3 incumbents among 10 vying for 5 seats on Plum School Board

The Plum School Board is likely to have at least two new members after the Nov. 7 election.

Five of the board’s nine seats are up for election this year.

The May primary saw 14 candidates vying for the seats on the Democratic and Republican ballots. The whittled the field to a contest between five Democrats and five Republicans.

Three of the five incumbents — Michael Caliguiri, Michelle Stepnick and Amy Wetmore — won ballot spots as Democrats.

Two incumbents, Michael Devine and Adam Hill, lost in the primary. In their place and on the ballot as Democrats are Justin Newman and Renee Richardson.

The Republican slate consists of Lindsay Arenth, Aaron Butler, Eric Gumkowski, Gary Motor and Mark Stropkaj.

Wetmore, in her first term on the school board, chairs Plum’s Democratic Committee. Although the party endorsed Hill and not Stepnick for the primary, she said the general election slate is unified.

“We realized that we’re stronger together since we have common goals and a shared vision for the district,” she said. “The voters voted, and we are endorsing who they endorsed.”

Those common goals, Wetmore said, include improving student academic outcomes, continuing to improve mental health resources, and being dedicated to students’ safety and security.

“I think we had a successful four years despite covid setting in,” she said. “The decisions weren’t always the most popular ones, but they were made with the students’ best interests at heart. We did what we could with the information we had.”

Plum’s Republican Committee is chaired by Steve Schlauch, a former school board member who is running for borough council.

“Our team of five school board candidates is committed and hard working,” Schlauch said. “They’re all committed to making sure they provide the best education for kids and keeping transparency and keeping the parents apprised of what their kids are learning in school.”

Democrats

Caliguiri, currently school board vice president, is in his first term. A native of Bloomfield, he has lived in Plum since 2005, and has a son in eighth grade and daughter in 10th.

“We’ve had some great accomplishments that I’m proud of. There’s still some more work to do to make us more financially stable for the long term so we can prevent things like furloughing teachers and making very large tax increases,” he said. “I also feel like there is still a pathway to bringing back full-day kindergarten.”

Caliguiri said he’s not political when it comes to the board.

“I put my head down and I do work behind the scenes to help the kids and the employees,” he said. “It’s not a political thing for me at all.”

A Philadelphia native, Newman has been in Plum for 10 years, saying he chose to live in the borough for its rankings in safety and education. He has two sons, in sixth and 10th grades. He ran for the board in 2021, losing by 130 votes.

“I want to make sure my kids have the best opportunities afforded to them and the community is getting the services they need,” he said.

Transparency is an important issue for Newman.

“There are a lot of people who feel the board is not forthcoming and hearing what the community has to say,” he said. “I’d like to try to bridge that gap. I’d like to be a liaison between the community and the school board.”

Richardson also ran for the board in 2021 and lost by only 10 votes.

“It’s important for people to get out and vote, and know who you’re voting for and don’t take your vote for granted that it doesn’t count,” she said. “In local elections, it counts and affects you the most.”

A native of Vandergrift, Richardson has three sons. Her oldest graduated in 2022, while the others are in sixth and fourth grades. Like Caliguiri, she would like to see full-day kindergarten return, which will require addressing sufficient space.

She encouraged voters to get to know the people who would be making decisions for their children, rather than just voting by party.

“We want to focus on our community and our kids, and not bring national politics into our schools,” she said.

Stepnick is in her second, non-consecutive term on the board. A native of Connecticut, she has lived in Plum for 16 years and has a son in seventh grade.

“I would say I’m a very fair-minded person. I’m always eager to learn. I listen to the staff and their recommendations. I listen to the community, and I try to find that balance,” she said. “I try to be very fair-minded when it comes to making decisions, and the students are my number one passion, every single one of them.”

Stepnick also wants to see full-day kindergarten return, but where to house it is a question. Along with that, there is curriculum work that needs to be finished, and the board has been considering renovations at the middle school and O’Block Elementary.

“We have buildings that need serious renovations,” she said. “We need to be able to educate our community to what those are and the reasons we need to pay for those things.”

Those building projects will be one of the biggest decisions ahead for the board, Wetmore said.

“We have a wish list and we have to decide out of that wish list what our priorities are,” she said. “Having served four years, I have strong insight into what our priorities are as a district and a community.”

Wetmore said she hopes full-day kindergarten will be an option.

“Research has shown kids who have full-day kindergarten do better early in their elementary careers,” she said. “For a lot of parents, it’s a more affordable option than half-day kindergarten and day care. Even if we can’t bring full-day kindergarten back, providing an option for parents interested in it is better than not having full-day kindergarten, at all.”

Republicans

Arenth, a lifelong resident of Plum, said she was motivated to seek elected office for the first time because she has a 4-year-old son and is passionate about learning and education.

“I want to ensure that our students are career-ready, possess life skills and are prepared to succeed,” she said. “I am a strong supporter of parental involvement in education, and promise to value and listen to every constituent’s voice.”

Arenth said taxes are the biggest issue she has heard raised by residents.

“I will ensure that we practice disciplined spending and keep taxes under control,” she said. “I will also make sure that our kids have a top-notch curriculum in place, as quality education is of the highest importance.”

A native of Penn Hills, Gumkowski has lived in Plum for two years. He is a father of three, ages 5, 4 and 2.

Gumkowski said he has heard from residents who claim their children are targeted if their parents speak out against the status quo. Because his children are home schooled, Gumkowski said he’s in a unique position.

“That’s why I’m comfortable running,” he said. “My children can’t suffer any repercussions.”

School safety and security are the issues important to him.

“The majority of protecting comes from deterrence,” he said. “If you can deter a threat before it becomes one, you’ve done 90% of the battle.”

Gumkowski said he wants to be inclusive of parents.

“I want to be that voice that’s going to get those parents who have been left out in and let their voices be heard in an environment that respects freedom of speech,” he said. “I am unabashedly Christian. You can reach out to me with things, and even if I don’t agree with you, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and try to work out a solution.”

Seeking office for the first time, Motor said he wants students to get the best education they can in a financially responsible way for the community.

“I want to make sure that we have the best we can but not spending money irresponsibly,” he said.

He would apply that approach to the work being considered for the middle school and O’Block.

“I want to make sure we get what we really need and not go overboard,” he said. “We do need to make some improvements, but I don’t know to what extent that has to be yet.”

A native of Stowe Township, Stropkaj has been in Plum for seven years. He mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the board four years ago. His daughter graduated in 2022, while his son is a junior.

Stropkaj said his background in finance and accounting would be helpful to the board as it takes on the building projects at the middle school and O’Block.

“There are things we need and things we want,” he said. “We have to separate those two.”

Stropkaj said he’d like to restore programs that have been cut over the years, bringing back “life skills” electives such as wood shop and driver’s education, and teaching things like how to balance a checkbook.

Butler did not respond to requests for an interview.