Lisa Longo, Consulting & Strategy

05/29/2026

Have you been following the PASD budget questions? Next meeting is Monday June 1st, your voice is needed!

Here is my email to the board:

Dear Board Members, how are you? I am writing today to ask request information regarding the upcoming vote on the district budget.

Based on the number of speakers questioning the proposal to reduce the staff for the music program, I hope this board will consider adding a Special Public Hearing and Community Town Hall to go over these specifics and find a way to fully fund this important position for our students.

As I mentioned, and provided documentation, our district committed to expanding our Arts program and made it the goal of the strategic plan to continue to invest in the Arts. At what point did this board decide to discontinue that goal? Was this discussed at a public meeting? Were staff and students included in this decision? Were parents notified and asked for input?

While I understand this board has a duty to approve a budget by June 30, 2026, I would ask that the funding for the music program be adjusted to continue with the current staffing and the board convene a Community Advisory Committee to assist with planning for future budget and goals.

Thank you and here are the questions and items for your review and consideration:

What are the next dates for review and when is the board planning to vote on this budget?

Are there any amendments being proposed to the budget?

Can you provide information on the sale of the K-Center proceeds?

Can you provide additional detailed information on the budget for the following:

Cost of solicitor to attend meetings
Total funding for medical expense and reserve for self-insured
Total for salaries split for Admin, Support, Maintenance and Faculty, and if any bonus is included in the budget
Total for "superintendent" budget
Total for Athletics by sport and including maintenance of facilities and fields
SLEP detail by year for 5 years
Current budget for maintenance and repairs
Current budgetary reserve line item
Current budget for music program
Total number of students by year for last 5 years in music program
District class size policy by school

Regards,

Lisa Longo
And please watch my TED talk!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG5w17L_who

04/30/2026

Mail in ballots are out, and as always questions on who to vote for.

For state committee, the never votes are easy.

On who to vote for, I can share who I will vote for and why.

You can vote for up to 5 women and 5 men. I will mention 6 women to consider but only 3 men and 2 never votes.

Lani Frank has been a badass progressive and will fight for better and more ethical leadership. She is our best candidate.

Kristin Gerling is also awesome and someone who has proven she is fighting for us.

Jenn Fenn has been doing the work for a few years.

Michelle Smith and Ashley Lahm also have good positions.

I do not know Carlotta Johnston Pugh, but she also is worth considering.

Those are the women.

For the men. Only Paul Lahm, Chris Kowedovich and Abdul Mughees Chaudhri will get my vote.

The top 5 of each will go to state committee and this is the issue, the rest are problematic for many reasons.

Please, do not vote for those with well documented ethical and harassment complaints, both Valyo and McGinnis are unworthy of any office.

03/16/2026

And just recently a former board member who voted for the sale and is accused of changing the parameters of the forensic audit stated the district does not have money to build a new high school.

Well maybe if there had been honest transparent board governance during her tenure we would not be here.

And it is now a mess.

02/19/2026

Thanks to Daily Local News for publishing my on the Chester County Democrats endorsement convention.

Due to a threat from former CCDC Chair Brian McGinnis they removed a paragraph. I'm going to post the deleted sentences here.

These statements are documented as I was the one who filed complaints against Brian for harassment. He claims to have silenced me with a threat from his lawyer, I say, bring it. I would love to have Brian under oath and me provide all the documentation. I have emails, texts, voice mails and much more documenting the threats Brian made, as well as complaints against Charlotte and Hans.

I don't make false statements.

Here is what Brian made them remove, as well as part of what they left in the OpEd:

"A similar result happened with the votes for endorsement of male candidates, where former CCDC Chair Brian McGinnis could not even get past every ballot round.

Clearly the Democrats of Chester County are ready for a change in leadership, and this vote was a clear signal to a shift in power in the county party.

Mike would no doubt have found this a fascinating and important shift of power in the county party, as well as clear rebuke of the “old guard”. He might have addressed the fact that both Valyo, the current Chair, and McGinnis, the former Chair, as well as another CCDC insider who failed to win an endorsement, Hans von Mol, have all had complaints filed against them within the party. There have been allegations of working against Democratic candidates, harassment and other serious issues."

Clearly the Democrats of Chester County are ready for a change in leadership and this vote was a clear signal to a shift in power in the county party.

07/30/2023

When we normalized paying for-profit corporations to store our unused crap rather than paying taxes for affordable housing and public education, that was the moment we allowed bad governance and egotistical arrogance to win over common good, and common sense.

Lisa Longo,

07/19/2023

I do not think this is controversial at all. Especially at public colleges and universities.

And if we are spending more per student at public High School on athletics than debate or arts, it is the same problem.

Meanwhile, so-called "Moms" for Liberty, funded by far right fanatics, is pushing to ban books and destroy public education.

What are you going to do about it?

07/10/2023

Don't forget, every Wednesday at 7:30 pm we have school policy discussion forum.

We are talking solutions, progressive policy and

Message me for zoom!

Who is radicalizing your school board?

07/08/2023

We have now had the hottest month ever recorded. We should all be very concerned. This will lead to more flooding, more wildfires, more drought and more tornadoes and hurricanes.

What can we do? How about we start local?

If your school district is voting to sell public land for high-density housing, land that mitigates flooding, has many trees and habitat, potentially for protected species, THEY are the problem.

Phoenixville Area School District board, are you listening? Do you care? Do you believe in science or not?

If your city, county or borough is cutting down healthy trees, THEY are the problem.

If your district, city, county or borough is building schools and rec centers without renewable energy, rain capture, grey water systems and sustainable practices, THEY are the problem.

Local elected officials can do a lot. What are your local elected officials doing?