All voting districts offer contested races for LH seats
The primary election in Laurel Highlands School Districts offers voters contested races in each of the three voting districts. Region 1 and Region 3 each offer three candidates running for two openings. Region 2 has three candidates running for one position. Everyone cross-filed for both the Democratic and Republican nominations.
REGION 1
Region 1, which covers the voting districts of North Union Township 1, 2 and 5, offers two open seats on the school board. Incumbents Edward S. George and Angelo G. Giachetti are running to retain their positions. Steven J. Haragos is the challenger.
George, 38, is married with two children. He is the owner of Best For Less Gas and Oil Co. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Waynesburg College.
George is nearing the end of one term on the school board. He said he is running for re-election because he hasn’t finished what he has started in this one term, adding he is a parent and large property tax payer.
“My major goal is to continue working for volunteer donations on the field house and to continue to press Harrisburg or more funding to lower property taxes,” he said.
The current board president, he said he is proud to have had that role for three years and believes he has managed to get the school board meetings under control while still giving the public an opportunity to have their voices heard and inviting coverage by local television.
Giachetti, 53, has 15 and a half years service to the school board and is the current board vice president and chairman of the Fayette-County Area Vocational-Technical School Joint Operating Committee. A highway foreman for the state Department of Transportation, he is married with one son. He is a graduate of Laurel Highlands High School and attended Pennsylvania State University.
“I felt with my nearly 16 years experience and the way the budget is right now, that I can still add a lot of input to cutting the budget for the taxpayers and to meet our needs,” he said.
As an accomplishment, he said he voted through the years to keep the taxes down and only approved raises in three years that were earmarked for specific school renovation projects.
He said his goals include keeping the children “well educated in safe and happy surroundings.”
Haragos could not be reached for comment.
REGION 2
Region 2, with one open seat, covers the voting districts of North Union Township 3 and 4 and South Union Township 3. Incumbent Julia Ciarrocchi is not running for re-election, leaving her seat available to a new board member. On the slate of candidates is former board member Cathy Rice and newcomers Terry L. Miller and Teddy DeFrank Shoaf.
Rice, 47, previously served two, four-year terms on the school board.
She is married with two sons and one grandchild. Rice is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies. She is currently working at the Fayette County Courthouse.
“I’d like to see some issues previously started get finished,” she said. “I believe I was involved in some positive changes and want to continue that.”
She spoke of an updated curriculum and improved technology as goals and cited her previous service on the board as an advantage.
“I have previous experience and won’t have to take time to acclimate myself to the board or the issues,” Rice said.
Miller, 42, said he is running with an interest in the children, district and teachers and in an effort to offer the voters a “fresh face.” Miller said he waited to run for the board until the graduation this year from Laurel Highlands High School of the younger of his children, giving him no political connections.
“I think they need a fresh face. I have no political ties and no political agenda,” he said. “A fresh face would be good.”
Miller is a graduate of Uniontown Area High School. He is currently employed by Garry’s Auto Sales in Uniontown. Miller is married with two sons. He made note that one son is serving in the U.S. Army and stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., and the other serves in the U.S. Army Reserves.
DeFrank Shoaf, 52, is a graduate of Laurel Highlands High School and West Virginia Career College and attended Pennsylvania State University. She has one son and is employed at Adrian’s Market in Hopwood where she serves as a scanning coordinator.
She said she is interested in providing the Laurel Highlands students with a well-rounded, fair and complete education.
“I think we need a well-balanced educational environment for all students,” DeFrank Shoaf said. “I am devoted to success in school, reducing the deficit and integrating technology in all classes.”
She said she would also like to see the school board have a good working relationship with all professional and non-professional employees.
REGION 3
Region 3 is composed of the South Union Township 1 and 2 voting districts. Two seats are open with incumbents Judith A. Browell and Palmer Sabatine seeking re-election amidst challenger James F. Burns.
Browell, 63, is a retired teacher with 35 years service to the district. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and reading specialist and supervision master’s degree from West Virginia University. She has also worked at the WVU reading laboratory. She is married with four children.
“The reason I am running again is because I have a lifelong interest in education and that’s where my expertise is,” she said.
In the fourth year of her first term on the board, she pointed out she is the chairwoman for the strategic plan steering committee and would like to be a part of the proposals laid out in the plan for the next six years, along with continuing her work with Good Schools Pennsylvania on behalf of school funding reform and as a member of the committee for teacher education and curriculum of the Reaching Educational Achievement with Community Help (REACH) organization.
Sabatine, 65, is in his fourth year or first term as a school director.
He is married with one son and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris University. He is retired from being self-employed.
“The children are my top priority and anything I can do to enhance the quality of their education would be the top priority for me. I also think the taxpayers need a person to work for them” he said.
Sabatine said among the school board’s accomplishments during his term are renovation and conversion of the junior high to a middle school, updating the strategic plan and renovation of R.W. Clark Elementary School. His goals include continuing to align curriculum to state standards, promoting staff development, improving students’ state test scores and working toward renovation of Hutchinson Elementary School.
Burns, 62, is a 40-year veteran educator, having served in various capacities including principal, curriculum supervisor and superintendent. He retired last year as superintendent of Southeastern Greene School District. His bachelor’s degree in education is from Waynesburg College and master’s degree is from West Virginia University.
He is married with two children and two grandchildren.
Burns said he is running for school board because he would like to continue his involvement in the schools.
“I put 40 years into education and wanted to keep an association with the educational systems and programs. I am a resident of Laurel Highlands so I thought I’d consider this and see what happens,” he said.
Meanwhile, the candidates had mixed reactions to an issue that could soon face a school board decision. The suggestion to close one of the elementary schools has come out of talks by the school district’s strategic plan steering committee that is set to unveil a draft plan after the primary election. The talk concerned absorbing the students from the closed school within the remaining elementary buildings or creating kindergarten to second grade and third to fifth grade schools.
George said what he may decide will depend on what the public wants. He noted closing a school and changing the make-up of the elementary grades may be too much of a change at one time but he would need more time and information to make a decision.
“If it’s feasible to close a school and cost efficient and agreeable with the parents, then I would agree with that,” George said.
Giachetti was adamant about keeping all schools open and said he even voted against holding a hearing to consider the matter. He said he is also opposed to changing the make-up of the grades.
He said he would like to leave the decision to the voters and suggested a referendum.
“On big projects like this, I say leave it to the voters of Laurel Highlands and let them help us decide,” he said.
Rice said she could not comment on a position about the school closing issue or reconfiguration of grades without all the pertinent information and would need to first research the pluses and minuses of the issues.
Miller was opposed to closing a school and going into debt to renovate buildings left to accommodate the students displaced by the closure.
“I personally don’t think we should close a school. We are financially in debt and overcrowded now,” Miller said.
DeFrank Shoaf said she does not think it is right to close any elementary school and noted concern about busing the students. As for the concept of grouping grade levels in different schools, she said she would need to research that issue before taking a stance.
Browell said she has no firm position on either the school closing or grade reconfiguration and thinks the directors need more research information.
Sabatine also said he needs more information and remains neutral at this point, keeping an open mind.
Burns made a similar comment.
“I’d have to have the particulars on enrolment and costs of retraining and what have you. I want to know more about it. Then, I could make a decision,” he said.