Newcomers vie to fill Northwest school board

By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.comEducation Reporter

Northwest Area School District voters have the choice of six candidates to fill four seats, though there is a movement afoot to add three write-ins to counter what incumbent Peter Lanza called a “pro-teacher” slate. That group , according to Lanza, is comprised of the only other incumbent seeking re-election – Kelly Jenkins – and three newcomers: Jeffrey Pierontoni, Ron Harvey and Gina Schwartz. The sixth person on the ballot, Richard Hennigan, is making his second attempt to gain a seat on the board.

Pierontoni, Harvey and Schwartz are not officially teamed, but each said they share similar views with the other, and all three have been involved in the teaching profession in one capacity or another. None bill themselves as pro-teacher.

Pierontoni said he is running “for my children who are in the district, as well as for all of the Northwest Area students.” He is an industrial arts/technology teacher at Crestwood and noted that an electrical and digital engineering class he teaches “was 90 percent funded from grant money which Northwest is not utilizing.” He also coaches Northwest Little League.

Schwartz has been an occasional but vocal critic at school board meetings, and said her complaints have been legitimate and led to appropriate changes in the district on two occasions. She has pushed the board to settle the teacher contract dispute that is now in it’ fourth year. The contract expired in 2005.

A public speaking professor at Luzerne County Community College, Schwartz said her post graduate work involved communication and conflict resolution. “Clearly there has been a sever lack of communication at Northwest, between the school board members, the board and the teachers, and the board, teachers and public.”

She said she hopes the contract will be resolved before new members take office in December, but if not it would be her top priority. Her other biggest concern is “protecting our community schools,” which could be threatened under Gov. Ed Rendell’s recent proposal to merge Pennsylvania’s 500 districts into 100.

Harvey, a retired New Jersey teacher and union worker, listed the contract and education programs as his top priorities. “I want to prioritize and make sure we are using taxpayer money wisely. I want to look a t ways of improving the education programs and to settle the contract so we can retain qualified teachers and attract qualified teachers.

“I think I am uniquely qualified because I have been involved in education over 38 years. I think I know how to deal with both the board and the employees,” Harvey said. “I would just hope that the public would think of the students and not just the tax dollars.”

Jenkins, a nurse seeking her second term, said she is not teamed with anyone but “would gladly welcome some new faces on the board that have similar and vested interests as I do.” She touted her success in bringing a bullying prevention program to the district and upgrading the libraries. She said along with mending relationships with employees, she wants to see a more comprehensive approach to district building repairs.

Jenkins, Schwartz, Pierontoni and Harvey all criticized the current majority to some extent regarding the stalled negotiations, But Lanza repeated the majority’s claim that it has made numerous fair offers rejected by the union. The union has insisted it is the board that is intransigent.

The big hang up, Lanza said is the union’s unwillingness to pay a reasonable share of health insurance premiums. “We’re asking for five percent of premium, but they feel they are entitled to be exempt.” He also wants to renovate facilities. “We’ve been so consumed by the contract the last four years that we’ve neglected other things.”

Lanza argued that the board has worked to hold the line on spending and that electing the three people with teaching experience “a case of putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.” The three people he said are trying to launch write-in campaigns are Steve Maurer, Lisa Schoenhofen, and Alton Farber, all supportive of the board’s current negotiation stance.

Hennigan, a nurse who has held supervisory positions including chief nurse in the army reserve, is making his second attempt to get on the board. He has said one of his biggest goals is to improve curriculum and add more advanced glasses. He also would like to see a broader offering in sports.