Cheryl Tennant Humes has announced her candidacy for Tamaqua Area School Board Director. Humes grew up in New England Valley, is a longtime resident of West Penn Township and is a proud Tamaqua Area School District alumnus. Humes completed her college degree while she was a single parent and was the top honors graduate of Bloomsburg University’s College of Liberal Arts in 2002.

She earned a full scholarship to Widener University School of Law from which she graduated in 2005.

Before obtaining her law degree, Humes was the sole proprietor of a music studio for 20 years and served as music director at several area churches. Humes previously worked as an attorney in a public interest law office where she managed a staff of paid employees, community volunteers, and a roster of college student interns. She currently represents taxpayers in property tax appeals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and so is aware of the challenges faced by schools in raising necessary revenue in ways that are fundamentally fair and not burdensome to homeowners.

Humes, a mother of four and grandmother of three, was a foster parent for more than 18 years, then represented children’s best interests in court as a guardian ad litem for another five years. Humes also served as educational decision-maker for dozens of children at the appointment of the court. She was known by the court and her colleagues in the child dependency system as a dedicated and persistent advocate for every child she represented. In these roles, she worked with educators to identify and implement the most appropriate education for each child.

As a Tamaqua graduate who benefitted from the district’s renowned music program, Humes will support and enhance the already outstanding music, theater and arts programs through identifying grant opportunities and partnerships with arts-related organizations.

Humes believes our school is the vibrant center of Tamaqua and understands the importance to the entire community of a well-managed school system. She pledges to promote honest and open deliberation with community input, and evidence-based policies, to ensure a safe and enriching environment for all district staff, teachers and students.