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Schools

Plum School Board Candidates Focused on Budget, Education

Tightening budgets and maintaining quality education are consistent concerns of this year's crop of school board election candidates. Plum's hopeful are no different. Here is a brief profile of each.

Nine candidates are in the running for five open slots on the Plum Borough school board.

The candidates include Marcia Chicka, Bill Ferguson, Tom McGough, Ruth Pastore, Jim Rogers, John St. Leger, Joe Tommarello, Loretta White and Richard Zucco.

White, McGough, Zucco, Chicka and Pastore will be on the Democratic ballot. Zucco, Ferguson, St. Leger, Tommarello and Rogers will be on the Republican ballot.

The open positions are all four-year terms.

Here is a little information about the candidates on the ballot for the upcoming election:

Marcia Chicka

Chicka feels it is her community responsibility to use her education and experience by becoming part of her own school district.

She feels that the two most important issues to be addressed as a member of the Plum Borough school board are funding and educational quality.

Utilizing her knowledge to make sound educational decisions for the school district is what she said she can do for the people of Plum. Her knowledge and experience inside the classroom and also with school funding are reasons she cites that people should vote for her.

“I feel a good candidate for school board must understand child development, learning, and educational funding,” Chicka said. “I hold the knowledge and skills to make the best decisions for all parties involved.”

Chicka said she will make a difference in the school district by helping to find funding and making the best possible decisions for the district’s students and community.

She didn't provide her date of birth or previous political experience.

Bill Ferguson

Ferguson, 87, wants to look out for taxpayers, students, and those in between – the employees of the district.

“I don’t think the school board needs a lot more money from the taxpayers,” he said. “I think we need to be smarter about how we use it.”

Keeping students interested in academics as they progress into high school, encouraging parental involvement, and increasing the use of new technology are a few of the items Ferguson thinks are important.

He also would like to see teachers’ pay based upon performance.

“I think we need a way to reward teachers based on their performance in the classroom as well as their time in (the positon) and how many academic credits they have,” he said.

Ferguson’s previous political experience includes one term on the Murrysville council.

Tom McGough

The political platform of incumbent McGough, 56, includes goals ranging from a balanced budget and job preservation to utilizing state of the art technology in the district’s schools.

The following summarizes points from McGough's statement.

Working with educators, administrators and staff to improve test scores and student achievement through development of innovative methods, and ensuring a well-rounded education by protecting the integrity of extracurricular programs are key issues.

Other issues he noted include supporting and defending the integrity of community schools, expanding grants, charitable giving and corporate marketing to under write academic and extracurricular activities, creating a safe and secure learning environment, and having a conspicuous presence at student activities as way of supporting student achievement.

McGough has served on the Plum Borough school board for 20 years (5 terms). He is also serving his second year on the Allegheny Intermediate Unit board of directors.

Ruth Pastore

Issues that should be addressed, from Ruth Pastore’s perspective, include Plum Borough School District finances and keeping all-day kindergarten.

Encouraging the board to work together to find solutions is key, Pastore said.

“We have to sit down together to find solutions, not as Democrats or Republicans but as officials of the citizens we serve,” she said.

Keeping taxes in line, especially for the sake of the working families and senior citizens in the borough are important to Pastore too.

“I care about the community I live in, and I care about education and crime prevention,” she said.

Pastore has a history of involvement in community organizations and has initiated and directed a number of youth programs as well crime prevention initiatives. Her political experience includes, but is not limited to, serving a deputy mayor of Clairton and serving on the 45th senatorial district as a state committee member.

She delined to provide her age.

Jim Rogers

Keeping an eye on spending and finding the best programs for students are two of Rogers’ concerns.

“I like to watch the money, keep the spending in line,” he said. “I don’t want to raise any kind of taxes.”

Another issue he sees the borough facing is finding ways to keep students achieving on standardized tests into high school. According to Rogers, 64, the results decline after eighth grade.

Rogers sees controlling waste as important as watching spending.

He wants to make sure, he said, that supplies aren’t being wasted and suggested that perhaps donations of unused supplies to groups that need them could be considered.

Watching the “little dollars” is important to the entire budget, he said.

“You learn to take care of them and the big dollars take care of themselves,” he said.

Rogers has no previous political experience.

John St. Leger

St. Leger, 54, is running for school board, he said, to ensure that the children of Plum get the best education at a fair price for the taxpayers.

“I feel it’s time to give back to the community,” he said.

Increasing parental involvement and increasing standardized test scores are also two of his concerns, as is the district budget.

“I’m very familiar with operation and capital budgets and revising them line item by line item to eliminate expenses,” he said.

If elected, St. Leger said, he would support requests for state and federal support and also sponsorships from vendors. Those sponsorships could include naming rights for signage or district signage.

“I would work hard to hold taxes at the present level,” he said. “I would do everything in my power to eliminate expenses to the school district.”

This is the first time he is running for an office of any kind.

Joe Tommarello

The main reason Tommarello, 19, is running for school board, he said, is because students deserve to have a voice on the board.

A 2011 graduate of Plum Borough High School, Tommarello believes he can be that voice.

“I feel I know the problems from going there first hand,” he said. “I would bring a unique perspective that Plum school board has never had before.”

He sees waste and lack of accountability to be important issues to address, as well education.

Tommarello also noted that he wants to make education more appealing and take advantage of technology so that students want to be in class.

Getting the best “bang for their buck” in regard to taxes and the salaries of district teachers are also issues he sees an important to address.

He has no prior political experience.

Loretta White

Incumbent White, 74, wants to make sure she encourages education programs for Plum students and acts as a fiscal watchdog for the district.

“We are in very trying times,” she said. “I think you need experienced school directors to get you through.”

Not only her background in the education field as a teacher in Plum for 30 years, but the fact that she can “hit the ground running” are what White said makes her a good candidate.

“I know a lot of people and feel a commitment to them,” she said.

Raising targets for achievement scores and trying to preserve as many jobs as possible are important issues for White, as well as the financial security of senior citizens and balancing the district’s budget.

White has served on the Plum Borough School district for the past six years.

Richard Zucco

Zucco, 62, wants to be an advocate for the borough’s tax payers, which he calls the “largest special interest group” in Plum. Because they have no organized representation, he said many feel their concerns fall on deaf ears.

“I think it’s time to take politics out of our schools, get back to basics and use common sense,” he said.

Balancing quality and affordability are challenges the district faces, he said.

“I will do my best to insure that our tax dollars are used in the most effective and efficient manner and still provide the educational goals and opportunities that parents want,” he said.

He wants Plum to be considered the “most livable community”, much like Pittsburgh has in the past been voted the most livable city. He considers quality schools and low taxes to be key factors of such communities.

Zucco has no previous political experience.

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