2 veteran Hempfield Area school board members decide not to seek reelection

Hempfield Area school board will see at least two new faces next year, as veteran members Paul Ward and Diane Ciabattoni are opting not to run for reelection.

Board President Jerry Radebaugh and Vice President Scott Learn will seek another term, according to Westmoreland County records.

The former Westmoreland County purchasing director, Radebaugh, is finishing up his first three-year term. New Stanton resident Learn, a general dentist, has served on the board since 2016.

Three candidates will compete for Ward and Ciabattoni’s seats — Daniel Graft, Lindsay Stevens and Cory Thoma, who ran for a spot on the board three years ago.

Ciabattoni, Ward reflect on time with board

First elected to the board in 1984, Ciabattoni has served off and on for more than three decades.

“I had all intentions of running again,” Ciabattoni said. “I was ready. I went and got my petitions.”

But Ciabattoni decided it is time for her to step away from the position.

“I’m not leaving for any particular reason. There’s not anything going on (that) I wouldn’t want to stay (for). There’s not a big controversy,” she said.

“I’ve dealt with the good and I’ve dealt with the bad, and I’ve really appreciated my time on the board and I appreciate the people I work with.”

A longtime advocate for the district’s teachers and nearby Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, Ciabattoni said it is important for the board to maintain its role as a policymaker for the district.

“It’s a very important position, but sometimes we get into areas that are really (for) administration or teachers (to decide),” she said. “We have our ups and downs. It looks like with the administration, we’re doing well.”

In her time on the board, Ciabattoni said Hempfield Area’s school directors have made strong steps toward transparency with the community.

“I think just being able to talk to the community is a good thing,” she said, “and I think we are on that path — that we are trying to be as transparent as we can without divulging confidential things.”

Ward, an attorney for Kennametal, was elected to the board in 2015, serving as president in 2023. He was inspired to serve on the board after years of coaching local baseball and softball teams for his three children — who graduated from Hempfield Area High School in 2013 and 2017.

“I’ve always liked to volunteer my time and get involved with the community,” Ward said, “and running for school board seemed like a good opportunity to get involved and to contribute to the community and to the school district.”

After a decade on the board, Ward decided it is time to let another candidate contribute a fresh perspective to the district.

“While it has been challenging and rewarding, it’s been a significant commitment of time and energy,” Ward said, noting the time he has given to serving on various committees and understanding district issues ahead of the board’s voting meetings.

“After 10 years,” he said, “I thought it’s time to give someone else an opportunity to bring some new ideas and new energy to it.”

New members to inherit high school renovation

The district’s plans to overhaul its high school will continue to be the biggest focus for the board in the coming years, according to Ciabattoni and Ward.

The district halted the high school renovation in August of 2023 when bids for some of the work came in over budget. Core Architects, the originial architect for the project, resigned in February.

Hempfield later hired Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, which laid out visions for the project in October, touching on improvement priorities and potential schematic designs.

A two-story addition to the building’s front entrance will be a key component of the renovation — serving as a hub for innovation.

Because most of the district’s budget is dedicated to fixed costs such as employee salaries, the board is no stranger to making decisions amid financial pressure, Ward said.

“While no one wants to raise taxes, there’s — almost every year — a decision of ‘Do you raise taxes or look at cutting resources and programs?’” he said. “In the time that I’ve been on the board, we try to make sure that we owe it to the students not to cut programs or resources.”

Ward feels he and Ciabattoni are leaving the board in good hands.

“I didn’t decide not to run this time because of the group that’s in there,” he said. “In fact, if anything, I was close to being inspired to run again.

“I think with the current administration and the current board, the district is positioned to make the best decisions going forward.”