Allentown, PA, February 13, 2015: Allentown School District (ASD) Director, Ce-Ce Gerlach, will run for re-election, seeking her second term on the Board. She has served ASD since December, 2011.

“At a time when our schools face historic-level budget cuts, ASD families need Directors who will fight to keep all of our students’ educational needs as the number one priority,” Gerlach says. “At the same time, I never forget our overly-burdened taxpayers and constantly seek ways to cut the fat.”

Gerlach’s ASD Board Committee Assignments include: Co-Chair, Education Committee, Policy Committee, and Legislative Committee. She considers her greatest accomplishments to be:

• Successfully passing her “Arts at the Core” Resolution, confirming the District’s commitment to arts programs and requiring the Administration to develop a plan of action for the future.
• Introducing her “Dropout Prevention” Resolution, partnering with Communities in Schools to establish a reengagement center for students who have already dropped out and increasing our preventative services for current students.
• Leading the successful effort to support ESOL teachers.
• Supporting and leading the effort to reduce the number of high-salary Central Administrators, so that unavoidable cuts happen far from the classroom.

If voters elect Gerlach to a second term, she pledges to:

• Restore Pre-Kindergarten classes.
• Expand full day kindergarten to every elementary school in the District.
• Reduce the number of high-salary positions in central administration.
• Ensure that the dropout prevention initiative that I started remains a top priority.
• Continue fighting school cuts and help parents cut through District red tape.
• Work with the board to slash waste and eliminate unnecessary purchases.

In addition to her School District responsibilities, Gerlach works to increase the economic power of families in the District, forming a grassroots organization called “Jobs for Allentown.” Working with developers and city officials, she fought to ensure that Allentown families and students would have first priority at obtaining employment in the downtown development zone. Hundreds of Allentown residents – parents, students and taxpayers – are now working downtown.

Allentown committees and community organizations Gerlach serves on include: serve on Allentown Human Relations Commission, Muhlenberg College Board of Associates, Neighborhood Partnership Program-Education & Economic/Employment Committees, ANIZDA Board/Jobs Committee and the 3rd Ward Community Group.

Gerlach teaches at Children’s Home of Easton, with Elementary Education degree/Cedar Crest College.

For more on Ce-Ce Gerlach:

Twitter @CeCeGerlachASD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2015

CONTACT: Gloria McVeigh, caryopter@yahoo.com, 610-966-1672