ADAMS TWP — With several Mars School Board members opting not to run for re-election this year, a community group dedicated to change in the district has endorsed candidates for the five open school board seats in the fall election.

Mars Community Change, a group made up of district “parents, educators, and concerned citizens,” announced last week that it is endorsing Megan Lenz, Bill Sommers, Jill Ceasar, Jill Roda and John Neurohr in this year's school board elections.

The endorsements came after Dayle Ferguson, school board president, announced at Tuesday's board meeting that “a majority” of the five board members whose terms are expiring this year would not be seeking re-election.

Ferguson did not say which board members these would be. Those currently serving expiring four-year terms are Steven Boggs, Rebecca Brown, John Kennedy, William Pettigrew and Bonnie Weaver. They defeated three other challengers in 2015.

One member who confirmed she will not be running is Weaver. She joined the board in 1992 but said she no longer feels that the chance to serve in the district is worth the trouble from residents.

“I've been (on the board) for 25 years, and it's not worth the amount of volunteer time you put in for, unfortunately, the way we've been treated with little to no respect,” she said. “I'm good.”

Weaver said she's happy with the direction the board has been taking and that what may seem like an easy job from the outside is often quite complicated.

“I think we've been doing a fantastic job,” she said. “Sometimes until you've sat in our seats you really can't appreciate the tough decisions you have to make.”

Meanwhile, Kennedy said he will be running for re-election, though it will be the last time he seeks a position on the board.

“I'm excited to be running for my third and final term,” Kennedy said. “The biggest thing for me is keeping (the district) financially stable and not a burden on taxpayers.”

He said that he voted against the majority-approved budget last year that increased taxes on residents.

Boggs, Brown and Pettigrew could not be reached for comment.

In a news release, Mars Community Change announced its endorsements, saying the group's members were disappointed with decisions made by the school board and hoped that this year would be a “year of change in Mars.”

“Good schools make Mars a more desirable place to live. Good schools prepare the next generation of Mars business owners, managers, educators, service-industry workers, first responders and medical professionals who, in turn, will make this an even better place to live and work,” said Vickie Zaccari, chairman of Mars Community Change, in the news release. “Members of the Mars community are not being well served by the board of directors for the Mars School District.”

The group formed over the past few years in opposition to some decisions made by the board, from financial decisions, including a recent budget that raised taxes, to what the group sees as a lack of time and money invested in teachers and support staff.

“The group started organically just through a bunch of concerned parents,” Amber Rush said. “We all have different concerns.”

Candidates can begin to pick up petitions to run on Feb. 14 and can officially file on Feb. 19.

The five candidates endorsed by Mars Community Change are listed below with a brief quote provided by the group.

Jill Ceasar is a mother of two, the director of My School Preschool at the Mars United Presbyterian Church and a former teacher.

“In the 21 years I have lived here, I have seen such growth in our area, and I feel that we need to keep our schools on a continuous path of improvement. With that growth, I feel that we need a new view on the needs of our community,” Ceasar said.

Megan Lenz is a mother of three, former paramedic and education advocate. She lives in Adams Township with her husband, Ed Lenz, who is a sergeant in the Adams Township Police Department.

Lenz launched an ultimately unsuccessful write-in campaign for school board in 2017.

“Simply put, we need to put the children first. Strong schools create strong adults who live and work in our community. The culture of the Mars area depends on our children's education. I am asking for a chance to volunteer my time to serve on the Mars school board to bring new ideas and community involvement,” Lenz said.

John Neurohr is a father of two and a communications director at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy think tank.

“I am extremely concerned about the priorities and the competence of the current group of Mars school directors. Between reckless financial stewardship, disrespectful and mean-spirited treatment of district employees, and a general lack of transparency and accountability, what is most needed is new blood on the school board — and with that new blood, a fundamental shift in priorities,” said Neurohr in the release.

Jill Roda is a mother of two and a behavioral specialist.

“I have seen districts comparable to Mars in size and demographics move far ahead of our students. I have attended board meetings for the last two years and have seen decisions made without input or care from our wonderful community. I have seen our district increase its debt while large housing plans are being built all around us. Our caring, neighborly, 'family-like' community deserves more from their district leaders,” Roda said.

Bill Sommers is a father of four and a chief financial officer at Wampum Hardware.

“While being involved over this past year, it is clear that the school board has acted, and continues to act recklessly with their financial decisions, leaving the district with insufficient funds to adequately grow, resulting in situations like an inability to suitably replace the middle school,” he said.