Canvassing and Listening

 

When I decided to run for office, I read up on and watched videos about how to campaign at the local level. One point they stressed was the importance of canvassing, which is going door to door to introduce yourself to voters. Given that there are thousands of registered voters in the county, it took me a while to figure out the logistics of doing that.

It is not a simple matter of just starting on the first house on a street, especially for a small campaign like mine. Instead, you need to use the public voter list to narrow it down. For me, that meant targeting people who live in the school district and who have voted in off-year primaries before. It took a few weeks to figure out how to get that done. But once I had that list, I spent nearly every evening of the past week visiting people's homes and talking to those who had the time.

Along the way, I heard a variety of comments and concerns, along with words of encouragement from more than a few  I talked to people in Meadville, Cochranton, and those who live on the rural routes. I just wanted to thank everybody who talked to me. Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's election, I appreciate all of you who took a little time out of the day to hear what I had to say.

Tribune Video Interview

 In addition to answering the question, the Meadville Tribune also scheduled separate video interviews with me and the other school board candidates.

Hope this answers some of your questions about my position on school board issues.

Meadville Tribune Video Interview

Meadville Tribune Interview

 In April the Meadville Tribune sent me three questions to answer about the Crawford Central School Board. Here are the questions and my answers.

1) Why are you running for office?

Over the years, I have advocated for various issues in front of the school board. I am campaigning because people have encouraged me after witnessing my work. They know that I will conduct thorough research to understand all the different perspectives. I don't look for easy answers, and I share both the positive and negative findings.

This region is facing a demographic decline, with the student body expected to shrink by nearly a quarter. This will create an unprecedented challenge for the district due to a smaller tax base and reduced state funding. There isn't going to be an easy solution. Rather, achieving lasting success will require many small, nuanced victories in many areas.

My decades of experience in developing and supporting complex manufacturing machinery and years of volunteer work have taught me to how to find effective solutions given limited resources, time, personnel, and money

2) Do you support or are you against a policy to allow for the review and removal of reading materials from the libraries in the district?

I support the current guidelines Crawford Central used to acquire appropriate material for the elementary, middle school, and high school libraries. I don’t believe an update to the current policy is needed.

Keep in mind that individuals have the ability to make the most of opportunities not only locally or in the state but also globally, including in creative, entertainment, services, and manufacturing industries without having to move from our region. 

As a result, students need to be prepared to deal with these opportunities and how to work with individuals whose life experience is very different from what we experience here in Crawford Central. A well-stocked and updated school library is an important part of preparing students to meet these challenges as they begin to enter the workforce.

For additional information see the following

2019 Guidelines for Pennsylvania School Libraries

Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

American Association of School Libraries

3) Do you support or are you against closing schools based upon feasibility studies?

I was born in Meadville and lived here all my life. I chose to get married and raise my kids here. I appreciate the different communities that exist in our county and district. Meadville and Cochranton have separate identities and these should be preserved within the district at both the elementary and high school levels if it is all possible.

We are facing a demographic decline within the district. It is currently estimated that we will lose over a quarter of the student population over the coming years. However, this may impact Meadville differently than Cochranton. I can envision a situation where most of the decline occurs in Meadville and enrollment remains relatively constant in Cochranton. If this is the case, I would be very skeptical of closing any schools in Cochranton. 

If the worst happens then we have to be prepared as a community to make some hard choices. 

For further information see the Enrollment Projections released by the state of Pennsylvania.

Running for School Board

 My name is Robert Conley, and I am running for a Crawford Central School Board position. I was born and raised in Meadville and attended First District, the old Junior High, and Meadville Area High School. After college, I returned to Meadville, got married, and raised my two sons here with my wife Kelly Anne.

My mother, Joan Conley, was a teacher for three decades in the school district, and I grew up hearing about the concerns and issues that surround Crawford Central. As I raised my kids, various issues concerning them came up before the school board. In the course of addressing the board about my concerns, I learned about other issues involving the district and found I had something to contribute to those as well.

My job and training have taught me how to look at things as a whole, starting with little to no information other than the issue itself. Finding the core of the problem, doing the hard work of research, and then coming up with options and solutions is what I will bring to the school board if elected.

Whether it's health issues, complex tax systems, budgets, or policies, I intend to fully understand them, lay out all the options, and more importantly, communicate my findings to the community. 

While I have my opinions about various matters, I consider what I can do in light of what is good for students, their parents, teachers, taxpayers, the community, and the administrators. All of these groups are vital to a healthy school district and its goal of educating future citizens of the United States.

I learned during the time I volunteered in BSA Exploring and Scouting that the secret to a successful organization is not in grand gestures but rather in doing the hard work to win the dozens of small victories needed to keep things going for the benefit of all.

Regardless of where you fall on the issues of the day, I hope to have your support for this primary election