine Neiman - 2,217 votes*

Krista Elyse Arndt - 1,720 votes

Region 2 (Berks and Montgomery Counties; 2 seats available)

Roger A. Updegrove - 1,991 votes*

James Brophy - 1,851 votes*

Lisa Hogan - 1,629 votes

Joseph Piccione - 1,570 votes

Region 3 (Montgomery County; 2 seats available)

Brad A. Updegrove - 2,163 votes*

Wendy Kratz - 2,110 votes*

Matt Hook - 2,042 votes

Jessica T. Skelton - 2,000 votes

[Above data from Reading Eagle newspaper.]

Having dedicated a combined 70 years of our lives to teaching in the Boyertown Area School District, Jane and I care deeply about the quality of education that our local students receive. We stand firmly against any kind of book and curriculum censorship. We believe it is of the utmost importance that students learn to differentiate between history/truth/reality and fiction/opinion. We believe students have a need and a right to know the truth of things, properly taught for their age and by professional educators, of course. Our nation and the world have a need for them to know too.

Prior to the election, we attempted to make voters aware of a group called "Moms for Liberty." While the name sounds harmless, this national group is attempting to gain control of school boards around the country with the goal of reformulating education content to their own agenda in which truth and facts are not required. We made readers aware because there were some local candidates for school board who are affiliated with that group. Here is the article we published on Nov. 6, if you missed it. There is plenty of information out there if you research.

Happily, around the country, candidates affiliated with this group, did not win most of the school board seats for which they competed. The Daily Beast headline says, "'Moms for Liberty' Candidates Take a Beating in Some School Races." Newsweek's headline says, "'Moms for Liberty' Annihilated in School Board Elections." The New Republic headline states, "'Moms for Liberty' Falls Flat on Its Face in School Board Races." A Fox News affiliate in Ohio says, "'Moms for Liberty' endorsed candidates fail to win seats in Linn Mar school board election." Again, there is plenty of information out there if you research.

Unfortunately, there is local cause for concern because those headlines do not apply to the Boyertown School Board election.

The numbers tell the story.

According to a Reading Eagle story, "Election 2023: Berks Voter Turnout,""about 32.5% of registered voters in the county cast ballots." Montgomery County wasn't much better at 41.67%. ("Montco Reports 41% Voter Turnout Rate for 2023 General Election.") As a result, the Boyertown School Board was elected by slightly more than 1/3 of registered voters.

We are concerned that our district will devolve into the chaos that Moms4Liberty brought to other districts. With that, we urge voters to pay attention to school board news, do your own research, show up to the meetings, voice your opinions, and support those who have worked during this election season to inform you and to find candidates who rely on proven facts and who support public education. And then, vote and encourage others to do the same.

The other day we shared this quote from Haile Selassie, past Emperor of Ethiopia. It seems worth repeating: “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”