Kathryn Elder returns to Greater Latrobe School Board as appointee
Retired Greater Latrobe School Board member Kathryn Elder returned to take a seat on the board this week as a temporary appointee.
Elder, who decided not to seek re-election in 2017, after 35 years of service as a school director, was named Tuesday to complete the remaining few months in the term of the late Conrad Lazor.
Also a veteran board member, Lazor, 78, received primary nominations from both parties to begin a new term in December, but he died at his Unity home on July 27.
Though sorry about the circumstances that led to her return to the board, Elder said, “I’m happy to be here and serve the community and the students again. I miss it.”
When asked if she might want to extend her second stint on the school board, Elder noted, simply, “I’m here now.”
She said she’s interested to once more have an inside view of how society’s “digital revolution” is affecting Greater Latrobe students.
“I would like to learn more about how that’s working for our students,” she said. “Things are changing all the time, and so much more rapidly than they used to.”
After being sworn in by district Solicitor Ned Nakles, Elder, of Unity, was handed the task of reviewing district policies at the board committee level.
“I did that for 35 years, so I should find it easy to get back into that,” she said.
The board reviewed a new policy on crowd funding that it expects to vote on at its September meeting. The board is considering prohibiting district employees and organizations from using online crowd funding websites to raise money for the district.
“There are issues of liability,” Elder said.
During her previous years on the board, Elder served as board president for more than a decade and became involved with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, representing counties in the southwestern corner of the state.
The school board also chose a new vice president, a role that Lazor had filled. Board members chose Steven LoCascio over Heidi Kozar for the role, by a 5-3 vote. Board member Merle Musick was absent.
LoCascio worked in the school district for 41 years. Initially hired as a teacher, he retired as the high school principal.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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