In Freeport School District, five candidates are vying for four seats on the Democratic ballot.

Incumbents Dan Lucovich, William Gaiser and Christine Davies, along with John Haven and Richard Hill are on the Democratic ballot.

Four of them are on the Republican ballot and all of those candidates — Lucovich, Davies, Haven and Hill — will move on to the fall general election ballot as Republicans.

Candidates for school board may cross-file on both the Republican and Democratic ballots in the primary.

Gaiser is not filed as a Republican.

Dan LucovichLucovich, 66, board president, said he is running for re-election to better the district.“To continue growing and improving the community by supporting the development of our high level of educational and activities programs to be one of the top 10 school districts in Western Pennsylvania,” Lucovich said.He wants to complete upgrades to the high school complex off Route 356 in the township.Lucovich said the issues facing the district are controlling the budget in the face of the rising costs for health care, pensions and wages while state and federal funding dwindles.“It becomes more challenging to continue all the great programs that we offer to students,” he said.Lucovich initially served on the board between 1992 and 1995. He is in the eighth year of his second stint.He lives in Buffalo Township with his wife, Karen, and is executive director of administration for Armstrong County.

William GaiserGaiser, 78, is seeking to retain his seat to benefit the children.“I just want to help students,” he said.Gaiser is carrying on a family tradition being involved in education. His mother was a teacher and his father worked for the district.Gaiser said a priority in the district is trying to keep property taxes down.For 27 years, he was a school bus driver, driving students in Freeport and Armstrong school districts.“I saw a lot of country,” Gaiser said.He also worked on chain saws and lawn mowers.Gaiser lives in South Buffalo Township. He initially served a stint on the board two terms ago and is in the fourth year of his second go-around.

Christine DaviesIncumbent Davies said she is seeking to retain her seat because of the board's importance.“It's a crucial post to hold in any community,” Davies said.She said the board's role is to continue improving the quality of education while considering the interest of taxpayers.“We all pay taxes,” Davies said.Along with protecting the interests of students, she said the district needs to maintain positive communication with the faculty.Davies said she would continue to be a responsible board member if re-elected.“I'm a good listener,” she said.Davies, 68, of Buffalo Township has been a Spanish teacher at Knoch High School for 28 years.She lives in the township with her husband, Garrie.

John HavenHaven, 70, chairman of the Buffalo Township board of supervisors, said he is running for the school board to control spending.“I'm on a fixed income,” he said.Before retiring, Haven was a supervisor for Allegheny Ludlum.He said his taxes have risen a total of $500 annually over the last five years.“For a person with a fixed income, that's a pretty good hit,” Haven said.He conceded there are some expenses that are unavoidable, but others aren't.“Five, 10 years from now, where are we going to be,” Haven said.He said Buffalo landowners typically are the ones in the district hit the hardest.Because the district is in two counties, a state formula calculates different rates for Buffalo and the Armstrong County municipalities.Haven has been a township supervisor for more than 10 years. He lives in the township with his wife, Jacqueline.

Richard HillHill, 58, the Freeport borough treasurer, agreed district spending needs to be curtailed.“You can't keep raising taxes year after year,” he said. “There's no end in sight.”Hill, a certified public accountant, said the district has incurred too much debt with major construction projects while already having a significant pension liability.“We just can't go on like this,” he said.Hill said future union contract negotiations should be used to lessen future pension obligations.He said Buffalo eventually has to raise taxes for legitimate reasons such as road work and to maintain a police department, so the district needs to curb expenses.Hill said he wants to use his accounting background, which includes preparing municipal and authority financial statements for auditing, to help the district.He said what won't be brought to the table is an agenda since he has no ties to the district.“I am here to serve the people,” Hill said.He lives in the township with his daughter, Carly, 20.