4 incumbents, 3 newcomers in race for 5 Greater Latrobe School Board seats

Seven candidates are vying for five seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board in Tuesday’s election.

Those seeking to join the board include retired state police trooper Paul McCommons, chiropractic assistant and former Greater Latrobe employee Cathy Sarraf, and Plum Borough School District business teacher David Vitula.

Incumbents hoping to return for another term are Eric Hauser, Susan Mains, Merle Musick and Dr. Michael Zorch. The fifth seat up for grabs is held temporarily by Kathryn Elder, a veteran board member who returned in August to fill the brief remaining term of the late Conrad Lazor.

Vitula, 51, of Unity Township, was nominated on the Democratic ballot last spring. He said he would bring to the school board more than 20 years of experience as an educator, including serving in leadership roles and as a chief negotiator for teachers.

If he is elected, he said, he will draw upon additional training and experience in accounting to take a close look at the district budget and “trim the fat.”

“Taxes do not need to be raised every year,” he said, adding that he hopes to “find ways to increase revenue and cut expenses to ensure all students are receiving a quality education.”

Vitula said he wants to make sure Greater Latrobe’s curriculum is rigorous and features current technology and he wants to review the grading scale, “to ensure that our students are on an equal playing field with other districts.”

Sarraf, 60, a Democrat and Unity resident whose three children graduated from Greater Latrobe, said she wants to serve on the school board to provide an education “for other kids that will be as good as what I feel my kids were offered.

”I want to continue to encourage and support the great work that’s being done at Greater Latrobe. I don’t want to tear it down, and I don’t want other people to tear it down.”

Having served the district as a former teacher’s aide, office assistant and parent volunteer, Sarraf said she was motivated to run for the school board by negative social media comments about district spending and taxes.

While noting the importance of controlling spending and being responsible to taxpayers, she said, “It’s unrealistic to say we’re being taxed to death.” She noted only two school districts in Westmoreland County (Southmoreland, at 81.32 mills and Monessen, at 81.07 mills) have property tax rates lower than Greater Latrobe’s (82.25 mills).

She said keeping facilities secure and students protected from potential threats must be a priority. “The reality is these tragedies can happen anywhere,” she said.

McCommons, 77, a Unity resident and Republican, was shut out last spring in a repeat campaign for township supervisor. As a school board member, he said, he could draw upon experience in government relations, budgeting and building construction, gained while serving as former president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.

With more than three decades in law enforcement, McCommons said he also could offer valuable input on school security.

McCommons said his two adult children received a good education at Greater Latrobe, but he expressed concern that today’s students may be lacking in knowledge of American history and government. “It seems they’re getting away from the real fundamental stuff,” he said.

He said he’d want to learn more about the district’s administrative operations before offering specific suggestions for improvement.

“I’m not going to say I’ll never raise taxes, but before I’d vote for it, I’d want to know why,” McCommons said.

Zorch, 63, a Republican who lives in Unity, is completing his 20th year on the school board.

While focusing on a quality education for students, Zorch said, “I’ve always been open to new ideas.”

During his long tenure, he said, Greater Latrobe was one of the first districts to provide classroom computers for all students. Other strides, he said, have included becoming more self-sufficient in serving special needs students at district facilities, remodeling all the district schools and recently opening a new Latrobe Elementary School.

While Greater Latrobe continues to look for more sources of funding beyond taxes, he said a top priority is remodeling the aging Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, a project that will involve neighboring Derry Area and Ligonier Valley school districts. “It can’t be put off any more,” he said.

Musick, 56, of Unity, was nominated by both parties in his bid for a third term on the school board.

If he is elected, he said his priority will be to “keep tax increases to a minimum while maintaining the high educational experience for our students.” He said district staff aid in that effort by helping to keep budgets in check.

During his time on the board, Musick said, Greater Latrobe has made advances in technology and in bolstering security at its buildings. He said declining enrollment is a major challenge that will require school directors to “work together as a cohesive board to solve the problem.”

He said the fact that he has two children attending district schools and deals regularly with local residents as a Unity Township official informs his decision-making as a board member.

Hauser, who is the board president and is seeking a third term, and Mains, a retired Hempfield math teacher who is running for an eighth term, didn’t respond to requests for comment.