Timotha Trigg admits she must
be a glutton for punishment. The statement was a joke about her seeking a third
term on the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board.
Since first being elected in
2003, Trigg, of Chadds Ford, has seen her share of controversy. There were two
failed referenda on the high school renovation project, and a teachers’
contract. Halfway through her second term, in 2009, Trigg became school board
president after Ed Wandersee stepped down from the board because he moved from
the district.
The reason for running again is
the same as her reason for running the first time.
“It’s because how committed I
am to public education. I spent a lot of time studying public education issues,
talking to people about education issues… I’ve had two kids go all the way
through the district. I have two kids still in the district. I have a lot at stake as a parent and
as a taxpayer. I know the issues at this point, I know the players. I’ve been
here. I have a lot to contribute. There’s still work that needs to be done,”
she said.
Trigg said the one thing that
sets U-CF apart is its commitment to continuous improvement.
“We are consistently in the top 1 percent of Pennsylvania’s
500 school districts and we don’t rest on our laurels. We’re always working to
be better. We always have new initiatives. I’ve been on the curriculum
committee all eight years; I’ve chaired the curriculum committee and there’s
always curriculum work to do.”
Part of what Trigg was alluding
to is that for the first time in many years, the district bought new text books
for fifth-grade students. She said her input was part of the reason for that.
“That’s something that I’ve provided input over the
years…Another thing I’ve encouraged and supported over the years is more of a
focus on is elementary math, basic skills. We need the conceptual
understanding, but we are now using a first in math program and that will help
our kids during the classroom times get more practice on their computation
skills.”
During the next two to three
years, though, Trigg said she wants to continue the regular improvement of the
school district’s educational product.
She thinks the district should
follow up on the recommendations made by the middle school study team, a team
that was made up of teacher and administrators, not board members, she said.
One of those recommendations is
to find ways of getting more input from parents and students. She said the
student input would or could consist of having students make evaluations on the
teachers. Trigg added that such recommendations should be implemented
throughout the district, not just at the middle school level.
“You need to listen to your
customers,” she said.
Trigg’s happiest moment on the
board, she said, was the vote on the teachers’ contract. She called it a fair
and equitable agreement for all concerned, teachers, taxpayers and students,
that will “allow us to keep our kids in a great environment.”
There have been other areas
that were not as positive for her. There were several difficult moments with
other board members that were difficult for her. She declined to name names,
though.
Another area that has concerned
Trigg is the political rhetoric in the current campaign for the three seats in
Region C of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board.
The Democrats have said that
Sharon Parker retired because of actions of the school board.
“I think that’s sad’ Trigg
said. “I think that the way that contingent has treated Sharon Parker during
elections is unfortunate for everybody, most especially Sharon Parker. It
certainly did not do her any favors and I wonder if they recognize the irony in
the signs they had at Frank’s election: ‘Support Sharon Parker, vote for these
three people’. Not what they want. They effectively dragged Sharon Parker, the
superintendent who, by all accounts, has done a fabulous job, essentially
dragged her into the election on the losing side. I don’t think that did her
any favors or is respectful to her….She has spoken on the issue.”
Trigg was referring to the 2009
special election in which fellow republican Frank Murphy earned a seat on the
board replacing Ed Wandersee. The three candidates were Vic Dupuis, Karen
Halstead and Gregg Lindner.
Lindner is one of the two
Democrats, along with Kathy Do, challenging Republicans Trigg, Murphy and Sharon
Jones.
Trigg stressed that her aim is
for continued improvement in the district, but at an expense the taxpayers can
afford. She said she knows of people in her own neighborhood in Chadds Ford
where people are now selling homes because they can’t afford the taxes.
“We need to minimize that as
best we can. We need to keep our costs down.”
Trigg said she’d like people to visit her Web site, Pennsylvania
Coalition for World Class Math.
She is the cofounder of the group, she
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
