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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are the primary results for the York City School Board race
All seven candidates running for York City School Board won in the primary on Tuesday based on the unofficial results. They will vie for four seats on the board in the Nov. 4, 2025 election. On the Democratic ticket, the four candidates who were nominated are: incumbent Lisa Kennedy with 849 votes, incumbent Margie Orr with 704 votes, Aisha Beatty-White with 647 votes and Tynisha Wilkes with 636 votes. On the Republican ticket, Halman B. Smith II led with 226 votes followed by Dolores I. Minaya with 210 votes, Aisha Beatty-White with 208 votes, and Breauja Banks with 199 votes. Knowledge Ravon Timmons was running as a write-in candidate as part of YCSD New Board. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 2025 primary results for the York City School Board race
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
York City School District: Who are the 7 candidates vying for four seats on the board?
Seven candidates will be seeking four seats on the York City School Board in the May 20 primary. Three candidates — Lisa Kennedy, Margie Orr and Tynisha Wilkes — currently sit on the board. They are running on the Democratic ticket. The challengers, who have all cross-filed, are Breauja Banks, Dolores I. Minaya, Halman B. Smith II, and Aisha Beatty-White. Three candidates who are on the ballot — Banks, Beatty-White and Minaya — as well as write-in candidate Knowledge Ravon Timmons are running together as part of YCSD New Board. The group says that the current board is failing students and is encouraging voters to elect all new members. Here, in alphabetical order, are the candidates who are running: Breauja Banks Banks, who works for Community Progress Council of York and volunteers as a parent liason at Devers Elementary School, is a new board candidate, according to the campaign website. Banks provided the following statement: "What's driving my campaign for a seat on the School Board is concern for the future of our children and our community. While I commend the current board members for their efforts, I do believe there's always room for improvement and new ideas," she said in a statement. "We need a real plan to get our kids on grade level so they are equipped with knowledge and skills to make living wages in an increasingly competitive job market. It's great to see graduates walk the stage, but we need to consider if they're actually prepared for what comes after high school." Aisha Beatty-White Beatty-White is a new board candidate. Her family has been a part of the York community for generations, and she is looking to represent the voices of the diverse neighborhoods, according to the campaign website. Beatty-White offered the following statement: "My nephew and grandchildren are very dear to me. During my employment with the school district while my children attended, I witnessed concerning events and unacceptable actions impacting our children. This was deeply disappointing. As a product of the York City school district myself — following in the footsteps of my parents and grandparents — this is particularly hurtful. I believe it is my responsibility to speak up and advocate for our youth, and I intend to do just that." Lisa Kennedy Kennedy, who has served for eight years on the school board and is the president, has cited increased student achievement as one of the reasons why she is seeking re-election. "I, first, want to recognize that some may feel we have not met the standard in growth, but there's more than one way to measure said growth," she wrote in a social media post. "As a district dripped in jewels of urban mystique, achieving academic success as a district or for an individual means honoring the needs of every student beyond education with ALL of their various needs. We are a district filled with larger rates of special needs children, multi-lingual needs, and often times students with large educational gaps." She said the district has a welcome center that allows for the academic assessment of students as well as provide resources to support families. She also described its Multi Tiered Systems of Support and how it is used to evaluate the academic, social and emotional needs of students to help them. "The ability to engage with our district leadership and building level Principals to ensure they have exactly what they need to provide not only the academic structure for growth but to also truly be able to able to address most any need for our students, that's WHY I've chosen to serve," she wrote. Dolores I. Minaya Minaya, a new school board candidate, said she has been involved in the community and connected to things related to the district. She cited several reasons why she's running for the school board. One is her Spanglish Culture and Art program, which has included students from the York City School District. It has been a way for her to give back to the community, schools, students and parents. The program has helped to keep students out of the streets, motivated to maintain or improve their grades and engaged in positive activities, she said. Minaya said she was a parent liaison at York High, which allowed her to better understand the district and maintain active communication with the parents regarding opportunities available for students and parents. Now that she is running for school board, she realizes that not many know what the board is and its purpose. She said it's important to find a way to bring parents to the meetings, keep them informed, and motivate them to participate in meetings and parent workshops. "... it's important for the parents and students to learn about the school's rules and policies, as well to know where they can go for answers to their questions and bring concerns or ideas, they might have that could help improve our School District," she said. Margie Orr Orr, who is running for her fifth term, said the school board needs experienced individuals to serve and protect the district. It faced cuts and the loss of staff years ago as it battled through financial recovery, but administrators helped them emerge from it. Now the district is facing possible funding cuts because of a change in the White House, Orr said. She is hearing that programs, such as free meals for students, will be done away with, and the district is under pressure to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. For instance, one of the district's policies is to hire minority contractors and female business owners. Neither is going away, she said. Orr added that the district took steps to protect children from federal immigration enforcement on school campuses. She said the board wants to prepare itself for what it might face in the future. She noted that the recent governors have been a supporter of the district, which is one of the largest employers in the city. It has to keep the funds available to take care of everything. "I'm fighting this with my heart and soul to protect my district, our children, and the community," she said. Halman B. Smith, II In a video posted to Instagram, Smith said he decided to run because he grew up and raised his family in York. He believes it is important to give back to his community and address areas that need attention. "Our children, quite frankly, are not performing well in our schools," he said. Students are leaving school with the lowest proficiency numbers in the county, and that needs to change, Smith said. "When I went through York City schools, there were amazing people that were set up beside me and behind me and they gave me the hope and the opportunities to see that I could do anything I wanted," he said. "And I want our children to experience the same thing." The educators are in place and have the same heart and passion, Smith said, "but there is something wrong, and we have to make sure we figure out what it is and correct it." Tynisha Wilkes Wilkes, who is an incumbent, provided a statement about why she is seeking re-election to the board: "What drives my candidacy for this seat is my unwavering dedication to growth and progress. Over the past four years, I have witnessed the York City School District undergo a remarkable transformation. "Here are several key highlights that illustrate this growth: our successful exit from financial recovery and the strengthening of partnerships with esteemed organizations such as WellSpan and Family First Health. "Let's talk about student achievement. While there are candidates who focus solely on PSSA scores, these metrics do not fully capture the range of our students' successes. The pride on a student's face after excelling on CDTs or reaching a benchmark on IXL speaks volumes. This raises the question: who can truly assess the dedication and accomplishments of our educators and students based solely on PSSA results? Numerous factors can influence performance on these assessments. With over thirty years of experience in education, I can personally attest to the tireless efforts of our teachers and students striving for excellence in every subject. This is a systemic issue that requires all components to work together cohesively to ensure that the needs of every student are met. "Finally, my commitment to fostering an environment where every student can thrive propels my candidacy and shapes my vision for our district's future. Together, we can build on our successes and address the challenges that lie ahead." This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Meet the 7 candidates running for the York PA School Board
