Five candidates are running for two spots in region one of the Schuylkill Valley School Board.
All five candidates have cross-filed and will appear on both Democratic and Republican ballots.
Two of the candidates — Linda R. Lash and Paul Bendigo — are incumbents. They will face off against newcomers Thomas Egan, Joe Brown and Justin Schlottman.
School board members serve four-year terms.
We asked the candidates the following questions:
Question 1: What is the biggest issue your school district is currently facing and how would you address it?
Question 2: Why are you the best choice to serve on the school board?
Incumbents are denoted with an asterisk.
Thomas Egan
Party: Democrat/Republican
Occupation: Business owner
Age: 41
Response 1: I would like to address the top three issues at at Schuylkill Valley.
The first issue is the high rate of teacher turnover. People insist it is happening everywhere in the profession, but I would like to get to the bottom of it. I am tired of prepared statements that say nothing, and I would have a genuine conversation with the teachers leaving. Where is the conflict and what has changed in the culture to cause this?
The second issue is school safety and security. If you follow the Schuylkill Valley Facebook page, you know many parents do not feel confident that staff are properly trained in what to do in an emergency. The high school had an incident this school year and district communication has left more questions than answers.
The third issue is financial. In the somewhat recent past our board approved paying the resigning superintendent $194,000. Schuylkill Valley has since hired our current replacement and added a short-lived assistant superintendent position. So at one point, we were actively paying for three of these positions. Now there are infrastructure problems in the high school and people are left to wonder if the board has the best priorities.
Response 2: I am a good choice to serve on the Schuylkill Valley School Board for a number of reasons.
I have practical experience both in construction and in business management. I worked as a facilities architect at Lockheed Martin and have since started a new local family business.
My family has lived in the district for generations and now that I have children, I want to be more involved. On our current board parents are not represented, there are too many board members who do not have children at school.
The incumbents in my region have both served long terms and presided over the district’s downward slide, it is time for a change. Please consider me for your vote, thank you.
Joe Brown
Party: Democrat/Republican
Occupation: Law enforcement
Age: Did not provide
Response 1: In recent years, it’s become clear that there’s a growing disconnect between the school board, the administration and our community. We’ve seen a troubling loss of dedicated staff, a lack of transparency in decision-making and too many disruptions that distract from our core mission — supporting our students and educators.
I believe it’s time to restore trust, communication and accountability.
With my background and experience, I’m confident I can bring steady, thoughtful leadership to the board. My goal is to strengthen the partnership between the board and our community and ensure Schuylkill Valley schools remain a source of pride for all of us.
Response 2: Throughout my over 30-year career in law enforcement, I have developed a strong foundation in leadership, crisis management and strategic problem-solving. My professional journey has centered around service, and I bring that same commitment to fostering a healthy, safe and supportive school culture.
In law enforcement, I dealt with crises on a continual basis, often navigating complex and high-pressure situations that required calm judgment, clear communication and decisive action. These experiences not only sharpened my ability to respond effectively in challenging moments but also taught me the importance of building trust, maintaining accountability and leading by example.
Beyond my public service, I have also held leadership positions on boards, where I worked collaboratively with diverse groups to drive initiatives, manage resources and create sustainable impact in our community. These roles enhanced my understanding of organizational leadership and reinforced my belief in servant leadership — putting people first while maintaining a clear strategic vision.
Linda R. Lash*
Party: Democrat/Republican
Occupation: Retired early childhood educator
Age: 73
Response 1: One problem facing our district is the need to restore the public’s confidence in district administrators and board leadership. There have been a couple unfortunate incidences in administrators’ decisions, starting during and after COVID, and repercussions from those incidences have caused division between faculty, staff and other administrators.
Preventing staff and administrators from perpetual turnover is imperative as we go forward.
The board is as transparent as possible, but since personnel issues are confidential it is difficult to truly let stakeholders know all that board members know. We must, as a board, be diligent in hiring district employees who will do the jobs that they were hired to do while respecting their peers, administration, the students and the public.
Response 2: I am the best person for this position because I have experience serving on the board.
All our students deserve an education that meets their academic needs. I have knowledge of budgets, policies, personnel and legal matters. I keep up to date with legislation, funding issues and mandates. I understand the need to keep district buildings and grounds maintained and updated. I am only one of nine board members, so I try to share how and why things were done previously and why or why not things should proceed or be changed. I have the time to spend on board issues.
I serve as curriculum and technology chair and board secretary. I serve as representative on the BCIU and I serve as BCIU treasurer. I am the PSBA representative and attend workshops and conferences as needed. I am the board liaison to the newly formed Schuylkill Valley Education Foundation. I attend various sporting events, concerts, musicals, etc.
I sincerely listen to the perspectives of both sides of an issue. I would like to remain on the board to continue working on ongoing projects and see education at Schuylkill Valley move forward in a positive direction for students.
Justin Schlottman
Party: Democrat/Republican
Occupation: Did not provide
Age: Did not provide
Response 1: High staff turnover. I hope to find out why we are losing excellent educators and staff to other districts.
Understanding the high turnover rate at the district is something I plan to get to the bottom of and come up with solutions to address this. This issue has been going on for a few years and the root cause of the problem has yet to be addressed and a solution be formulated.
This has caused members of the community to become outspoken at board meetings, only to have their concerns be dismissed, minimized or ignored. This has caused a number of members of the district to lose trust in the board of directors.
Response 2: I bring a variety of experience to the school board.
My involvement in emergency services for well over half of my life brings perspective to the safety and security of the students and staff at Schuylkill Valley School District. My time working for a school district provided me with valuable insight to the operations of the district to include special education, buildings and grounds, the business office, transportation, food services, athletics and many more. The position I held allowed me to interact with all of these departments, and it shed light into the workings of that specific department, along with the rules, regulations and challenges each faced.
Having a background in working in the public education system, and working as a law enforcement officer and emergency management coordinator, provides a different perspective.
Paul Bendigo*
Party: Democrat/Republican
Occupation: Retired air traffic controller, corporate jet pilot
Age: 68
Response 1: School boards never have just one issue they are dealing with, and all are equally important. At Schuylkill Valley we have the budget, safe school environment and parents’ rights.
I have been a school director for 11 years and Schuylkill Valley has only had two very small real estate tax increases during that time. I will continue to be a voice for responsible fiscal management and while many Berks County school districts are anticipating real estate tax increases this year, Schuylkill Valley is working toward a balanced budget without a real estate tax increase.
Response 2: During my tenure as a school director for Schuylkill Valley, I have served as chairman of the building and grounds committee, chairman of the budget and finance committee and currently serve as chairman of the policy and personnel committee.
I have acquired a broad range of experience and knowledge that allows me to bring a commonsense approach to solve the challenges facing our school district.
Source: Berkshire mont
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