Republican Vito Pilosi III

Residence: Franklin Township

Education: Bucknell University Class of 1999, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Occupation: Vice president, Pittsburgh Plug & Products Corporation

Matthew W. Pyle

Did not respond

QUESTION: Why are you running for school board?

PILOSI: I would like to become more involved in the community to ensure that all of the youths in the Slippery Rock School District have the necessary tools they need to prepare themselves for the best possible future.

I feel that I have real world experience and knowledge in many areas of business that can be an asset in helping the district meet this goal.

QUESTION: What are the pressing issues the board will have to tackle and how should they be addressed?

PILOSI: The most pressing issue the board will have to tackle is to continue to challenge all students. Students must be challenged academically, socially, artistically and athletically to prepare them for the future.

Communication between school administrators, faculty, staff, parents and taxpayers is key to creating these challenges. If challenges and opportunities cannot be created and funded then education becomes stale and student preparedness for the future suffers.

QUESTION: How would you balance holding down expenses with maintaining quality education in the classroom?

PILOSI: Maintaining quality education while keeping expenses down is extremely difficult. The school board has the difficult duty to use taxpayer dollars to provide the best education for the young men and women within the district.

The best way to achieve this is through budgeting. The budget must be transparent and include all necessary expenses for providing a quality education while maintaining an affordable tax rate for all residents. Faculty, staff and administrators must be fiscally conservative in creating and maintaining the budget.