League of Women Voters of Chester County, Pennsylvania
	Chester County, PA May 21, 2013 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues School Director; Great Valley School District; Region II; Democratic Party

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Chester County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Nutrition Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How would you promote good nutrition in your schools? Answer from Charles Russell Ashton Lyddane: Our kids need good nutrition but have reacted negatively to the new Federal program. Unfortunately, they throw much of the food they are now being served into the garbage according to adults who are on lunch duty. While the neediest children are being fed, the bad news is that the Great Valley School District is losing a significant amount of money on its food service and our children dislike the food. So far this year, 12,000 fewer meals have been served. They are losing $150,000 on the food service. Our school district has other pressing problems. We live in a great district, third in the area, but the School Board has not been able to improve that ranking. The School Board has raised taxes four years in a row. Each year they put the millions that were not spent into the bank at low interest and raise taxes again the following year. Land on Bacton Hill Road that the School Board purchased for $6.6 million dollars for was later appraised at $4 million dollars. The board needs new people who will supervise the finances of the schools and use the money properly to support learning in the classroom. Every dollar squandered on bureaucracy and bad business decisions is a dollar stolen from making our children better educated, more prepared for the future and more independent. If we spend the money on educating kids instead of wasting it, we will produce better, happier and more productive children who will become better, happier, more productive adults. We owe this to them and to all of our neighbors who are sharing the cost for their education. We must raise our standards. Answer from Andrew W "Andy" Daga: Great Valley has an exemplary food service system. However, recent efforts by the federal government, which are intended to reduce the incidence of obesity, have gone too far and have unintended consequences for many districts -- including ours. Children are hungry and parents are angry about rising food costs; obesity is not being treated because children are finding alternative sources of food outside the program. We have lost local control due to these federal mandates which are enforced by the state. The best way to improve this situation is to work with other districts to voice our opposition to federal micromanagement. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.