In the Nov. 7 general election, seven candidates will vie for five open seats on the Knoch School Board. The incumbents hoping to retain their seats are board president Donna Eakin, William Gebhart, Justin Kovach, Debra Miller and David McRandal. The two newcomers are Tim Danehy and Jesse Scheller.

Three of the candidates — Eakin, Gebhart and Kovach — will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. Miller and Danehy are running on the Democratic ballot only, while McRandal and Scheller will appear on the Republican ballot only.

Eakin, 56, of Jefferson Township, has been a constant on the Knoch School Board for eight years, the last four of which she served as board president. She also works full time at the specialty recycling company Clean Earth and has spent 30 years in the environmental field.

Eakin said she first ran for the school board out of a desire to continue to volunteer for the then-named South Butler County School District.

“I volunteered throughout the district while my kids attended Knoch,” Eakin said. “I felt the desire to continue to serve and volunteer in this community, and being a board member provides an opportunity to have a greater impact on students and their success.”

One of Eakin’s main concerns is addressing staffing shortages in the district — not just for teachers but for every position.

“I will continue to work with our administration to attract personnel and fill open positions within our district,” Eakin said. “We have qualified applicants for our open positions due to our work environment and seek to maintain and continue to improve upon the quality of the educational experience for the students.”

Gebhart, 63, of Clinton Township, is nearing the end of his first term on the Knoch School Board. He has been a small business owner since 1982.

Overall, Gebhart is proud of the work the school board has managed to achieve over the past four years.

“We have negotiated contracts, reviewed policies and dealt with the day-to-day operation of the school district,” Gebhart said. “We have started the process of the construction project to begin in the near future.”

Gebhart was first encouraged to run for a seat on the then-named South Butler County School Board so he could play a small part in improving the mental health and academic success of students.

“I believe that all students’ mental health and success are a priority,” Gebhart said. “I felt called to be involved in a group where I can be part of the policies governing and improving what we are currently doing to show hope for the future of our students.”

Chief among Gebhart’s concerns is maintaining Knoch’s finances in a period of inflation while making sure Knoch High School’s renovation project goes smoothly.

“We have obtained a great bond rate, but we have run into inflationary challenges,” Gebhart said. “I would work with the board in finding ways to meet our costs of the school district with funds we have available.”

Kovach, 34, of Saxonburg, is a Realtor with the Kovach Realty Team, as well as a professional structural engineer. He was first appointed to fill a vacant seat in July of 2022 and is now running to retain that seat.

Despite the circumstances of his appointment, Kovach approached the position with enthusiasm, as his children — ranging from ages 2 to 6 — are attending the district themselves.

“With what the district was facing at the time of my appointment, I felt like I was uniquely qualified to help serve the community that I love and serve the students and staff at the district,” Kovach said. “The curriculum that the district uses to teach our children is vitally important; as a parent and as a conservative Christian, I want to ensure my children are being raised with an education that promotes this.”

Kovach’s experience with managing construction projects has been put to the test lately, thanks to the way the high school renovation project is going. The project has been delayed due to worldwide supply-chain issues and higher-than-expected bids from construction contractors, and the scope of the renovation has been dialed back to save money.

“I have found that my background as an engineer has been useful to my fellow board members in being able to explain the building process and better position the district for the challenges that a building project can present,” Kovach said. “I bring a unique skill set to the position that the district administration has leaned on to this point and will as we move forward.”

Another concern for Kovach is attracting staff members to the school district in an age of rampant inflation, labor shortages in the industry, and increasing wages in other sectors.

“A lot of our staff are members of various collective bargaining units, which the district has multiyear contracts with,” said Kovach. “I believe that the board will need to review not just our compensation plans for entry level employees, but our compensation structure for all of our staff at all the levels within the district.”

Miller, of Penn Township, is retired, and has previously spent time working as a research tech and in customer service at hazardous waste facilities. She possesses a bachelor of science degree in biology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Miller’s roots in the school system run deep. She has been on the Knoch School Board for the past 20 years, and she also serves as the district’s representative to both the Butler County Vo-Tech’s Joint Operating Committee and the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV’s board of directors.

Like most school directors, Miller first ran for a spot on the school board so she could have a bigger say in the district’s affairs.

“I wanted to be on the school board to increase my service to my community beyond the PTA, Boy/Girl Scouting programs and church,” Miller said. “My life experiences, practical experiences, personal character and a strong willingness to serve my community are the building blocks for the school director I am and will continue to be.”

Miller is overall optimistic about the future of the Knoch School District, despite some slight concerns about the planned renovation to high school.

“Our construction project has already had to readjust to better stay within our budget,” Miller said. “The removal of additional parking will allow for the necessary improvements for both student education and care.”

Aside from that, Miller hopes she can continue to usher the school district in the right direction.

“We have been able to put in place a great team of educators at Knoch through new hires and utilizing existing staff to better meet the needs of our current students while looking to the future,” Miller said.

McRandal is nearing the end of his first four-year term on the Knoch School Board.

Earlier this year, McRandal told the Butler Eagle his three top concerns for the school district are recruiting high-quality teachers and staff, maintaining the budget without raising taxes and providing a safe school environment. He is also hoping to get the high school renovation project started and keep it on budget.

McRandal has also taken issue with a state mandate requiring school districts to shoulder the cost of sending students to cyber or charter schools, “because it is a huge financial burden to our budgets.”

Danehy, 49, of Clinton Township, is one of two non-incumbents running for a spot on the Knoch School Board. Although he does not currently hold a seat, he is a frequent presence and speaker at school board meetings.

Danehy is the owner of the environmental engineering company BioMost, based in Mars. From 1998 to 2022, he served as treasurer for the nonprofit Stream Restoration Incorporated, and also served as president of the American Society of Reclamation Sciences for a time.

Danehy believes his experience in these roles more than qualifies him to be a school director.

“I have proven leadership experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors,“ Danehy said. ”I both design and construct high-value, complicated projects and have extensive project management experience.“

This is not Danehy’s first time running for a spot on the Knoch School Board. In 2019, he ran for a seat on the then-named South Butler County School Board but came up short.

Danehy says he was prompted to run for a spot on the school board due to, in his words, “the lack of leadership demonstrated by our current board.”

“Our district lacks a vision and strategic plan,” Danehy said.

He said he is concerned about the progress of the renovation project at the high school.

“Construction work should have begun by now,” Danehy said. “Lack of fiscal planning and project management by the current board has failed to provide the students with an adequate learning environment.”

Scheller, 33, of Clinton Township, currently works in sales and repair for a local roofing company and is also attending school to become a pastor. He boasts 14 years of experience in the construction field and has also served as minister at a local church for the past seven years.

“As a father with children who will be going to Knoch, I have a vested interest in their secure education,” said Scheller.

Scheller is running for a school board seat for the first time. He was first motivated to run for election after hearing that a member of the community — fellow candidate Tim Danehy — challenged the idea of the school board starting off each of its meetings with an invocation. This occurred in January of this year.

“I became aware that if people wouldn’t get involved to preserve the freedoms and core values of our school and community, then they would continue to be surrendered,” Scheller said.

Scheller made it clear that the wellness and mental health of students was his first priority.

“We need to harbor a safe environment for the students to learn and interact with others,” Scheller said. “Likewise, we want to provide a school where the staff is excited to come to work and be a part of something they’re proud of.”