Two candidates are running to represent Region 3 on the Kiski Area School Board.
Incumbent Nicole Kamer is cross-filed and will appear on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots May 20.
Newcomer the Rev. Trista Lucas of Vandergrift is running only as a Republican.
If Lucas were to win the Republican nomination and Kamer the Democratic, the two would rematch in November, with the winner serving a four-year term.
Region 3 includes East Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Parks Township and Vandergrift.
Three other seats on the board are up for grabs. Two Democrats and as many Republicans are vying for two open seats in Region 1. One Republican has filed for Region 2. No Democrats have entered that race. All candidates in the Region 1 and Region 2 primaries are expected to advance to the general election.
Kamer, 45, of East Vandergrift was elected to the Kiski Area School Board in 2020. She works as the deputy director of the Westmoreland County Regional Youth Services Center and is on the joint operating committee for the Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center.
Lucas, 38, of Vandergrift is making her first run for elected office. She is a pastor at The Reformed Church in Scottdale and a chaplain at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Apollo. Her community involvement includes running the Food 4 Kids backpack program in the Apollo-Ridge School District, serving as the president of the Scottsdale Area Association of Churches and heading up the Westmoreland Association for the United Church of Christ.
She goes by “TJ,” though her name will not appear on the ballot as such.
One of Kamer’s main priorities, if given a second term, would be increasing school safety and security. Specifically, she wants to add weapon detectors to the district’s six buildings as well as after-school events.
“I don’t want to say it’s unsafe. I just want to see the safety improve,” she said. “There’s a lot of school districts in our area that already have them, and I feel that we need to have them.”
She also would focus on collaborating with administrators and “continuing to make everybody proud, from the students to the administrators to the general public,” she said.
As for the board’s accomplishments during her tenure, Kamer touted the hiring of Superintendent Jason Lohr and a recent administrative reorganization.
Lucas said she wants the board to develop plans for monitoring and, if necessary, limiting the use of artificial intelligence by students.
“There’s really no plan or anything to even prepare for this kind of technology, and I feel like it’s growing, so I have some concerns for educators in being able to catch it and make sure students are actually doing their work,” she said.
She also would like to see the district expand its efforts to combat learning loss caused by the covid-19 pandemic and virtual learning while also providing more challenging courses for advanced students.
In addition, Lucas hopes to bolster the district’s mental health services, perhaps by adding peer group therapy led by a counselor. Physical fitness is on her radar, too. She wants to explore subsidizing the costs of extracurricular activities for families who may not be able to afford to participate.
“Really, I’m concerned about the mind, body and spirit of our students and also our faculty and administration,” she said.
