Jef Reyburn is the only person running in the May 17 primary for Parkland School Board who isn’t an incumbent. He believes that is to his advantage. “People are eager to get fresh ideas, fresh perspectives on the process that’s happening,” Reyburn said. “I’m one to value differing opinions and fresh ideas.” Reyburn, 42, a Republican, is listed on the ballot as Roy Jef Reyburn (his full name) but he prefers to be called Jef. He lives in Upper Macungie with his wife, a former elementary school teacher in the Souderton Area School District, and their three children. He has coached football for …

As Debra Evans seeks her second four-year term on the Parkland School Board, she is clear about what she believes to be her primary strength. "I have a real capacity to see both sides of the issue," said Evans, of North Whitehall. "You can be empathetic to both sides of the issue without being wishy-washy." Evans, who has no party affiliation, will have her work cut out for her in the May 17 primary. Her name will only appear on the Democratic ballot. She had intended to cross-file and run in both the Democratic and Republican primary, as she did four years ago. However, the Lehigh County …

David Kennedy is aware that he often casts the sole dissenting vote during Parkland School Board meetings, particularly when it comes to financial matters. “I don’t pull any punches,” said Kennedy, of South Whitehall. “People ask me questions, and I’m more than happy to give my opinion.” Kennedy, 59, a Republican, is seeking another term on the Parkland School Board. He is cross-filed in the May 17 primary which means he will be on both the Republican and Democratic ballots.   If re-elected, he will enter his 14th year on the board. He first joined the school board after running for a two-…

Incumbent Parkland School Board candidate Roberta Marcus likes to share "The Blueberry Story" to underscore what she sees as the value of public education. It goes like this: Jamie Robert Vollmer, an executive at an ice cream company that became famous in the 1980s for its blueberry flavor, once spoke to a gathering of educators, telling them they needed to run their schools more like businesses. But Vollmer, she said, got an earful from a teacher who reminded him that public schools, unlike the ice cream business, can’t only choose the best blueberries. “We take them big, small, rich, poor, …

Robert Bold taught in public schools for nearly 35 years before joining the Parkland School Board a decade ago. “After I was done teaching, I wanted to contribute something more to education,” Bold recalled. “I wanted to see what’s on the other side.”  Bold, of North Whitehall, began his career in print shops, but then he received a request to be a print shop teacher at Harrison-Morton Middle School in the Allentown School District in the late 1960s. Simultaneously, he spent the next decade going to school part-time to get a vocational certificate from the state in conjunction with Temple …

For eight years, Lisa Adams was a parent representative to the Parkland School District's Community Advisory Board, which serves as a liaison between district administrators and the community.   She credits that involvement with stoking her interest in serving on the school board. In 2009, Adams got that opportunity when Von George resigned from the board. Adams was appointed to fill out the remainder of his term. “Now I’m trying to run on my own steam,” said Adams, 48, of Upper Macungie. A Republican, Adams is running in the May 17 primary for one of five seats. She has cross-filed, which …