Moon School Board Candidates Differ on Curriculum, Renovations

The campaign signs have lined Moon streets for weeks. 

In Tuesday's primary election, two tickets will dominate much of the ballot for the Moon Area School Board --- the self-described "Citizens for Education" and five current board members seeking re-election. 

, the Public Works supervisor seeking election on the Citizens for Education ticket, said "transparency and fiscal responsibility" are at the heart of the race. 

"We feel the entire minutes from meetings should be posted online," Tranter said. "All [the current school board] put up is a Campbell's Soup version online right now."

Tranter also said his ticket hopes to quell the number of change orders approved for the district's various campus renovation projects. It's a subject members of his ticket have frequently discussed at private meetings, he said.

"Do we really feel that [the change orders] are fiscally responsible?" Tranter said. "I question many of those orders -- I believe there have been things that we didn't need." 

School Board President , who is seeking re-election, said change orders for the $76 million high school construction are within the 3-percent national average for a project of its size. He said 1 percent of the project's overall budget has been spent on change orders. 

"We are well below the national average in change orders, and we are still under budget," Scappe said, whose ticket also includes non-board member Danny Barefoot. "This is just politics, and the public is aware of it.

"The millage is already in place for the current construction projects," he said. "We don't have to raise taxes to pay for these projects." 

Scappe and fellow board members seeking re-election each said they hope to continue serving on the board to see the district's renovation projects to completion. 

"From a fiscally responsible position, we need to finish these projects that we've got going in the most efficient way," said board member , who is seeking re-election. "One of my biggest concerns [if not re-elected] would be to see delays in these projects." 

Current board member said she decided to seek re-election because "there's an excitement to see what this current board can get done." 

"[Residents] can look forward to seeing the same demeanor from the board if we're re-elected," she said. "We work hard and we're passionate about what we're doing." 

Candidate , who is running on the Citizens for Education ticket, said she and her fellow running-mates hope to oversee an improvement in the district's academic performance. 

"It's up to us to hold the leadership in the district responsible," Tatone said. "There's no reason why our multimillion dollar school district can't be one of the top district's in the country. We believe there are academic problems in the district that need to be explored." 

Pollack said he feels the current board in recent years has made strides in improving the overall education environment for students. 

"The board is in place for strategic guidance and supervision," Pollack said. "We are not here to micromanage the administrators and the teachers. They're professionals." 

, who is running alongside Tatone and Tranter, said he hopes the board takes a more active role in overseeing the district's curriculum. He said he was prompted to run for the board because he feels students in the district are sometimes taught "age-inappropriate material" without consent from parents. 

"The board doesn't set the curriculum, but the board should hold the superintendent responsible," Harbaugh said.