Meet Elizabeth Drummond, Methacton School Board Vice President Seeking Reelection

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — As Patch continues its pre-election coverage, take a look below at the responses to a candidate questionnaire submitted by Elizabeth Drummond, one of the Democrats running for Methacton School Board.

Age (as of Election Day)

49

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

2 daughters in Methacton, a high school senior and an 8th grader.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I work for a State Representative in constituent services.

Education

BS, Penn State and MBA, University of Pittsburgh

Occupation

Currently a constituent services advisor for a local State Representative, previously worked for almost 20 years for the Penn State Cooperative Extension presenting workshops on personal finance and coordinating trainings and conferences for child care centers in 3 counties.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Current VP of Methacton School Board

Campaign website

www.care4methacton.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

From homeroom mom to Home & School treasurer and president, since my daughters began school, I have served as a volunteer in Methacton. I believe in public education, love the Methacton School District and I want to continue to work hard for the students and staff in Methacton and for all the taxpayers in the community.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I believe the most pressing issue is ensuring the good mental health of our students. Many factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic with its impact on education, socialization and family economic insecurities, along with increased access to social media, can result in challenges for some Methacton students. I’m grateful that we have implemented programs which provide intensive mental health therapy to students in all of our schools. In addition to helping individual students and their families, counselors are available to all staff for consultation and advice. I will continue to fight for our students’ mental health by supporting these existing programs as well exploring and advocating for additional resources to serve all students and our community.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am an advocate for public education and attend the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) conferences and legislative action days to learn as much as I can about new and pending legislation, updates to school code, and how the latest court decisions impact our school system. I take pride in our highly-ranked (top 10% in PA and the USA) Methacton School District and value the excellent education my children receive from our outstanding teachers and staff.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Career readiness is an area where we have made great strides. We recently hired a K-12 career counselor in Methacton and established a Career Advisory Panel that brings together teachers, students, members of the business community, area colleges, universities and trade schools to ensure our students are well prepared for life after Methacton. Another point of pride in career readiness is our North Montco Technical Career Center, and I am proud to serve as a member of the Joint Operating Committee. I am always so amazed by the students and their work and will continue to be a cheerleader for technical education.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Our team has demonstrated effective leadership and fiscal responsibility in many areas. We approved full-day Kindergarten beginning in fall 2022, created a master plan for repairing and maintaining crumbling facilities and F-rated roofs, implemented intensive mental health counseling services, brought back work sessions so voting items can be discussed at greater length and with full transparency, and kept our tax increases the fourth-lowest in Montgomery County.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Trust everyone (but get it in writing).

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Through my volunteer work in the schools I became aware of the Methacton Backpack program, which provides food over the weekend to low-income students. When the pandemic began, I coordinated a food drop-off to our families and worked with the Methacton Education Foundation to secure funding and provided hundreds of pounds of food to families over the summer. Last year, because of virtual instruction, I created a Facebook page for the program, set up donation sites, and worked with volunteers to distribute food to families. I continue to help with the administration of the backpack program, providing support, supplies and resources as we return the program back to the schools.