Three incumbents and three newcomers are vying for five seats on the Greensburg Salem School Board in the Nov. 7 general election.

Those seeking to join the board are Justin Aion, Kacey Byrne-Houser and Tyler Courtney. Incumbents on the ballot are: Brian Conway, who is seeking a second term; Robin Beckadic-Savage, who is running for a third term; and Frank Gazze, who is completing his 18th year as a board member.

Byrne-Houser is running on the Democratic slate; Aion is on the Republican ticket; and Gazze, Beckadic-Savage, Conway and Courtney are cross-filed.

Beckadic-Savage said she wants to continue the school board’s efforts to provide students the best educational services and update district facilities while remaining fiscally responsible.

“As education changes often, we have to make sure we provide a solid education that will produce well-rounded students,” she said.

Savage represents Greensburg Salem on the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Joint Operating Committee. She stressed the importance of the trades taught there as an option for students that can help them to stay local as they build a career.

As a business owner, she said, she has experience with budgeting and believes a fiscally conservative approach has benefited the district.

“We look at all options of how to accomplish things without putting a burden on taxpayers,” she said. She said the board, instead of proceeding with a bond issue, took out a short-term loan to pay for a high school roof project — money that has been paid back.

Conway said the district must continue to prepare students for their next step in life, whether pursuing higher education or entering the job market.

“We’ve brought in some new classes in technology and science that have really benefited our students,” he said.

He also supports a conservative approach to district finances, citing the roof project as an example.

Conway said he’s been able to bring his experience with technology and business matters to bear when issues such as contracts with technology providers have come before the board.

“I’m familiar with the needs of businesses,” he said. “That’s helped me in working with the needs of the district.”

Aion said he wants to bring to the board the perspective of someone who taught students during the challenges of the covid pandemic.

With his recent shift from teaching to data analysis, he said, “Now I have the time and the capacity to take that role on. You need to at least have a voice about what is actually happening in the classrooms.”

He said he continues to be involved with an organization for teachers of mathematics.

Aion also wants the school board to have non-voting student representatives attend the panel’s meetings.

“I have trouble with an organization making decisions about a large group of people without directly involving that group of people,” he said.

While recognizing there is “not a ton of money in the district,” Aion suggested the board needs to be a better steward of its facilities and should consider offering better pay to attract and retain top job applicants.

Courtney said the timing was right for him to run for school board after his recent move back to Greensburg and the birth of his fourth child.

“I thought it was a good opportunity for me to get involved,” he said, indicating he wants “the best opportunities and environment” for students.

Courtney said he wants to bring a commonsense approach to the board while drawing upon his experience in the public and private sectors.

“I understand the inner workings of government, for funding and operating a school district,” he said, adding that he wants to “work with various people at all levels to find solutions. I think everybody has to come to the plate.”

Among the challenges the district faces is balancing limited financial resources with the need to update aging facilities.

With the help of a consultant the current board hired, Courtney said, “Hopefully, we can start to put together a plan for the near-, mid- and long-term how we’re going to update those.”

Byrne-Houser said she wants to make the district “a place people want to send their children.”

She said she enrolled her son, who has ADHD, in a private school because she was concerned he wouldn’t receive enough attention at the local district school.

She said she feels the district hasn’t invested enough in school library staff. Several librarian positions were eliminated by attrition in the 2020-2021 school year.

Byrne-Houser wants to see more members of the community attend school board meetings and, at the same time, see board members increase their community outreach. She said more school directors “could take time to attend social events in the city, to build engagement.”

While acknowledging that financial resources are limited, she said the lack of air conditioning in some district classrooms is a hindrance to learning.

“We need to work with what we have, but things can always be bigger and better,” she said.

Although she is registered as a Democrat, Byrne-Houser said she is running a nonpartisan campaign.

“I’m listening to everybody,” she said. “I want to hear what people have to say.”

Gazze said his first priority as a board member is providing the best educational opportunities for Greensburg Salem students. “We have to continue that,” he said. “You have to be creative with engaging kids and getting the most from them.”

He said it’s especially important to re-engage students in the classroom after the recent challenges of the pandemic, when remote instruction was provided.

He said parental involvement also has to be part of the educational equation. “The more times families get involved and show up at school, the better,” he said.

When it comes to finances, Gazze said, the district needs to use its resources judiciously. “We’re just several years away from being debt-free,” he said. “We can then look at doing some major facility work without having to borrow money.”

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