Joel Folkemer

Joel is running for the Central York School Board because he believes strongly that all students should be provided a safe and strong education. His experiences as a local Lutheran pastor, the proud father of two Central York students, and an involved community leader have helped Joel to understand our school district’s needs. As the lead pastor of an active and community-focused Lutheran congregation, Joel has the experience and skills that are necessary to work with the diverse viewpoints of our community stakeholders.

A pattern of anti-diversity and racially charged actions by the current school board have divided our district, caused badly needed updated educational programs and required curricula to be tabled indefinitely. This includes the banning of 300 diversity resources from use in the classroom. Joel is running to make sure that our students and educators have what they need to prepare our students for a 21st century global economy. The challenges facing our school district are vast: falling test scores, difficult budgetary decisions, and a serious need for improved transparency. In situations like these, experience and integrity matter.

Joel is not running for Central York School Board because he expects the job to be easy. He is running to stand up against the current board and their own extreme political agenda. Joel is running because he believes in being a servant leader, because he feels called to serve the students, parents, and senior citizens in our district during these challenging times.