Pine-Richland School Board Elections

While I haven't heard much about who might be running for Pine-Richland School Board this year, I have been outspoken about my frustration with the tax increase that the all REPUBLICAN school board voted for last year. I would like to see some sort of interest in these races, but it has been very quiet.

Here are school board seats that are up for election in 2011.

Region 1 (Pine Twp. 1, 4, 5, 7, & 8 - 2 Seats):

Therese Dawson
Kevin Nigh*

Region 2 (Pine Twp. 2, 3, 6 & Richland Twp. 1, 2, 7, 8 - 1 Seat):

Scott Stedeford*

Region 3 (Richland Twp. 3, 4, 5, &6 - 2 Seats):

Aafke Loney*
A. Robert Necciai*

*Voted for the property tax increase

The Pine-Richland School District Board of School Directors adopted a modified regional plan for the election of school directors. This plan was presented to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and approved. The realignment is designed to more accurately reflect the changing populations in the Pine and Richland Townships and to equalize the three regions. Each of the three regions elects three school directors to the Board.

The former arrangement grouped all of the Pine Township into Region #1. Region #2 is the western portion of Richland Township, and Region #3 is the eastern portion of Richland Township. Pine has been growing rapidly since the present arrangement was put into place and the population gap between the two municipalities has narrowed.

Under the new realignment plan, the Board expanded Region #2 and added to it three electoral districts from Pine. The plan encompass portions of both townships and involves electing.

Pine-Richland School Board is out of control

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today that the Pine-Richland School Board voted for a $41.7 million cap on expansion project. Does Pine-Richland really need this project?

The Pine-Richland School Board’s spending is already out of control.
The school board claimed it had no intention of raising taxes, but they voted for a proposed budget with a tax increase. Now they have voted for a cap that they have no intention of using. Why do they need to fudge numbers if they have no intention of using reaching the cap ?

"There is no one up here who has any intention of spending that amount of money," Director Kevin Nigh said.

I applaud School Board Vice President Richard Herko for his comments:

Vice President Richard Herko cast the lone dissenting vote. He said he realized the number was "imaginary," in that the board has no intention of spending that amount for construction, "but it feels like a real one."