Meet RTM Candidate: Nancy Mackrides

Name:  Nancy Mackrides

Municipality:  Edgmont Township

Party:  Republican

Running For (include district/ward if applicable): Rose Tree Media Board of School Directors, at large

Positions Held Previously/Years in Office:  14 consecutive years as a RTM School Board Director, before that I served as a member and as President of the PTG's of Glenwood Elementary School and Springton Lake Middle School.

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

The largest issue facing the district is continuing to provide a high quality education in difficult economic times. The state and federal government require districts to comply with unfunded mandates that use increasingly greater amounts of local tax dollars. We have been creative and receptive to new ideas, keeping RTMSD's taxes the third lowest in Delaware County.

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?

We are constantly working on balancing taxpayer dollars and quality education. We strive to keep tax increases as low as possible, so as not to unduly burden our citizens. I believe we have a successful track record, as evidenced by the links below.

Rose Tree Media School District has the third lowest tax rate among Delaware County Schools: (http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/treasurer/TaxRate2013)

Rose Tree Media ranks 13th out of 553 school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: (http://www.schooldigger.com/go/PA/districtrank.aspx)

We are never satisfied with the cost/quality balance. We constantly work to find areas of the budget to reduce, so that quality programs can stay in place, and so that new innovative programs can be implemented. In these constantly changing technological times, we want our students to be prepared and competitive as they move on. We try to do more with less!

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?

We believe that we do have district and board transparency. We advertise meetings, we invite public comment and questions, and we are constantly talking to community members when we are at the grocery store, the mall, at sporting events, and just around in general. 

We have not yet considered broadcasts, mainly because of the cost, in both time and hard dollars. Some opponents of broadcasting suggest that broadcasting the meetings can result in posturing and staging which can be detrimental to the process. As we move forward we have to stay open minded. We understand that things change.

Why should residents give you their vote?

I am a firm believer in the value of a quality public education. I have a 23 year history of volunteer service to our community. Many people are aware of my concern and commitment to both the children and the taxpayers in this community. I have worked very hard to insure that our students have the tools that they need to succeed in the next level of their lives, be it secondary education, the military, the workforce, or another avenue. If re-elected, I will continue to work hard and with great energy for our children and our community and I will remain receptive to new ideas and innovations.