Meet RTM Candidate: Janet Lis

Name: Janet M. Lis

Municipality: Upper Providence Township

Party: Democratic

Running For: Rose Tree Media School Director

Positions Held Previously/Years in Office: I ran for Rose Tree Media School Director in 2011, but did not win. I lost by 116 votes.

What are the larger issues facing the district and how would you like to see them resolved?

Finances and Educational Excellence—Finances are a very significant issue, especially with uncertain state funding and increasing pension contributions, which are anticipated to continue to increase through 2035. Finances are increasingly important because the school district needs the funds to fulfill its primary role of educating the children in the community in the face of limited financial resources. Examination of current practices with a view toward greater efficiency and productivity (for example, seeking areas of redundancy which could be consolidated, reviewing vendors’ services for adequacy and contract provisions for appropriateness, and determining the best options for curriculum components and technology for successfully engaging the students in the learning process), seeking and utilizing all available information in this process, and then applying available funds in a manner to enhance the students’ educational environment would be the difficult path to maintaining and improving the school district. 

Communication—The school board sets policies and makes decisions which enable the system to fulfill its role. But this cannot be done in a vacuum. Information which is public should be accessible to the public. Community input must be sought and used to inform and facilitate this decision-making process. In addition to receiving information, responses should be provided to questions and issues raised, explaining which things can be implemented and which cannot, and why.

How would you create a balance between spending taxpayer dollars and quality education? Are you satisfied with the cost/quality balance in an $84M plus budget?

High quality schools are necessary to maintain an educated community and to attract people to the community. Continuous evaluation and improvement is necessary to move the schools in the Rose Tree Media School District to ever higher levels of achievement. Feedback from and interaction with all stakeholders—teachers, administrators, parents, students, and those without children in the schools—giving them a voice, is essential to learn about issues and primary concerns. I would advocate for meetings with interested members of the community to learn their priorities—what do they think works and what do they think does not work, and, importantly, what would be the best methods to realistically achieve their goals. This last piece moves this from a gripe session to a pragmatic attempt to evaluate implementation of suggested plans.

The budget is difficult to interpret as written. More detail would allow for real evaluation. It would be necessary to look beyond the line items listed to determine where there are expenses which may exceed those necessary for the proper function of the district. This evaluation would include review of outstanding debt and all of the costs associated with that debt.   

How can you improve school district and board transparency with residents? Would you support direct email communication with board members or a live broadcast of board meetings online or on public access television?

I would support:

• The ability to contact board members, as elected representatives, directly via email
• Broadcast of the legislative board meetings via podcast on the school district website and on the school district television channel on a published schedule
• Adding more information into the legislative meetings themselves, as these meetings currently provide limited information  
• A published sequence of committee meetings; at these meetings, which are open to the public, there is much more detailed discussion of issues, which are then placed on the legislative agenda in abbreviated form
• Easier access to minutes and other board information on the district website, such as by indexing, hyperlinks, and a search function
• Meetings with interested members of the community to learn their priorities, as described above

Why should residents give you their vote?

I have had children in the district schools for the past 12 years, so I am familiar with the policies and practices of the district. Having seen the administrative process from a parent’s view, I have seen the limitations on access to information and on responses to input. I would like to work for more open discussion and more accountability, with follow-up on questions raised. Communication is key. 

In addition, I would like to work to ensure:

• That the focus is on providing educational services which meet the varying needs of the students, making sure the students who are in the wide middle range of ability do not get lost in the shuffle
• That each of the schools provides the students within its walls adequate educational opportunities and a path for growth
• That the district as a whole continues to enhance its status as a well-rounded and high quality source for education  

Accountability of all of those who provide district services is at the heart of this set of goals.

One last point, is that my legal background would enable me to evaluate contracts, employment issues, and other legal matters.