7 candidates seeking 4 seats on Bethel Park School Board

There are seven candidates vying for four, four-year seats on Bethel Park School Board, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list.

There are three Democrats, three Republicans and one candidate who is cross-filed on both November ballots.

Here are the candidates and their responses to the election questions posed by the Bethel Park Journal:

Sean Browne

Age: 47

Political party: Democrat

Education: Bachelor’s in physics and secondary education from California University of Pennsylvania

Occupation: High school physics, math, computer science and electronics teacher

If elected, what are two short-term goals? I think it is important to put programs in place that focus on improving the districts’ falling test scores to better prepare our kids for the challenges that lie ahead in an increasingly competitive global workforce. Additionally, identifying and addressing those students who have fallen behind due to the pandemic and getting them caught up is of utmost importance.

Also, I have seen firsthand in my own classroom the adverse effects that this pandemic has had on the mental health of many of my students. Students cannot learn when they are dealing with crippling anxiety or depression, so addressing these needs with professional help is critically important to get them back on track and in the classroom.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? My goal is to set up partnerships with local businesses so that our students have the opportunity to work an internship and gain valuable experience that would give them an advantage once they graduate and enter the workforce. This is commonplace in engineering programs, and it benefits both students and employers. As students apply what they have learned in school to real-world situations, it would also help bridge the disconnect students often feel when they wonder why they have to learn important skills like algebra.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? All school board decisions should be made transparently, and community input should always be welcomed and considered. Many of the complaints I’ve heard about the policies enacted during the pandemic involved parents who did not know the rationale behind these decisions and felt out of the loop. Board agendas are already published ahead of time, and the minutes, as well as video of the meetings, are available on demand. If there is an opportunity to make it easier for community members to feel that they are part of the conversation, I would welcome that in whatever form it may take.

Buffie Faes

Age: 50

Political party: Democrat

Education: Master’s degree in special education

Occupation: Life skills teacher

If elected, what are two short-term goals? I am extremely concerned about bullying. I want to improve how the district addresses and handles bullying. It is the responsibility of the district to ensure students are safe in school.

One of the things I’ve loved most about living in Bethel Park for the last five decades was the sense of community, which now seems to be lost in a political divide. If elected, I would like to change the culture of “us vs. them” and get back to the great community we once were. A place where people worked together in both the schools and neighborhoods and were proud to call BP home.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? To improve our school rating. Bethel Park is currently No. 18 in the Niche ratings. I believe that with a good strategic plan, we can be among the top 10 within the next five years. Curriculum, instruction, best practices and student support will all be a focus in making this happen.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? While it’s easy to assume that everyone uses technology, there are still several folks who do not, for a variety of reasons. That said, I think we have to provide alternate options of delivering information. I would like to enable our constituents to opt into a traditional mail or email option for district communications.

Dan Grzybek

Age: 27

Political party: Democrat/Republican (Cross-filed)

Education: Bachelor’s in chemical engineering with a minor in economics, chemistry and petroleum engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Master’s student in interdisciplinary engineering at Purdue University with a concentration in engineering management.

Occupation: Carrier fleet support engineer at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory (Bettis)

If elected, what are two short-term goals? To establish consistency in our kindergarten reading curriculum. We currently utilize several different reading curricula at our elementaries. Therefore, it is of little surprise that we have so much variation in reading competency across schools. I would like to determine which of the curricula we are using has the strongest evidence of success and make that standard among elementaries.

A second goal is to improve the level of math attainment at Neil Armstrong Middle School. We perform quite well at math in Independence Middle School, with PSSA area rankings of 11th in seventh grade and 10th in eighth. However, we do not perform as well at NAMS, with a sixth grade ranking of 19th. I believe this can be largely remedied by adding a math support instructor to NAMS to match the level of support at IMS.”

If elected, what is one long-term goal? To enhance our teachers’ access to continued education. I served on Bethel Park’s curriculum committee over the summer, and a number of teachers expressed frustrations over past administration not approving requested training and seminars. These trainings are crucial in ensuring that our teachers are able to constantly improve and utilize educational best practices. They enhance the quality of instruction that our students receive and lead to superior educational outcomes. Encouraging teachers in their pursuit of professional growth also increases their sense of dedication, purpose and professionalism. Teachers who attend these trainings and seminars can also bring back their lessons learned and collaborate with their fellow colleagues. Lesson plans should be organized accordingly so that as little instructional time as possible is lost.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? The No. 1 thing I would like to do to improve communication in our district and involve constituents in the decision-making process is to bring back the school board town halls. We have not had a town hall since July of 2019. While I understand that the covid pandemic has made gathering in person difficult, we still have the option of conducting online town halls so that the board can have an open dialogue with the community. If elected, I would like to have town halls at least once a year. I will also be very responsive to constituent emails and will create a Facebook account in which I will keep the community updated on board proceedings and will provide justification for any contentious votes. This way, even if a community member disagrees with a decision I make, they will at least have rationale as to why it was made.”

Gail Hoppe

Age: 48

Political party: Republican

Education: CCAC, California University of Pennsylvania

Occupation: Former business/operations manager

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Student remediation is one of my short-term goals. Many of our students have fallen behind or are having difficulty keeping up due to the educational complications of the covid-19 pandemic. I would like to provide more resources, such as tutoring or small group remediation within the school district, so parents don’t have to seek outside help for struggling kids.

Currently in Bethel Park, the curriculum is outdated and inconsistent across our elementary schools. Another of my short-term goals is to have a comprehensive review of all curriculum and begin replacing the old with a curriculum that will help drive higher student achievement.”

If elected, what is one long-term goal? My long-term goal is always to give Bethel Park students the best education at the most affordable cost to taxpayers.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? In-person school board meetings for those who want to attend are paramount. E-newletters, board summary emails and surveys are also important ways to communicate with constituents. One change I would like to make is to send results from surveys to our constituents. Currently, those who participate in district surveys do not see results or important data collected and used in the decision-making process.”

Sharon Janosik

Age: 52

Political party: Democrat

Education: Bachelor’s in professional studies with a focus on leadership and organizational communications from Duquesne University. A 2019 graduate of Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities, Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking and of the PEAL Center’s Family Leadership Institute.

Occupation: Volunteer education and disability advocate, supporting and assisting families in understanding the General, Gifted and Special Education process. In September of 2019, I was appointed by the governor to serve on Pennsylvania’s Special Education Advisory Panel. I also volunteer with Families2theMax as a speaker and trainer and with a myriad of groups across the state on educational and disability concerns. My professional background is in insurance claims and policies, real estate development and title insurance.

If elected, what are two short-term goals? The very first two priorities are continuing our new long-range budget planning process and evaluating our options for making the most fiscally responsible and educationally sound decisions for our buildings and facilities. These are short-term goals for me because I’ve been studying and advocating for them for many years and participating in the strategic plan steering committee and student experience sub-committee that developed these goals. I am prepared to hit the ground running and look forward to tapping into my extensive knowledge of the family and student voice to inform our plans and ensure we are addressing everyone’s needs.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? Because the district has not really tried to develop such extensive, innovative and concrete long-term plans previously, we must understand that much of our work is, indeed, long-term. The improvements we need to make for maximum impact are also things will take time to properly develop, explain, finance and put into action. Broadly speaking, I think many of them can be summed up by our recognition that we teach children, not curriculum.

Educators know that students’ basic needs for safety, health and relationships must be met before they can be ready to grow academically. That is, public schools educate ‘the whole child,’ not just fill children’s brains with academics. This means that focusing on things like Universal Design for Learning, inclusion, wellness initiatives, access to social workers, conflict resolution and reducing bullying in our schools are all initiatives that ensure every child in school is ready to learn.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I have seen first-hand how much of an impact a genuine commitment to authentic family and community engagement can make in the success of everyone involved. I will always welcome emails, conversations and meetings with our stakeholders, and I will continue to provide explanations and background information in family-friendly ways.

Our district is committed to viewing the entire community as a necessary partner in a successful school system. As I often say, we must all get in the boat and row in unison toward the shore of student achievement and success. Engagement with and openness to hearing other people’s ideas, concerns and solutions are central to working together to find common ground and moving forward toward shared goals.”

James R. Means Jr.

Age: 71

Political party: Republican

Education: Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from West Virginia University and master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh

Occupation: Retired professor of electrical engineering technology at California University of Pennsylvania, professor emeritus

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Our students are now in their third academic year of being educated under covid-19 protocols and it has resulted in less-than-optimal education. We need to do two things immediately: identify any educational deficiencies on an individual basis (and) remedy any educational deficiencies that are discovered.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? The academic performance at the high school is not up to the same level of academic excellence as the rest of the school district. The overall performance of the district has a 94.1 percentile rating, while the performance of the high school has an 86.3 percentile rating. In short, the performance at the high school is dragging district ratings down. I would charge the superintendent with forming a task force to identify the cause of the problem and to formulate a solution to remedy this situation. I anticipate recommendations would be proposed in timely manner, but it will take time to implement the solutions and even a longer time to have the results show up in statewide testing.”

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? At the beginning of board meetings, there is an opportunity for any resident of the district to address the board on agenda items. At the end of a board meeting, there is an additional opportunity for residents to address the board on any issue concerning the district. The district website also lists email and phone numbers for every board member.

Input from citizens is critical to making good decisions for the district. However, one must keep in mind board decisions are limited by federal law, state law and collective bargaining agreements. It is also worth mentioning the school board frequently puts articles about topics of interest in the Bethel Park Chronicles.

Rory E. Smith

Age: 62

Political party: Republican

Education: Associate degree in computer management from ICM School of Business and credits toward a bachelor’s degree from Point Park College

Occupation: IT analyst

If elected, what are two short-term goals? A positive outcome of parents and students staying at home together during the pandemic lockdown was that parents observed what their children were being taught. Some of the ‘education’ children were receiving was disappointing to parents. Consequently, many parents are now more involved in their children’s education. One of my primary objectives is family-friendly education, where students are taught how to think, not what to think.

Another goal of mine is to provide a realistic perspective in the upcoming teacher contract negotiations, keeping school taxes affordable for our residents.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? My long-term desire is to encourage and facilitate teachers to enjoy using their talents to help train and prepare our young people to become grateful, engaged citizens of this great country we are blessed to live in.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I will communicate with constituents via email and solicit their involvement with the public school board meetings.