3 Democrats Seek School Board Seats Next Week

Editor's note: Five Republicans and three Democrats are seeking five, four-year terms on the nine-member Bensalem Board of Education in next Tuesday's general election. The following story highlights the biographical information and thoughts of the three Democrats. A separate story on Bensalem.Patch.com does the same for the GOP candidates. There are two GOP candidates who also will appear on the Democratic ballot.

Office manager Nora Jordan, clinical data manager and former accountant Toni Simmons and church administrator Lola Oguntade are the three Democrats seeking five open seats on the Bensalem school board.

Asked about the main issues facing the district, two cited state budget cuts.

“Therefore, we need to use wisdom, operate with integrity, and be good stewards over all things including funding,” said Jordan, 42, of Neshaminy Valley. “We are building a new gym, spending thousands of dollars on grass seed, and the Armstrong property is still sitting, yet some of our school buildings are in terrible conditions and are in need of repairs.” Jordan cited the need to replace pipes at Bensalem High as an example.

Simmons, 36, of Neshaminy Valley, said the state budget cuts “put our teachers and students at risk, threaten programs supported by these state subsidies and grants, and have the potential to inflate our already excessive school tax. As school board members, our top priority must be to find ways to supplement these state cuts to our school funds.”

Simmons said supplemental funding could be found by selling the former Armstrong school and revisiting the voucher plan with an eye toward improving the disbursement formula.

Asked about the biggest district concerns, Lola Oguntade, 30, of Trevose, said, “A key issue for school board is to create a long-term vision, planning an itinerary that provides the necessary opportunities students need to reach their full potential.”

Oguntade has lived in Bensalem five years, works at St. Matthew Methodist Church in Trevose and is a senior at Penn State/Aria Health School of Nursing. She is a volunteer mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Bucks County and the mother of two children who attend Bensalem public elementary schools.

“Being a parent of two school-age students of Bensalem schools and a resident of this wonderful town, I have had the opportunity to witness many areas of concern within our community,” she said. “We must restore morale amongst all district employees, and work to return harmony throughout the community. Education takes place in the classroom and the board's efforts must focus on improving and enriching what goes on there. This can not be done by school board members alone. We need the help of the community.”

Simmons has lived more than 25 years in the township and is a 1992 Bensalem High graduate. Two of her three children attend Bensalem Public Schools. She says she has a “vested interest” in the district's success as an alumna, parent, and township resident.

“The Bensalem School District set the foundation needed as I continued my education at Virginia State University where I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.”

After working several years as an accountant in the banking and mortgage industry she moved to the pharmaceutical industry, now working for Research Pharmaceutical Services as a clinical data manager.

Simmons is a past treasurer for the Bucks County NAACP and a youth leader of Love Fellowship Tabernacle.

Jordan holds an associate's degree in business administration from Katherine Gibbs School and works in the case management services unit of The Council of Southeast Pa.

She has lived in Bensalem more than ten years and is the mother of a BHS grad. Running for the board, she said, “is a great opportunity for me to give back to the school district where my daughter graduated and it will allow me to advocate for students and parents.”

Jordan is a member of the county NAACP, president of the single parents group at Love Fellowship and a past president of the New York City PTA.

All three candidates are African American. Asked if their slate spoke to any lack of diversity on the school board, which has no African American members, only Oguntade responded.

“I don't believe that there is an issue but I believe that diversity is important,” she said. “The school board makes decisions for schools that have a diverse population of students and staff. Having diversity on the school board would create balance and help in developing structure that would be best for a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment.

“Yet, as public schools become more diverse, demands increase to find the most effective ways to help all students succeed academically as well as socially and I believe that this can be done successfully with electing people of different backgrounds to be apart of the school board.”