Leslie Elken Running For Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board

Pennsylvania's Primary Election is May 18. Leslie Elken is a candidate for Tredyffrin Township School District's board of directors for Region 1. She's an experienced teacher and coach, holds a master's in Secondary Education and is active at Great Valley Presbyterian.

She explained why she is running for election.

Leslie Elken

Age: 54

Position Sought: Tredyffrin Township School District Board Director for Region 1.

Party Affiliation: Republican

Family: Kiersten, 22; Erik, 17; Ellie the Dachsador, 10

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: Tredyffrin/Easttown K-12, Class of 1984; Wheaton College, bachelor of arts in English, 1988; University of Pennsylvania, master's degree in Secondary Education, 1991.

Occupation: Affiliate Professor at Eastern University's College of Business and Leadership in St. Davids, including Business Programs' Internship Coordinator, Instructor in Leadership Program, Instructor in Career Development Courses, Student Advisor, and Advisor to the Business Honor Society. 7 years and 9 months, from August 2013 to present.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Prior Experience includes teaching ninth grade Honors World Literature at Conestoga High School. Fun Fact: I taught a current School Board Director.
Teaching seventh grade English in Downingtown Area School District, where I also ran teaching teams, served on the At-Risk Student Committee, wrote curriculum, planned and ran field trips, engaged in parent conferences, and worked with IEPs.
I have 19 seasons of coaching experience on courts, fields, and pool decks working with ages 5-14, and much of that was coaching at Martin's Dam Swim Club right here in Wayne.
I am an active member of Great Valley Presbyterian, on Swedesford Road, where over the years I have been a Deacon specializing in Aid to the Community, a Senior High Youth Group Leader, a Member of the Education Committee tasked with reviewing and selecting curriculum, a Middle School Sunday School teacher, an Adult Class Instructor, a Leader of the Elementary club program, a Pre-School Sunday School teacher, and a Teacher's Assistant in the church Pre-School (Preschool In the Valley).
Currently, my son and I are members of the church's Homeless Ministry.

Why are you seeking elective office?: As a resident of this community for over 50 years, an educator who has been supporting children in this community for over 30 years, and a parent who has entrusted her children to Tredyffrin Easttown School District for over 15 years, I feel that I am uniquely qualified with a lifetime of local knowledge and practical experience in real-time to contribute to the School Board in a way that will help move it forward — in a way that best meets the needs of our students in a unique and challenging time in our district.
As a current educator, I can speak to all of the modalities of instruction (virtual-synchronous and asynchronous, hybrid, and in-person) being used at this time in classrooms. As a career facing professor who engages with local organizations, I can speak to what skills are valued in the workplace.
I have spent my adult life working with and advocating for local children ages 5 to 22 as a teacher, coach, parent, and volunteer. I understand teaching strategies, cognitive stages, and neuro-diversity, all within the context of this community's goals and standards. I have worked with little ones as they learned to read, I have worked with middle schoolers as they grow formal writing skills, I have worked with high schoolers as they enhance their public speaking skills, and I have worked with college students as they refine their resumes and apply to opportunities.
I know what is useful, I know what works, and I understand the tradition of excellence of this district because I have lived it as a product of this school system. I have walked the halls of Conestoga as a student, teacher, and parent. I am dedicated to T/E and want to serve it in this way.

The single most pressing issue facing our school district is: Safe, in-person, full-time learning. Over a year ago the decision to go virtual was an emergency, temporary educational stopgap; it was never meant to be a long-term solution. The longer it continued, the toll on our children's emotional health and quality of learning became more apparent.
Our goal should be to continue to work on the best ways to offer in-person instruction to as many families as want it for their children. I walked my talk on this and have been back in the classroom full-time since August, and my students continually affirm that this has been the right choice. I have had to modify some forms of engagement, but it is much more valuable to students than virtual learning.
With vaccinations becoming more readily available, continued in-person instruction is even more attainable, with compassionate consideration for those who might have an ongoing need for alternative instruction. Throughout the past year my colleagues at the university, my students, my family and I, and my place of worship have all respected the protocols in place to keep our community safe. Despite being a teacher, Higher Ed was not included in 1A, so I celebrated when my local fellow educators in T/E gained access to 1A, and I have waited for my time for it to be offered to me and my family.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?: I know T/E, and I know education. I have a lifetime of local knowledge and practical experience in real-time with strong academic degrees directly supporting my work.
We have a superintendent and administrators in place to run our programs, what we need are insights on what works in classrooms and a clear understanding of the values and goals of our community.
I have a track record of educational success with children of all ages and abilities, success in building relational bridges with peers in the workplace and in our community, and I enjoy working to unite groups towards a common goal which in this case is continued excellence in our district for our children. I know how to lead, and I know how to be part of a team.
In many ways, I hope to honor the role that the incumbent, who is not seeking re-election, played in serving the community. He is a registered Independent, so the only non-Democratic voice on the board currently, and I feel we are a much stronger board if we are bi-partisan with more voices, solutions, and resources available.
Rev. (Scott) Dorsey is a representative to the board who is excellent at making the community know they have been heard. I want to serve relationally in the same way so residents, parents, and students know they have an advocate in me.

In what way has the current board failed the district?: This past year has been a very challenging time to serve, and the Board was faced with issues it had never faced before and with an uncertain timeline where choices might impact the health and wellbeing of our children in a more serious way than ever in the past. Definitely not an easy responsibility to shoulder, but I was hoping the board was going to be much more prepared earlier to at least roll out the plan to return to in-person full-time instruction because since we had to go virtual, the goal has always been to return to in-person full-time. They seemed to have been caught flat-footed. The other modalities are less successful for the children and a greater strain on the teaching staff in planning and execution.
I also would like to work on more feedback mechanisms from the students to the board. It appears they felt that decisions were being made that they could have added insight to, and they want the opportunity to be heard more.
There are also concerns for the taxes being raised while the community is facing the financial ramifications of Covid -19. Rev. Dorsey, who currently holds the seat, spoke to this and I echo his sentiments that now is not the time to be burdening residents further.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: Currently, on my Facebook site (linked below) and soon on my website I elaborate on accountability, transparency, budgeting, educational focus, and the impact of COVID -19.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?: My decades of working as part of large coaching programs, teaching teams, staffs, and faculties on long-term and very complicated educational-related planning, execution, and review of programs has prepared me for this. Also, as a single head of household, I have shouldered and researched excellent resources for financial budgeting and decisions for years. Finally, my long-term dedication to the care and success of local children makes my motivation to be successful in this role very clear. It's who I am as a resident, educator, and parent.

The best advice ever shared with me was: All children are talented, valuable, and capable of great things. Personally and professionally I have seen this play out over and over again, and it is central to my parenting and educational worldview. I am the parent of a child who is a traditional learner and a child who is a neuro-diverse learner. There is no child that is less than.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?: This is not a stepping stone for me. My goal is to serve this community well in this role. I look forward to getting to know more of my neighbors in Region 1 according to your level of comfort. I am available to meet individually or with groups safely in person or through Zoom.

My website in the works. For now, you can find me on Facebook here.