Brian M. Dietzler
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Brian M. Dietzler is an at-large member of the Upper Darby Board of Directors in Pennsylvania. The seat was up for general election on November 3, 2015. There was a primary election on May 19, 2015. He filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. He won the nomination in the Republican primary and advanced to the general election.[1] Brian M. Dietzler won the general election on November 3, 2015.
Dietzler participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Dietzler obtained his bachelor's degree in music education from Temple University. He went on to earn his master's degree in education from Cabrini College. He teaches theater and gifted education at Radnor High School.[2]
Elections
2015
Five of the nine seats on the Upper Darby school board were up for general election on November 3, 2015. There was a primary election on May 19, 2015.
Incumbents Judith Gentile (D/R) and Kenneth P. Rucci (R) won re-election, while challengers Brian M. Dietzler (R), Heather Boyd (D), and Lee A. Jordan (R) joined the board. They defeated incumbent Ronald Berry (R) and challengers Edward Brown (D), Saheed Sims (D), and Alfred Achtert Jr. (D). Incumbents William Gaul and Francis Zarilli did not run for re-election.[1]
All candidates with the exception of Achtert, who ran solely for the Democratic nomination, cross-filed to run in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Neil Desnoyers was defeated in the primary election. No independent candidates filed to run in the general election.
Results
| Upper Darby School District, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Judith Gentile Incumbent |
19.4% | 12,950 | |
| Republican | Brian M. Dietzler |
11.8% | 7,901 | |
| Republican | Kenneth P. Rucci Incumbent |
11.1% | 7,375 | |
| Democratic | Heather Boyd |
10.4% | 6,915 | |
| Republican | Lee A. Jordan |
10.4% | 6,904 | |
| Republican | Ronald Berry Incumbent | 10.3% | 6,856 | |
| Democratic | Edward Brown | 9.7% | 6,461 | |
| Democratic | Saheed Sims | 9.2% | 6,164 | |
| Democratic | Alfred Achtert Jr. | 7.8% | 5,172 | |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 3 | ||
| Total Votes | 66,701 | |||
| Source: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, "Unofficial Municipal Election Results for Upper Darby Township," accessed November 4, 2015 | ||||
| Upper Darby School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Heather Boyd |
18.1% | 2,174 | |
| Democratic | Edward Brown |
12.6% | 1,509 | |
| Democratic | Saheed Sims |
11.8% | 1,424 | |
| Democratic | Alfred Achtert Jr. |
10.4% | 1,250 | |
| Democratic | Judith Gentile Incumbent |
10% | 1,207 | |
| Democratic | Neil Desnoyers | 9.5% | 1,147 | |
| Democratic | Kenneth P. Rucci Incumbent | 7.3% | 872 | |
| Democratic | Lee A. Jordan | 7.1% | 859 | |
| Democratic | Ronald Berry Incumbent | 6.7% | 804 | |
| Democratic | Brian M. Dietzler | 6.4% | 772 | |
| Democratic | Write-in votes | 0% | 5 | |
| Total Votes | 12,023 | |||
| Source: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, "Official Municipal Primary 2015 Results for Upper Darby Township," accessed June 16, 2015 | ||||
| Upper Darby School District, At-Large Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Judith Gentile Incumbent |
19.1% | 2,932 | |
| Republican | Kenneth P. Rucci Incumbent |
17.9% | 2,750 | |
| Republican | Brian M. Dietzler |
17.8% | 2,739 | |
| Republican | Ronald Berry Incumbent |
12.4% | 1,897 | |
| Republican | Lee A. Jordan |
11.6% | 1,778 | |
| Republican | Saheed Sims | 5.9% | 899 | |
| Republican | Neil Desnoyers | 5.5% | 849 | |
| Republican | Heather Boyd | 5.5% | 842 | |
| Republican | Edward Brown | 4.3% | 664 | |
| Total Votes | 15,353 | |||
| Source: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, "Official Municipal Primary 2015 Results for Upper Darby Township," accessed June 16, 2015 | ||||
Funding
The Delaware County Bureau of Elections does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at [email protected].
Endorsements
Dietzler received no official endorsements for his campaign during the election.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Dietzler participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | "As a School Director, it would be my top priority to simply do my best to understand exactly what our school leaders, faculty, and staff need to best serve our students, and then work collaboratively with my fellow Directors, of ANY political party or background, to scrutinize our policy, procedures and purse to provide that support. My ten years and counting in the classroom is invaluable to this, and I will share my experiences and insight heavily.
At the same time, I will evaluate the propositions and needs with regards to honoring the financial trust of our constituents when approving or questioning items put before the Board. Lastly, it has gotten almost out of hand how much our hands are continually being tied by state and national government. I plan to work hard to work with our state and national leaders to make sure Upper Darby gets a fair shake for the sake of our students."[3] |
” |
| —Brian M. Dietzler (2015)[4] | ||
Dietzler also included the following statement with his responses:
| “ | "The survey here asked me to order my priorities with regards to school issues, and frankly, I did not like having to order them. Each holds its weight, and is worthy of full consideration, so please know that each issue is quite worthy in my mind.
I have worked in the public, private, and charter school settings; I have had numerous leadership opportunities, and the opportunity to experience first hand - in the classroom and faculty lunchroom, and most importantly working with students - and I look forward to serving the students of my hometown, making sure they receive the great opportunities they deserve."[3] |
” |
| —Brian M. Dietzler (2015)[4] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Pennsylvania. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Modifications are required before they are implemented." | |
| "Having worked in charter schools for a time, it is my professional assessment that there is much more development and accountability required before we hand over our citizens' hard earned money and trust to unfamiliar entities." | |
| "The line between charters and private schools is continuously blurred." | |
| "They are merely one of many tools that should be used to assess the hard work of our District." | |
| "It has been my personal philosophy as an educator for ten years that we must be educators of people first, and subject second; that is, students are people who deserve our respect, patience, and our best. Having lived and grown up in this great community, I have had the good fortune of having incredible educators here in Upper Darby. What was the common denominator? The teachers who cared most about the personal safety, well being, and growth of their students as their primary goal, closely followed by the subject of their classroom.
Without a personal connection with the students, how can we develop bridges of support and understanding as we teach our subject? This truth extends beyond intellectual aptitude, and therefore has lead to my belief that every effort must be made for every student as much as possible to be placed in a setting of success. I also believe that as a school director I must be a good steward of the financial contribution our hardworking citizens make for the general education of our young people. It is the duty of a school district to provide appropriate settings, people, and materials; personal and intellectual growth; and the opportunity to succeed for all students. I believe ALL students are Gifted, and I believe ALL students are Special. Therefore, every effort must be made to support ALL students. Education is a transaction, and if our District has made every effort, then it is up to the student and their family to meet the challenges and opportunities presented. I do not support excessive funds to remediate issues caused by a simple lack of parenting at home, or outright refusal of the student to learn, follow rules, or cooperate. If these cases disrupt the financial equity of our efforts, or disrupt the learning environment for other students, I will fully support our Board and our Administrators to properly address these issues. I do support the great majority of our students and our families who simply ask for the best education possible; great schools with great educators; and opportunities and experiences to address the holistic growth of every child within ALL intelligences - definitely and undoubtedly including the arts. We must pedagologically differentiate our policy, procedures, and educational practices to support all children of all challenges, while at the same time doing so in a way that honors that financial stewardship and trust of our constituents." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "If your walls are caving in, chances are the most important factor in addressing the issue would be to figure out exactly what is causing the walls to cave in.
I also would trust the experts who worked to build, maintain, and support those walls. First and foremost, reaching out and being available to all stakeholders to help ascertain the issue is first and foremost: Why are the walls falling? We must figure that out first, because all efforts, unless we know the root cause, and identify it with candor and good will, all efforts to shore them up will be futile. After figuring out why the walls are caving in, that must be clearly communicated to the community. These students have families, and they are families that care deeply about their students, and you better be sure they know that you are working on the problem before they knock on your office door. No one looks stupider than the poor sap who doesn't realize the walls are caving in around them, and it is the duty of our school directors, leaders, faculty and staff to keep a careful watch and sound the alarm when necessary. After identifying the problem, then solutions can intellectually be developed, involving as many stakeholders as is practical to address the educational emergency. Do we need better curriculum? Do we need to support our teachers and their professional development? Or is there a cultural issue at the school, with regards to professional behavior? Do too many of our students come from a troubled setting? Is there ethnic misunderstandings, or communication gaps? I believe there are solutions to problems, and the most important part is recognizing and correctly identifying the problems. And no, resoundingly NO, test scores are not the be all and end all of school performance, and I have yet to be convinced otherwise, especially in an incredibly unique place like Upper Darby." | |
| "Yes" | |
| "Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve." | |
| "One word - clear communication, and inviting our constituents to observe, follow, and comment on their school district. I have seen a positive shift in the methods of leadership here in Upper Darby, especially with the additional opportunities provided by our committee meetings, and open government like that is appropriate.
At the same time, I respect the law, and the requirement of privacy for delicate issues involving students, staff, and other concerns that might come up. Trust is earned, however, and I believe that when reasonable practices and leadership are shown, reasonable people approve, and weigh in as needed." |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brian M. Dietzler Upper Darby School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Upper Darby School District, Pennsylvania
- Upper Darby School District elections (2015)
- Embroiled incumbents see differing outcomes in May 19 school board elections across five states (May 21, 2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Delaware County, "Official Candidate List, Municipal Primary," accessed April 20, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "candidates" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ LinkedIn, "Brian Dietzler," accessed May 12, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, Brian M. Dietzler responses," May 5, 2015
| 2015 Scranton School District Elections | |
| Delaware County, Pennsylvania | |
| Election date: | Primary election: May 19, 2015 General election: November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Ronald Berry (D/R) • Incumbent, Judith Gentile (D/R) • Incumbent, Kenneth P. Rucci (D/R) • Alfred Achtert Jr. (D) • Heather Boyd (D/R) • Edward Brown (D/R) • Neil Desnoyers (D/R) • Brian M. Dietzler (D/R) • Lee A. Jordan (D/R) • Saheed Sims (D/R) |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
