Highlands chooses Nicole Kocon to fill board vacancy

Nicole Kocon is the newest member of the Highlands School Board.

Kocon, of Brackenridge, was one of two candidates the board interviewed for a Region 2 seat in an online meeting Tuesday. The meeting was held virtually due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Kocon replaces Misty Chybrzynski, former board president, who resigned in March. Kocon will serve on the board through the first Monday in December 2021, with the seat being up for election that year.

District Judge Carolyn Bengel was present for the meeting, and administered the oath of office to Kocon. The board did not act on choosing a new president.

The other candidate interviewed was Debra Lehew, the district’s former special education director. A third candidate, Autumn Monaghan, had appeared on an earlier agenda but withdrew before the meeting; no reason was given during the meeting.

It took three votes — twice on Kocon — for the board to make a decision. The eight members debated the merits of Kocon’s and Lehew’s experience, the value of perspectives from within and outside the district, and the intentions behind comments some may label as negative.

The first vote to appoint Kocon failed on a tie. Voting in favor were Kelli Canonge, Gene Witt, Laura Butler and Bobbie Neese; voting against were Robert Betts, Kristie Babinsack, Debbie Beale and Judy Wisner.

After further discussion, a vote to appoint Lehew failed, 5-3. Voting in favor were Betts, Beale and Babinsack; Witt, Wisner, Butler, Canonge and Neese voted no.

The board voted a second time on Kocon after Solicitor Aimee Zundel cautioned the board could lose control over filling the vacancy should it not act and a petition is filed in county court.

The second vote to appoint Kocon was 5-3, with Babinsack changing her vote to put the majority in Kocon’s favor.

Kocon, once a cheerleading coach in the district, touted her background and experience. She is vice president of human resources and finance for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania and worked for 19 years as a business manager at Duquesne University.

Kocon said she has had experience with contracts and writing policies.

Butler noted that the district’s contract with its teachers union is up next year, and that she favors having someone with a lot of financial, policy and administrative experience.

“We have a lot of challenges ahead of us,” she said.

Beale raised concern that Kocon has been involved on a website where Beale said negative comments have been made about the district.

“I don’t take kindly to anyone thinking our district has not served our children, today, tomorrow and yesterday,” she said.

“I want the positivity,” she said. “That’s where I stand. That’s what’s needed.”

Butler said she doesn’t see the comments as totally negative.

“People have their opinions. People have their concerns. I don’t think you can hold it against someone,” she said. “There are some websites out there that are negative. I don’t believe that (Kocon) is involved with some of those.”

Neese agreed.

“You run for the board because you want to better your community,” she said. “We all run because there’s something we want to improve upon.”

Witt noted the district’s fall in state rankings.

“Something happened,” he said. “We need to find out what it is and make a change.”

Neese noted that Kocon has more experience outside Highlands than Lehew. In her interview, Lehew, who now works as an educational director for a private school, said she’s a Highlands graduate who is active in the community. She has lived in the district her entire life as well as worked there.

Butler said an outside perspective can be helpful. Canonge, who is new to the board, said coming in “not knowing all things Highlands” was better for her.

“It was good to walk in and not know everybody in the room so the decisions I made were truly unbiased,” she said.

Babinsack said Kocon and Lehew both brought a lot of experience and expertise. She encouraged Lehew to run for election to the board.

“We’re not in a position to lose,” she said. “Either way we vote we’ll have a very good board member sitting with us.”