Vote for 5

(Unless otherwise noted, all are cross-filed as Republicans and Democrats)

Suzie Hammonds Bradrick

No response

Leland Clark

Residence: Center Township

Education: Butler High School, 1996; bachelor’s degree, Allegheny College, 2000; Law degree, University of Arizona, 2002

Occupation: Attorney in private practice

Jennifer Cummings

Residence: Center Township

Education: Graduated from Butler High School in 1984. Graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1989

Occupation: Software Development at Highmark since 1995

Dan Focht (Republican only)

Residence: Clearfield Township

Education: Kenwood High School; Bucks County Community College; Butler County Community College; Carnegie Mellon University

Occupation: Opto-electronic/Opto-mechanical Engineer, who helps design cell culture microenvironments for disease research.

Arthur Haag (Republican only)

Residence: Meridian section of Butler Township

Education: Master of Education; other graduate studies

Occupation: Teacher/contractor

Bill Halle

Residence: Butler City

Education: Seneca Valley High School, ITT Technical Institute, various insurance industry licenses; ordained pastor

Occupation: Founder and CEO of Grace Youth and Family Foundation, a 501C3 Domestic Nonprofit Corporation

Timmi Longdon

No response

Don Pringle

Residence: Center Township

Education: Butler High School, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech (Graduate studies)

Occupation: Business owner

Nina Teff

Residence: Butler Township

Education: Graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering with a minor in Economics, 1998

Occupation: Petroleum Engineer/stay-at-home mom

QUESTION: Why are you running for school board?

CLARK: I feel called to serve on the school board because there are many serious challenges on the horizon.

The district is going through a consolidation and reconfiguration process to save money and improve education. At the same time, the district’s expenses are increasing greatly.

The district needs passionate, dedicated, creative board members that will be able to see us through these challenging times.

CUMMINGS: I have had lifelong exposure to the issues of education in this district. My father was a Jr. High teacher for 34 years, my mother served on the board for 16 years, and most of my siblings became teachers. I now have children in the district and a small business downtown.

These provide the motivation to work toward a strong school system. I am open-minded, analytical, and have vision, which are critical for this job.

FOCHT: I am running for school board for the following reasons:

The school administration has become a bureaucracy out of control and this situation is not in the best interest of the students or taxpayers. I am not a go-along-to-get-along type person. What is right is right. If it takes more effort to make things right, that’s too bad,

I intend to apply pressure to improve the operation because it is the correct thing to do for now and the future.

HAAG: From generation to generation we promise to give our children and grandchildren the best education possible; I am running to keep that promise.

We must unite the community to work together within our means and find ways to compromise to meet that promise. As a parent and senior citizen I am aware of the relationship between taxes and expenses that must be controlled. We must reduce taxes!

HALLE: I truly believe that the ability to learn is the real key to success, and that just like success, education is a lifelong journey, not a destination.

I serve on Butler School District’s Board, the Butler Area Vo-Tech Joint Operating Committee, the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV Board, and the United Way Education Impact Council because I want to do everything that I possibly can to ensure every child in our community possesses that key.

PRINGLE: First, I want to see through a potential consolidation. I am the only pro-4B consolidation candidate running that keeps the Junior High open.

My perspective is the following: first we need to revamp and recharge the educational value to the students in the district by adding technology, which the 4B consolidation will do. Next, we need to give the taxpayer the much needed break over many years by consolidating neighborhood schools into other neighborhood schools.

TEFF: I am running for a Butler School director position because I can offer the board a fresh perspective. I have an analytical skill set along with an outside perspective, a desire to help, a motivation to dig into details and a willingness to listen.

I want the youth of our community to recognize that they have potential, and I want the district to provide the tools for those children to be able to realize that potential.

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

CLARK: The biggest issues facing the board are as follows:

(1) Consolidation — Whichever final consolidation plan is chosen, the smooth implementation of that plan will be the most pressing issue;

(2) Budget — The board is faced with expenses that are increasing faster than revenues;

(3) Technology — The board needs to come up with a cost-effective way to modernize its classrooms with current technology; and

(4) Textbooks — The board needs to free up money to keep its textbooks up to date.

CUMMINGS: The dramatic consolidation/reconfiguration currently under way represents significant risk. I support consolidating to save costs. But every step should be evidence-based, strategic and careful.

I would work toward a long-term plan for the district that identifies issues, sets goals, and provides measurements to ensure progress. Further, the district is an important part of our community. I want to be part of a board that works in partnership with residents and municipal leaders to strengthen Butler.

FOCHT: The pressing issues the new board will have to deal with are the following:

Under consolidation, I would prefer to keep the K-6 model, wall off the unnecessary portions of school buildings in scale with the reduction in enrollment thereby reducing operating cost and retaining the real estate for future need. I don’t like busing young children so far and long.

I would also promote renting the unused portions of the buildings. Current and future financial issues will also need to be managed responsibly not bureaucratically.

HAAG: The board must double its effort to support those children who have disabilities and accept help from wherever it is offered. Long range goals such as 5- or 10-year plans must be developed working with the community to meet the promised goal of a quality education.

HALLE: 1. Raising educational achievement for all BASD students, including the 23.3 percent of students who fail PSSA tests in Reading and the 18.3 percent of students who fail PSSA tests in math.

2. Declining district enrollment.

3. Exponentially increasing pension and health care costs.

4. The high level of the BASD’s credit debt. We must stop blaming politicians in Harrisburg and be accountable to complete and maintain a long-term strategic financial and educational plan for the future.

PRINGLE: To continue with consolidation; It will in effect begin a process of increasing educational value to the students of Butler. This, over years will improve test scores districtwide and give a greater opportunity to 5th and 6th graders at the new Middle School (Junior High) with STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Math).

The same instruction will be given to all students of the district and the middle school students will have “hands-on” building and designing projects.

TEFF: There are four major areas that need focus in the near future: educational improvement, financial challenges, impending district consolidation and vision and strategic planning.

Education should be at the forefront of every decision. Rising costs are anticipated, which will require diligence to explore additional revenue streams and ways to reduce expenses. There needs to be more focus on short and long-term vision. Please go to my website to read more regarding these issues.

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

CLARK: We need to change the way that education is funded in Pennsylvania. I support a reasonable version of House Bill 599, known as the Residential Property Tax Elimination Act.

This bill would eventually ban school property taxes and replace them with a modest increase in income tax and sales tax. This would even out school funding in the state and it would enable our district to provide a quality education without making elderly retirees pay for it through ever-increasing property taxes.

CUMMINGS: In three ways: look for new, nontax revenue sources, find and eliminate waste at all levels and identify innovative ways to improve quality.

I have seen for myself, working in a large corporation, that the people who are actively doing the work have some of the best ideas for improving services and cutting costs. I want to tap into that insight and find creative, modern solutions.

FOCHT: I would contain expenses and improve the quality of education by:

Better utilization of current infrastructure and assets to trim operating cost, provide incentives for businesses to participate in school activities, advocate for more discipline in the classroom from both the students and teachers, responsibly and cost effectively utilizing advanced technologies while promoting a continual, motivating spirit for academic achievement.

I also want to see a more relational approach to education where one subject is related to another to help strengthen comprehension.

HAAG: The board must seek help from our resources both inside and outside our school district.

We must contact our local professionals and ask for help. Consensus must be built to balance the financial demands with the educational ones. Keep in mind that throughout the state, schools are all struggling with the same problems. We can learn from each other if we only ask.

HALLE: I would immediately stop all deficit spending.

I would focus all district resources on raising the achievement levels of all students in core curriculum areas and place an emphasis on the development of “employment” oriented skills.

Utilizing a community assets strength-based approach, I would proactively engage our community business, nonprofit, faith based, social and human service organizations to create targeted collaborative programming and develop new sustainable revenue streams that will supplement BASD’s future budgetary needs.

PRINGLE: We are dealing with the natural inflation of products and services provided, i.e. toilet paper, water, electric, etc.

Again, by consolidating we can do both — give an education that is now competitive technologically with other districts and control some costs, finally.

TEFF: We need to define what we are trying to accomplish, both educationally and financially, and plan how we will get there, on both fronts.

Without planning, I do not see how the district will improve its precarious financial position. Discipline is needed to make sound decisions that benefit the district, students, taxpayers and the community as a whole. I will rely on discipline that I used throughout my career by considering costs, benefits and risks.