Respectful debate and fiscal responsibility emerged as themes of Tuesday’s Southern Lehigh School Board voter forum that also featured discussion of artificial intelligence policy and the transition to full-day kindergarten.
Democrats Kimberly Jaramillo, Luis Melecio, Josh Rager and Chris Sykora are running against Republicans Paul Deebel, Stephen Maund and Christopher Wayock for Southern Lehigh’s four open school board seats. Jaramillo is cross-filed and will appear on both ballots.
Deebel did not attend the League of Women Voters forum, sponsored by PBS 39. Maund acknowledged the absence, saying Deebel was on a business trip out of state.
Tuesday’s forum highlighted a difference in focus between newcomers Jaramillo, Melecio, Rager and Sykora — who called for restoring civility to board discussions — and incumbents Maund and Wayock — who emphasized the importance of experience.
Infighting on the board led to a closely divided June vote to remove Emily Gehman as president and promote Maund to that role until the reorganization meeting in December.
The district has also recently agreed to two high-profile separation agreements, including a nearly $250,000 deal with Superintendent Michael Mahon and a $215,000 settlement with HR Director Ethan Ake-Little. Substitute superintendent Karen Trinkle was promoted to the superintendent role in August.
“The power struggles and personal fights have gone on long enough,” Sykora said. “It’s exhausting to watch and doesn’t help students one bit.”
Rager said the solution is to learn how to listen to disagreements “with objectivity and not with a personal chip on your shoulder.”
It’s possible to bring careful analysis to board debates without sacrificing civility, Melecio said, adding that “respect is crucial and complacency is not unity.”
Jaramillo said bullying on the board has been just as much a problem as bullying in classrooms and argued for a renewed focus on the needs of students and teachers.
The board is undergoing professional development, Maund said, noting that work is underway to streamline committees in an effort to make policy discussions more inclusive of all members.
Wayock argued that the board has worked very well together in recent months. He said governing is different than campaigning.
“What I have heard here tonight from my opponents is nothing but negativity,” Wayock said, “and I really hope our voters are seeing that.”
Newcomers and incumbents alike praised the district’s low taxes and said they’d work to preserve Southern Lehigh’s low millage rate.
That rate is the lowest in the county, Wayock, Melecio and Rager noted. Wayock touted the work he’s done to avoid tax increases in two of his four years on the board, while Melecio and Rager noted that payouts to departing employees make it more difficult for the district to preserve its low-tax status.
Jaramillo cautioned that fiscal responsibility must be married with a focus on supporting staff and properly funding core academic programs.
“Taxes are a fact of life, and they fund the schools that protect our property values and our future workforce,” Jaramillo said. “Raising them should never be done lightly, but neither should we starve our district of the resources that it needs to succeed.”
Maund said the district has moved from deficit spending to balanced budgets and noted that Southern Lehigh continues to maintain a fund balance while investing in infrastructure upgrades.
Board members will be discussing an AI policy at Monday’s board meeting, a move several candidates said was overdue but welcome.
“AI is a powerful tool, and it’s in so many industries,” Melecio said, “and it’s not going anywhere.”
Melecio advocated caution in the use of AI, noting that chatbots confidently supply wrong answers.
Training teachers and setting clear usage guidelines will be key to ensuring that students can avoid being misled by AI, Sykora said.
“Our job is to prepare our students for the future, not to fear it,” Jaramillo said, “and to make sure technology works for them, not around them.”
Early exposure to AI tools will enable students to become more comfortable as they get older, Rager said.
Maund and Wayock noted that the board’s technology and education committees have been combined to better facilitate work on AI policy and said curriculum updates are underway.
The district will implement full-day kindergarten next school year and is working to transition third grade students to the intermediate school.
“I think a lot of parents are uneasy,” Sykora said, noting fears that third graders may be forced to grow up too fast.
Jaramillo is serving on the culture and climate committee for third grade and said the goal is a “smooth, student-centered transition” that features clear communication with parents. Transportation routes, special education services and class sizes will be impacted for years to come, so the process will require intentional, long-term planning, she said.
Playground upgrades at the intermediate school will help make it more welcoming for younger students, Melecio and Rager said. Both candidates also mentioned the need to adjust library resources as students transfer buildings.
Ultimately the transition will improve the district if the intermediate school experience becomes more like an elementary school experience, Wayock said.
Both Wayock and Maund discussed the need to address staffing challenges, with Wayock noting that the district competes with Catholic and private schools for kindergarten teachers.
Beyond building out staffing, a successful transition to full-day kindergarten will mean completing work on a curriculum with the “proper mix of work and play,” Maund said.
