Thank you!

On behalf of the group, Taxpayers for Educational Excellence, I would like to personally thank each of you who made up the hundreds of supporters and volunteers that worked with us on the Penns Valley School Board race for Chris Houser, Jeff Hyde, and Amy Niewinski.  Our group was initially formed by a very small group of Penns Valley residents who wanted to ensure the continuation of affordable and quality education in our school district. Our goal was to make sure that our great school district continued to be led by qualified directors who would not only maintain but improve upon the EXCELLENT academic progress made in recent years, while ensuring that tax dollars were spent wisely and prudently.

Since our initial meeting at the Houser house in July,  our group grew to include all segments of the Penns Valley population- both east and west in the Valley.  With this great collaboration of individuals, we were able to work together and run a positive, successful campaign throughout the fall; including Election Day. Without the help of such a diverse group of concerned and dedicated citizens, Chris and Jeff’s run for Director would not have been successful.  Because of running only regionally, Amy had the toughest challenge to overcome. Although we did not succeed, we know that Amy will use her time to continue to contribute her talents to The Valley and will enrich the lives of many.

Whether you  helped by putting up yard signs, forwarding emails, talking to friends, neighbors, and family, hosting meet the candidate events, working the polls, or donating funds to the campaign, YOUR HELP WAS INVALUABLE to the outcome on Election Day. Without the help from each and every one of you, it would not have been nearly as successful as it was.

So, thank you- thanks for everything that each of you did. I am in awe at the dedication, pride and love of not only our great district, but the entire Penns Valley community and I am proud to be part it!

Betsy Quigley
Campaign Manager, Taxpayers for Educational Excellence

Vote ONLY Houser (In His Race)

Remember, vote ONLY for Houser in his race.

We know many of you strongly support Chris Houser in this election.  In order for him to win, we need voters to vote ONLY for Chris in his race (while also voting for Amy and Jeff in theirs).  If this doesn't happen, Chris may not win despite having a majority of voters supporting him.  Consider these facts...

1. Chris is running against both Mark Benfer and Dan Braucht for two open seats.
2. Benfer and Braucht appear together on campaign signs and literature so they can be expected to have common supporters.
3. Each PV voter has up to two votes but does not have to use both of them.

With that in mind, take a look at this brief example.  Suppose 1,200 Penns Valley voters support Chris while 1,000 people support Benfer and Braucht.

• If Chris's supporters vote ONLY for him, then he receives 1,200 votes while Braucht and Benfer each receive 1,000.
• If Chris's supporters all use their second vote, then Chris would receive only 1,200 votes while Benfer and Braucht would each receive 1,600 votes (assuming the additional votes were split evenly between those two candidates).

In the first case, Chris is elected.  In the second case he isn't despite having a stronger base of support.  Remember, you don't have to use both votes and, in this case, you shouldn't.  If you strongly support Chris, vote ONLY for him!

League of Women Voters of Centre County Video

Nearly all of the Penns Valley School Board candidates participated in an open forum on Tuesday, October 15.  The forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Centre County.  The forum was broadcast and recorded by CNET.  That video is now available online.

Click HERE to watch the video. (On the CNET page, click on the appropriate Index Point to jump to the PV candidates.) 

We think that Amy, Chris, and Jeff did a great job showing why they are the best choices in their respective races.

A Snapshot View of Our Case for Our Candidates

You may have seen a version of this in the Penns Valley Grape Vine.  It provides a quick introduction of the candidates we are supporting and why we claim "Great Schools - Low Taxes." Please feel free to share this with others in Penns Valley.

Taxpayers for Educational Excellence

We formed this new organization to support Chris Houser, Jeff Hyde, and Amy Niewinski in their campaigns for Penns Valley School Board Directors.  We are excited that each of them earned a spot on the November ballot!  As implied by our organization's title, we believe it is critically important to provide outstanding educational opportunities for the district's students while holding taxes to a reasonable level.  We strongly believe that the Penns Valley School Board has done a great job of balancing these items and that these candidates will continue to do so!

Placing a sign like this one in your yard can be a great help!

We can use your help to get these candidates elected.  Here are a few ways you can help...

• Volunteer your time to promote these candidates by representing them at the polls, canvassing neighborhoods, making phone calls to voters, etc.
• Host a Meet the Candidates night to give your friends and family a chance to meet Amy, Chris, & Jeff.
• Place one of our signs in your yard.
• Make a financial contribution of any size.  As recent political campaigns have shown, a little bit truly goes a long way!

If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Betsy Quigley (brquigley@verizon.net).

Here are some important dates...

November 5 - Election Day

October 1 - Candidates Forum (Penns Valley High School Auditorium)

Make an Informed Vote on November 5

We Are Betsy Quigley and Carol Sharpe and we represent Taxpayers for Educational Excellence.  We are pleased to fully endorse Chris Houser, Jeffrey Hyde, and Amy Niewinski in their bids to be elected to our school board.  We believe that these three each have a positive vision for our school district and its students and, therefore, deserve your vote on November 5.  All of them are anxious to build upon the successes that the current board has had.  The 2012-13 Annual Report shows many examples of our District's successes.

Academics

According to schooldigger.com, our school district ranks among the top 8% in Pennsylvania.  Our high school ranks in the top 3%.   We are the top performing district in Centre County!  

Finances

These academic results are even more remarkable if you consider that our District has the lowest expenses per student among Centre County districts (PA Dept. of Ed.).  Our board has paid down debt (ahead of schedule) and refinanced debt to save taxpayers over $2 million.  A biomass facility has reduced our heating expenses by over $200,000 per year.  This forward-thinking approach to budget management has helped our District address a reduction in state funding of $700,000.

	12-13 Millage Rates**	Test Scores State Rank*
Philipsburg	51.6
Bald Eagle	50.6	271
Bellefonte	47.4	276
Penns Valley	43.2	43
State College	38.8	61

*Source: schooldigger.com

**Source: centrecountypa.gov

About the Election

The general election for Penns Valley Area School District board seats will be held on November 5. Chris and Jeff are running for "at large" seats, so they will be on the ballots in all PV precincts.  Amy is running for a regional seat and will only be on ballots in the eastern end of the District.

Ways to Help

Most importantly, VOTE!  We ask, though, that you consider not only voting for Chris, Jeff, & Amy but also help them each win their seat.

• Tell your friends and family members.  Share this webpage with them.
• Consider volunteering at one of the polling places on and handing out literature.
• Place a sign in your yard or business to show your support.
• Donate to help defray campaign costs.

If you can help in any of these ways, please email us: Betsy (brquigley@verizon.net) or Carol (crswes@yahoo.com).

Learn More About Our Candidates

Each candidate has placed a personal bio on this page (see top menu).  You may also email each of them.

Chris Houser                       chrishouser1@gmail.com.

Jeff Hyde                             jah38psu@gmail.com

Amy Niewinski                 aniewinski@yahoo.com