Mother, former teacher is running for Wilson school board

by Steve Reinbrecht

It would be hard to find someone more Wilson School District than Steph Kocher.

The mother and former WSD teacher now wants to help run the district as a school board director.

Twelve people are running for four open seats on the nine-member school board. The primary is May 16. Few elections are more important.

Kocher, 34, was born in Berks, attended Whitfield Elementary School, graduated from Wilson High School and eventually married another Wilson grad – though not her high-school sweetheart, she was quick to note.

She always wanted to be a teacher, practiced on her younger siblings, and earned a teaching degree from Shippensburg University and a masters in counseling from Millersville University.

She taught in Wilson schools from 2005 until 2014, when she left to devote more time to raising her children. She has a daughter, 5, and a son, 3.

Expecting to have more free time as they start kindergarten and pre-school in the fall, Kocher considered volunteering opportunities.

The controversy over the hiring and resignation of former Superintendent Curt Baker galvanized her idea to run for the school board. She attended the latest three board meetings and has been reading Wilson school board minutes.

Kocher takes stands on educational issues on her website. In general, she opposes standardized tests, voucher programs, and the way charter schools are funded. She supports homework.

What would she tell a voter who might be concerned that she is too pro-teacher and will want to raise taxes to spend more on public education?

Kocher knows that fiscal restraint is important in Wilson – she met lots of Republicans as she went door-to-door collecting signatures.

She does want people to appreciate how hard teachers work, noting she often stayed up late at night preparing for classes. But as a board member, she said, her priority will be students’ interests, not teachers’.

Further, Kocher thinks the district raises enough money through local taxes. She wants to analyze how that money is allocated. The district could make expense reports easier to sort by categories, for example, to get a better understanding of where the district spends, she said.

Kocher said she has a large group of friends and contacts connected to the district as employees and parents. They tell her about morale and how board decisions affect teachers, students and families.

Kocher said she would promote more transparency and community involvement. For example, the board could release a notice a week or two before their meetings to announce debates and votes on important issues.

That would prompt more community input, she said.

The presidential campaign and election have encouraged residents to become more interested and involved in politics, Kocher said, and she hopes to ride that enthusiasm to get more residents involved in district decisions.

She noted that Reading Area Community College plans to offer classes in Wilson Southern Middle School, and said school buildings could be opened to other education programs.

Kocher said she was surprised by how much support people pledged after she announced her decision to run.