Candidates square off for 2-year seat on Mt. Pleasant Area board

Two candidates with teaching backgrounds are running for a two-year term on the Mt. Pleasant Area School Board.

Democrat Kathleen Ceroni, 74, of Mt. Pleasant Borough, and Republican William K. Johnson, 82, of Mt. Pleasant Township, will square off in the Nov. 4 election.

Ceroni, a retired Southmoreland High School teacher who taught English and journalism, also has taught at Pitt-Greensburg. She still serves as a substitute teacher.

Ceroni earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Carlow University and holds a master’s and doctorate in education.

“I have a passion for education. It’s been my whole life,” Ceroni said.

She also served on the Mt. Pleasant Public Library Board, including as president.

This is the second time Ceroni has run for a seat on the school board. She came in sixth in the November 2023 race, in which the top five candidates won seats on the board.

Johnson, a retired Army chief warrant officer who served as intelligence officer, also is a retired state probation officer.

He earned a degree in education from the University of Washington, was an instructor in the Army and a battalion training officer.

Johnson said he wants to learn about the assessment tests administered to students and if they are really a good marker of how students are learning. Mt. Pleasant Area primarily uses Pennsylvania assessment tests, according to its website.

“I think my experience and commonsense solutions” will benefit the board, Johnson said.

The two-year position became available when John Weinman resigned from the board in June. His term did not expire until December 2027. The board appointed Luann Eckels to serve until the board reorganization meeting in December.

Eckels is one of four candidates running for four seats, all of which are for four-year terms. She and all the other candidates, all incumbents — Brad Coppula, Allison Brooks and Eric Poole — won both the Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary.