5 candidates continue to November election for Butler Area school board seats
Four incumbents and a challenger will compete in November’s general election for four seats on the Butler Area School District board, according unofficial election results.
According to Butler County Bureau of Elections summary reports, Butler district voters chose Al Vavro, Gary Shingleton, John Conrad and Nina Teff to advance on the Republican ballot in the Tuesday, May 20 primary. Vavro, Shingleton and Eric Reffert, who all cross-filed, will appear on the Democratic ticket Nov. 4.
On the Republican ballot, incumbent Teff led the way with 2,565 votes cast. She was followed by incumbents Conrad with 2,553 votes, Shingleton with 2,453 votes and Vavro with 2,365 votes.
Leland Clark, a former board member, and Eric Reffert will not proceed to the November ballot on the Republican ticket. They received 2,282 and 1,600 votes, respectively, on the Republican side.
On the Democratic ticket, Vavro led the group of three with 2,490 votes. Shingleton received 2,377 votes, and Reffert received 1,761 votes.
The school district, currently made up of more than 5,000 students, serves families in Butler, Center, Clearfield, Connoquenessing, Oakland and Summit townships; and East Butler, Connoquenessing and the city of Butler.
The winners of the November election will begin their four-year terms at the start of 2026.
Vavro has been president of the Butler school board since 2019. A lifelong area resident who has made his home in Butler Township since 1979, he has served on the board for the past 12 years. He works as a substitute teacher in the Freeport Area School District, and was a teacher and an elementary principal in the Butler district for 37 years.
“I’m certainly very appreciative of the support form the voters. I will continue to try to earn their trust in me in doing what is right for kids in their communities, and also trying to be aware of the fact they’re our taxpayers and understanding their needs and trying to be fiscally responsible,” Vavro said Tuesday night. “I’ve been on the board for 12 years, been an educator for 37 years, I enjoy watching students grow and learn — that’s my main goal, to help kids continue to grow.”
Reffert, a Pittsburgh native, moved to Butler in 2022. He resides in Summit Township and has worked in the food service industry for 10 years.
“I wanted to thank everybody for coming out and voting. I’m a first-time candidate, so I wasn’t expecting anything big, but I want to try and be a voice for the people,” Reffert said.
Conrad has served on the school board for 20 years. He has worked as a mechanical engineer for 44 years, and said he recently retired from Westinghouse Electric Company.
Shingleton is running for his third term on the board. He was a teacher from 1979 to 2013, including eight years as a department chairman; coached boys and girls basketball, baseball and golf; has worked as an NCAA college baseball umpire since 1985; and is a past president of the Chesapeake Basin College Baseball Umpires Association.
Teff, a Butler Township resident, has served two separate terms on the school board, one from 2015 to 2019, and one since 2021. Teff served as president of the board in her first term.
The Butler Eagle has attempted to reach out to Conrad, Shingleton and Teff for additional comment.
