Connellsville Area School Board
Three incumbents, Dr. Paul Means, Gary Wandel and Dr. P.J. Carte, and two challengers, James Duncan and Jay Fox, are running for four seats on the Connellsville Area School Board in the Nov. 5 general election.
Means, Wandel and Fox won both the Democratic and Republican nominations while Dunham secured the Democratic Party nomination and Carte picked up the Republican nomination.
Of the five, only the three incumbents met with the Herald-Standard’s editorial board earlier this month. Fox and Duncan both declined our invitations.
The incumbents agreed that the Common Core curriculum standards in Pennsylvania are putting students on the right track toward a better education, but they also cautioned about solely teaching for tests, noting that it’s still important for students to be well rounded.
They were in favor of the board’s decision to conduct a feasibility study for the district in regards to any potential school changes. They said it was also important to get the public involved in the process and hear what they say about any plans for the district.
They were skeptical about the recent passage of House Bill 1189, which would allow school boards to reduce or eliminate property taxes in lieu of raising mercantile or earned income taxes. While agreeing to look into the possibility of making the switch, they noted it would be difficult because the school district might not have the necessary resources to make it work.
Overall, we were impressed with the incumbents’ knowledge and commitment to improving the district. Thus we give our support to Carte, Means and Wandel. Since Fox and Duncan didn’t meet with us to give their opinions on the issues facing the district, we simply can’t give them our backing.