Seven, including student, running for four board seats

Two incumbents and five newcomers — including a high school senior — are vying for four seats on the North Allegheny school board.

Scott Russell is seeking his second term, and Richard McClure is seeking his first full term after winning a special election two years ago. Incumbents Tara Fisher and Suzanne Filiaggi are not seeking re-election.

The newcomers are Andrew Chomos, David N. Kreiling, Bruce Martindale, Allyson Minton and high school senior Hayden Stec. All candidates will appear on the Democratic and Republican tickets.

Mr. Russell and Mr. McClure said they want to continue the work the board has undertaken during the last few years, including the Focus 2020 one-to-one technology initiative.

“We looked to transform the way the board operates with respect to transparency and making it sustainable for future boards,” said Mr. Russell, 50, of McCandless, an information technology director.

Mr. McClure, who manages commercial buildings, said his focus has been on saving money on facility projects.

“When I got really into this — oh my gosh, there are significant opportunities for cost savings,” he said.

For example, he said, the district budgeted $925,000 for completely replacing the parking lots at the senior high school last summer. He brought in an expert who said the lots could just be milled and repaved, and the project was done for $125,000. “Let’s push back on some of the assumptions so that, when we do these things, we are being good stewards of the public’s money,” said Mr. McClure, 59, of Franklin Park.

Both incumbents cited hiring Robert Scherrer as superintendent as the current board’s biggest accomplishment.

Mr. Stec, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout from Franklin Park, said he believes the school board needs to hear more from students. Although the board has student representatives from the high school, their reports focus more on achievements and extracurricular activities, not offering opinions on district issues.

Mr. Stec, who plans to study economics at the University of Pittsburgh, offered a different perspective than the others when asked his opinion of the biggest issue facing the district. The others cited the condition of the buildings, state funding or pension obligations.

Mr. Stec said he believes the biggest issue is student safety.

“There’s definitely an issue with bullying at all levels, and at the high school level, there is definitely an issue with drug and alcohol abuse,” he said. He said more counselors are needed in lower grades.

Mrs. Minton, 40, of McCandless, described herself as a “full-time volunteer” in the schools, which led her to receive the Service to Children Award last year from the Pennsylvania State Principals Association.

“I am not running to get involved,” Mrs. Minton said. “I am running because I have been and continue to be involved with a proven track record of extensive commitment to North Allegheny. My background in education, my time in our schools and my years on district level committees, as well as the four years I have spent attending school board meetings, have provided me with a deep understanding of our schools, our district, the budgeting process and the state and national issues that impact education.”

She said she would like to see the board continue to work toward transparency and increasing community involvement. “We absolutely need to continue working toward responsibly renovating our facilities to bring our buildings and grounds into the 21st century. We need to work on providing equitable resources throughout our district and our buildings. We have 12 schools and each of them is equally important.”

Mr. Martindale, 52, of Franklin Park, said he would like to see the district change how it hires teachers.

“You have to look at experience over a QPA when they come out of college. You should be looking at experience,” he said. A recent college graduate with only student teaching experience may not be the best fit for a classroom, he added.

Mr. Martindale, a store manager for Highmark Direct, said building consensus is his strength. “I tend to work with people extremely well,” he said. “I think I can do some positive things on the school board.”

Mr. Kreiling, 44, of Marshall, said his family moved to North Allegheny nine years ago because of the schools.

“With five children … I have a vested interest,” he said. “We moved here because the schools are so good and had such a sterling reputation. I want to maintain that sterling reputation and standard of excellence.”

Mr. Kreiling said he would like to see the district do a better job serving average students. “They really serve the academically interested students. There is a large population that they can serve better,” he said.

He said he would like to see the district expand Advanced Placement classes and encourage more students to take advantage of vocational education. “For a lot of families out there, a college education is beyond their reach financially. NA could do a little more to help those students and their families,” he said.

He added that his work experience as director of operations for Aetna, and his master’s in business administration and health services, would help the district as it grapples with budget deficits and health insurance costs.

Mr. Chomos, 53, of Franklin Park, has been on the board of The Bradley Center for children with behavioral challenges for the past three years and has coached girls softball.

“I’ve had a good experience with Bradley,” he said. “I’m making a positive impact there, and I think I can make a positive impact on a larger scale for the 8,000 children in North Allegheny.”

Like most of the other candidates, Mr. Chomos cited the age of the school buildings and the state pension obligation as top issues. But he also cited student stress and teacher evaluations as issues that concern him.

“We live in a very successful area with lots of very, very successful people. We keep piling these expectations onto our children, creating an unreachable expectation for certain children,” he said.

His 10th-grader is frequently up to 2 a.m. working on homework because of sports requirements, he said.

Although 90 to 95 percent of teachers and coaches are “outstanding,” he said, “the district is slow to react to some poor situations. I think they can move a little quicker.”