New Hope-Solebury School Board candidate Adrienne Deussing: even if you don’t know her, your kids probably do

Adrienne Deussing is one of four Democrat/Republican candidates running for New Hope-Solebury School Board. She lives on Meadowview Drive in Solebury with her husband, two daughters, two sons, and a miniature pinscher. She tries her hand at vegetable gardening in her spare time.

Deussing received her BA in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, then worked at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte Touche for many years specializing in audit and tax, “So, I bring that financial, hard core, basic accounting background to the budget…which I think is key in terms of being able to look at projections and forecast numbers,” she said.

I interviewed Deussing in between her helping out at a high school clothing drive and walking with the second graders at the LES. “I’ve been vice president of the HSA for three years, sixth grade representative for the parent/teacher group in the middle school, district representative for the March of Dimes, and volunteer at St Martin of Tours Parish. Pretty much, if I can be there, and I can be involved in a group, I love giving my time,” she said.

“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the vast majority of the student body and their families, and our faculty and staff, so I’ve been able to cultivate relationships with so many people in New Hope-Solebury. This past spring, I felt like it was my turn to step forward and serve the community because it’s been so wonderful to me. I honestly believe that New Hope-Solebury is a ‘pay it forward’ community — if you do something nice, it ripples forward. I’ve done a lot, but it’s my turn now to take a another step and pay it forward again.”

And what would Deussing hope to accomplish if elected to the school board? “For me personally, it would be an honor to serve as a school board director. With my volunteering background, it goes well beyond just what I can bring from my accounting resume. When you’re elected as a school board official, you’re elected to represent the entire community, and I’m completely passionate about moving our community forward in the right direction. With four children in three schools, I have a vested interest not only in our school district doing well, but also in our community.

“I believe one of the most important attributes you need as a board member is to be an effective listener. You have to proactively listen to the needs of all the constituents of the community. We have such a wealth of knowledge within our community, and as a school board we’re not listening enough to what everyone needs,” added Deussing.

“And I think we need to concentrate on making sure our children feel like they’re going to school in a safe environment, that everybody has the opportunity to go to school — we have ADA issues that are knocking on our door, and we need to address them. We need to make sure that when they walk in those doors, our teachers, our faculty, and our students have all the tools they need to create autonomous, academically excellent environments for every child.

“I love the kids…I really do. And I love these families. We have a great New Hope-Solebury family,” she concluded.

And even if you don’t know her already, your kids do — she’s the “box tops lady.”