6 candidates running for Quaker Valley School Board
There are six candidates on the ballot for the Quaker Valley School Board race – and one, Stratton Nash, is running unopposed in the district’s Region 2.
According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections unofficial candidate list, three candidates are vying for two spots in Region 1 – incumbents Daniela Sauro Helkowski and Jonathan Kuzma and newcomer Brett Williams. In Region 3, incumbent Kathryn Doebler and newcomer Heather Saftner are seeking the open seat. Saftner was placed on the ballot after David Poluszejko, who won the Republican ticket in the primaries, withdrew from the race.
All spots are four-year terms.
Here are the candidates and their responses to the election questions posed by the Sewickley Herald.
Region 1
Daniela Sauro Helkowski
Age: 48
Political party: Democrat
Education: University of Pittsburgh, BS in Business Administration; Slippery Rock University, BS in Education
Occupation: Business partner at Insurance on Walnut and mother
If elected, what are two short-term goals? For the past eight years, I have been honored and proud to represent Leet, Fair Oaks, Leetsdale and Bell Acres on the Quaker Valley School Board. Over the past year, I have been disheartened by the divisiveness that has surfaced in our community. This divide only hurts our kids. We need board members and administrators to listen carefully, respect different perspectives, and focus on what is best for all children.
As a Quaker Valley graduate, mother of two QV graduates and one high schooler, I am passionate about living in a community that values education and delivers exceptional programs that strive to meet the needs of our children.
The pandemic has been a challenging time in our lives. We must continue to safeguard the health and well-being of our students. In doing so, it is imperative that we address any academic, social or emotional regression that has resulted from the disruption in our children’s lives.
The district should continue to establish measurable goals to closely monitor student achievement. I will always advocate for different types of learners so their potential is maximized. We also need to provide opportunities for enrichment and differentiated instruction in all classes.
One important way to foster a love of learning and continue providing high-quality educational programs is to prioritize ongoing support for our teachers. This will strengthen teacher development and growth, encourage the use of best practices in instruction, and enrich our kids’ learning process.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? I continue to address a big challenge our district has been facing for several decades – the need for a much better learning environment for our high school students. I will seek a solution that is fiscally responsible and provides our kids with the technology-rich classrooms and laboratories they need to succeed in today’s economy.
We need to invest in the future of our children so each student receives an unparalleled educational experience that meets their needs. By doing so, a passion for learning is created so each student can pursue their own personal success.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? As we move forward with the building of a new high school, I will continue to push for increased frequency of communication and transparency. I will advocate for the expanded use of newsletters, a district website that is easier to navigate, social media and community surveys to create positive connections with stakeholders. I also want to ensure the community is provided with accurate and honest information. The need for open communication and dialogue with the community is imperative.
Jonathan Kuzma
Age: 39
Political party: Will appear as nominee on the Republican and Democratic ballots
Education: Bachelor’s degree, College of William and Mary
Occupation: Commercial real estate appraiser, Newmark-Pittsburgh
If elected, what are two short-term goals? To engage with all stakeholders and the administration to develop a new Comprehensive Plan for the district that meets the needs of students, staff and the larger Quaker Valley community. Another near-term goal is to monitor district finances in a manner that efficiently uses taxpayer money to deliver the quality education our students deserve.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? The need to replace the nearly 100-year old high school building. The district has acquired a suitable property to build a high school that will meet the educational needs of the 21st century. Communication and workshop sessions as the process moves forward will be critical to keeping our community engaged and informed during the planning and construction phase. I’m excited to continue working on this project as I believe the new high school has the potential to maintain and even improve QV’s position in academic rankings, attract top teaching talent and serve as a point of pride for the community.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Over the coming weeks, I plan to meet with stakeholder groups and listen to the concerns of individual constituents as I go door to door throughout Region 1. As a board member, working with the administration to host community engagement sessions and informational meetings will help to involve families of students and other interested constituents in the priorities of the district.
Brett Williams
Age: 50
Political party: Republican
Education: Bachelor of Science in business, master’s degree in finance
Occupation: Financial consultant
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Improve communication and inform the public. Why has the square footage of the new school building shrunk down to nearly the same size as the current building? Are our children going to be safe walking and biking up and down the steep Camp Meeting Road? Does $90 million no longer include a stadium or administrative offices? I will improve communication with the public, and be open and forthright with the community on all the issues. I will post Quaker Valley curriculum materials on the QV website so that parents and the community can view what their children are reading, and then provide feedback. Some materials are graphically violent, sexually explicit, and/or contain explicit adult language. I will give parents their voice back, a pro-choice voice for their children’s books – books they want to read!
If elected, what is one long-term goal? The Quaker Valley School District should be among the top three in our region. Let’s work together to make that happen. Two different sources for school rankings, Niche.com and the Pittsburgh Business Times, rank QV No. 8 and No. 10 in our region. And, according to publicly available state test data, some grades in Quaker Valley are even further behind. I propose a new, focused effort to remediate the issue and get our children back to the very top in the region. That should be our number one priority.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I have talked with a lot of people in the community about the communication issue, and nobody (in any region) is happy with the current process. The school board does not answer your questions at the board meetings. Yes, you may ask a question (if you sign up in advance), but the board does not answer your questions at the meeting itself. In fact, the board doesn’t have to answer your question at all. If they do respond, it is in writing, weeks later and directed only to the person who asked the question. And the rest of the community has no idea what the board’s response was to anyone’s questions! How in the world does this “closed process” benefit our children?
Region 3
Kathryn Doebler
Age: 45
Political party: Independent
Education: Bachelor of Arts from Miami University, MSc from the London School of Economics
Occupation: Senior product manager, Coupa Software
If elected, what are two short-term goals? One very critical issue in the short term is keeping schools open for in-person learning safely. Allowing our kids to return to normal – both in the classroom as well as with extracurricular activities – is critical for their emotional health and academic progress. I have seen both my QV daughters blossom this year with increased engagement and performance, and I credit this to being in person for school.
That said, I am deeply concerned about learning loss experienced by students due to covid. Students may not have mastered the content required last year or perhaps even missed some content entirely. We must assess and address these gaps this year so they can continue to build their knowledge without impact.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Quaker Valley has enjoyed a strong reputation that attracts many young families to our area. In order to keep delivering on this promise, we must push for greater academic performance. This reputation keeps home values high and our business community thriving. Communities that invest in kids and public schools prosper.
Focusing on our core job of educating students will then be the driver of improving our standing. And while focusing on fundamentals is key, there is more to a stellar academic environment than just what happens in the classrooms. Other programs enrich students’ learning opportunities, too, including music, arts, sports and extracurricular clubs. The spaces where students learn and the tools teachers have to teach must also meet the challenges of the day. Delivering on academic excellence goes beyond the curriculum.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? In my first four years on the board, I have enjoyed direct communication with parents and families. Talking directly with the community is the best way to know what is happening on the ground, whether that means one-on-ones, group coffees or parent organizations. When meeting in person is not possible, I am always available on email or social media. I maintain two Facebook pages where the community can interact. My candidate page and the QV School Board Updates page where I frequently post about board meetings and agendas. I also am in strong support of recording our school board meetings. Most often parents who seek to stay informed and close to decision making find it difficult to invest the time to attend lengthy board meetings. I would like to record the live stream and allow the community to listen at their leisure. This is the gold standard for open communication.
Heather Saftner
Age: 49
Political party: Republican
Education: Bachelor of Science in exercise and sport science, Penn State University
Occupation: Mother of six
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Recently, PA DOE Acting Secretary Noe Ortega stated that “students and teachers must feel comfortable and safe in order to learn.” Moving forward, parents/guardians must be granted an essential role as we strive to achieve a conducive academic environment while addressing the learning gaps caused by last year’s shutdowns, and the consistently declining academic performance within QVSD.
I would also work to increase transparency from QVSB members. There are important questions about the proposed hilltop site for the new high school that need to be addressed – questions persist regarding the safety, cost to the taxpayer, impact on the surrounding neighborhoods and environmental impacts of this proposed location. As a candidate, I have discovered a high level of intimidation and division on this issue, and that is not healthy for our community.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Over the past several years, the cost per student has significantly increased, while the academic performance has continued to slide. The current school board has failed to provide top-notch learning programs and essential resources necessary for our students to achieve academic excellence. In addition, as a candidate, I have heard from many families whose children have special education needs that are not being addressed within the district. All the while QVSB members have voted to increase the tax burden on our community year after year. I believe academic excellence and fiscal responsibility should be an enduring goal for our school district.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? The most enjoyable aspect of campaigning is meeting new people, communicating ideas and sharing experiences. Although Facebook and other forms of social media are helpful, I feel the biggest disconnect occurs during QVSB meetings. For those who cannot attend, or choose to watch on Zoom, it feels very distant to stare at a screen with a logo and guess who is speaking. A simple solution would be to move those meetings to “video Zoom,” much like last year’s pseudo classrooms between students and teachers.
As we continue to work through issues affecting our community, I think the QVSD should continue with its Community Visioning Sessions, and possibly broaden the topics to include not just the new high school, but also addressing the academic environment and achievement gaps. We have a plethora of resources right here in our own community that we could be tapping into!
Katie Green is a TribLive deputy managing editor, overseeing features as well as the Trib's weekly and monthly community newspapers and websites. A former magazine editor, she's serious about coffee, is a proponent of the Oxford comma and enjoys tracing her family tree when she has the time. She can be reached at kgreen@triblive.com.
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