Jen Porter (Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large, Pennsylvania, candidate 2023)
From Ballotpedia
Jen Porter (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large in Pennsylvania. She was a write-in candidate in the general election on November 7, 2023.[source]
Porter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Elections
Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.
General election
General election for Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large (5 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | ||
| Melissa Herr (R) | ||
| Dean McComsey (R) | ||
| Matthew Parido (R) | ||
| Kristin Staley (R) | ||
| Kari Steinbacher (R) | ||
Sarah Cook (D) (Write-in)  | ||
| Susan Douglas-Reed (D) (Write-in) | ||
| Jerry Henige (D) (Write-in) | ||
 | Jen Porter (D) (Write-in) | |
| Nancy Schmeichel (D) (Write-in) | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large (5 seats)
Melissa Herr, Dean McComsey, Matthew Parido, Kristin Staley, and Kari Steinbacher ran in the Republican primary for Lampeter-Strasburg School District, At-large on May 16, 2023.
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Porter received the following endorsements.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jen Porter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Porter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have lived in Pennsylvania since 2006 when we moved to the Lampeter-Strasburg School District. I taught for 31 years in Maryland, working at the elementary and middle school levels. My specialty was mathematics. I currently tutor at Milagro House, helping homeless mothers earn their GED accreditations. These moms will be successful because of the top-quality education they will receive at Milagro House. Our Lampeter-Strasburg students will also be successful with a top-quality education IF we provide a well-rounded, challenging curriculum meeting the needs of every single student. Our L-S schools are for training and nurturing all students to be the best that they can be.....excelling in content areas, in the arts, in physical education and learning how to work with others in a positive teamwork model. Our society cannot throw away the talents of even one child.
A school board member should support teachers and administrators so that they can meet the students where they are and move them forward towards excellence. Funding is certainly important and requests for money should be carefully justified. Book bans are not acceptable. Individual parents can request that their own child or children not read specific books. Parents should not be allowed to make decisions for the entire community. Discrimination against students based on income, religion, race, sex or sexual orientation should not be tolerated.
- Book bans are not acceptable. These tactics remind me of book bans in Nazi Germany prior to World War II when books were burned. A parent has a right to monitor the books that their child reads. A parent does not have the right to restrict the reading of books by all other students in the school.
- Discrimination against students based on race, sex or sexual orientation should not be tolerated. It has become acceptable in certain communities or in subsets of certain communities to unfairly target LGBTQ and minority students and harass them. A school should be a safe place for all students to celebrate their gifts and abilities. All students have value.
- In PA it has been ruled that the state has not fairly funded all school districts. Rich districts with a solid tax base have tremendous resources for education. Poorer urban and rural school districts collect less taxes and their schools are not funded nearly as well. A quality education should not depend on your zipcode. The state of PA was sued because of inadequate funding and a formula for fair funding was adopted in 2016 by the PA General Assembly. Only new money added to the education budget since 2016 was given out under the new formula. That means that 8% of PA's education budget was doled out fairly. Well-heeled districts still have a largess. A quality education should not depend on your zipcode.
I am concerned about the health of our planet. We have a responsibility to use resources wisely, to investigate new methods for fueling our industries, providing cleaner power to our homes and growing food in a sustainable way that does not destroy our soil and our watersheds.
Our political systems need to find common goals to improve the lives of our citizens with better healthcare, adequate housing for all, better education for all citizens (including continuing education), income equity for workers across all industries and fixing our broken immigration system. We need workers in this country and there are immigrants begging for work.
An elected official should always listen carefully when they are approached with a question. Why is this an issue for this person? Who else have they approached? Are they aware of other methods that have been tried? What would be a satisfactory solution in their opinion? LISTEN!
The official might agree with the questioner or have an opinion that is 180 degrees out. Be prepared to come up with options in a non-threatening manner. If there is no agreement, thank them for their time and suggest where they should go to discuss the manner with another individual.
The official might agree with the questioner or have an opinion that is 180 degrees out. Be prepared to come up with options in a non-threatening manner. If there is no agreement, thank them for their time and suggest where they should go to discuss the manner with another individual.
I would like to leave this world a better place than when I entered. To me, that means helping where help is needed. Caring for people leaves a footprint.....a mark in someone's life. At some point, they might remember being helped by someone. They might then pass it on and help someone else.
I remember the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. I was in high school and I was in French class. The intercom came on throughout the school and the announcement was made. I watched all of the coverage, saw the presidential limousine speed away from the grass knoll in Dallas, saw Jackie in her pink suit spattered with blood, saw Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald, saw John Jr. salute his father's casket as it was pulled through the streets at the president's funeral saw the burial and endured the days, months and years of grief trying to understand why he was so senselessly killed.
Today's music does not speak to me. I love Neil Diamond's America.
A school board member should approve an annual budget that is based on available funding from state and local
sources. A member should prescribe, approve, and enforce policy regarding school activities and organizations.
sources. A member should prescribe, approve, and enforce policy regarding school activities and organizations.
There are two areas where I feel emphasis is needed. All boys should be required to take home economics and all girls should take industrial arts. These life skills if learned enhance the quality of life for everyone. Can you cook your own meals? Can you mend a seam or sew on a button? Can you balance a checkbook? Do you understand the basics of renting an apartment or dealing with insurance for your house, car or health? Can you change a tire on a car? Can you handle a saw or a hammer?
There needs to be an emphasis on the many roads to success. Not all students need to attend a four-year college. However, training after a high school diploma is essential. Find a school to learn a trade or learn computer skills. Look at a hobby that might turn into a career.
There needs to be an emphasis on the many roads to success. Not all students need to attend a four-year college. However, training after a high school diploma is essential. Find a school to learn a trade or learn computer skills. Look at a hobby that might turn into a career.
Teachers, staff and administrators should be trained to recognize the signs of trauma and behavior changes in their students. In-service training should be available to all school staff. Teachers should meet with parents, asking for clarity and support. Help from a school counselor, nursing professional or school psychologist should be obtained. These positions are sometimes lacking in schools due to funding deficits. The more structure and well trained professionals available to a school, the better chance that mental health situations can be handled in a positive way. Funding should be in place in school budgets and increased if necessary. Dogs trained to be comfort animals should be in every school in the nation.
The Lancaster County Democratic Party in Lancaster PA has endorsed my candidacy.
We cannot underestimate the importance of our relationships with students. Teachers need to get to know their students as individuals and there needs to be sense of trust between student and teacher. A teacher needs to identify student strengthens and weaknesses. Identified strengths should be used to help a student "shine" in the classroom. Weaknesses should be remediated with methods that allow for growth and mastery of that skill. Students should be encouraged to come and ask for help when needed, knowing that a good teacher will always be there to support and guide.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Porter completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
