NCC Alum Joins Local School Board at 20

With an interest in serving his community, Northampton Community College (NCC) alum, Parker Flamisch, started attending school board meetings for the district where he lives. Soon he would find himself vying for a seat on the school board, eventually becoming one of the youngest members of the board to date at the age of 20.  

Flamisch’s parents, both educators, have been supportive throughout his life. “They’ve always told me that my voice matters in things, and it’s important to pay attention to local and national issues. They ingrained in me a sense of civic duty, regardless of my age. You should be active and involved in issues that affect us all,” he says. 

As a high school dual enrollment student, Flamisch took a semester of NCC classes in his senior year of high school. His history teacher worked for a state senator before becoming a teacher, and hearing of his time doing that work, made Flamisch interested in political science.  

After graduating high school, he decided to continue his education at NCC, with a major in global studies and a focus on political science. He graduated in 2024, and his goal is to witness the effect he could have on the people he serves, working in government or in a non-profit. 

"I wanted to have a voice that might make a difference, a voice of reason, on how we can find compromise,” Flamisch says. 

The Northampton Area School District School Board started making headlines in local papers, and Flamisch had some thoughts about what was being discussed. He would attend just to listen and learn, and when he had commentary to add, he’d speak during the 30 minutes allotted for public comment. People who heard him at the meetings started encouraging him to run.  

Northampton’s school district has three different regions, with three representatives in each region. During the current election cycle, Kim Bretzik’s term would be up November 2025. When Flamisch heard that this was a seat in Region III (Moore Township, Bath Borough and Chapman Borough), where he lives, he began his election campaign. Then, in March of this year, it was announced that Bretzik was not running for re-election and was resigning her seat.  

“Since my predecessor resigned during her term, the process is different because the board has to appoint someone to fill that seat for the remainder of that term,” says Flamisch.  

Flamisch decided to submit his name, resume, and other required materials to the board for consideration. He was selected and appointed with a vote of 6 to 2 on April 30, 2025. He currently fills the seat for the remainder of Bretzik’s term until December 1, 2025. 

His work with the school board is like a part-time job, Flamisch says, one that can get hectic with his studies. As a full-time student at East Stroudsburg University (ESU), he studies political science with a concentration on American government. “The balance can be a bit difficult especially around finals, and I was just starting [with the school board] at that time, running the campaign during the semester. That was tough,” he says. 

Prior to his election to the board, Flamisch had an internship with Susan Wild’s office. He brought some of his peacemaking and conflict resolution skills into his current role. “It wasn’t a political position. It was all about serving my community. I helped the public when they had an issue, I would help resolve it and give them resources.”  

Once appointed, Flamisch had the goal of collaborating with those he works with outside of the district and within the board. The biggest thing he says he’s learned is that collaboration isn’t easy, but he’s trying to take the lead. “I’m trying to help us work together, even if we disagree with each other. That’s how we find consensus and get things done." 

Flamisch has used that collaborative attitude in his work with the Northampton Area Public Library, which is partially funded by Northampton Area School District. The district had a decision to make – partially cut the funding or completely de-fund the library. Flamisch suggested that he'd act as liaison between the district and the library to come to a solution that would benefit both parties.  

“This was important to me because my mom took my brothers and I there when we were kids, and thousands use it today in my region and around the district. I’m looking into areas of spending at the library and seeing where we could pull back, but I don’t think we should be straining the library to that degree by cutting their funding with no backup plan.” 

Flamisch also strongly believes that community involvement is essential to his role on the board. During his time as a leader in his region, he attended a carnival at Moore Elementary School, the first sitting school board member ever to do so, a moving up ceremony for 8th graders, high school graduation, and more.  

Flamisch says he will resume his campaign for the seat he currently occupies for the November 2025 election to serve his own full 4-year term. For now, he will continue his studies at ESU and, after graduating, plans to earn his master’s degree locally so he can continue to make an impact in the community where he was born and raised.  

“I’ve lived in Northampton School District and the Lehigh Valley my whole life, and I’d like to make a difference in those communities. Any opportunity that would allow me to do that, I’d be completely open to taking.”