When Rodger Allen grew up in Bensalem, he was always a fixer.<\/p>\n
If something around the house broke, he would go into the garage, use the tools at his disposal and build something to fix it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t leave it up to anyone else because I knew that would take time and it wouldn\u2019t get done,\u201d Allen said. \u201cSo I would always fix problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen, now the youngest ever member and first Black man to serve on the Bensalem School District board of directors, is still working to solve issues around his community and tackling them in his own way.<\/p>\n
At 15 years old, Allen\u2019s mom dropped her son off at campaign offices \u2014 he wanted to volunteer. In 2017, the Bensalem High school freshman went door-to-door, knocking for Democrat Bryan Allen\u2019s bid for the township mayor.<\/p>\n
Later, during his first year at Temple University, Allen worked with Bucks United to knock doors for Howie Hayes and Val Ridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I got older, I realized there\u2019s a lot of issues in this world \u2014\u00a0a lot of problems\u00a0\u2014\u00a0but I really had a passion for education,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n
Throughout his campaign volunteering experience he came to believe a lot of the problems we currently face can be solved with a greater emphasis on education.<\/p>\n
During his sophomore and junior years at the university, Allen was selected to join the school\u2019s annual Harrisburg trip to advocate for Pennsylvania\u2019s funding of Temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
READ: Parent Pushback to Chromebook Fee Triggers Bensalem Township School District Response<\/a><\/p>\n After two years in a row of participating in Owls on the Hill, the university asked if he could advocate on the school\u2019s behalf other times throughout the year.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized advocacy \u2014 especially advocating to people you elect \u2014 is something that I felt a weight or obligation to do,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n In Harrisburg, the college student would speak with anyone who could help the public university, regardless of whether or not they were a Democrat or Republican. When his other peers would avoid conflict, Allen stepped up.\u00a0<\/p>\n Allen\u2019s trips to the state capitol made him realize how much he enjoyed going to bat for others that could not voice their opinions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something that I can actually do,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI was inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n Bensalem School District Urges Residents to \u2018Keep Our Schools Strong\u2019 with New Reporting Program | The Residency Task Force is designed to safeguard the district\u2019s resources and encourage residents to report concerns, writes @reportforamerica.bsky.social Corps Member Ben Bennett.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bucks County Beacon (@buckscountybeacon.com)<\/a> 2026-07-15T17:47:32.938Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n While working to secure funding for his university, Allen also wanted to support education in the Philadelphia school community.\u00a0<\/p>\n His sophomore year and junior years, he started to work with YMCA after-school programs, tutoring subjects like math, at John Welsh School in Kensington.<\/p>\n After this experience, he decided he wanted to do more and looked into how to become a substitute teacher while still enrolled at Temple.<\/p>\n \u201cThe requirement for substitute teaching is usually a bachelor\u2019s, but I actually completed credits early, and I could prove to the agency I worked for that my bachelor\u2019s would be done soon,\u201d Allen said. \u201cThey put me in a charter school because charter schools have a little looser requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n During his senior year, Allen worked as a part-time substitute in the Philadelphia School District at Mastery Charter Schools, teaching at the Lenfest Campus, Master Prep Elementary and Gratz Prep Middle.<\/p>\n Even though it was only substitute teaching, Allen thinks that this real-world experience in schools gives him an edge as a local elected official.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helped me make informed decisions today, because oftentimes we see leaders who never listened to their constituents, who never even step foot in a classroom, step foot in the district they\u2019re leading,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Now serving the school district he was in just six years ago, Allen said his age and experience \u2014 both as a student and recently a teacher \u2014\u00a0has turned into one of his biggest assets.<\/p>\n Other board members are not out of touch, according to Allen, but they just have not been in the schools as recently he has. He brings a unique perspective that others cannot.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these teachers that now I\u2019m governing and I get to hear their perspective, I can resonate with them because I\u2019ve had some of these teachers,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n However, the qualities that make Allen unique as a Bensalem school board member also have presented challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n At his first walkthrough after being elected to the board, the school secretary did not recognize him as an official.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s, oh hello sorry you have to go through this other entrance for parents. You have to sign in \u2014 parents or kids \u2014 what are you here for?\u201d Allen said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s because of my age.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to his age, Allen said race has been one of his biggest challenges. While Black women have served on the Bensalem school board, he is the first Black man.\u00a0<\/p>\n When running for office and knocking doors, the 24-year-old said was called the N-word and other racial slurs. Sometimes people become accustomed to seeing things a certain type of way, Allen remarked.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want the next generation to know it doesn\u2019t matter how young you are, how you look, you can contribute to society and be an asset in any way, as long as you apply yourself, you have great ideas and you\u2019re working hard for the right reasons,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Black Students in Bucks County Are Suspended About 2.6 Times the Rate of Their White Classmates | The findings from the 2023-24 school year are based on the latest civil rights data released from the U.S. Department of Education, writes our @reportforamerica.bsky.social Corps Member Ben Bennett.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bucks County Beacon (@buckscountybeacon.com)<\/a> 2026-10-08T18:52:16.007Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Elected in November 2025, Allen has had nearly a year on the board. When first stepping into his role, he realized there was no formal way to communicate with state legislators.<\/p>\n The district has a Pennsylvania School Board Association liaison, but Allen wanted to create a position that specifically focused on local Bensalem officials in Harrisburg. This way, the school could communicate directly with the legislators that are actively affecting their funding.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we pushing our legislators to do something more?\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n