Audrey Blust

Director Audrey Blust

Incumbent representing Region #1 Upper Uwchlan 1 & 2, Wallace

FB Public Page: Audrey Blust for DASD School Board

My husband and I moved to the Downingtown Area School district over 35 years ago because of the reputation of the Downingtown School District. I have raised my two daughters here and I’ve been fortunate to also teach at Pickering Valley Elementary for almost 25 years. I have been an active member of our community improving the lives of our young people and families.

Endorsements

DAEA and PACE

On what ballots will you appear in the May primary?

I am cross filed to represent all residents. School board races are designed to be non partisan where a wide range of voters can look at the issues facing a community and have reasonable, experienced candidates running for office. Cross filing allows a candidate to be better able to represent the interests of all students and the families in our community.

Why have you chosen to run for school board?

I am running for school board to:

Continue to ensure that DASD continues to instruct Pennsylvania state standards.
Be open to conversations with parents and community members.
Provide a high quality education to all students.

Being a school board member allows me to make decisions that promote equity and inclusivity in DASD. I get to work to ensure all students have the access and opportunities they need.

The school board allows me to continue to make a difference in the lives of children in DASD. I have always cared deeply about the kids in our community and running for school board allows me to bring my considerable experiences and education to work for our community.

What prior experience will make you a successful board member?

Over 30 years in education, 25 years in DASD and 7 years at St Agnes in West Chester.

Please describe your previous volunteer positions for this school district.

DASD School Board 2019-present
Strategic District Planning, as both a parent and employee
Pickering Valley Spring Fair Coordinator 2 years
Shamona Creek Spring Fair Coordinator 2 years
Shamona Creek Yearbook Photographer multiple years

How many public board/working meetings have you attended in the last year for this school district?

In the last year I have attended 24 boards meetings and over 30+ working meetings and building visits.

Please describe your understanding of what a school board does and how it supports our public school system and the community.

School boards in Pennsylvania are responsible for establishing policy and regulations within a district such as academic expectations to school safety procedures.

The school Board:

Hires and evaluates the superintendent.
Approves the budget and determine how funds are allocated to programs and initiatives.
Approves curriculum, textbooks, courses and programs.
Is responsible for overseeing the maintenance and operation of school buildings, and operation of schools.
Engages with the community at meetings and other forms of communication.

In doing these duties the school board is providing the DASD community with a high quality education for all students while keeping in mind the tax payer contribution. As a school board, we have been able to do all these things while keeping our cost per pupil one of the lowest in the county.

What are 2-3 strengths of which your district can be proud? Why?

As a district, we can be proud of:

Supporting, retaining and attracting highly qualified teachers and staff.
We have maintained a Triple A Bond rating which increases property values that allows us to borrow money at a low rate if needed.
Given the recent history of mental health issues, we continue to build social and emotional supports for our students and families.
Lastly, we are implementing updates to our oldest elementary schools, additions to our high schools that are needed because of overcrowding and providing ongoing maintenance projects in 17 schools. All of these projects help DASD provide high a high-quality education to all students.

What are 2-3 needs of the school district that you will make your highest priority? Why?

We need to continue to provide high quality math instruction. We need to improve our math instruction in the middle grades. This is a problem across the country, not just in DASD or Pennsylvania. We need to continue to find the disconnect with our math scores and provide math instruction so all students so they are able to achieve a high level of math skills.
We are planning for full day kindergarten and exploring ways to bring full day kindergarten to DASD that serves the educational purpose of our youngest learnings.
The district continues to support students with the COVID learning losses that students across the county are facing. We are catching up all the time but we have to be mindful that some students are still struggling.

What kind of leader are you? Are you an “out of the box thinker” or a “follow the rulebook to the letter” kind of person? Do you like to double-check the work of the people who work for you, or do you tend to trust them to do the job you hired them to do?

I am a leader that leads by serving others. I focus on building community through listening, awareness and commitment to the growth of people and the building of community. I prioritize serving the greater good.

There will be times when the majority of your constituents will want you to vote a certain way, even though your preference may be to vote the opposite. Will you be willing to change your vote to represent the majority, or will you vote the way you think is right even if it is unpopular? Why or why not?

Listening and communication is key to these issues. My question is how to get the majority to respond. Decisions based on communication. I think you have to listen and make a decision based on what information you have at the time.

How do you plan to make yourself accessible to the community or specific groups and gather feedback from them? Please share some specific ideas on communication between the school district and its families/the community.

As a school board member and a long term member of the community I have had informal conversations at church, in the grocery store, attending community events and school events. I have responded to phone calls and e-mails. I’m available to the community individually and in groups.

How do you feel about organized labor within the school system? (Please address both your perspective on unions in general and specifically perspectives on arbitration, striking, pensions, and funding.)

I support and respect unions. I believe we should work with the different groups in our district to avoid striking as strikes are difficult for a community. With that said we also have to use our resources wisely. We need to value all staff and treat them fairly union or not.

Do you believe the district is doing enough to support all students post graduation choices? (College, vocation, military) If no, do you have any specific ideas on how to address this?

From my time on the board we have very little alumni, so I don’t believe we have enough information to answer this question. A stronger alumni relationship could benefit both the district and the alumni. The district just this year, in partnership with the Downingtown Education Community Foundation, has provided a job fair at both East and West High School. The job fair provided summer job and internship opportunities for our students. We have many different paths for student success but we need to involve the whole community in informing them of the opportunities. There’s more we can and should be doing but we are listening and providing opportunities.

School board meetings across the country have become lightning rods for heated debate.

In our district specifically, the size and rate of growth of DASD, coupled with the lack of tax increases for almost a decade and a global pandemic, have put us in a uniquely challenging financial position. We have also seen dramatic changes in our community’s demographics, leading to the addition of a director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Please describe your feelings on the following topics that are frequently discussed in our school board meetings and share some specifics on how you intend to approach them.

Transportation problems: extremely long bus rides, early pickup times, lack of activity buses, doubled up runs that get kids to school late

I support shorter school bus runs and activity runs. Unfortunately, the answer to shorter bus rides is more bus drivers which are hard to acquire at the present time.

Full-day kindergarten (currently offered at 85% of PA school districts and all other districts in Chester County)

I fully support full day kindergarten because I believe a full day, play based kindergarten would allow our youngest learners more time to socialize and learn. It would give all students the time to learn to be a learner in a safe environment that would alleviate the stress that some children experience as they enter a formal learning environment.

Building a new 5/6 center and converting Marsh Creek to a 5/6 center: could possibly accommodate growth at the elementary level, help implement full-day K and reduce busing problems for sixth graders

I sought information on adding to our current school campuses to solve the kindergarten issue. The previous administration, with their expertise, informed me that not all campuses have the appropriate conditions to add more classrooms to their location.

Making improvements to the elementary schools which are in need of expansion/updating

I would like to relook at this issue, especially if we want full day kindergarten sooner.

Special education and gifted programs, supporting families through the IEP process, etc…

DASD has long provided exceptional education for special needs students, both gifted and special needs. Our teachers along with aides provide amazing educational opportunities for our special education population.

Extracurricular and after school enrichment activities: both revenue generating and non-revenue generating programming and major programs like theater, band, athletics, and clubs

The opportunities that are available to all of our students in areas such as music and academic clubs are tremendous. Our band has recently played at the Rose Bowl Parade and our sports teams bring home numerous trophies and awards. We have Knowledge Bowls, Chess Tournament winners, and robotics competitions awards to name a few. The opportunities are here if a student have an interest and I will continue to support them to help create well-rounded, exceptional students.

Implementing later start times, consistent with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics for secondary students especially

This is a complex issue and there are a lot of opinions from multiple stakeholders. I will continue to listen to the community to find out what will be best for our students and their families.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs: supporting marginalized students, what policies and programs are positive and which ones are not

In my time in Downingtown, the DASD Diversity program has continued to reach marginalized students and insuring that our school community respects others in our school community. I respect the work that is being done by Director Brown and I think it is an asset to our community.

Reading materials: Balancing diversity in our library and curriculum materials with parental rights/community standards for allowing minors access to sexually explicit and racially charged content

I believe it is important for us to engage in open, transparent dialogue with our students, teachers and community about the issues and involve them in the decision-making process. As a district we need to provide a safe, inclusive learning environment for all students while respecting academic freedom and intellectual diversity. Our district respects a parent’s right to be involved in the selection of material and our policy provides parents with the opportunity to opt out of books or lessons they feel their child may not be ready for.

Curriculum:

Current public school debates revolve in part around what facts are real (i.e. based on evidence, data, and science) and which ones are based on political or religious ideologies. How a school board member feels about this debate could impact their curriculum decisions.

Please share some specifics on how you feel schools should approach sensitive topics such as:

Science topics: evolution, how vaccines work, the shape of the planet, gender expression and biological sex
Health and sex ed topics: mental health, reproductive organs, transgender and homosexuality, safe sex practices, social and emotional learning
History topics: slavery, racism (both historical and as part of current events units), the Holocaust and other genocide events, persecution of religions
English Literature: books that contain factual accounts or historical fiction based on any of the above topics

While still also being:
1. In accordance with standards and in an age appropriate way, as set forth by state and national organizations
2. With full transparency for parents to opt their own children out of specific lessons for which they feel they are not yet ready

All of the curriculum that DASD teaches is based on the Pennsylvania State Standards, which are developed though the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

We then hire highly qualified administrators and teachers to develop curriculum. The curriculum is a very involved process that involves teachers and administrators before it comes to the school board for approval.

In the DASD curriculum we follow science and human growth and development lessons are very scripted and developmentally appropriate.

As far as history is concerned, we need to teach factual history and teachers shouldn’t be infusing their political beliefs.

In English, kids needs to be exposed to many different kinds of literature and perspectives.

As educators, we also hope that parents are having discussions at home to enhance the learning.

Is there anything else you want voters to know about you and your candidacy?

I have spent my life teaching and advocating for students. As a teacher in the district for over 25 years, and as an active parent at both Pickering Valley and then Shamona Creek. I have worked toward providing solid educational experiences for all kids. As an active member of St Elizabeth’s Parish teaching CCD, as a Eucharist minister and a lector I have provided service to my faith community. We are fortunate to live in a community that is able to provide amazing teachers and opportunities for our students. I believe we need to find ways to work together so that all students benefit from the amazing resources that we have here in Downingtown.