8 vie for 5 seats on school board

PHOENIXVILLE>> Election Day is Nov. 3 and in the Phoenixville Area School District eight candidates vie for five seats on the school board.

Candidates J. Kenneth Butera, Eric Daugherty, Mike Ellis, Irfan Khan, Lisa Longo, Kevin Pattinson, Paul Slaninka and David Ziev all moved on from the primary election last spring and will face each other once again in less than a month.

The incumbent Butera, an attorney, first ran for a seat on the board in 2011. Since then he said he has maintained a positive approach and helped Phoenixville achieve a number of notable improvements inside and outside the classroom. He would continue that work if re-elected. Butera’s experience as a parent and a small business owner offers him a unique perspective to see how the board’s decisions impact the community around him, he said.

“I am proud of PASD’s many accomplishments these four years,” he said. “However, I believe there is more we can achieve. I cannot wait to see all the amazing things the Phoenixville Area School District can realize in the next four years.”

Daugherty said the district should strive to provide a “world class education at a small town tax burden.” As a financial executive, Daugherty focused on maintaining a fiscally responsible board. Students should have an education that maximizes impact

and equips them with the tools they need for higher education and the job market, but tax dollars should be spent wisely on what is vital to the district’s core mission.”

“In short, I hope to get your vote because I have a desire to serve, the skills to be effective, and the temperament to collaborate and help get great things done for PASD,” he said.

Ellis, an East Pikeland resident, said he’s running for school board because he’s active in the community and wants to be the person who will lend an ear to residents and listen to their concerns about the district.

“You can always find me at Phantom football, baseball and basketball games,” he said, “as well as first Fridays and other community events.”

He advocated more entrepreneurial classes and opportunities for students.

“Perhaps some students can’t afford, or don’t desire, to attend college full time,” he said. “Upon graduation, a student should have the entrepreneurial skills necessary to succeed should they decide to work full-time and attend college part-time after high school.”

Longo said the board has so far not done a good enough job balancing the budget and more can be done to save money.

“I believe it is up to us to do what is best for our students and taxpayers and

Candidates J. Kenneth Butera, Eric Daugherty, Mike Ellis, Irfan Khan, Lisa Longo, Kevin Pattinson, Paul Slaninka and David Ziev all moved on from the primary election last spring and will face each other once again in less than a month.

that being elected is a public trust and promise to protect that interest,” she said.

Longo touted her experience working with the current board to implement a geothermal heating system at incoming Early Learning Center and Elementary School, along with her work with the various student programs in the district as examples of how involved she already currently is.

“I believe that our public education system is one of the most important institutions in providing longterm economic stability and protecting our standard of living and way of life,” she said.

Pattinson, an incumbent, said he believed as a teacher he has a unique opportunity to bring an educator’s perspective to the board.

“Being a fiscal conservative,” he said, “I feel I have done a good job fighting to make sure that the tax dollars provided are being spent to ensure that Phoenixville Area School District continues to maintain and in some cases surpass past achievements.”

His goal if re-elected would be to make sure the district continues to provide the best possible education for students and to make sure that the district overcomes any challenges it faces so that students and residents reap the benefits.

For the past eight years, Slaninka said he has had the pleasure of serving the district as a school board member, as the district has begun to flourish under the current leadership. With the district’s many projects ahead, he said it’s important for the board and administration to be able to work well together because both sides will rely on the

experience of the other to make good decisions.

He mentioned the fact that the district had a zero percent tax increase this year as an example of balancing the needs of students with the needs of taxpayers.

“If I am re-elected, he said, “I promise to continue the climb to excellence for our schools that we have started and never relent in that effort.”

Attempts to reach Khan and Ziev by the time this article went to press were unsuccessful.