The race for Shaler Area School Board has contested races in Regions 1 and 2, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ unofficial candidate list.

In Region 1, incumbents April Kwiatkowski and Tim Gapsky and newcomers Bryan Whitaker and Sherry Kai are running for two open seats.

In Region 2, newcomers Elizabeth Dunn and Kenneth Klinvex are vying for one spot on the board.

In Region 3, newcomer Edward J. Kress is running unopposed.

Here are the candidates and their answers to questions posed by Shaler monthly.

Region 1

Submitted by candidate Tim Gapsky  

Tim Gapsky

Age: 55

Political party: Running on Republican and Democrat tickets

Education: Shaler Area class of 1984

Occupation: Allegheny Public Works driver

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Getting through the pandemic as safely as possible for the students and staff members of Shaler Area. Working with the superintendent and deputy superintendent as a board to provide the right educational resources so all students can get the proper education is also a priority.

I’m also big on the trades and worked with administration in the past on having career days where trade workers — such as carpenters, boilermakers, steamfitters, et cetera — have opportunities and paid apprentice programs.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? I would like to see our long-term maintenance plan stay in place. I believe in getting facilities fixed and functioning the right way so it will save district taxpayers in the long run. In other words, I’m not a fan of using band-aids for short-term fixes.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I consider myself very approachable and am happy to answer any questions from any concerned citizens of the district. I try to attend as many school activities that I can.

Submitted by candidate Sherry Kai  

Sherry Kai

Age: 47

Political party: Independent

Education: Graduate of University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and modes of communication, minor in art and Spanish.

Occupation: Business owner of Bettis Floral Event Design

If elected, what are two short-term goals? To improve communication between parents, school administrators and teachers, and foster a more transparent and open system of community education. I believe all administrative decisions made by the school district must be posted online for all parents to see, including an explanation of how said decisions will affect parents’ and students’ behaviors and expectations.

Ensure our education system is academically focused. Students should not be indoctrinated with any political ideology. We must teach our students to be critical thinkers who can make up their own minds and choose their own paths in life. This would include requiring students to take a logic class.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? Develop a career exploration program beginning in junior high school. Such a program would include speakers from various career fields. Students should be allowed to form lasting relationships with the businesses, science and trade communities for the purpose of arranging internships and apprenticeships.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Parents and constituents should be allowed to make their concerns aware to the school board by emailing those concerns into an electronic suggestion box. Those email concerns will be read aloud and addressed in each school board meeting.

Furthermore, in order to encourage more parents to attend board meetings and share their opinions, board meetings should be held in a larger venue that holds more than 25 people. The dates of all board meetings should be advertised on the school district website and social media platforms. Meetings should be recorded and viewed on local television and online platforms.

April W. Kwiatkowski

Age: 48

Political party: Democrat

Education: Bachelor of Science in human resources from Robert Morris University, Master of Science in marketing from RMU, Ph.D. in instructional management and leadership from RMU

Occupation: Assistant to the chair, department of psychology, University of Pittsburgh

If elected, what are two short-term goals? A focus on addressing the whole child in regard to education success, inclusion, food insecurities and personal emotions. These children need to know they are supported as a whole, in all aspects of their lives and that support system needs to be in place and secure. Our social workers are more important now than ever.

Continue the work of the Shaler Area Light Initiative and Response to Racism committee to grow and foster an environment that is both informed and inclusive.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? I feel we need to provide a structural road map for these students to navigate plans for after graduation. Some students are college-bound, some are entering trades, some joining the military, some going directly to the workforce — and some just don’t know. We need to have a comprehensive plan beginning as early as ninth grade to guide them along this journey.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I believe the district has made significant progress in communication and transparency – but more work needs to be done. More timely sharing of information electronically targeting the stakeholder is an easy win. There is a possibility to continue the Zoom format, or maybe live stream and broadcast on the district Youtube channel. The more the community and parents are involved, the greater the success of the district.

Submitted by candidate Bryan Whitaker  

Bryan R. Whitaker

Age: 24

Political party: Republican

Education: Shaler Area High School Class of 2015, Washington Jefferson College, December 2018, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Occupation: Portfolio assistant (banking and consulting industry). I also have negotiations experience and was a Corporate Actions Specialist.

If elected, what are two short-term goals? My first short-term goal is to reach out to local entrepreneurs, organizations and trades-people to coordinate and develop job placement, apprenticeship and mentoring programs.

My second short-term goal is to research and apply for grants (bring in outside revenue for the district that wouldn’t require tax increases).

If elected, what is one long-term goal? To shift Shaler Area’s education system to help students explore other career fields that do not require four-year college degrees, especially through local networks and A.W. Beattie Career Center. I want our students’ education to be about practical and marketable skills, such as personal finance, cooking, programming, et cetera, as well as to place them in post-graduate full-time positions.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? My first step for incorporating the constituents is to move the school board meetings to bigger, more public forums and advertise the meetings. I would like to meet frequently with various sports teams, organizations, parents, and so on to hear their concerns and address them, preferably with joint school board/public committees, or at outside school hour events.

Region 2

Submitted by candidate Elizabeth Dunn  

Elizabeth Dunn

Age: 45

Political party: Democrat

Education: Associate of Science degree in social work, IFMA certification in facilities management

Occupation: People operations at Aurora

If elected, what are two short-term goals? I would like to see an increased commitment to community engagement and accessibility to school board information and meetings. I would like to see board meetings recorded and made available on the district YouTube account.

The district does not have an option for synchronous learning this school year. When students are ill or in quarantine, there is no platform available for those students to participate in instruction time. We must come up with a solution where students have access to instruction while considering the additional work this creates for teachers and staff.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? I would like to address the welfare of student mental health and available support services for students. We need to ensure our students are being supported in every aspect of overall health so they can thrive academically.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I will continue to keep my candidate social media pages active. I will always be available by email as well.

Submitted by candidate Kenneth Klinvex  

Kenneth Klinvex

Age: 63

Political party: Republican

Education: Bachelor of Science in engineering, masters in business administration (MBA)

Occupation: Retired program manager

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Parental choice! Parental rights are eroding. The job of schools is to prepare children for the future, not infringe on the rights of parents in deciding what’s best for their children’s health, education and upbringing.

Push to become more competitive with other school districts. When young parents are deciding where to live, they typically look at the school districts with the best educational opportunities and most affordable property taxes. Low test scores and high property taxes are a bad combination.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? Update the curriculum to ensure all students are given proper guidance in career options. In Shaler, we do a great job with special needs and gifted students, but what about the other 90%? We need to reach out to students at a young age and help them discover where their abilities, desires and ambitions can take them and help match them to available career choices.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Ken Klinvex for Shaler School Board ​on Facebook. I am very accessible, and I want to hear from the community.

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