The five candidates vying for four seats on the Butler Area School District's board of directors have varying goals for the district, but all focus on providing students with a top-notch education.

Incumbent John W. Conrad, who has served on the board for 16 years, said he hopes to maintain the values of the district's community on the board and in the school system.

“I believe the parents and the community are the customers of the district, and we must respect their wishes,” Conrad said.

He said he voted five years ago against a school consolidation plan because parents were against it.

Regarding values inside the district, Conrad said he opposes critical race theory being added to the curriculum.

He said critical race theory has not been discussed extensively at school board meetings.

“If it comes up, it needs to be tromped down,” Conrad said. “To eliminate racism, you have to consider the character of the person and not their skin color. Critical race theory focuses on skin color.”

Conrad said he believes Butler's conservative values must remain a stalwart on the school board or the district will decline and new families will not be attracted to the district.

“I would encourage people to vote because voting for school board members most greatly affects how people live in Butler,” he said.

Candidate Gary Shingleton, an incumbent who has served on the board for four years, said his biggest goal is expanding the high school campus.

He said moving fifth- and sixth-grade students from the middle school on East North Street in Butler will be very helpful.

“That will help immensely with transportation costs,” Shingleton said.

He said some issues took a back seat as the board dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, but should be reconsidered.

Shingleton said he opted to run for reelection because he graduated from Butler High School in 1976 and all three of his children graduated from the school and moved on to graduate from college.

Shingleton also worked as a social studies teacher in the district for 35 years and coached a number of sports during that time.

Challenger Regenold Griffin said his primary goal if elected to the board will be to ensure all students receive a superior education and are not just passed from grade to grade.

Griffin, who has not held public office before, is a Marine Corps veteran and owner of a small nonprofit.

Griffin said the nonprofit FATHR donated a surveillance system for a Butler Area elementary school.

FATHR also donated technical equipment to Butler Middle School and the Butler County YMCA when the pandemic hit the area, he said.

If elected, Griffin plans to ensure students of all grade levels are stable after the changes they experienced during the pandemic.

He said students were told when to go to school or study at home without anyone asking them if they were affected or what could be done to assist them.

Griffin said he would like to see students more connected to the school board, which makes decisions that affect them.

“These children have to know that the school board is about them,” he said. “First and foremost is letting these kids know we care for real.”

Nina Teff, who served a term on the board a few years ago, said she hopes to focus on curriculum, programs, special-education programming and communicating with parents and taxpayers if elected.

She said an outside company reviewed the district's special-education program before the pandemic hit.

“I'd like to follow up and see where that's gone,” Teff said.

She said she also would work to move forward programs such as expansion at the high school and closing the middle school.

During her term on the board, the district hired a new superintendent and other key leaders.

“That allowed us to focus on financial stability in the district,” Teff said.

She said she wants expenditures in the annual district budget to continue to come in at or below the total revenue amount, which was not the case in years past.

Teff hopes voters will select her for her analytical, detail-oriented nature.

“A lot of it is continuing a focus on fiscal diligence, educational expansion, and community and parental involvement as well as providing development for our staff,” Teff said.

Incumbent Alvin Vavro, who has served on the Butler school board for eight years, was a teacher and principal in the district for 37 years and continues to work as a substitute teacher in a neighboring school district.

“I bring that educational perspective,” Vavro said. “At board meetings, I try to interject what it's like to be in the trenches with the kids every day, and I think that's a valuable perspective when you're making decisions about kids.”

Vavro said he is proud to have been on the board when the current superintendent, Brian White, was hired.

“The district has moved forward and become a very innovative and progressive school district, thanks to Dr. Brian White, our superintendent,” Vavro said.

He said since White took the helm, the district has reopened Broad Street Elementary School in downtown Butler, added an agriculture program at Summit Township Elementary and provided professional development to staff and faculty.

Vavro grew up in the Lyndora neighborhood of Butler, and began teaching in the district as a young man.

“The needs of children have increased dramatically since I started teaching,” Vavro said.

He said poverty, inadequate nutrition, medical needs, mental and emotional health issues and other situations affect many students today.

“Before you can ever educate kids, you've got to make sure they're fed,” Vavro said.

If reelected, Vavro looks forward to continuing in his seat on the school board and using his knowledge of student needs to their advantage.