In Parkland, six seeking for four seats on school board
In the Parkland School District, six candidates are vying for four seats in a race where only one incumbent is on the ballot and a replacement Republican candidate has emerged.
Running under a slate called For Parkland are David Hein, a Republican who is the board’s vice president, and Democratic newcomers Alyssa Beckwith, Jon Macklin and Matthew Weimann. Hein and Beckwith won on both ballots in the May primary.
Also running are Republicans George Rivera, who ran unsuccessfully in 2023 as part of the of Education First for Parkland slate, and David Caruth, who was removed from the primary ballot after a successful challenge to his nomination petition.
Caruth was named by the Lehigh County Republican Committee to replace Patrick Foose, a former school board member who also won the GOP nomination for Upper Macungie supervisor. He decided to seek that office instead.
The race comes on the heels of a June vote where the school board unanimously adopted a $248,755,099 budget for 2025-26 that contained a 4% tax hike to 17.8 mills and tapped $5.5 million from the fund balance to close a funding gap, according to Lehigh Valley News.
The district also is in the midst of implementing Vision 2030, a $210 million plan to address overcrowding in grades 6-12. It includes a 75,000-square-foot addition at Parkland High School, which is expected to get underway next year, and an addition and renovations at Orefield Middle School.
Hein, Beckwith, Macklin and Weimann have aligned themselves under the For Parkland banner but are running separate campaigns. They’ve been endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s PACE and Concerned Parents of Parkland.
In their website profiles, they said they want to focus on student success, support for teachers and staff, a safe environment and fiscal responsibility.
Rivera and Caruth have been critical of the tax hike, the Vision 2030 process, board transparency and state test scores.
Weinmann said Rivera and Caruth “are trying to manufacture calamities in order to drum up support for their identities as saviors of a school district that does not need their saving.”
Here is a look at the candidates seeking four-year terms. Information was obtained from campaign websites, Facebook, LinkedIn, interviews, website interviews and media reports.
Alyssa Beckwith – Democrat
Beckwith is director of clinical partnerships at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. This is her first run for office. She graduated from Allen High School, earned a chemical engineering degree from Lehigh University in 2001 and a master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in 2008.
She lives in Schnecksville with her husband and her daughter, a high school student. She has been active in PTOs and the Parkland Softball Booster Club.
Beckwith said her priorities are ensuring ample resources for student success, community engagement and outreach, supporting teachers and staff and maintaining safe and innovative school environments.
“I believe the most important issue is ensuring we continue to support the programs that will enable students to be successful post-graduation while also optimizing the budget through diligent analysis and assessment,” Beckwith said in an email.
Beckwith said she and the other For Parkland candidates attended budget workshops, pointing out that the administration and board did a line item view of spending.
Beckwith said Parkland’s test scores have been improving since the learning loss that resulted when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic forced districts to close then reopen either online or with hybrid schedules.
She believes the board has been transparent, noting most discussions happen at committee meetings, which are open to the public. “At the board meetings, this forum is more for communicating the outcomes of these discussions and approving stated recommendations,” she said.
David Caruth – Republican
Caruth is making his third try at running for school board. He ran unsuccessfully in 2015 and 2017. He was removed from May’s primary ballot after his petition was successfully challenged. Republican Mike Millo was also removed. Caruth was named to replace former school board member Patrick Foose, who is running for Upper Macungie supervisor instead.
Caruth is a senior manager in marketing, strategy and planning at Verizon Wireless. He also is CEO of Caruth Consulting. The former member of the Pennsylvania National Guard is a board member of We Salute, formerly Veterans Advantage, and global head of operations of VALOR, Verizon’s military group.
Caruth has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from Kutztown University, an MBA from Rosemont College and a doctorate in business management from Capella University.
The father of two district students said he is running to be a strong parental voice on the board.
“The most important issue is transparency: better communications and collaboration with constituents and parents,” he said. Caruth wants to open school board and committee meetings to moderated video conferences so more can attend virtually.
He said the recently passed budget “displays gross incompetence” and recommends a historical audit by a third party.
Caruth supports building expansion and renovations but doesn’t support the district’s approach to the process and outcomes that project higher taxes. He said construction contracts could have been better negotiated and that the district could have staggered the projects to stretch costs out, thus lowering the tax burden.
Caruth said he is embarrassed by the district’s state test scores. “Parkland was once in our state’s top rankings, but after years of mismanagement, the data tells a different story,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
David J. Hein – Republican
Hein is fiscal director at Workforce Board Lehigh Valley. He earned a business administration degree from Bloomsburg University in 1991. His wife and daughter are both Parkland teachers. Hein was first elected to the board in 2013 and has served as board president. His priorities are safety and security; providing students with the tools they need; fair funding and charter and cyber school reform.
Hein said funding is the district’s biggest issue. “With costs going up across the board for everyone, we need to be creative with our limited resources in order to keep the high level of programs in place across all disciplines: academics, arts and athletics,” he said.
Hein said the district’s tax hikes are the result of the district’s expanding enrollment and aging buildings.
“The district attracts and retains the best teachers and staff, again, because of our outstanding reputation. All of this comes at a cost; however, all the residents benefit from this through well-educated students staying in the area and increased property values for everyone.”
Hein acknowledged test scores fell but said they are still above average and that the district provides support for students who need extra help. “Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.”
Hein is the board’s representative on the Joint Operating Committee at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute and Lehigh Carbon Community College Board of Trustees. He has held leadership roles in the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. He also serves on the board of and is a volunteer with the Parkland CARES Food Pantry.
Jon Macklin – Democrat
Macklin is a stay-at-home father who earned a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University in 1996 and a master’s degree in health administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005, according to his Facebook page. He previously worked in health care as a policy consultant, according to his Linkedin page.
“I am seeking election to the Parkland School Board, driven by the conviction that every student in our school district should have the opportunity to receive a high-quality and robust education” that equips them for success,” he said on the For Parkland site.
Macklin said property tax hikes in Parkland need to be put in perspective, saying the district has the lowest millage rate in the Lehigh Valley.
“High quality, high performing schools help protect property values for our residents,” he said.
Responding to Rivera’s comment that the Democratic slate emphasizes backgrounds over skills, Macklin said, “Experience is nothing if your ideas and policy priorities are only going to lead to poorer performing schools and lower property values.”
Macklin defended the district’s performance on state tests. “I’m puzzled why the GOP candidates would be critical of high test scores,” he said.
George Rivera – Republican
Rivera grew up in Connecticut and lived in New York and New Jersey before moving to Pennsylvania. He and his wife have three children.
He is a managing partner for Darden Restaurant Inc., where he leads 65 hourly employees and three assistant managers.
Rivera was a 2023 candidate who lost in the general election. He had been part of Education First for Parkland slate.
Rivera criticized the board for raising taxes and tapping into reserves.
“There is no plan that I am aware of to make up the millions of dollars that the budget is going to be in the red year over year,” he said in an email. “Residents I have spoken to are wildly upset over the increase of taxes levied by this current school board.”
“My real world experience can help solve our really big problem of wasteful spending,” he said. He said he will take a “tactical approach” to make sure tax dollars are managed in a way that won’t impact teachers’ ability to do their jobs.
Rivera questioned the Vision 2030 plan.
“A $120 million renovation is hard to support by most people in the school district, especially after their disapproval of the multi-million-dollar football stadium,” he said.
Rivers said an area of concern is the district’s special education program, saying dissatisfied parents have told him their children’s needs aren’t being met. He said he would encourage one-on-one meetings with parents and suggest the head of the special education department sit in on classes to seek opportunities for improvement.
Matthew Weimann – Democrat
Weimann is an elementary teacher at Willow Lane Elementary School in the East Penn School District. He earned a master’s degree in elementary education and teaching from DeSales University in 2011 and a master’s degree in computer technology/computer systems technology from Kutztown University in 2016. Weimann said his daughter, who has cochlear implants, was able to be mainstreamed because of the early intervention and speech support the district provided to her.
This is Weimann’s first run for office. “As a public educator for the past 14 years … I not only believe in the mission of public education, but have devoted my life to it,” he said.
Weinmann said Rivera and Caruth are trying to manipulate the public with their complaints.
Weinmann attended the April 25 budget workshop and said he was impressed by how the board and administration worked to keep costs down.
Weinmann, who teaches gifted students, said it’s hard to raise scores that are already high. “When a student can’t read, and your instruction pulls them to near-proficiency within a year’s time, you are a hero,” he said. “On the other hand, if a teacher inspires a strong reader to take their love of literature and turn it into a passion for writing, but the test score barely budges from one year to the next, did that teacher fail?”
Weinmann questioned Rivera and Caruth’s motive for complaining about transparency. He said board meetings are open to the public and livestreamed. Minutes are available online and handed out before school board meetings.