WV VV = és =. April 23,. 1975 School and a 1967 graduate of Elizabethtown College with a degree in accounting. He is a Certified Public Ac- countant and is employed as an Audit Executive in the Harrisburg office of the in- ternational accounting firm of Ernst & Ernst. He is a member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s. He also serves on the Harrisburg Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s Committee on Re- lations with Schools and Colleges. He is a former Treasurer and a Past-Presi- dent of the Mount Joy Jay- cees and is presently work- ing with the Mount Joy Bi- centennial Commission. Mr. Meckley is a member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church where he serves on the Budget and Finance Committee and the Steward- ship Commission. He is married to the former San- dra Wolgemuth and they have two daughters, Jennifer Jo and Elizabeth. Mr. Meckley's Statement I have felt for some time that some new and in parti- cular younger faces are need- ed on the Donegal School Board. In addition, having two children of pre-school age, I have a sincere interest _in the quality of the educa- tion provided by the Done- gal school system and would like to play a key role in the continuing development of a high quality educational system which will meet the needs of all the students within the district. Recog- nizing that we will continue to be faced with the pro- blem of managing the fiscal affairs of the school district within the framework of a complex and inflationary economy, I believe that it is extremely important that board members use their best efforts to insure the greatest possible return from every dollar spent for educa- tion in the Donegal School District. I believe that my background and experience in financial management would be an asset to the school district in the area of fiscal management. Mengel MORRIS M. MENGEL Biographical Information Following graduation from Lafayette College with a B.S. in Chemical Engineer- ing in 1960, Mr. Mengel came to Lancaster County as a Process Development Chemist for the Armstrong Floor Plant. Nine years later he moved with his family to East Donegal Township, when he was assigned as Production Superintendent at the company’s Marietta Ceiling Plant. Mr. Mengel feels that his background and interests provide him with a wide - view of the educational pic- "ture. As a student he parti- cipated in football and track, though currently he divides his time between wood- working and studies at the Capitol Campus, Penn State University, with the objec- tive of earning a Master’s Degree in Business Admini- stration. Mr. Mengel’s Statement During my family’s five year residence in Donegal Township I have become increasingly concerned with our school system. My wife Joanne’s background in art education and her studies at Millersville as a Reading Specialist have made me aware of current issues in education;and my children’s progress through the local system have acquainted me with local problems. I feel that our schools should be places where trained pro- fessionals who like children create an atmosphere where- in no child experiences frus- tration or failure unnecess- arily. Each child should be treated as an individual, and his needs should be recog- nized and administered to. We should develop the maxi- mum potential in each staff member as well as in each child. Attending the public sess- ions of the School Board during the past four years, I have found them to be a non-learning, non-informa- tive experience, concerning matters related to the edu- cational process. All actions are preceeded by discussion in closed committee, so that the actual Board meeting rarely provides any oppor- tunity for the public to understand the decision pro- cess of the members. | feel that lack of public interest and attendance at the meet- ings is a direct result of the nature of the meeting. School Board members should be individuals of an open mind who keep abreast of educational, management, and fiscal issues so that they can interact intelligently with administrators, faculty, and the public for the good of children. I would wel- come the opportunity to serve. JOSEF L. PORTNER Biographical Information Mr. Portner, 34, is mar- ried to Loretta M. Portner. They have three children: Tammy, 14; Dwayne, 12; and Deane, 8; and reside at 25 Essex Street, Marietta. Mr. Portner is sales coor- dinator for Vanply, Inc., is Mr. Portner is sales coor- dinator for Vanply, Inc., is a member of the American Legion, was treasurer and vice-president of the Mari- etta Jaycees, and serves cur- rently as secretary of the Zoning Board of Marietta Borough. He is a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Marietta. Portner A graduate of Donegal High School, he attended York College. Mr. Portner’s Statement - My children, especially Tammy, who is in high school, encouraged me to run for the school board. I have heard from my child- ren about many instances when teachers were not backed up by administra- tors in the school system. Teachers should have more support than they presently receive from members of the school board. In parti- cular, teachers should get more support from parents and from the school board in disciplining students. If elected, I would sup- port the teachers of the Donegal School District in their efforts to raise the level of academic achieve- ment of their students. They need backing up in teaching the basic 3 R’s, to which we must return. There has been They reside at 222 West Front Street, Marietta. He is an attorney with the firm. of Nikolaus and Hohenadel and is a member of Zion U.C.C. Church, Marietta, the Marietta Lions, and the East Donegal Township Jay- cees. He was educated at Franklin and Marshall Coll- ege, Villanova University School of Law, and is cur- rently attending Temple University Law School for Graduate Studies in Taxa- tion. He was a student teacher at Manheim Central High School and a substitute teacher at William Penn School in Upper Darby. In 1969, Mr. Umben- hauer served two months on active duty with the United States Navy. Mr. Umbenhauer’s Statement Basically, my philosophy of education is a conserva- tive one. I believe the so- called “progressive” trend in education should be re- versed and the greatest em- phasis should be placed on fundamental skills, i.e. read- ing, mathematical skills, grammar, and self-express- ion. While I advocate an emphasis on basic skills, I find these skills are only a too much emphasis on ex- tracurricular activities in the Donegal schools. If less money was spent on non-educational projects and more on basic educa- tion, we could raise the § scholastic level of students in our schools. A teacher told me recently her classes were so large she was not able to give the attention that they need to all her students. I think I speak for the people, the taxpayers, the parents of students, when I say our schools should re- turn to an emphasis on basic education. The people’s wishes are not represented adequately on our school board at present. The peo- ple of Marietta are most poorly represented. I want to make the voice of the people and parents heard on the school board. One way to make sure the people will have more influence on the school board is to have all meetings open to the public. I oppose the current practice of mak- ing the important decisions in executive sessions that are closed to the public. I am not running for the school board because of the prestige of the position. | am running because there is a job to be done, and I in- tend to do it. RICHARD A. UMBENHAUER Biographical Information Mr. Umbenhauer, 27, is married to Joyce M. Um- benhauer, elementary gui- dance counselor for the Eli- zabethtown School District. Umbenhauer part of the development of the “whole child.” This full development is the primary goal of public education, and to this end, I advocate establishment of a truly de- velopmental guidance pro- gram in the elementary school. : As part of the total school program, I would urge the Board’s continued support of a full extra-cur- ricular program, for this is where young people can find a constructive outlet and opportunity for self expression and achievement. Extra-curricular activities, especially athletic organiza- tions, also instill and en- courage the spirit of com- petition. Although some people are concerned with subjecting children to com- petition, I feel the competi- tive spirit is an important part of both classroom and extra-curricular training, since competition is funda- mental and essential to the American way of life. Since any one member of the Board of Education can- not dictate Board policy, I can make no promises as to specific programs or chan- ges within the District. There is, however, one pro- mise I can make to the citi- + SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN — Page 9 zens of the Donegal School District: I will be an active member of the Board and will make an honest effort to run our schools economi- cally, efficiently, and, most important, in a manner beneficial to our children. ‘Waser C. DONALD WASER Biographical Information Rev. Waser was born in Manheim. Both his parents were school teachers. For the past 23 years he has lived in Mount Joy. Mar- ried to the former Hazel Kaylor, the Wasers have one son (Charles), who was the first Merit Scholarship win- ner in the Donegal School District. Because of a shortage of teachers at the end of World War II Rev. Waser taught school. He is an ordained minister having been a pas- tor for 10 years. He attend- ed public school in Man- heim, was graduated from Elizabethtown College with a degree of B.S. in Science, and from Eastern Baptist Seminary with a B.D. de- gree. He also attended the University of Pennsylvania, School of Education. Rev. Waser has been with Friction Materials Div. of Raybestos Manhattan for 25 years, as a Supervisor in Management. Rev. Waser's Statement It is my desire to serve my community as an active member of the School Board. Some friends and Party Leaders have encour- aged me to run for office. I believe I have had ex- perience in all the phases necessary to be a good mem- ber of the School Board; 1. a teacher; 2. a parent; 3. a manager. I am quite happy with our present physical facili- ties in the Donegal School District - However, there are some other things that are really to be desired. So I would like to see and keep a high scholastic-rating in our system along with a balance in Culture and Ath- letics. To improve our ath- letic program we need to have a strong Intermural Sports program, whereby we will develop the existing tal- ented young people that we have, so that they in turn will make a better showing in the country-league-com- petition in all sports. An- other area that we are really lacking in and that I would strive for, would be a Cul- ture-Building Program, of Music (vocal and instrumen- tal), Speakers (on various subjects). This kind of a program would bring Fami- lies and Friends together into the School for enlight- enment and enjoyment. As for helping to pay the bills of the School Sys- tem, possibly local industry could and would be willing to supplement our present income as a Board. After all, industry is interested in and needs well educated individuals with above-aver- age education, to help oper- ate our modern manufac- turing procedures. The other night I told the parents who attended the Riverview Elementary School P.T.O. that it is high time that we get back to the 3-R’s again; Reading, Riting . (Writing), and Rithmetic (Arithmetic), because this is necessary. Colleges have had to put Remedial Read- ing into the Freshman cur- riculum, as a must, so as to prepare students so that they can do the necessary reading requirements that are a part of the modern college edu- cational programs. I stand for quality edu- cation, and to me this means - Modern approaches to learning with up-to-date text books; however, always keeping in mind, ‘The Tried and True’ of the past, with a real demand for quality in knowledge and not just the handing out of a piece of paper called a dirloma. 4 i Weidman JOHN N. WEIDMAN Biographical Information Mr. Weidman is Regional Sales Manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children: John, a Senior at Donegal H.S.; Mark a Sophomore at Donegal; and Susan, 4 years old. His hobbies are reading, hiking and antiques. He served 6 years on Donegal School Authority and is presently finishing a full term on the Donegal School Board. He is Direc- tor on Advisory Board, Na- tional Central Bank, Mount Joy; Director Mount Joy Building and Loan Assn.; member of Mount Joy Church of God; and teacher of Post High Class. He is also a member of the Mount Joy Lions Club, and is a Past President. Mr. Weidman's Statement If I am reelected I will continue to promote quality education along with a well balanced extra-curricular program. It is also my de- sire to seek other tax re- venues rather than putting most of the burden on pro- perty owners.
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