I live in Middlesex Twp with my family – an elementary school student, a high school student, and my wife who is a teacher at the MASD Primary Center. Professionally, I’m a former Federal Agent / Criminal Investigator, currently employed at the UPMC corporate offices where I oversee the UPMC Corporate Fraud and Investigations Program within the Office of Ethics & Compliance. I am a current school board member and have been on the board for approximately a year and a half, filling the seat of outgoing member Sallie Wick.
The 228 Times: Why are you running?
Matthew Duff: As a MASD community member, parent of two school aged children who currently attend the Elementary and High Schools, and spouse of a MASD teacher at the Primary Center, I believe that I have been a valuable addition to the school board. My unique experience in viewing the educational process from the viewpoints of taxpayer, parent, and educator, has allowed me to successfully participate in MASD efforts to create and sustain an educational environment that allows all students the opportunity to reach their maximum learning potential. As a Mars Area School Board member, I have backed budgetary responsibility while fighting for academic success and systems which enable parents to participate in their children’s educational process. I believe the educational system should concentrate on academic excellence, practical competencies, and local values. I will maintain my support for teachers while defending parental rights. The district holds great value for me because I will always act in the best interest of students, their families, and taxpaying residents.
I will maintain my backing for three main initiatives:
- The budget system must operate with fiscal responsibility toward taxpayers, however, not at the expense of the educational experience for our students.
- I will continue to encourage direct, open, and truthful communication with all members of the community, parents, and students.
- The educational environment needs to stay free from political influence to allow students to concentrate on their studies.
The 228 Times: What’s your view on growth and development and its impact on the school district?
Matthew Duff: The Mars community continues to expand as a wonderful place which creates new educational challenges for our schools to handle. As an incumbent member of the Mars Area School Board, I have supported the responsible management of school growth to provide students with proper educational facilities and resources in non-overcrowded classrooms.
I believe in the following:
- Utilize thoughtful, long-term planning – The school district requires both enrollment projections and financial planning strategies to develop effective long-term educational strategies.
- Keep class sizes manageable – The combination of small class sizes with effective teaching methods produces better student learning results and improved teacher performance.
- Listen to parents, teachers, and community members – The people who spend time in our schools possess the most valuable understanding of what works and what does not.
The 228 Times: How do you see the role of the school board in community engagement?
Matthew Duff: The school board member position I currently hold makes me understand that community involvement stands as our essential foundation. The school board functions to represent the combined voices of parents and taxpayers and community members who determine the path of our local schools. The school board needs to maintain complete openness while providing easy access to our services and delivering prompt responses to all family members we support. The school board should also maintain active dialogue with parents and teachers while defending community values and making decisions that align with neighborhood needs instead of standardized national rules. I support the implementation of open discussion sessions, continuous information sharing, and parental involvement policies which enable parents to influence their children’s educational content. The involvement of communities leads to better schools which create a more powerful future for everyone. I will keep fighting for accountability and fiscal responsibility and academic excellence while maintaining family involvement in all our decision-making activities.
The 228 Times: What are your top two priorities if elected?
Matthew Duff: I’d like to provide three priorities because I believe all three are important:
- Keeping Up with Growth: The expanding population of Mars creates positive developments yet it generates substantial educational challenges for our schools. The elementary schools face the most significant impact from this situation. The primary center expansion project became essential because of its urgent need but we recognize it represents only a portion of the complete solution. The increasing student enrollment requires us to prevent teacher and facility resources from reaching their maximum capacity. The growing population indicates a thriving community yet we need to create strategic plans to preserve the tight-knit educational environment which attracts residents to this area.
- Budget & Taxes: The expenses for operating a school district continue to rise because of increasing costs for personnel and insurance premiums and construction materials. The district requires significant financial contributions from taxpayers although we understand their burden. The district maintains a delicate position between student funding requirements and community transparency regarding budget distribution. The district must maintain responsible behavior through clear and transparent financial management practices.
- Trust & Communication: The board receives input from all community members for their decisions, and although some people may disagree with the final decision, people still want to be heard and feel understood by the board so they expect better communication from the board members. Families need to understand the current situation, the choices we are facing, and the available opportunities for active participation in that process. I feel that the Board has made improvements in this area of open and transparent communication but there is still work to be done and I will continue to work and push for improvements in this critical area.
The 228 Times: How should the district balance academics, extracurriculars, and finances?
Matthew Duff: The school board holds the essential duty to handle academic work along with extracurricular activities and financial management. While serving as a MASD board member, I have worked hard to achieve the highest possible value from tax dollars while keeping academic excellence at the forefront of our priorities. Our fundamental purpose exists to teach students so we must guarantee academic programs receive sufficient funding for their effectiveness and strength. Extracurricular activities that include sports programs and artistic and club activities provide vital backing to student development and community spirit. The district needs to support these programs through funding but at levels which match our current budget limitations. The district should perform regular assessments of student involvement statistics and program funding and achievement metrics to determine which activities produce the best student results. I endorse a budgeting system which delivers transparent financial management through responsible spending practices that protect taxpayers from excessive costs and supports long-term planning. The district must make difficult choices because we must deliver an efficient operations that respects taxpayer money utilizing data driven decision-making, while hearing from teachers and parents to ensure students stay prepared for their future paths in college or careers or public service. I will preserve academic excellence and financial stability through balanced decision-making that upholds our educational mission.
The 228 Times: What are your thoughts on the financial impact of cyber and charter schools?
Matthew Duff: Pennsylvania currently uses an outdated funding system for cyber charter schools which produces both high costs and multiple problems. The funding formula from 1997 was designed for traditional charter schools but fails to consider the lower operational costs of cyber charter schools. School districts must pay elevated tuition costs that surpass the actual expenses of online education for their students. The operational expenses for buildings, maintenance, transportation and other major overhead costs do not apply to cyber charter schools. The funding allocated per student for cyber charter schools matches the amount given to traditional charter schools. The existing funding system leads to unnecessary high payments and substantial payment discrepancies between different school districts. The public funds allocated to cyber charter schools often go through private for-profit management without proper disclosure about their financial usage. The funding system forces districts to choose between three unappealing alternatives which include eliminating programs, raising taxes, using their reserves to fulfill cyber charter obligations. The system becomes unaffordable for local residents so we need a statewide solution. A funding rate that corresponds to actual cyber charter school expenses will establish equal funding and reveal the precise costs of these schools to districts. The system reform would free up millions of dollars to fund student programs and staff and support local educational requirements. The funding structure for cyber charter education must establish a fair system which delivers affordable costs and transparent financial requirements for student benefit and taxpayer protection.