Support Michael Balsbaugh for Harrisburg School Board Director!

This page is managed by Friends of Michael Balsbaugh, working to elect Mike to the Harrisburg School Board. Email: friendsofmichaelbalsbaugh@gmail.com.

Michael's Story:

"Education and schools have been an integral part of my entire life. I was born learning disabled--Dyslexia, ADHD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Clinical Depression--and was very fortunate to be raised by a family of teachers, physicians, and professors, for whom education was a top priority. Growing up my former elementary teacher mom carved out two hours every night to give me extra help with my homework. It was not easy for me, I bounced around between public and private schools until I eventually settled in from 8th to 12th grade at the Harrisburg Academy, where I eventually graduated. I went on to study English Literature at the University of Vermont with plans of becoming a high school English teacher or college professor.

After my BA, I moved to San Francisco, completed an internship in marketing at a publisher, then worked as an editorial associate for a few years before I entered the teaching certification program at San Francisco State University. While at SFSU I worked as a volunteer in honors English classes at George Washington High School in San Francisco.  At the same time, I started working the cheese counter at a gourmet food shop and became obsessed with the culinary arts. I decided to change directions and went to Culinary School at the California Culinary Academy. During school and after graduation I worked at gourmet restaurants--often two at a time--around San Francisco.

Being so far away and working so much, I rarely got the chance to come back to Harrisburg. My wife and I eventually made it back on vacation, and seeing the place with fresh eyes, fell in love with Harrisburg's physical beauty, incredible architecture, relaxed lifestyle, and more reasonable cost of living. Soon after that trip we moved to Harrisburg and I spent years working at gourmet restaurants in Harrisburg, Hershey, and Lancaster eventually becoming a kitchen manager/ sous chef at such places as Troegs Independent Brewing, Federal Taphouse, and The Millworks.

My goal was to be an executive chef, but around that time I started feeling sick and was eventually diagnosed with sarcoidosis in my lungs and liver in addition to my mental health symptoms. I became interested in health and fitness and became a yoga teacher and now have 500 hours of teacher training and have spent the past few years working part time as a yoga and meditation instructor. My yoga practice and training has given me the courage and self confidence as a leader to pursue this opportunity to give my service to the next generation of Harrisburg.

I would like to bring the knowledge and experience I have amassed through all my academic and professional pursuits for use in the Harrisburg School District."

Michael Balsbaugh's priorities:

 As school board director Michael believes the biggest issue facing us is the long shadow of systemic racism and that the school board can be used to combat racial injustice by:

1. Expanding and creating school funding for after school programs that supplement school learning and athletics. These programs would also benefit working parents by providing them with child-care.
2. Creating United States History curriculum centered around the 1619 project to make all students more aware of the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans to the USA.
3. Harrisburg School District also has the capacity to do more to combat urban food deserts. We can provide children more access to information about nutrition and healthy lifestyles, as well as providing more organic and sustainable foods with school lunch programs.
4. Minimize police involvement in our school by providing more access t to mental health services.
5. Using district contracts to support local businesses and have equitable distribution of these contracts.

Other priorities:

• Supporting public education over privately run and poorly performing charter schools whose curriculum, uncertified teachers, and administrators are outside of the control of the school board directors.
• Giving teachers all the resources they need to succeed in the classroom.
• Increasing funding for special education and gifted student programs.
• Keeping the school district administrators accountable to the taxpayers.
• Increasing funding for the arts and humanities within the district.