Murali Balaji
Murali Balaji was a candidate for a seat on the North Penn school board. He lost in a general election on November 5, 2013.
Biography
Balaji is a resident of Towamencin and a graduate of North Penn High School. He worked as a journalist for eight years before becoming a professor at Temple University.[1]
Elections
Balaji ran for an at-large seat on the school board on November 5, 2013 against Tina Stoll, Josie Charnock, Timothy S. Kerr, Vincent Sherpinsky, Alex Ryabin, Paul Edelman, Jr., and Frank O'Donnell.[2]
Election results
| North Penn School District General Election, At-large, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Josie Charnock |
13.5% | 7,913 | |
| Republican | Timothy S. Kerr Incumbent |
13.4% | 7,895 | |
| Republican | Frank O'Donnell Incumbent |
13.1% | 7,665 | |
| Republican | Vincent Sherpinsky Incumbent |
13% | 7,626 | |
| Democrat | Tina Stoll | 12.3% | 7,236 | |
| Democrat | Paul Edelman, Jr. | 12% | 7,052 | |
| Democrat | Alex Ryabin | 11.5% | 6,782 | |
| Democrat | Murali Balaji | 11.1% | 6,539 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0% | 16 | |
| Total Votes | 58,724 | |||
| Source: Montgomery County 2013 General Election Results," accessed December 13, 2013 | ||||
| North Penn School District At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democrat | Tina Stoll |
22.6% | 1,950 | |
| Democrat | Paul Edelman, Jr. |
20.5% | 1,764 | |
| Democrat | Alex Ryabin |
18.3% | 1,581 | |
| Democrat | Murali Balaji |
18.1% | 1,560 | |
| Democrat | Frank O'Donnell | 5.8% | 499 | |
| Democrat | Vincent Sherpinsky | 4.8% | 414 | |
| Democrat | Timothy S. Kerr | 4.9% | 426 | |
| Democrat | Josephine Charnock | 5% | 430 | |
| Total Votes | 8,624 | |||
| Source: "The Knight Crier," "School Board Primary Election Results," accessed September 19, 2013 | ||||
| North Penn School District At-Large Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Timothy S. Kerr |
20.1% | 2,239 | |
| Republican | Frank O'Donnell |
18.4% | 2,049 | |
| Republican | Vincent Sherpinsky |
18.3% | 2,036 | |
| Republican | Josephine Charnock |
17.7% | 1,968 | |
| Republican | Tina Stoll | 9.2% | 1,025 | |
| Republican | Paul Edelman, Jr. | 6.9% | 774 | |
| Republican | Alex Ryabin | 4.8% | 536 | |
| Republican | Murali Balaji | 4.7% | 521 | |
| Total Votes | 11,148 | |||
| Source: "The Knight Crier," "School Board Primary Election Results," accessed September 19, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Balaji reported no contributions or expenditures to the Montgomery County Voter Services department.[3]
Endorsements
Balaji was a Next S.T.E.P. candidate in the November 5 election. Next S.T.E.P. is an organization determined to put progressive candidates onto the North Penn school board.[4] He was also endorsed by the Hatfield Democratic Party and Lansdale Democrats.[5][6]
Campaign themes
As a Next S.T.E.P candidate, Balaji identified the following campaign themes:[7]
Progress for all students
|
"As a community that values its children, it is important to strive for continual improvement in the quality of education in order for every child to reach his/her own potential. We need to ensure that all students are equipped with the tools to advance. When elected, we will make sure our students have the resources for learning in the 21st century. Focusing on our children’s education and safety is our top priority.”" |
Straight talk, open doors
|
"In order for a school district to become successful, it needs to be honest. We will introduce transparency into the North Penn School Board’s decision making process - no more closed door meetings. Our policy is to respect all personnel and parents. It is important to involve the community through active dialogue. We will work with Harrisburg and other elected officials to provide a secure future for our district.”" |
Maximize district potential
|
"We would welcome more involvement from our local business community. This involvement would allow them to support our community by making sure the jobs stay local instead of outsourcing them from outside of the county and in some cases, the state. New funding resources will be pursued by acquiring additional grant money. We will not waste money on consultants, poorly managed construction contracts and frivolous perks for senior administration staff. By utilizing creative and innovative solutions we will manage costs by making what we currently have work.”" |
Advocate for world class education
|
"Public education for our children is the greatest investment we can make as a community. We have an opportunity to improve public education in the North Penn area by working together to ensure that all resources go to the students in our schools, not to experimental ventures. We have an obligation to our community to maintain our property values by creating an environment in our schools where children feel safe and will be equipped with technological skills that will enhance their success in the competitive world of the twenty-first century. Having a stronger voice in Harrisburg enables us to reach these goals.”" |
Support who make the district work
|
"Eliminate bullying and intimidation across the school district. Respecting teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and all personnel, teaches our children what respect looks like. We need to lead by example in treating all stakeholders - students, parents and taxpayers -with respect. We all need to work towards the common goal of providing a great education- and do it with respect. Teachable moments are everywhere.” |
Embrace diversity
|
"As diversity grows, we would want to make sure that administrators encourage students and their parents to have a dialogue so that no group feels left out. That way from a young age, students can be aware of the rich traditions that have guided followers of all major faiths and all races.” |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Murali + Balaji + North + Penn + School"
See also
External links
- North Penn School District
- Next STEP for NPSD
- Montgomery County
- Pennsylvania Department of Education
Footnotes
- ↑ "Next STEP for NPSD," "Murali Balaji," accessed September 20, 2013
- ↑ "The Knight Crier," "School Board Primary Election Results," accessed September 19, 2013
- ↑ "Montgomery County Voter Services," "Campaign Finance Expense Report Filings," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ "Next Steph for NPSD," "It's time for New Leadership," accessed September 20, 2013
- ↑ "Hatfield PA Democrats," "North Penn School District," accessed September 20, 2013
- ↑ "Lansdale Democratic Party," "Lansdale Democratic Candidates," accessed September, 20, 2013
- ↑ "Next STEP for NPSD," "The Issues," accessed September 20, 2013
| ||||||||||
