2 new Republicans, 3 incumbents to fill Hempfield school board seats

Two new Republicans will join the Hempfield Area School Board after a year filled with debate of national hot button issues and a pause on a planned $132 million high school renovation project.

Tracy Miller, 46, who works for a local tax collector, and Jennifer Stape, 38, a stay-at-home mom, will be newcomers on the board after securing wins in Tuesday’s general election. They will fill the spots previously held by incumbents Tony Bompiani, who did not run for reelection, and Jeanne Smith, who ran on the Democratic ticket but came in sixth Tuesday, just shy of returning to the board.

Incumbents Michael Alfery, Vince DeAugustine, Jennifer Bretz will return to the board, rounding out the five open seats. Alfery and Bretz ran on the Republican ticket, while DeAugustine cross-filed.

Newcomers on the Democratic ticket Colleen Gallagher, Kathy Charlton and Erin Johns Speese did not secure seats on the board.

Smith said she will miss being able to use her years of experience for the betterment of the district. She served on the panel for 12 years, or three terms.

“It was my great honor to support our accomplished educators, our dedicated families and our bright, young students,” she said.

New faces

Miller said she was “optimistically hopeful” that she would be elected. She is interested in prioritizing safety and education in the district.

As a newcomer, she said she wants to represent the “views of the people.”

“We align with what the majority of our community wants in our schools, and we are going to do our best to speak for that community,” Miller said. “I’ve been talking with community people the whole time I have been running. I’m willing to sit down with any community members (to talk).”

Stape said she is excited to be on the other side of the election process and is “ready to move forward.”

She cited wanting to avoid “external pressure from special interest groups, organizations and/or affiliations” in a statement.

“I want to emphasize the importance of the HASD mission statement that seeks to provide education excellence with a shared responsibility with all key stakeholders,” Stape wrote. “This link needs to be strengthened through HASD policies, procedures and practices.”

Issues in the district

The candidates had varying opinions on how the district should address issues such as book selection and the delayed high school project. Earlier this year, after more than a year and a half’s worth of debate, Hempfield approved restrictions on sexual content — written or visual — and nudity in library books, along with formal procedures for how a book can be challenged.

Bretz, Alfery and Miller were satisfied with the new version of the policy, while Stape argued that restrictions should be more stringent.

DeAugustine expressed support for the new version of the policy but said he is concerned about the polarization that has surrounded the issue and the potential to abuse the book challenge process.

The district’s planned renovation of the high school has been stymied for months for financial reasons. The board rejected all bids presented by construction manager SitelogIQ in August after estimates came in millions of dollars over projections. Recently, the board hired McKinley Architecture and Engineering to work as an owner’s representative on the project.

Most candidates agreed that hiring an owner’s rep was a good idea to try to get things back on track. DeAugustine, who leads the buildings and grounds team, was particularly enthusiastic about the owner’s rep. Incumbents Bretz and Alfery were focused on not raising taxes and staying on budget.

Stape and Miller all generally supported getting the project back on target, either by making cuts or compromising on the existing plan if needed.

Board’s road ahead

Alfery, 54, who works as a distributor sales consultant, said he looks forward to having two new members on the board.

“Having two new members will be great,” he said. “We have a really good, productive board, and I look forward (to) helping Jen and Tracy hit the ground running. We have a lot of work to do, and I am energized to get it done.”

Security is a priority for Alfery after a string of incidents at the district, including on Oct. 2, when three students were caught with two loaded handguns, prompting a lockdown and subsequent searches of students.

He chairs the district’s security committee, formed in response to the incidents.

“My single most important priority is the safety and security of all students and staff,” he said, adding that the Oct. 2 incident was a chance to evaluate and improve upon the district’s safety protocols.

Mental health is top of mind as an issue at the district, he said.

“We, as a district and community, really need to talk about the growing mental health crisis among our youth,” he said. “Our children are growing up in a whole new world of information, stimulation and education and we need to have different discussions about how that all affects their learning process and outlook, in general.”

DeAugustine, 44, who owns Manor Valley Golf Course, noted that he saw Miller and Stape attend many board meetings before they were elected.

“That shows me they care about the district, so I see no significant change, as all of our existing board members care deeply for Hempfield,” he said.

Getting the high school project back on track, focusing on school safety and improving communication with the public are on DeAugustine’s to-do list.

“While some things can’t be discussed, we need to do a better job communicating all relevant information of the district to the community,” he said. “Priority No. 1 is getting the high school project back on schedule, as well as helping any way I can in regards to school safety.”