7 candidates in race for 4 North Hills School Board seats
The race for North Hills School Board has seven candidates vying for four, four-year terms.
Incumbents Allison Mathis and Sandra Kozera are facing newcomers Dale Bricker Jr. Jim Barr, Joe Muha, Elisabeth Nease and Michael Santucci.
Here are the candidates and their responses to questions posed by the Tribune-Review.
Jim Barr
Age: 68
Political party: Constitution
Education: Associate degree in child care
Occupation: Caregiver
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Obey my oaths of office, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Represent the parents of North Hills School District and the residents of West View Borough.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Freeze school property tax millage.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Actively involved in local community meetings.
Dale Bricker Jr.
Age: 45
Political party: Cross-filed; won on the Republican side of the ticket
Education: Master’s degree in employee relations
Occupation: Manager
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Academic excellence: North Hills School District continues to fall down the PA rankings, currently sitting at 81, approximately a 100% drop from just a few years ago. Transparency: the curriculum should be widely and readily available for parents and community members. All committee and board meetings should be open to the public and encourage open discussion, community feedback and dialogue.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Budget management. The people’s taxes were raised and the PSERs fund was drawn from in order to manage our district’s costs.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I would have open committee meetings that include discussion with the public on agenda items and future initiatives, as well as give constituents more time to speak on agenda items in board meetings as opposed to restricting them to three minutes. I would use all available communication tools to respond to messages and attend many events and activities to be available and visible to the public.
Sandra Kozera
Age: 45
Political party: Democrat
Education: North Hills graduate; Bachelor of Arts, College of Wooster; JD University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Occupation: Senior conflict risk assessment lawyer, conflicts project manager at KL Gates
If elected, what are two short-term goals? While we are extremely happy to have everyone in school five days a week and have taken every effort to ensure this will continue, we need to continue to address the various ramifications of having a very non-standard year last year. Our primary goal in the near term needs to be supporting our students in learning, and our employees in teaching and working with our students in this unprecedented period of education. Additionally, one of the primary functions of the school board is to write and revise policies. I’ve enjoyed my role as the policy liaison for the past two years and would like to continue to ensure that our policies are clear, consistent and up to date.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? The district recently drafted its Future Ready Comprehensive Plan for 2022-2025. This plan includes measurable goals focused on enhanced study skills, social-emotional learning, flexible pathways to scheduling and graduation, and other factors that consider the whole, individual student experience. I look forward to supporting our teachers, administrators, students, and employees in connection with the implementation of these programs and processes.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I would encourage people to attend or watch school board meetings as much as possible since most decisions are discussed in advance at multiple meetings. Board members can also be emailed, and while all members may not respond, I certainly take the time to read every email we receive and consider the points raised.
Allison Mathis
Age: 43
Political party: Democrat
Education: BA, sociology, Johns Hopkins University
Occupation: Client services manager for a creative agency
If elected, what are two short-term goals? It is important for me to note that no board member has any singular power. As such, I believe a top priority after the election will be to learn about the new board members and learn how to work with them, alongside the superintendent, as a team of 10. A successful board that works together efficiently is in the best interest of the district.
The West View Elementary project is underway, and I would like to continue to oversee this project to ensure that it is successful, on time and fiscally responsible.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? To make sure that all students in our district receive an equitable education, are supported socially and emotionally and are prepared to be global citizens.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? The board has made great strides in this area since I was first elected. I worked to ensure that a summary email goes out after each legislative meeting. I have an active presence on Facebook, and I regularly respond to emails and phone calls from constituents, listening to their concerns, and would continue this practice if re-elected. I am in favor of town hall discussions and public committees. The most critical piece of communication with constituents is public participation at the board meetings. Part of this is making the public aware of meeting dates and agendas.
Joe Muha
Age: 62
Political party: Republican
Education: B.S metallurgical engineering, Carnegie-Mellon University; M.S materials engineering, University of Pittsburgh; M.B.A, Chapman University
Occupation: Quality manager
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Continue five-day a week in-person learning in a safe manner.
Improve transparency in school board decision-making.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? I want to improve the academic ranking of the North Hills School District. One key to this is for the school board to set high standards, goals and expectations.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Encouraging the public to either attend school board meetings or watch them online. Sometimes the meetings can be limited in time, so using social media to explain criteria to be considered for upcoming votes or explaining what went into a specific yea or nay vote. We also have things like a public budget committee, which explains the budget in greater detail, which more people should attend.
Elizabeth Nease
Age: 39
Political party: Republican
Education: Elementary education degree from Indiana University of PA
Occupation: Stay at home mom
If elected, what are two short-term goals? My first goal is to develop a plan to remediate the lost learning that took place last year. Many of the students are behind and I feel it is imperative to develop a plan to ensure the essentials are retaught/reinforced to enable future learning success. My second goal would be to implement mental, social and emotional programs that will help students cope with the effects of the past 18 months and emphasize the importance of seeking support.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Develop a fiscally responsible budget, incorporating new sources of revenue, allowing for new programs and opportunities within the district without increasing taxes.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I feel that communicating through email and social media outlets is a very effective means of sharing information with constituents. Our district does a good job with disseminating information and I would like to continue to use those same avenues.
As far as involving constituents in the decision-making process, one way to seek feedback is through surveys. A simple survey could have provided an overview of what parents wanted for their students, allowing the board to make a well-informed decision based on constituents’ feedback. Another way to solicit feedback is to play an active role in the community.
Michael Santucci
Age: 38
Political party: Republican/Democrat (Cross-filed)
Education: Bachelor of Science in education, North Hills class of ‘02
Occupation: High school technology education teacher
If elected, what are two short-term goals? The board needs to work with parents, teachers and administrators to ensure students at all levels recover from the missed in-person learning resulting from the covid-19 pandemic. This issue is two-fold: addressing the stunted academic growth due to virtual learning and maintaining a balanced budget along the way.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? I would love to see the district help students make direct connections to career experiences with our local small businesses. We are blessed with several business corridors in our community, each offering the potential for careers in a myriad of fields, from barbershops to bike shops, construction to caregivers, florists to flooring, horticulture to hairstylists, plumbers to paramedics, and manufacturing to medical companies. Having opportunities for our students to gain real-world experiences will only help them plan a path for their future success.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I believe that open communication can solve or prevent most of the world’s problems. Throughout my experience as a candidate, I have tried to keep an open line of communication with the community. I have tried my best to answer any questions or concerns brought to my attention within a reasonable amount of time. I have and will continue to encourage any person to reach out to me directly with any issue.
Cindy Alexander is a Trib Total Media contributing writer.
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