8 candidates for North Allegheny school board win nominations to face-off for 4 seats
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The eight candidates running in Tuesday’s primary for North Allegheny school board all received party nominations to square off again for four open seats in the fall general election.
Only one of the four NA school directors whose terms expire this year is running again.
Board members Andy Chomos, Allison Minton and Scott Russell will step down at the end of the year, leaving Rick McClure as the lone incumbent to seek reelection to another four-year term. McClure was appointed to the board in 2015 and won a four-year term that began in 2018.
The other seven candidates running in the primary have no prior political experience.
The remaining five members on the school board won’t face reelection until 2023.
While North Allegheny school directors are independently elected officials who serve at large, the eight candidates ran in two separate coalitions, or teams, that share a similar vision and are philosophically aligned, according to the candidates.
McClure, Greg Casten, Vidya Szmkowiak and Joe Wall ran as a team and each received nominations on the Republican ticket in the May 18 primary.
Sylvana Bonner, Leslie Britton Dozier, Paige Hardy and Jon Parker also ran as a coalition and were nominated on the Democratic ticket.
The four candidates who receive the most votes on Nov. 2.
School board members are primarily responsible for planning, setting policy and evaluating results, according to the state School Board Association.
School board members are unpaid.
With a student population of 8,493, North Allegheny is the largest school district in Allegheny County next to Pittsburgh Public Schools.