SAXONBURG — Three of the candidates vying for seats on the South Butler County School Board participated in a town hall Monday night where contract negotiations and other issues were discussed.

Five names will appear on the ballot for four school director seats on Election Day, though only two of the candidates are incumbents.

Rebecca Boyd and Bob Goodlin are running to keep their seats, while challengers Michael Archer, George Zacherl and Jill McDonald are looking to gain seats on the nine-person board.

Archer and Zacherl made statements about their candidacy and took questions from community members Monday, while Pam Tomaszewski read a statement and several prepared answers on behalf of McDonald, who could not attend.

The event was organized by the South Butler School Action Committee and had a crowd of about 40 residents. All five candidates were invited, though two declined to participate, master of ceremonies Heather Helsel said.

In his opening statement, Zacherl said that he has experience dealing with businesses and health insurance which would make him valuable to the board.

“We need serious people with serious backgrounds who can do this,” he said.

Archer said he would like to see better communication between the school and the community.

“I'd like to foster a better relationship not only between the board and the teachers and the board and the staff, but also the board and the community,” he said.

McDonald, in her prepared statement, said that she hopes to “help continue a quality educational experience for students throughout the district.”

The candidates all discussed the need for the district to resolve its long standing contract dispute with its teachers union that has been going on since 2014.

Zacherl said he would like the district to move to a high-deductible health insurance plan, which be more economical. He used his own family, which gets health insurance through the district, as an example saying that they have been in good health in recent years and have not needed to use the insurance often.

“It's ridiculous for the school district to pay $20,000 a year for my family,” he said.

Archer said he views the teachers as the greatest asset the district has and that creating a positive environment for the teachers will benefit the students.

“An investment in our employees and their workplace is an investment toward our students,” he said.

Zacherl and Archer are both married to teachers employed in the district, which they acknowledged would preclude them from participating directly in contract negotiations.

In her prepared comments, McDonald noted that her children have graduated from the district and that her spouse is not an employee. She would also bring her professional experience working in human relations, she said.

“I feel that I have always demonstrated my ability to work well with all of the stakeholders when making decisions that affect the district's students,” she said.

All three candidates commented that the school board can do more to be transparent and discuss their votes and decisions more for the benefit of the public.

Archer said that the district can do more to dispel rumors and misconceptions about what is happening in the schools.

“I'd like to see the board be more proactive and reach out before these rumors and innuendos spread on social media,” he said.

Zacherl said he would like to see more opportunities for residents to ask questions at board meetings and he would like to hear more from the board members about what they have been working on.

“It should be an opportunity to ask questions and dive into it and have that transparency,” he said.

McDonald, in her prepared responses, said that she would like to see steps taken to alleviate the “us versus them mentality in the community.”

The South Butler School Action Committee is a group of community members whose mission is to support the schools through methods such as promoting transparency and partnership between all stakeholders.