School Boards Matter
FOUR ISSUES DESERVING OF TOP PRIORITY:
- Improve student academic achievement. This is the main purpose of education.
- Create safe, positive learning environments for students and teachers. Common-sense approaches are required to teach disrespectful, disruptive students the proper behavior. Students can’t learn because teachers can’t teach in a chaotic classroom.
- Stronger engagement, involvement, and transparency with parents is vital to academic success.
- Complete fiscal transparency and re-allocation of funds from bureaucracy to student-focused outcomes.
Visit the C4DS You Tube channel to learn more about these issues
School Board Engagement
What’s one way to make a positive impact in your community a couple of hours a month?
Show up to school board meetings in your district. You can do it in person or virtually (if available). Speak up for parents and students, suggest future agenda items you aren’t hearing them discuss, tell a story about what you hear going on in schools, or bring new viewpoints or ideas to them.
Click on First State Educate’s SCHOOL BOARD/CHARTER SCHOOL LISTINGS to find out when your local school board meets and what’s on the agenda.
If you attend and hear something interesting, let Citizens for Delaware Schools know. We’ll get the word out as a public service.
School Board Candidates for 2025
A few tips for reviewing the candidate-provided information:
- We asked candidates multiple times to complete our survey by April 4.
- Candidates who submitted responses to our survey are noted in orange. Many of these candidates also responded to an ACLU survey; a link is provided.
- Candidates who did not complete our survey will have an * by their names and a link to their ACLU page so you have some information about their views.
- A few candidates provided no contact information so we couldn’t include them.
- If only one candidate runs for a seat, then that candidate is awarded the uncontested seat. At Citizens for Delaware Schools, we believe that ALL candidates have a responsibility to inform their communities how they will work to improve student outcomes.
- Be sure to check the News section for any local media coverage on individual elections.
Find School Board Elections has information about polling locations, district info, absentee voting, etc.
MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE on May 13. Take your friends and family with you. Let’s show we are determined after decades of failure that these future school board leaders focus on improving student academic outcomes.
Candidate survey questions
Why are you running for school board?
How will you use your experiences and background to approach your role as a member of the school board?
If you had to pick one, which do you believe is more important for achieving higher academic achievement: greater funding or better reforms? Explain.
Name 1 or 2 changes or policies you will support that will raise the academic achievement of all students in your district.
What changes should be made at schools to make the classroom a safer and more effective environment for maximizing learning and instruction (teaching)?
Many educators say that not all parents are engaged enough with their children’s education. how can the school board create policies that help forge a closer relationship and involvement among parents, their children, and educators?
How do you believe the school board should respond to federal executive orders for K-12 schools to stop promoting gender and ‘radical ideologies’ such as DEI or risk federal funding?
Your School Board Candidates for 2025
New Castle County
RED CLAY
District B
Devin Hyson
Martin A. Wilson
District G – Beth Twardus (ACLU)* (NO ELECTION)
SMYRNA
At-Large
Aaron Weisenberger
BRANDYWINE
District A
Alexander Najemy
Kenyon O. Wilson
District B
Karen M. Hartley-Nagle
District E
COLONIAL (NO ELECTIONS)
District B – Christine L. Smith
District C (2-year term) – Phils M. Breeding (ACLU)*
District D – Christopher Piecuch Sr.
Kent County
CAESAR RODNEY
At-Large
Dr. Joyce Denman
Amy Spampinato
James L. Rau
CAPITAL
At-Large ( 3-yr term)
Jordan Davis
Vickie Pendleton
At-Large (4-year term)
Mozella Richardson Kamara
MILFORD
At-Large – Yanelle Powell (NO ELECTION)
Sussex County
CAPE HENLOPEN
District B – Jason Bradley (NO ELECTION)
District C
Andy Lewis
At-Large
William (Bill) Collick (ACLU)*
DELMAR
At-Large – Raymond Vincent (NO ELECTION)
INDIAN RIVER
District 1 (2 seats)
Dereck Booth
Lisa Hudson Briggs
Kelly Kline
District 2 – Jerry Peden Jr. (NO ELECTION)
District 4 – Michelle Parsons (NO ELECTION)
LAUREL
At-Large – Raymond Vincent (NO ELECTION)
At-Large – Jeffrey Benson Jr. (NO ELECTION)
WOODBRIDGE
At-Large
Get ready to run for a 2026 school board seat
As we enter the final stages of the 2025 elections, it’s a great time to consider a run for a 2026 seat. The more time you give yourself before you have to file to run, the more you can set yourself for success – and we can guide you along the way.
First, you have to reside in the area where nominating district seat is located. There are two types:
At Large seats: anyone residing in the school board district can run.
Nominating District seats: You have to reside within the borders of a defined geographic area. Don’t know? It’s easy to find. Just go to this site and type in your address, then scroll down until you see your school board nominating seat and the name of the current incumbent.
Note: Indian River has no seats opening up in 2026 unless an incumbent departs before their term ends.