Pittsburgh Public Schools board candidates in May 2011 election

=Three races contested for Pittsburgh school board=
			Candidate forumWhat: Pittsburgh Public Schools board candidate forum
Sponsor: Education watchdog A+ Schools
When: 6 p.m. May 11
Where: Regional Enterprise Tower, 30th Floor, Downtown
======About the writer======
Jodi Weigand is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer can be reached at 412-320-7910 or via e-mail.
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By Jodi Weigand
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, April 11, 2011 
Candidates challenging Pittsburgh school board incumbents say board members and administrators need to do a better job of eliminating school inequity and fostering collaboration with parents.
"Generally, the school board does not directly talk to parents, and parents don't participate much," said Lisa Freeman, 49, of Manchester, one of three women challenging District 8 incumbent Mark Brentley Sr. "I want to be there to support parents and empower parents who are discouraged and/or uninvolved."
School board seats in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 are up for election this year, with contested races in all but District 4. Voters will choose nominees for each party in the May 17, 2011, primary, with the winners advancing to the Nov. 8, 2011, general election.
All four incumbents are cross-filed, seeking nomination on the Republican and Democratic ballots.
District 2
District 2 incumbent Dara Ware Allen faces two challengers, both running only on the Democratic ballot. District 2 covers parts of the North Side, Lawrenceville and other neighborhoods near the Allegheny River.
Challenger Celina Basant said she wants to ensure that all teachers in every school are dedicated to finding innovative ways to educate students.
Basant and her fiance moved to Pittsburgh last year from New York City, where she taught high school biology and helped open a small public high school. She teaches education at the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus and is a substitute teacher in city schools.
"Pittsburgh Public Schools comes across as innovative in what they do, but when I got here there were stumbling blocks I ran into," Basant said. "I talk to teachers daily, and there's such a feeling of frustration, of almost having your hands tied and not being able to do anything about it."
Challenger Regina Holley, who retired last year as principal at Lincoln K-8 after 36 years in the district, said she wants everyone from students to the superintendent to be held accountable for student success.
"Schools are given what they're supposed to do and when those things don't work, somebody else has to be held accountable, not just the principal and the teacher," she said.
She also wants district officials to better plan initiatives that close schools and alter programs.
"At Lincoln, I had to take into consideration the ideas and the things parents told me," she said. "I didn't always do it the way they wanted, but I explained to them in an honest and open manner why I was doing it the way I was."
Allen, executive director of YouthWorks, a nonprofit that provides work force training for at-risk youth, said she realizes some things need to change.
"We do know a lot of what's working well and we need to replicate it more broadly to areas that are not (succeeding)," she said.
District 6
In District 6, which covers southern neighborhoods, board president Sherry Hazuda is challenged by Lisa Jones, a chemistry teacher at Carrick High School. Both filed for both parties' nominations.
Jones said she's ready to resign her teaching job, as required by state law, if she's elected to the board.
"Most districts are having a difficult time right now with the economy and budget cutbacks," she said. "As a teacher, I see how that directly impacts the classroom. I just could not stand by the sidelines any longer."
Hazuda, a contract administrator for UPMC, said serving on the board is a tough job, but one she loves. She said she believes voters will recognize her devotion to wanting to "make a difference in the lives of kids."
District 8
Brentley, a three-term incumbent, faces three challengers who are running only in the Democratic primary.
Arita Gilliam Rue and Deloris Lewis join Freeman in challenging him in the district, which covers much of the North Side and Manchester.
Deloris Lewis, a retired Port Authority police officer, said she became involved when she enrolled her adopted son, now 9, in school, and now she's ready to make it a full-time focus.
Arita Gilliam Rue said she wants to tackle inequity in schools and thinks North Side residents need a representative who will work with other board members to solve problems.
"The current board member (Mark Brentley) seems to find it difficult to get the collaboration of the other board members," said Gilliam Rue, who works as school health coordinator for UPMC Shadyside, teaching sex education at Lincoln and Faison intermediate schools.
Brentley, a three-term incumbent, is a frequent critic of the administration and often votes against or abstains on initiatives supported by other board members. He said his success "depends on how you measure your sway."
"I am very successful in what I'm here to do," he said. "I set policy, hire and fire (staff) and advocate for those who are in the district who put me here."
District 4
Bill Isler, 64, of Squirrel Hill, a three-term incumbent, is running unopposed in District 4.
The candidates
DISTRICT 2
Dara Ware Allen
Age: 38
Residence: Highland Park, District 2
Occupation: Executive director of YouthWorks, a nonprofit that provides career preparation for at-risk youth.
Political party: Cross-filed
Political experience and community involvement: Appointed to school board in August 2009 after a board member resigned; chairs the board's education committee and has served on the district's High School Reform Task Force as well as the Youth Police Council of the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board.
Reason for running: "This is the first year my son is in Pittsburgh Public Schools, so I think it has deepened my investment in this work. I also think, at this juncture, with the proposed cuts, that I have a level of understanding from the 18 months of being appointed of the critical issues district is facing as well as the relationship to advance the work that's under way."
Celina Basant
Age: 36
Residence: Spring Hill, District 2
Occupation: Education professor at the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus and substitute teacher in Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Political party: Democrat
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; before moving to Pittsburgh last year, she worked as a biology teacher at two New York City schools; member of the Northside Leadership Conference's education subcommittee and Spring Hill Civic League.
Reason for running: "As a substitute teacher I learned there's a huge disconnect in what's going on in the head office and what's going on in the schools. One of the things I started to question is how are the board members allowing these things to happen?"
Regina Holley
Age: 58
Residence: Highland Park, District 2
Occupation: Retired as principal at Lincoln K-8 after working for Pittsburgh Public Schools for 36 years, where she started out teaching special-needs students. She coordinates Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Future Educators of America Association student chapters at Westinghouse, Langley, Obama and Allderdice High Schools.
Political party: Democrat
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; program chair for the Kingsley Association, a Larimer educational and recreational facility. She also is board president for Naomi's Place Transitional Housing, in Highland Park, which provides temporary housing for women who are recovering addicts or homeless.
Reason for running: "I am really about helping communities in Pittsburgh become stronger. I am dedicated to the development of a school system where children are being educated by highly qualified teachers. And I think that everyone in the district should be held accountable for student outcomes."
DISTRICT 4
Bill Isler
Age: 64
Residence: Squirrel Hill, District 4
Occupation: President and CEO of The Fred Rogers Company, formerly known as Family Communications
Political party: Cross-filed
Political experience and community involvement: First elected to school board in 1999 and served as executive assistant to the state Secretary of Education; chairs three board committees, including marketing and communications, government relations and policy manual. He is the board's representative to the Council of Great City Schools, which represents 66 urban districts.
Reason for running: "I believe in the work that Pittsburgh Public Schools is doing and I believe in the work (superintendent) Linda Lane is doing to be significant in lives of children in the City of Pittsburgh."
DISTRICT 6
Sherry Hazuda
Age: 60
Residence: Beechview, District 6
Occupation: Contract administrator for UPMC
Political party: Cross-filed
Political experience and community involvement: Elected to school board in 2007. She is currently board president. She serves on the board's personnel, negotiations, marketing and communications and government relations committees.
Reason for running: "It's a lot of work, but I love being on the board and having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids."
Lisa Jones
Age: 48
Residence: Beechview, District 6
Occupation: Chemistry teacher at Carrick High School
Political party: Cross-filed
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; was adviser for Students Against Destructive Decisions, past assistant track coach and served on a curriculum reform and leadership committee.
Reason for running: "As a teacher, I think I have great insight that I can bring to the board. A lot of policy decisions the board makes, I don't think they think it through to determine how it would affect the classroom."
DISTRICT 8
Mark Brentley Sr.
Age: 54
Residence: Central North Side, District 8
Occupation: Laborer for Pittsburgh Public Works
Political party: Cross-filed
Political experience and community involvement: Elected to school board in 1999. He is the board liaison to the district's athletic committee and Minority Women Business Office. He founded and chairs the district's Take a Father to School Day.
Reason for running: "It has and continues to be a wonderful experience serving on the board, knowing you have an opportunity to help changes the lives of students in the district."
Lisa Freeman
Age: 49
Residence: Manchester, District 8
Occupation: A social worker for a mental health agency that works with families and children in high-risk communities.
Political party: Democrat
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; president of Manchester Elementary parent-teacher organization. She organized the PTO when her son began attending.
Reason for running: "I am a parent and I am not satisfied. I want to be there to support parents and empower parents who are discouraged and/or uninvolved."
Deloris Lewis
Age: 60
Residence: Central North Side, District 8
Occupation: Retired in 2003 after 20 years as a Port Authority Police Officer
Political party: Democrat
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; Democratic committee woman for Pittsburgh's Ward 22, District 1; past president of the King PreK-8 preschool parent-teacher organization.
Reason for running: "For better education of kids, we need some changes. I will represent the North Side, but I am part of representing the education for all children in the city school system."
Arita Gilliam Rue
Age: 59
Residence: Manchester, District 8
Occupation: School health coordinator for UPMC Shadyside. She works with Westinghouse, Peabody and Schenley high school students who teach sex education to fifth- to eight-graders at Lincoln and Faison intermediate schools.
Political party: Democrat
Political experience and community involvement: First time running for public office; served on a district-organized advisory committee that provided recommendations on how to reconfigure East End schools; volunteered for A+ Schools, a local education watchdog group.
Reason for running: "I think District 8 deserves a school board representative who will work collaboratively with the other board directors. And it's time we begin to look at some of the policies and practices from the standpoint of, are we achieving the kinds of results we wanted to get?"
Read more: Three races contested for Pittsburgh school board - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_731680.html#ixzz1JDtueUKR
Category:News coverage
Category:Candidate 2011