League of Women Voters: Indiana County, Pennsylvania

MAY 15, 2007 PRIMARY ELECTION

MARION CENTER SCHOOL BOARD

Candidates who have cross-filed (qualified for both party ballots) are listed only once. Each entry includes the candidate’s name, post office, and year of birth.

REGION I 4 YEAR TERM (VOTE FOR TWO)

Charles LaVan
Marion Center
Dem/Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

QUESTION 2: There is some concern that the No Child Left Behind focus on testing in reading, math, and science leaves scant time and attention for other important goals of public education. What other areas do you think are important to emphasize so that our children grow to become healthy, responsible and productive citizens?

QUESTION 3: The PA School Boards Association Standards for Effective School Governance state that school boards govern by reviewing, revising and adopting board policy and delegate to the superintendent responsibility for implementation of board policy. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not?

QUESTION 4: Much of the burden of paying for public education falls on local taxpayers. Under Act 1 (2006) school districts may not raise their tax rates above a state-determined index without voter approval-- the “back-end” referendum. In what areas do you think funding could be decreased or even eliminated to balance the school budget and stay below the index?

Gregg S. Sacco
Marion Center
N/A
Dem/Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

Primarily people are products of their life experiences.

Growing up I participated in a variety academic and extracurricular activities, excelling in core academic principles throughout my primary and secondary education. I continued on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, while maintaining a part-time job to offset expenses. As I developed my career in engineering I became increasingly engaged in finance and the managerial aspects of business. This led me to pursue a master’s degree in business administration while working full time. Since graduating with my M.B.A. I have held roles as a manager and a consultant in international manufacturing and consulting companies.

Our family decided to move from the Pittsburgh Area to the Marion Center School District to raise our children and work for a local company.

As you can see my background encompasses a diverse array of life experiences which give me a broad base of knowledge to make me an effective School Director.

I feel that children need to develop academically, socially and explore interests outside of conventional academic areas. Moreover in the competitive world today it is vitally important for children to grow in an environment that fosters core values such as accountability, respect, excellence and leadership.

No child left behind provides a rigid and valuable foundation of requirements. We would be failing if we did not support programs that allow students to achieve high non-academic accomplishments as well. Offering programs that include exposure to the arts, athletics and many other areas of interest is crucial. This exposure is a vital element of the education process and helps to ensure our children mature into well- rounded individuals and provide our communities with the productive leaders of tomorrow.

Yes, I do agree with the statement. It is vital for the long term success and growth of a school district that a superintendent is selected that also understands this critical relationship. It is neither feasible nor effective for a group of directors to manage daily decision making responsibilities. A group of directors must be able to function in a manner in which trust and accountability of a superintendent and their administration are consistent and reliable.

In many school districts the portion of budgets dedicated to non-mandated programs can arguably range from 10-20%, a seemingly small percentage. I feel that given the uncertainty of the overall effects of Act 1 and without proper collaboration and prioritization commenting on program cuts within a school district would be premature.

I do feel that a deliberate and open process for a review of programs should occur. If a school district finds that the funding of some non-mandated programs need to be cut in lieu of raising taxes, this portion of the budget needs to be reviewed and prioritized holistically and openly along with the administration and the community in an effort led by the School Board.

Keith P. Isenberg
Marion Center
Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

REGION 1 TWO YEAR TERM

Karen A. Ryen
Marion Center
1974
Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

I am currently serving on the school board to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of a previous board member. I am a Marion Center graduate and have the knowledge of what our district has done in the past and needs to continue to do in the future to remain one of the most highly respected schools in the county.

I think physical education is a class that should not be overlooked. With obesity in children at it highest rates, children need to learn that daily exercise can lead to a variety of benefits from weight control, stress relief from the classroom, and increased productivity in learning. Sometimes children need a break from the daily tasks of the classroom and standardized testing. Physical education classes can teach the importance of exercise but it can also be fun. It will also hopefully lead to a lifestyle change that will provide us with healthier and more productive adults.

I agree with this policy because essentially when you employ a superintendent his responsibility is to implement these policies and to oversee that the entire district is running smoothly. He is available on a day to day basis to see what may or may not be working as many board members may not be, then it is his responsibility to give recommendations as to where problems with policies may be adjusted to better fit the district.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to balance the budget and stay below index without the possibility of program elimination. Nobody wants to see it come to that, but this could be a very real possibility in the future. The state has tied the hands of the board in so many ways that very little can be done when trying to reach a balanced budget.

REGION II 4 YEAR TERM (VOTE FOR TWO)

Dan Fleming
Creekside
Dem/Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

Sandra S. Gandolfi
Home
Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

REGION III 4 YEAR TERM

Nadene A. L’Amoreaux-Bland
Home
1965
Dem/Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

In addition to being a resident of the Marion Center School District and a parent to two children who will be students in the district, I believe my educational background and work experience qualifies me to be an effective school board member. I have a Ph.D. in Counseling and Human Development from Kent State University and experience in working with children and parents in clinical and alternative education programs. I understand the challenges that many parents face in accessing services that their children need to be successful in school, and I have seen first hand the demands that are placed on teachers in meeting the needs of the children in their classrooms. As a faculty member at IUP, I am a member of APSCUF, the union that represents university faculty and coaches in the Pennsylvanian State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). I know the importance of the inter-relationship between the school board and its employees so that the focus can be creating optimal learning environments for the children in the district.

I do believe that reading, math and science are important skills for children to have, and I also believe that accountability is important; however I really think that the implementation of No Child Left Behind leaves much to be desired. Reading, writing and science do not take place in the vacuum of standardized testing. Ultimately we need students who graduate and go on to be citizens of a larger community and participants in a global marketplace. The basic skills that people need these days to do their jobs have evolved over time. We are increasingly reliant on technology and the ability to access and analyze information in ways that are very different from how many adults today learned those skills. Students need to be better prepared to interface with a variety of cultures, not merely have an awareness of other cultures. They also need to know how to work well in cooperation with others to accomplish a common goal.

I do believe that optimally, school boards should govern by reviewing, revising and adopting policy and then by getting out of the way so that the superintendent can do his/her job of implementing board policy. I believe that is the role of any responsible board, whether for a school, a business/corporation, or agency. It is also the responsibility of the board to ensure that the most effective, competent and qualified people are in place to do the implementation piece. Board members are citizens in the community, and they may have some particular expertise that makes them effective in understanding the needs of the school district and its children. Most of them are not, however, trained educational professionals who work on a day-to-day basis with the policies/procedures of the school board, those put forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) or with the parents and children who are ultimately on the receiving end of those policies. I believe that board needs to be aware of the impact of its policies but not micromanage the implementation.

I remember as a child attending public school in Ohio my parents discussing the burden of property tax and the decisions they would have to make around election time about whether or not to vote for tax increases to support school needs---whether for a new building, special education services, or extracurricular activities. Now my husband and I are having the same discussions 30 years later. The reality is that we all want a successful educational program in our communities, and we are all living with the economic realities in our own lives that limit the amount we are able to pay. School directors need to be very mindful of the economic conditions in which they serve and it is incumbent upon them to be good stewards of the resources with which they are entrusted. There are economic certainties that exist for all district employees (not just the teachers) such as salaries and benefits, and those costs increase each year along with energy costs, and the costs associated with the day to day operations of the schools. We need to make sure that we are “getting the most bang for our buck” in terms of expenditures. I think we also need to think “outside of the box” in terms of partnerships and funding. In Marion Center, given that so much money is still owed on renovations to an existing elementary school, I do not think it is prudent or justifiable to start plans for building a newer, more expensive model until the existing debt is eliminated. I think school boards are in a position to justify expenditures that do not have a direct impact on children’s success in the classroom, such as paying administrators exorbitant salaries, or even paying for administrators who no longer work for the district. The spending priority has to be on what is ultimately best for the students in the district, what will promote their learning and development, and what will help them assume their place as citizens in our community after they’ve left our schools. We need to identify and partner with resources in the community, including IUP, to stretch the dollars that we currently have, and to pursue other grants/funding sources that can help the district achieve its goals.

Ronald E. Oswald, Jr.
Indiana
1963
Dem/Rep

QUESTION 1: What in your background, training and experience qualifies you to be an effective school board member?

I am currently employed as an Operations Manager for Primary Health Network. I have a B.S. in Health Sciences and a MBA in Health Care Administration from Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA. I am also a 25 year veteran of the U.S. Army & U.S. Navy Reserves. I served as the Chairman on the Act 1 committee for MCASD. I attend School Board meetings on a regular basis to keep informed of the issues in our district. I have currently resided at my present address and in the MCASD for 14 years. I have a wife Christine, a son Ron and daughter Tori.

I believe that MCASD has done an outstanding job balancing the “No Child Left Behind” testing and keeping up with the important goals in public education. I believe it is important to emphasize keeping high Academic standards while continuing to offer extra curricular activities such as Clubs, Band, Sports, ROTC etc. The combination of Academics and extra curricular activities is how we can emphasize the important values that will mold our children to becoming outstanding citizens and our leaders of Tomorrow.

I agree with this statement. The School Board along with the Superintendent is critical to effective policy implementation. This is accomplished by the School Board and the Superintendent working very closely together through meetings, discussion and policy implementation. The School Board after careful consideration will then delegate the responsibility of implementing board policy into the capable hands of the Superintendent to be carried out in the best interest of the students and citizens of the district.

The area in which funding could be decreased is by not replacing retiring teachers provided the teacher to student ratio is at an acceptable level. Non-Essential programs could be eliminated but only after very careful consideration which should involve a public hearing with the school board and the residents. I strongly feel that neither of these items would have to be cut if our district would receive more Federal and State funding. This increased burden of higher taxes will cause residents to possibly relocate. If the teachers are not replaced and Non-Essential programs are cut it is the STUDENTS who will suffer academically and socially. It should be our goal to provide the proper structure to mold our students into the Leaders of tomorrow.