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Phoebe Harris
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Phoebe Harris is an at-large representative on the Allentown City School District school board in Pennsylvania. Harris won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view her responses.
Elections
2017
Four seats on the Allentown City School District school board were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Democratic and Republican primary elections were held on May 16, 2017.
Board incumbent Sara Jane Brace and newcomer Robert Walker cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. Three candidates filed to run as Democrats: Phoebe Harris, Cheryl Johnson Watts, and Lisa Conover. All five candidates advanced to the general election, where Brace, Harris, Watts, and Conover defeated Walker to win election. Brace won both the Democratic and Republican primaries, while Walker won the Republican primary. Harris, Conover, and Watts won the Democratic primary.[1][2][3]
General results
| Allentown City School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Sara Jane Brace Incumbent |
24.82% | 8,222 | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Johnson Watts |
21.44% | 7,102 | |
| Democratic | Lisa Conover |
21.38% | 7,081 | |
| Democratic | Phoebe Harris |
19.36% | 6,412 | |
| Republican | Robert Walker | 12.99% | 4,303 | |
| Total Votes | 33,120 | |||
| Source: Lehigh County Pennsylvania, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||||
Democratic primary results
| Allentown City School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Johnson Watts |
22.07% | 3,061 | |
| Democratic | Lisa Conover |
21.71% | 3,011 | |
| Democratic | Sara Jane Brace Incumbent |
21.62% | 2,999 | |
| Democratic | Phoebe Harris |
19.06% | 2,643 | |
| Democratic | Robert Walker | 15.54% | 2,156 | |
| Total Votes | 13,870 | |||
| Source: Lehigh County, "Municipal Primary - May 2017: School Districts Director Results," accessed June 19, 2017 | ||||
Funding
| 2017 Campaign Finance Deadlines in Pennsylvania[4] | |
|---|---|
| Date | Deadline |
| May 5, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Primary report due |
| June 15, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Primary report due |
| October 27, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Election report due |
| December 7, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Election report due |
School board candidates in Pennsylvania were required to report their campaign finance activity. Those who spent or received more than $250 in a reporting period had to file full reports. Those below the threshold had to file forms to declare they were exempt from reporting. Candidates could have, but were not required to, form committees to handle campaign finance transactions. They were not required to have separate bank accounts for campaign purposes.[5]
The table to the left details the four campaign finance deadlines in 2017.[4]
Endorsements
Harris received an official endorsement from the East Penn Democratic Club.[6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Phoebe D. Harris participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 31, 2017:
| “ | If elected I hope to extend parent involvement in the schools, while also creating a partnership between the school district and the city government. The major issue I hope to address is the large portion students being below the poverty level. I hope to become the voice of the minority majority.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Pennsylvania. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| “ | 80% of Allentown School District (ASD) children live below the poverty level. This needs to change, and we need to work to lower this number. The single parent households in the ASD need to be represented as well. A collaborative effort needs to be established between the Allentown City government and the ASD Board of Directors. 80% of the student population in ASD are minority, and I will be the voice for the minority majority.[9] | ” |
| —Phoebe D. Harris (May 31, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion must be decided based upon the severity of the issue with the student. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lehigh County, "Unofficial List of Candidates," accessed March 8, 2017
- ↑ Lehigh County, "Municipal Primary - May 2017: School Districts Director Results," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Lehigh County Pennsylvania, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting Law," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Ms. Phoebe Harris for Allentown School Board, "Endorsements," accessed May 31, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Phoebe D. Harris's responses," May 31, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Allentown City School District elections in 2017 | |
| Lehigh County, Pennsylvania | |
| Election date: | Primary: May 16, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Sara Jane Brace (D)(R) • Robert Walker (R) • Phoebe Harris (D) • Lisa Conover (D) • Cheryl Johnson Watts (D) |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
