By: Kelly Potteiger
“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.” – Ronald Reagan
So now let’s consider the status quo for Cumberland Valley School District:
▪ Six out of every ten 8th graders are not proficient in math.
▪ 28% of our students are economically disadvantaged.
▪ Four out of every five economically disadvantaged children are not proficient in math. And nine out of every ten English Language Learner students are not proficient in math.
▪ The current board has approved tax increases to the max limit every year (4.1% this year) and current estimates are that the max limit for 2024 will be about 7%. Another 7% in this economy!
▪ The last four years have accumulated about $20 million in deficit spending. The current board and business manager have agreed that their spending is unsustainable, but our board offered only excuses, no solutions to the reckless perpetual spending.
▪ Student bullying continues to escalate. This is one of the biggest concerns I have heard when speaking with families of our community.
▪ The school board boosts Cumberland Valley is better than the statewide average, which is 38% in math! When CV boasts victory they never tell how miserable the public education system has sunk.
So to me, there are only two reasons anyone would think that the status quo is just fine. They don’t want admit reality because that would make leaders look incompetent, or you simply don’t know how to fix it. Either way, accepting and supporting status quo does not show leadership, transparency, or integrity.
Status quo equates to giving up on improvement, believing the best has been achieved, and not thinking outside the box. I don’t know any parent or any taxpayer that believes CV has hit the pinnacle success. This is not a motto for our school board members, our administration or our district.
Our current school board has shown with a lack of action on the outlined issues, that they have embraced the status quo. And surprisingly, a major financial donor in this current election is also for maintaining the status quo. Dr. Michael Verber of CV Cures offered his opinion to PennLive to weigh in on his chosen incumbents. CV Cures financially has backed Jevon Ford, Jessica, Silcox and Michelle Nestor in their re-election campaigns.
“By all accounts, we’ve had an excellent track record in academics, which has benefitted our property values while our real estate taxes have stayed relatively low… and that management has been under siege,” Verber said, when asked why he decided to open his checkbook this year.”
An article excerpt highlight, Dr. Verber explains why he is excited about spending $10,000 in a school board race:
“Dr. Michael Verber, a Cumberland Valley High School alum and current parent, said he and his wife will have contributed about $10,000 when all is said and done… To Verber, it’s an investment in a status quo that he believes is performing just fine.
He is proud of the CV schools, which are often ranked among the region’s best, and said he wants to see them continue to be managed professionally…
I believe Dr. Verber has a very successful local dentistry business. He did not reach his level of success by believing that status quo was just fine. Why would he ever encourage and support the status quo regarding the educational needs of our children? Why would he fund those that are not actively addressing continued learning loss and unsustainable spending?
The culture of CVSD should inspire growth every day to ensure eachstudent gets the best education possible, while making the most of our taxpayer dollars.
Our board has shown that they are uninterested in addressing real concerns.
Tuesday you get to make a choice to maintain status quo, or to elect new leaders that will be honest and address the challenges in our school district. Will we heed the warning from President Ronald Reagan or will we settle for “the mess were in” is just fine?
Vote Kelly Potteiger for CVSD, Silver Spring Township Nov 7th.
Harrisburg100 