The Butler School Board named Al Vavro as its new president Thursday evening.

Vavro, a former teacher and principal in the district, was elected in a 5-4 vote. The board elected Mary Waggoner, a business owner, former teacher and the mother of two district students, as its vice president in a 6-3 vote. Vavro replaced Nina Teff, who lost a re-election bid this year. Waggoner replaced Jennifer Cummings, who remains a member on the board.

Along with picking new leaders, the board welcomed two newly elected members: Tom Harrison and Jennifer Daniels-Wells.

After being nominated by Alice Nunes, Vavro gave a brief speech. He noted that he was principal of Daniels-Wells' school at one time.

“My agenda is very simple,” Vavro said. “To continue to move this district forward and to focus on learning for every student, every day. And, I have one more. To make sure our meetings start on time.”

The four board members who did not vote for Vavro opted instead for John Conrad, who was nominated by board member Bill Halle.

“I've been on the school board 14 years,” Conrad said. “I am dedicated to this school district.”

After the board chose him as president, Vavro nominated Waggoner.

“We've got a lot of issues and a lot of concerns and a lot of opportunities to improve,” Waggoner said. “So we really need to look at the facts and the data of the situation in our decision making.”

Cummings was nominated by Harrison to reprise her role as vice president. She said she wants to see the Butler Area School District continue to right its course, and she said she wants to make sure the board is friendlier in its current reorganization efforts than in past consolidation.

Vavro received votes from himself, Gary Shingleton, Daniels-Wells, Waggoner and Nunes. Harrison, Cummings, Conrad and Halle voted for Conrad.

Waggoner received votes from herself, Shingleton, Vavro, Daniels-Wells, Nunes and Halle. Harrison, Cummings and Conrad voted for Cummings.

Superintendent Brian White said he's working with athletics administrators to work out some changes to the district's football program, with hopes of making the team more competitive. The team did not win a game in its last two seasons.“We're losing kids at the junior high level,” White said. “We have a bridge issue there.”White said he will have a report on the state of the football program to share with the board and the public sometime this month.Solicitor Tom King gave an update on this year's property tax appeal cases. The district monitors appeals on particularly valuable properties, as large devaluations can result in substantial cuts to the district's revenue.King said this year's appeals would only amount to about $50,000 lost in revenue, and that's assuming the district can't successfully lobby otherwise. That amount of money is little compared to years past, King said, when properties like the Clearview Mall or AK Steel filed assessment appeals.The board approved its contract with King's law firm at a rate of $180 an hour, a $5 increase over last year.