Incumbents face newcomer, write-in challengers in Penn-Trafford school board race

In the Penn-Trafford School Board race, long-serving incumbents will go up against a newcomer who took the top spot in his primary race, and three first-time candidates who were compelled to start write-in campaigns by what they felt was an unresponsive board.

“A lot of things are happening that I don’t agree with, and I really want to be the voice of our community,” said Danielle Lang, 43, who has three children in district schools and will challenge incumbent Martin Stovar in Region I. “I feel like a lot of voices go unheard. I want to be able to listen to all of the people in the community, bring those voices to the board and make the changes they want.”

Lang said she doesn’t understand why covid-19 relief money going to the district is being spent on technology. “Why aren’t we making our buildings safer for this pandemic?” she said. “I’ve asked for a breakdown of the more than $1 million that is allocated for building improvements.”

Stovar, 53, said he felt local control during the pandemic was paramount, “allowing us to make decisions based on what the situation is here, not hundreds of miles away.”

Stovar voted in favor of filing an amicus brief in one of the lawsuits challenging a state health department mask mandate for schools.

“We can use local data and information to make sound decisions with the goal of having in-person learning for students in a safe environment,” he said.

Region II incumbent Richard Niemiec said he hopes to continue on the board and “provide the necessary personnel to support students in whatever way they need it, when it comes to the loss of learning that occurred during the pandemic.”

First-time candidate Malissa Cheplick is a special education teacher challenging Niemiec in Region II, and said she initially trusted that board members would make “the best decisions for our kids and stand up to be the first line of defense against an overreaching government.”

Bryan Kline, 40, earned the top spot in the primary on the Republican ballot for Region II. He said holding the line on property taxes was his top priority.

“I’m a proven fiscal conservative, who has a record of fighting for the citizens I represent,” said Kline, the county’s former Clerk of Court who now is warden at the Westmoreland County Prison. “I have a son a McCullough Elementary and a vested interest in the future of the district and the education that students receive.”

For Region III incumbent Toni Ising, covid is the main challenge facing the district.

“I believe local county and district officials should have more say in how we keep students safe,” said Ising, 64. “While we continue to follow mandates, we will also be fighting to maintain local control. As an example, we sent a message to the state when we filed the amicus brief indicating our belief in local control.”

First-time candidate Anthony Zona, 19, graduated last year from Penn-Trafford and said he’s been considering the idea of running for office, having attended several Murrysville Export Republican Committee meetings.

He will challenge Ising in Region III.

“I was away from home nine months training with the Marines,” he said. “Now I’m in reserve status, and I came back home and it seemed like everything was in chaos with the covid situation.”

Zona pointed to a survey conducted by the district over the summer, in which a majority of residents supported making masks optional for students. In August, the board did vote to make masks optional, but as with every other school district in the state, the health department’s mask mandate forced board members to choose between siding with parents or potentially facing fines, lawsuits or even jail time in defiance of the mandate.

Zona said the district’s decision to go along with the mandate felt like “a slap in the face” to a lot of residents.

“For me it’s not really about the mask mandate, but the principle behind it,” Cheplick said. “My biggest concern is that if we don’t have the gumption to stand up against the state when it’s just masks, what happens when the vaccine mandate comes?”

Ising and Stovar said they’d like to continue to help the district maintain its high academic ranking among state schools. Niemiec said he wants to focus on upgrading and maintaining the district’s facilities and work toward a plan to consolidate its middle schools “so curriculum is more consistent in grades 6 to 8.”

Lang said she wants district residents’ opinions to have more sway with the board.

“Individual opinions have no place on the board,” she said. “It’s the opinion of the community. I’m not going to go in there speaking on my specific beliefs and views, because it’s not about that.”

Candidates are cross-filed, and candidates who ran in the primary election will appear on both sides of the ballot. The election is set for Nov. 2.

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