LH board interviews candidates
The Laurel Highlands School Board Monday interviewed five candidates interested in being appointed to a vacancy on the board; six more will be interviewed tonight, followed by a special meeting at 8 p.m. in the high school library to make the appointment. The vacancy was created when board member Ed George resigned in August because he was moving out of the district. The appointee will serve until December 2011 and will have to run in the spring primary election if they want to remain in the job. There will be five four-year seats and one two-year seat open next year. Each candidate went through a 20-minute interview process, with the current board members asking about a variety of issues before the board, from willingness to raise taxes, to thoughts on hiring policies and building renovations.
Miranda Adenhart, a retired certified nurse’s aide, said she thought the current hiring policy, which requires board members to abstain from participating in the hiring process if a relative is a candidate, is sufficient.
In regards to the renovation project and the possibility of another tax increase next year, Adenhart said board members don’t always get to do the popular thing.
Adenhart said board members need to be willing to be accountable for the way they vote on issues and they have to be fair in their dealings.
Adenhart said her primary interest in serving on the school board is improvement of the educational system for all students, whether they are in learning support or college-bound classes.
Robert Caldwell, who retired from his position as a Uniontown High School world cultures teacher, said he twice lost jobs he was initially told he had received, only to be passed over for a relative of a board member.
“I’d like to see the school board adopt a policy to hire the most qualified, whether they are a family member or not,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell said he enjoyed his job teaching world cultures because he was able to teach children about diversity and equality.
Ira Chrise, a retired special education teacher in the Connellsville Area School District, said anti-nepotism policies can sometimes eliminate the best candidates. When it comes to school funding, Chrise said he would like to see a state income or sales tax replace all or part of the property tax. Still, he said he would consider a tax increase for the building renovation.
“We would need to analyze it. If the bottom line is we need to improve facilities for a small increase in taxes, we should do it. We are at the right time to take advantage of interest rates,” Chrise said.
Former board member William Elias, also a retired teacher, emphasized the progress made by the district during the four years he was on the board.
“In the more than 40 years I have dealt directly or indirectly with school boards, and I taught 37 years, I think this was the best board because we communicated. We got quite a lot of things done, and everyone got along. We didn’t always agree, but we sat down and talked about it and came to a solution,” Elias said.
“This renovation is extremely important because it affects the students and it affects the taxpayers. Can the taxpayers take any more? They are reaching their limit,” Elias said.
As for the upcoming teachers’ contract, Elias said he would have no problems with negotiations.
“It’s all about being reasonable and being fair, but they have to be fair also,” Elias said.
Barbara Fetsko, who retired recently from teaching in the Uniontown Area School District, is married to the technology coordinator in the Laurel Highlands School District. “I’ve lived in the school district about 31 years. No one is ever in favor of raising taxes, but our priority is education,” Fetsko said. Fetsko said security guards in the schools are also a necessity to protect the students, the staff and the property.