Brief Bio
Dave Schwartz is an 18-year resident of Delaware County and has lived in Haverford Township since 2010. He has served on the Township’s Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) since 2011, the Hav-a-Rain Garden Committee, and is a member of the Llanerch Advocacy Group. Dave and his wife Melissa have two children, a daughter who attends Chatham Park and a 3-year old son who is excited to join her there.
Dave obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Drexel University and a Master’s Degree in Civil and Transportation Engineering from Villanova. A licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) and a certified urban planner (AICP), Dave has worked on infrastructure and community planning jobs of all shapes and sizes, from multi-billion dollar roadway reconstruction to municipal Comprehensive Plans and bicycle and pedestrian projects.
A strong environmental advocate, Dave will make environmental stewardship his top priority. Some of the initiatives he will pursue will include increasing energy efficiency of our schools, installing solar panels on school roofs, purchasing cleaner energy, installing green stormwater infrastructure (such as rain gardens), and investigating cafeteria waste composting, among others. A product of the public school system, Dave will serve as an advocate for the public school system and continue to make Haverford’s public schools some of the best in the region.
Issues Interview
If elected to serve as school director, Dave Schwartz, will bring environmental stewardship and the fight against global warming to Haverford schools. His 20-year career as a civil engineer and community planner has already benefited the township through his eight years of service on the Environmental Advisory Committee and his participation on the Hav-A-Rain Garden Team. Dave is running for School Board because he believes Haverford Township should respond to the global challenge we face from climate change by promoting greener schools.
“We’re not getting any initiatives from our president right now…If we want to save the planet, we have to start from the ground up. This is the ground,” Dave said.
Dave hopes to advance a solar energy pilot program, beginning with one or two schools. If successful, the program would expand district-wide. Composting food waste, planting rain gardens and improving pedestrian/ bike routes are additional measures Dave would champion. He brings to the School Board his experience with several projects in nearby communities, including the Circulation Element in Lower Merion Township’s Comprehensive Plan, the Bala Avenue Streetscape plan, and a Sustainability Project at Philadelphia International Airport. He also worked with a local community group to oppose the massive Cardinal Crossing Development in Marple Township. In all cases, Dave has been involved in “public outreach and consensus building.”
Dave thinks it’s necessary to have an experienced engineer on the board, particularly at this critical juncture, when the district is conducting capital building projects at Lynnewood Elementary School and Haverford High School.
“I can read engineering and architectural plans, perform cost estimates, and plan construction schedules. I know what kinds of things to look for and what questions to ask,” Dave said.
Further, Dave thinks his expertise would be pertinent for overseeing current curriculum development in math and science. He’s pleased with an ongoing audit and recent addition of engineering projects to science curriculum, such as designing and building mousetrap cars. Dave thinks it’s important to get students interested in science and technology because “that’s going to be the future.”
As the parent of 3 and 10-year old children, Dave empathizes will families who will lose valued Pre-K and kindergarten enrichment services due to closure of the Brookline School. Although Dave does not believe it’s incumbent upon the district to provide early childhood education or before/after childcare, he thinks the township needs more options if it wants to continue attracting young, dual-income families. Dave will recommend that school officials work with the township to implement zoning changes that would better accommodate early childhood education/daycare providers. The township’s upcoming Comprehensive Plan process would offer a good opportunity for input, Dave said.