FLIPPABLE: Joe Ciresi for PA-HD146
Joe, Pam and their 17-year-old son, Danny, live in Limerick Township where they purchased a home in 2001. He was elected in 2003 to the Spring-Ford Area School Board, where he has served for 10-plus years, including three years as president and three years as vice president.
One of three children, Joe was born in Long Island, New York, to Maria and James Ciresi. His father worked at a hydraulic filter factory and became a shop steward for the United Auto Workers. Always one to value life-long learning, his mother earned her high school diploma at the age of 65.
With the assistance of student loans and part-time jobs, Joe was the first in his family to attend college. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in 1992, where he met his wife, Pam. After graduation, he worked odd jobs to make ends meet until landing a sales position with Encore magazine.
Starting around the age of 6, Joe began participating in live performance arts and continues to do so today. Locally, Joe is a board member of the Trappe Community Music School, as well as a steering committee member of Steel River Theatre (where he also performs). For the past three years, he has served as the board president of Petra Community Housing, a nonprofit organization that improves the availability of affordable housing.
For the last 14 years, Joe has worked as the Director of Sales and Promotions at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
While reducing debt by over $125 million, Joe and his fellow board members moved Spring-Ford Area School District into the top 2 percent out of Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts. During his tenure, the district expanded the high school’s Advanced Placement program and implemented the nation’s first-of-its-kind Hybrid Learning Center.
In 2012, Spring-Ford received the National Blue Ribbon Award — the first in district history.
Efforts to expand students’ horizons included the establishment of a student exchange program with Limerick, Ireland. This Limerick-to-Limerick partnership included a meeting with Ireland’s president and prime minister to discuss ways to enhance education.
Joe has served for seven years as a board member of the Western Montgomery Career and Technical Center, including three years as chairperson. This school provides excellent opportunities for high school students to learn a trade or skill not offered at conventional four-year universities.
During Joe’s time on the school board, the district expanded engagement with parents and taxpayers — holding a town hall meeting and reaching out through social media. Joe has lobbied at the state Capitol in Harrisburg on several occasions regarding pension reform, fair funding of education, property tax reform and unfunded mandates.
http://ciresiforpa.com
