Do you know what the school board is or what they do?

Although the board makes many decisions affecting them, most CHS students have no clue what the function of our school board is.

“I really don’t know,” said junior Joe Lusignan.

The board members are tasked chiefly with making full use of taxpayer dollars. They also approve new school policies like buying laptops for students, BYOD, and adding weighted grades to honors courses—and every decision affects CHS students.

However, many of the issues brought before the school board present difficult decisions. The school has an annual budget of almost $70 million, a lot of money to make decisions with that affects the community in a huge way.  Choices about each and every policy are often criticized, which means the school board members must be thoughtful in their votes about the district’s future.

Becoming a member of the board is usually not a competitive process, but this year is different. There are six candidates running for only four open spaces.

Candidate Fred Baldwin, who has been on the board for 20 years, said this was the first time he could remember a race with this much competition.

When asked why he kept running, Baldwin said, “It’s worth doing…public education is one of the crown jewels of American democracy. Someone has to do their best to make it work.”

Many of the candidates are parents, as well. This gives prospective members, in the words of candidate Anne Lauritzen, “a real vested interest in [the district’s] success.”

Other candidates include Jason Smith, Wayne Ulsh, and Brian Guillaume. Anyone 18 and over can have a say in the future of their school and vote! See below for more information about each candidate.

Jason Smith

Jason Smith is an IT manager and father of seven. A proponent of technology integration, he has been serving on the school board for four years already. He believes that CASD’s “greatest strength” is its people. As a homeschooling parent, he believes in giving parents options when it comes to their child’s education.

Anne Lauritzen

A retired army wife who says her family settled in Carlisle because of the “unique sense of community,” Lauritzen believes that one of the best things about the CASD is that “we’re constantly trying to better ourselves.”

Lauritzen’s hope for the school district is “that we keep challenging all students to the highest level they can achieve.”

This is her first time running for a school board.

Fred Baldwin

Fred Baldwin has served on the school board for 20 years, and said he has “a commitment to looking well ahead” in order to make the best decisions for the school. He proposed that more oversight be involved in CASD’s cyber school program. Good communication is what he believed to be one of the greatest strengths of the district.

He also said that to “get specific” with tax suggestions is a need he would try to address.

Wayne Ulsh

“I believe in giving options,” Ulsh stated at the school board debate.

He said that one of CHS’s greatest strengths was its wide course selections, which “maximize student potential.”

Ulsh also believed that increased mental health awareness was one of the best ways to increase school security. This is his first time running for school board.

Brian Guillaume

Brian Guillaume is a lifelong Carlisle area resident and is not new to the school board. He believes that the biggest weakness within the district is that the budget must be prepared before the board knows how much grant money the government of Pennsylvania will give the district. He has three children in elementary school.

Deborah Sweaney

Deborah Sweaney is a retired military wife who loves history. She supports school choice and feels that long range budget planning is one of the most important tasks for the school board to accomplish. Involved in the community, she is a member of the Cumberland County Historical Society as well as a volunteer for Camp Koala.