May 5, 2003 By Patty Shultz 6 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Four incumbents and three newcomers are seeking five available seats on the Connellsville Area School board in the May 20 primary. Current district directors Karen Blocker, Kevin Lape, Francis Mongell and Chip Nicholson are seeking retention on the board, while Thomas E. Dolde, Richard Galand and Jeffrey Miller are hoping to garner one of the available positions.

Long-time board member Ann Watson will not seek a fifth term on the panel.

Blocker said, if re-elected, she would continue to scrutinize district spending.

“We are facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit; a governor proposing we cut local taxes; and the construction of a $10 million school,” she said. “We have to reign in the unnecessary spending.”

Blocker, who will appear on the Democratic and Republican tickets, said her service on several committees during her four-year tenure, including finance, food service, recreation, transportation and athletic, has provided her with a good understanding of the operation of the district.

“We have a good school district, but we can do better,” she said.

Lape said the district has made significant changes during his 12-year tenure on the board and he would like to continue to be a part of its future.

“I feel we’ve been going in the right direction with both the past and present boards,” he said. “We’ve gone through renovations and improved our (state) test scores.

“We have one of the best school systems in Pennsylvania and I want to continue to be a part of that.”

If re-elected, Lape, who has crossfiled and will appear on both party tickets, said he would continue to push for the renovation of the school buildings.

“I want to make sure we go into the future with safe schools for the students,” he said.

Lape said the board would have to make some very critical decisions over the next several months in connection with the new education plan proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell that currently cuts funding to the district and mandates it implements new programs.

“He made a lot of promises concerning education, but the only thing he has done (for Connellsville) is hurt us,” he said. “It is a shame some of the more wealthy school districts are slated to get more than we are.”

Mongell, meanwhile, is seeking a third term on the board. His name will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballot. “I will continue to work hard for the taxpayers of the school district,” said Mongell. “I have stood firm on fiscal matters when it wasn’t necessarily the most popular thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.”

Mongell said he believes the school district needs to press forward with implementing a full-day kindergarten and preschool program for the area children and cutting the number of students in the primary classrooms to provide a better education.

“We need to concentrate on early intervention,” he said. “Many of the children are not ready to enter the first grade and then continue to fall behind.”

Mongell recommends that the district scrutinize the use of its schools to facilitate the new programs. “With the population figures continuing to fall, the district is going to have to look at reconfiguration and consolidation and stop the needless spending,” he said.

Nicholson said his decision to seek a second term on the board is to provide the mountain-area residents with representation on the board.

“I believe the rural areas, such as Bullskin, Springfield and Saltlick townships, need to have a voice as well as the city,” he said.

If elected, Nicholson said he would advocate moving forward with plans to expand the vocational-technical education programs offered by the district to provide a better education for those students enrolled in the program.

“I would like to see more area employers involved in developing our curriculum,” he said.

Nicholson said he is also in favor of incorporating the vo-tech with the high school to eliminate overlapping courses. “I believe, with some changes, we can give them the opportunity to walk out of the classroom into the workforce and I want to see that happen,” he said.

Nicholson has cross-filed and will appear on both tickets on the ballot.

As a former district educator, Richard Galand believes his experience in the classroom can assist the board as it makes decisions concerning curriculum for the district students.

“When I taught social studies, I tried to inspire my students to contribute to their communities,” he said. “I do know a little bit about the operation of the school district, so I thought this would be a good place for me to volunteer my services.”

Galand said the district has made strides in its technology program, but must now concentrate on cutting class sizes at the primary levels and initiating early education programs for the youngest district residents.

“The students that have the opportunity to enter preschool programs or take part in full-day kindergarten are so much more successful,” he said.

Galand will appear on the Democratic ballot.

Miller, too, is seeking his first term as a school board member.

Since his retirement as a health care provider, Miller said he has been looking for ways to serve his community and believes that securing a seat on the board will satisfy his goal along with helping the district achieve its objectives.

“I had always been active with different sports and civic organizations and I haven’t been as involved as I would like to be,” he said. “This (seeking a board position) has been in the back of my mind for a while, so I decided to run.”

Miller said although acquainted with several of the current directors, he intends to remain independent in his decision-making on all issues before the board, if elected.

“I think the quality of education can be improved,” he said. “We need to give our kids everything we can.”

Miller said discussions with teachers have indicated the district is lacking in providing a sufficient reading education at the primary level.

“We can’t have these kids leaving school and not be able to read a job application,” he said.

Miller will appear on the Democratic ballot.

Dolde, who will appear on the Democratic and GOP tickets is a former district educator. He could not be reached for comment.