Pennsylvania school boards to see large turnover

### October 31, 2013

By Kayla McCann

Sixteen of the top enrollment districts in Pennsylvania, including its second-largest, Pittsburgh Public Schools, will hold elections on November 5, 2013 for a total of 68 seats. Just 37 of the 98 candidates vying for the open school board seats are incumbents, thereby guaranteeing that at least nearly half of the seats will be won by newcomers. Therefore, school boards in the state will generally see significant turnover following the general election. School board elections in Pennsylvania are partisan races and each district held a primary election on May 21, 2013.

With the election approaching, candidates are highlighting the issues that impact their particular district, instead of issues affecting the whole state. Still, budget gaps and debates regarding financial responsibility are the most prominent and consistent issues facing Pennsylvania districts, including Downingtown Area School District and Central Dauphin School District. School board candidates in Allentown City School District and Reading School District have also drawn attention to academic performance issues and poor graduation rates in those districts.[1][2] Other candidates, such as those in  Pennsbury School District, are debating over support for teacher unions and tax increases.[3]

Spotlight: North Penn School District

Eight candidates are vying for the four open seats on the North Penn school board. Significant partisanship in the race has resulted in the formation of two competing slates of challengers: Next S.T.E.P. versus Republican candidates. Next S.T.E.P. is a North Penn organization determined to put progressive candidates on the school board.[4] Murali Balaji, Paul Edelman, Jr., Alex Ryabin and Tina Stoll are all Next S.T.E.P. candidates running on the Democratic ticket. Incumbents Timothy S. Kerr, Vincent Sherpinsky and Frank O'Donnell and former member Josie Charnock are running on the Republican ticket. The board currently includes seven Republicans and two Democrats. With four seats open, the board majority could shift from Republican to Democratic control even if only three Democratic candidates win. The newly elected board will need to address several issues in the district. This is the final year of the collective bargaining agreement between the North Penn school board and the North Penn Education Association, which will require the new board to negotiate with the teacher’s union beginning in January. Additionally, the school board will confront budgetary issues, new testing procedures and an ongoing charter school debate within the district.[5]

### Candidates

Allentown City
School District
At-large
☐ Debra Lamb
☐ David Zimmerman
☐ Ellen Bishop
☐ Mike Welsh
☐ Kenneth Woolley Jr.

Bethlehem Area
School District
At-large
☐ Michael Faccinetto
☐ Shannon Patrick
☐ Angela Sinkler

Region 1
☐ Rogelio Ortiz

Region 2
☐ Shannon Patrick

Central Bucks
School District
Region 4
☐ Jerel P. Wohl

Region 5
☐ Paul B. Faulkner

Region 7
☐ Stephen Corr

Region 9
☐ John Gamble

Central Dauphin
School District
Region 1
☐ Brian Faleshock
☐ Erin Grady

Region 2
☐ Eric Epstein
☐ Linda Dallago

Region 3
☐ Jay Purdy
☐ Chris Judd

Council Rock
School District
Region 3
☐ Denise Brooks

Region 6
☐ Mark Byelich
☐ Edward Mayer

Region 8
☐ Andy Block

Region 9
☐ Kyle Mckessy

Downingtown Area
School District
Region 2
☐ Barbara Hurt-Simmons

Region 4
☐ John Ganski
☐ Bob Yorczyk

Region 6
☐ Suzanne DiVito Simonelli
☐ Dawn Richter

Region 8
☐ Steve Wisniewski

Erie City
School District
At-large
☐ Edward Brzezinski
☐ John Dundon
☐ Angela Euell-McNair
☐ Mary Frances Schenley
☐ Tom Spagel

Hazleton Area
School District
At-large
☐ Bob Mehalick
☐ Clarence John
☐ James G. Chapman
☐ Carmella Yenkevich
☐ Jared M. O'Donnell

Lancaster
School District
At-large
☐ Harvey Miller
☐ Radames Melendez
☐ Adam Schott
☐ Fanny Castellanos
☐ Paul Culbreth

North Penn
School District
At-large
☐ Tina Stoll
☐ Murali Balaji
☐ Josie Charnock
☐ Timothy S. Kerr
☐ Vincent Sherpinsky
☐ Alex Ryabin
☐ Paul Edelman, Jr.
☐ Frank O'Donnell

Pennsbury
School District
Region 1
☐ Simon Campbell
☐ Susan Simon
☐ Debra Wachspress
☐ Joshua L. Waldorf

Region 3
☐ Casey Lawrence
☐ Skip Tenney
☐ Alison Smith
☐ Debra E. DeBlasio

Pittsburgh Public Schools
District 1
☐ Sylvia Wilson

District 3
☐ Thomas Sumpter

District 5
☐ Terry Kennedy

District 7
☐ Cynthia Falls

District 9
☐ Carolyn Klug

Pocono Mountain
School District

Region 1
☐ Annabella Lastowski
☐ Dawn Wood

Region 2
☐ John Coyle
☐ Ricky D. Smith

Region 3
☐ Leigh Stelzer
☐ Michael A. Stern

Reading School District
At-large
☐ Abraham J. Cepeda
☐ Robin Costenbader-Jacobson
☐ Manuel Guzman
☐ Eddie Moran
☐ Yvonne L. Stroman
☐ Brian Twyman

Scranton School District
At-large
☐ Robert Casey
☐ Mark McAndrew
☐ Cy Douaihy
☐ Bob Sheridan
☐ Bob Lesh
☐ Carol Oleski

Two year term
☐ Bob Lesh
☐ Kyle Donahue

West Chester Area School District
At-large
☐ Maria Pimley
☐ Sean Carpenter
☐ Edward Coyle
☐ Pam LaTorre
☐ Joyce Chester
☐ Robin Kaliner
☐ Chris McCune
☐ Ricky L. Swalm

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## See also

* Pennsylvania school districts

## Footnotes

1. ↑ Adam Clark, The Morning Call, "Five of six Allentown School Board candidates advance," May 29, 2013
2. ↑ Reading Eagle, "School board hopefuls ready to face challlenges," May 18, 2013 (dead link)
3. ↑ Deb Wachspress and Josh Waldorf, Bucks County Courier Times, "Beholden to no one," October 31, 2013
4. ↑ Next Step for NPSD, "It's time for New Leadership," accessed September 20, 2013
5. ↑ Becca Rosenblatt, Knight Crier, "School Board election headlines local races," October 28, 2013

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