Titia Scherpbier, Incumbent Upper Dublin School Director, Seeks Reelection To Board

UPPER DUBLIN, PA — Patch continues its pre-election coverage with a profile of Titia Scherpbier, an incumbent Upper Dublin School Director seeking reelection.

See below the board member's response to a Patch candidate questionnaire.

Age (as of Election Day)

60

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Husband Harm, and 3 adult children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BSc. Mathematics and Psychology, joint honors Lancaster University UK
MSc. Knowledge Based Systems (AI) University of Sussex UK
Secondary Mathematics Certification Arcadia University

Occupation

High School Mathematics Teacher (15 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

School director

Campaign website

www.udalliance.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for a second term on the board because I want to work to maintain strong public education in our community. I want to serve this community to continue the work and the direction of the board and district administration to ensure that our schools are vibrant places where students and staff can thrive.

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

The most pressing issue is to provide excellent education for all district students, with their unique backgrounds and needs, interests, challenges and strengths. How do we create the best environment for our 4000-plus students to learn, and to achieve their potential. We need to stay the course of our current board and administration to maintain a top ranked teaching faculty, an up to date and relevant curriculum, and modern and effective facilities.

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

Four years of board experience have taught me that district governance is a process of careful decision making, considering multiple options, listening and seeking input and weighing the impact on the community. I am a teacher, I'm a parent, I'm a tax payer and an active community member. I have the proven experience, with a collaborative mindset, to serve as an effective school director seeking the best for our community.

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.

Attracting and retaining the best teachers and administrators.
Provide a safe environment where all students and staff feel welcome and valued.
Be financially conservative to minimize the burden on taxpayers.
Stay the course on our long-term facilities plan.
Implement sustainable practices to minimize the district's carbon footprint

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

In my 4 years on the board we have hired a brand new and exceptionally talented administration, we have seen our school ranking go up, we are close to delivering a brand new and much needed Sandy Run Middle School. We handled a pandemic and a tornado, and Upper Dublin's schools are going strong. Let's keep this going.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Turn off social media and talk to people in person.

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

If re-elected I will champion academic, social, and emotional programming for all K - 12 students to deliver the high quality educational experience that our community expects.
Work on maintaining a sustainable long term fiscal plan to ensure a bright future for public education in Upper Dublin - this includes further strengthening of the tax relief program for qualifying senior citizens as well as working at the state level on school funding reform
Advocate for a strong, diverse leadership team to inspire and support our faculty and staff.
I strongly support our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.