Milton Hershey's legacy could save an educational system and the city of Chester. Endow a model educational program for perhaps Pennsylvania's poorest and neediest children and families. Become the stable anchor of what was Delaware County's County Seat until 1850 and provide this once thriving waterfront city with the opportunity to become a vital piece to Pennsylvania's future.

Rename parts of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Hershey and open schools there.

Open a long term drug rehab for teens.

I would create after school literacy programs throughout the state modeled after the Scranton School District's "Homework Diner." This low cost measure targets students in grades 1-3, as studies show students living in poverty who can't read at their level by the end of 3rd grade are 14 times more likely to drop out.

Open charter schools for that population across the state. As schools of choice, students and their families would be attracted, not assigned, thereby increasing cooperation and the potential for success. This would also be the best way to leverage both public and private dollars to address a dire situation. If educating low-income children presents their best hopes for the future, the marriage of the Hershey resources with the innovation that is found in the charter sector offers tremendous promise.

Open satellite campuses close to centers of poverty in PA, such as the Phila. suburbs.

I've taught at a juvenile placement in Western Pennsylvania that serves delinquent and dependent youth from Philadelphia and other counties in PA, OH, MI, WV and CA for almost twenty years. This is a population that is underserved and often times lost in the court system. Our students not only have educational deficits (not unusual for an eighteen year old to have reading and math levels on a third to fifth grade level), but have emotional and psychological issues and often times little to no support/ help to navigate the system. I would invest more money in HIGH QUALITY juvenile placements that have comprehensive educational programs, qualified mental health care and social services that will follow the students from placement back to their homes. Often times placement is the only escape our students have from physical/ sexual and emotional abuse and the violence that surrounds them. My students are not always happy to be here but most will admit it is the first time in their lives they have had academic success and have felt safe.

Create and endowment for poor school districts in PA.

1) Assessment and implementation of trauma informed policies school-wide, including Trauma informed training for staff AND students, and training for staff on other issues that students face. 1) Mental health services and peer support groups, 3) A school-THROUGH-college pipeline inclusive of a program to fund and support alum of the Hershey school to attend post-secondary education through to completion. This would include a program staffed by alumni to support all aspects of alum, including financial, emotional, academic, peer, and housing support. There are successful existing programs that Hershey could and should model after. 4) Partnerships with alumni organizations like Foster Care Alumni of America to ensure ongoing connection after alum leave the school and no longer have onsite support from Hershey.

I would use the income and provide grants to Pennsylvania school districts or schools that: 1. enroll the largest percentage of students from impoverished backgrounds, and; 2. consistently rate at or below average in state rankings measuring reading, arithmetic, and science proficiencies. I would invite the qualifying schools to write a proposal of how they would use either a lump sum or ongoing cash assistance (for potentially renewable 5-year terms) to meet goals to improve educational outcomes for their students. I would also provide help Pennsylvania school districts to reduce or eliminate "legacy costs" (such as grossly unfunded or underfunded pensions, greatly deferred capital maintenance, and high debt loads) to help free up room in their budgets so more of their funds can go to direct education expenses. Funding would be tied to actionable plans to avoid getting back into unsustainable financial positions. If there still was an excess of Hershey endowment income after pursuing these plans, I would help to fund an endowment for individual Pennsylvania school districts so they could grow their own resources to shape the educational destinies for their respective students in perpetuity.

I would use funds to assist public schools and/or other programs in areas of higher poverty to offer pre-K classes. This would broaden the reach of the trust to assist even more children. Mr. and Mrs. Milton Hershey would probably agree that the benefits could expand beyond the Hershey area given the growth of the Hershey company.

Create a scholarship program aimed at helping those children who cannot attend the Hershey School attain post-secondary education (college or trade school).

Design, export to Philadelphia, and fully fund a comprehensive pre-school program for poor children. Early childhood education is crucial, and many children from poor homes do not have the opportunity to attend NAEYC-accredited pre-school programs. If they aren't read to and taught at home, then kindergarten is their first encounter with anything scholastic. We need high quality pre-school to help children build a foundation for their education.

Create 4 or 5 vo-tech charter schools in PA to grow the trades.

I work in a public school in Southwest Philly. Over the years, I've seen a few of our students' families successfully get them admitted to Hershey. I think Hershey is a great place that can take highly intelligent students from unstable households to the next level socially and academically. If I had access to the Hershey Board, I would propose that we invest back into the communities where these students are coming from. One investment could be in the form of scholarships to college for eligible. Another investment could be to fully fund after-school programs. Lastly, with too many students in need of foster care in places like Philadelphia, Hershey could support DHS to amp up recruitment and training of awesome foster parents.