There were seven school districts in which contested races were waged in Tuesday's primary.

It was a close race, but Joseph Wiest, Paula Opalka, Linda Patten and John Conrad won GOP nominations for the Butler School Board Tuesday. Because Patten, Opalka and Wiest automatically moved on in the Democratic race, the four candidates are nearly guaranteed a seat on the board after the fall election.Wiest toped the votes with 2,447 votes, followed by Patten, Conrad and Opalka.Carmen Bianco didn't earn nomination; Opalka bested him by 23 votes.

A race is set in the Freeport School District for school directors in the fall.Democrats of the district, which includes portions of Butler and Armstrong counties, had a slate of 10 candidates to pick from. There were four nominations available from both parties.In November, voters will need to choose four candidates from a field of five.On the Democratic side, Susan Lowers, John Marty, Daniel Lucovich and Christine Davies earned nominations.Lowers, Marty and Lucovich will be joined by Frank Prazenica Jr., who all earned GOP nominations.James Zingaro, William Gaiser and Frank Borrelli failed to earn nominations from either party.The candidates are seeking four-year terms.

Four nominations from each party were up for grabs on the Karns City School Board, and Tuesday's results mean there will be a race in the district in November.On the Democratic side, Joseph Boltz, Shelia Hillwig, Tina Landgraf and Eric Rizert earned nominations. Beth Harp Snyder and Brenda Ealey were unsuccessful in their search for a Democratic nomination.Ealey, though, earned a GOP nomination. Joining her on the fall ballot will be Boltz, Hillwig and Rizert. Snyder and Landgraf received the fewest votes on the Republican ballot and didn't earn a nomination.The totals include results from portions of the district in Clarion and Armstrong counties.The candidates are seeking four-year terms.

Moniteau School Board members Diane Hunter and Amy Grossman will not return to the school board after November's vote.They were defeated by others who also cross-filed on the Republican and Democratic ballots Tuesday.Nominees who will appear on the November ballot for four-year seats will be Democrats Michael Panza and Trixie Foreman Heck, who are incumbents, and newcomers Joanne Duke and George Pry. The same four also will appear on the ballot as Republican nominees.Panza won both the Republican and Democratic nominations for a two-year seat on the board. He beat out four other candidates.After the November election, Panza will have to resign one of the two positions. At that time, the board will appoint a new board member.Receiving 878 votes, Panza said, "I am very honored that the community would trust me to make good decisions for the taxpayers — most of all the students. It feels very good that the citizens trust us."Newcomer George Pry said that he joined the race because, "If I feel like something needs to be changed, I should be a part of it... Anything I can do to make sure that the decisions are in the kids' best interest."A lifelong resident of Clay Township, Joanne Duke said that she only bought one campaign sign for the race. "I was very lucky," she said. "I've lived here all my life. I taught here. Now I'm retired here. I just think I can come to the table and look at things with a lot of different points of view — no hidden agendas."Heck could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

In Seneca Valley School District's Region 9, which includes Harmony and Jackson Township, incumbent Jeffrey Widdowson will appear on the general election ballot with his Democratic opponent Jim Welsh.Widdowson, who cross-filed on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, ran uncontested on the latter ticket.Welsh, who filed only as a Democrat, beat Widdowson for that party's nomination, 24-7.In Region 8, which includes Lancaster and Forward townships, Eric DiTullio won the Republican nomination as that party's only candidate. He did face opposition on the Democratic ballot and lost to R. Georgianne Kerr, 91-78.Both candidates will appear on the ballot in the general election. The seat was made available when longtime board member Kenneth Brennan decided not to run for re-election.School board seats in regions 1, 4 and 5 were also up for grabs. The candidates in those regions ran uncontested.Jeanette Lahm won Region 1, which was formerly represented by Dean Berkebile. Incumbent Jason Wehrle ran uncontested in region 4, and Eric Gordon ran uncontested in region 5. Ann Reale held that seat, and did not run.Seneca Valley School Board members serve six-year terms in office.

From a field of eight candidates, South Butler School District Republicans stayed with candidates already seated. Four seats are up for grabs, as candidates seek a four-year seat.Nelda Burd, Dale Fennell, Jim Jones and Richard Sefton earned GOP nominations for four-year seats. Those four sit on the board currently. Gregory Salina, Ron Armahizer, Brian Snyder and Michael Archer were unsuccessful.On the Democratic side, there were six candidates, Burd, Archer, Fennell and Sefton earned nominations. Jones and Armahizer were the low vote-getters.The results mean incumbent Armahizer won't appear on November's ballot.In a race for a two-year seat, Burd won both the Democratic and Republican nominations over Jones. That result means she most likely will win that seat in November.

Polly Shaw and D. Kirby Lotz will both appear on the Republican ballot for a Region 2 seat on the Slippery Rock School Board.Lotz had 251 votes and Shaw had 247 votes. Neither of the candidates is currently on the school board.Thomas Reiber and S. Diane Gieraltowski are on the school board and came up short in the Republican primary, however, Gieraltowski cross-filed and will appear on the Democratic ballot. Reiber had 235 votes and Gieraltowski had 186 votes. Shaw as the other cross-filed candidate also is a Democratic nominee on the fall ballot.Shaw said public service and volunteer work have always been important in her life. She served as a Slippery Rock School Board director from 1986 to 1988."I found the experience to be challenging and satisfying, and moved on to other areas of service, including church and union leadership positions," Shaw said. "I am an 11-year McConnells Mill State Park volunteer. Now, I am ready to return to the school board with years of additional school and service experience at my disposal."Shaw said the biggest issues facing the district include examining its class sizes and use of classroom space."There's also the issue of maximizing energy efficiency at Slippery Rock Elementary and making classrooms comfortable for learning," Shaw said. "On a broader level, the district needs to vigorously maintain its independence against the governor's proposal for combining districts, so Slippery Rock can maintain its community identity."Lotz decided to run for a seat because he believes it is the duty of all citizens to participate in the governmental process at some level."Many people can criticize, but will not involve themselves in making the system better," Lotz said. "In today's busy times, it is even harder for people to take time away from their work and family to make a difference. With two children very involved in the school, I hope to help make school more enriching for all."Lotz said the number one issue facing the district is providing the best education experience possible for each student based upon abilities and interests, followed by obtaining adequate funding, and managing the distribution of that funding in the most efficient way to provide the best educational experience for all students at the least cost to the taxpayers."With today's maintenance and energy costs, a very serious look has to be completed at all facilities to carry us into the future responsibly," Lotz said.Lotz is a member of the Prospect Planning Commission.