Meet the six candidates competing for seats on the Tuscarora school board
Six candidates will compete for seats on the Tuscarora School District Board of Directors in the primary election on May 18.
All six candidates - Nathaniel Sullivan, Kevin Hoffman, Jay Clifton, Mary Sue Hartman, Erich Hawbaker and Brandon Boyer - will appear on the Republican ballot. Hoffman and Boyer cross-filed and will also appear on the Democrat ballot. Hawbaker and Boyer currently hold seats on the board, with Boyer currently acting as board president.
This is an at-large race and will appear on the ballots in Mercersburg and in Montgomery, Peters, St. Thomas and Warren townships.
Four seats are up for election. Four Republicans will move on to the general election in November and, unless there are multiple successful write-in candidates, the two cross-filed candidates will advance on the Democratic side.
The race could effectively be decided in the primary if the two cross-filed candidates advance in both parties.
To help voters learn more about them, we asked the six candidates the same three questions. The answers they submitted are below, lightly edited for clarity.
More:Here's who is running for local offices in Franklin County in the 2021 primary election
Nathaniel Sullivan
Age: 25
Party: Republican
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
I decided to run for school board because I am tired of the ridiculous spending and the high taxes. Tuscarora School district pays the highest property taxes in Franklin County.
Why should someone vote for you?
Because I’m going to work hard to bring bipartisan solutions to the table to cut cost but keep a wonderful education for the children.
What’s one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
I actually have 2 important issues. One is for the kids to be in school and come up with a solution to do so without mask. Maybe let it up to the parents. And two is to lower taxes and the only way to do that for the school district is to learn how to manage the money every time a raise is given out or a new hire is made in the school district, because then the taxes go up.
Kevin R. Hoffman
Age: 56
Party: Republican and Democratic
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
As a taxpayer in the district for over 30 years, a parent of two James Buchanan graduates, and a former school district employee, I feel it’s time I give something back to benefit the district.
Why should someone vote for you?
Having been an employee for the district, I have made personal connections in all six of the district schools. I feel I’m qualified to represent the employees, staff, and buildings in front of the board and advocate for the best interest of all parties involved. I have been attending all board meetings I possibly can and feel I have a better understanding of how the district operates.
What’s one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
Communication! I have talked to people who are so disgusted with communications they feel like they are on a “need to know” basis and are therefore feeling like they're not important, which could eventually be passed on to our kids! I would like to take time to visit each building randomly, talk to principals, teachers, and staff, listen to problems and concerns and find a way to address them. Another thing that bothers me is the lack of people going to board meetings — I have been to more than 1 meeting where I was the only nonemployee/student there.
Jay Clifton
Age: 53
Party: Republican
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
I decided to run because I have six kids by my lovely wife Karen, who all attend Tuscarora schools. So that said I feel like I have some skin in the game. I do not have any specific issues with the district I think they have done a fine job recently with the cards the COVID has dealt them. Could they have done better? Sure. But, hindsight, as they say is 20/20.
Why should someone vote for you?
I am a constitutional conservative. I not beholden to any political organization or special interest groups. This is not a stepping stone for future political gain. I wish to be a voice for the students and teachers alike. My only interest is a solid education for our children and equipping our teachers with the best tools possible to make this happen.
What's one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
As far as I know this has not hit Tuscarora School District yet, but I am extremely concerned about critical race theory ideology that is poisoning public education. This is the main reason why I am running, to ensure this hate-based doctrine does not find it's way into our curriculum.
Mary Sue Hartman
Party: Republican
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
After speaking with Senator Judy Ward earlier this year I decided to take her advice and get involved with our school board. My husband and I decided that my involvement should be more than just a concerned grandparent attending school board meetings. So, along with my family and friends’ support I decided to run.
Why should someone vote for you?
First and foremost I feel that I can be the voice for parents in the Tuscarora School District. A board member is responsible to the people of the community and as a tax paying citizen we all own a part of our schools and our voices need to be heard.
What’s one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
One of the most important issues in not only our school district, but in the nation, is the school curriculum. As parents and grandparents, our children and grandchildren, should an education that is not under mining American values. Things have become political in schools, anti-racism lessons, teaching bias, exclusion of American history, and possibly world history. Parents should not feel they have to accept this. We as a community need to get involved, we should not apologize, we need to stand fast and stand strong! If elected, I will be the voice of our children. Rights, Respect, Responsibility - these are the three R’s of curriculum.
Erich Hawbaker
Incumbent
Age: 38
Party: Republican
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
I have been on the Tuscarora School Board since 2009. My goal from the beginning has been to ensure that we are doing the best we can with the resources we have. This past year has been awful for everyone, but I don't believe anyone anywhere has weathered the storm better than our students, staff, and community.
Why should someone vote for you?
I am a lifetime resident of Mercersburg, and graduate of James Buchanan High School, and the owner of a local small business. I am also on the boards of the Tuscarora Education Foundation and Rocket Totes food bank, and a member of the Mercersburg Rotary Club.
What’s one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
Getting back to where we were before COVID is the most pressing problem we have right now. At the same time, a segment of our student body has come to prefer cyber school, and the demand for it will still exist even after COVID has passed. Unfortunately, PA's current cyber-charter structure results in a big financial loss to the school district whenever a student leaves us for cyber-charter. Our solution to this is to offer an in-house cyber option that keeps those students and those dollars within the district. This will lead to major savings for our taxpayers in years to come.
Brandon Boyer
Incumbent
Age: 43
Party: Republican and Democratic
What made you decide to run for a seat on the board?
This last year, of my 4th year in office, and second year as board president, has been a challenging one. This challenge has encouraged me to run for a second term, so I can help transition a new board. As history is very important to our students' education, so is knowing the history of why recent decisions have been made. I hope to bridge the new school board members' concerns and new ideas with recent decisions, so Tuscarora can continue to keep students' education and safety a priority, while moving forward. Four-plus years ago when I first decided to run for school director, I felt I could represent a multitude of interests. I have three kids in the district, pay property tax, am self-employed, have worked in the dairy industry, and my wife is a teacher. These life experiences have allowed me to have well rounded conversations with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds about what is best for student learning while staying within our means. If elected, I plan to apply these experiences to making educated decisions that are in the best interest of all those involved in the district during my second term.
Why should someone vote for you?
If re-elected by you, the voter, I will continue to be a clear voice for this community, for conservative values, and one that puts our kids' education first. In my first term of office I had voted to put salary bands on our administrators in order to limit subjective pay structures, to use fund balance to offset an overall increase in millage rate, and to hire Mr. Benedict as a vested superintendent. In my role as Board President, I was also able to refocus the flow of board meetings so there is equal input from each board member, and I requested that all board member emails be accessible to the public on the district website. During this past year, remaining in person as much as possible has been an utmost priority. By staying informed through weekly and monthly meetings with administration and PSBA, who are staying current with the ever changing guidelines, we have been able to maintain in-person learning for most of the year. I currently continue to advocate for education and our tax payers frequently by meeting with our state representatives to bring forward concerns our district faces educationally and financially.
What’s one important issue in the school district currently and how would you address it?
The most important issue currently in education is addressing the learning loss caused by COVID. We, and that includes me, can point fingers at political parties and do the blame game, however, this will not solve the problem for our students. Over 500 school districts in the state of Pennsylvania have received relief money (ESSER) that is earmarked to address learning loss. As a board, we have made decisions with many more decisions to come, on how to best utilize these funds to support our students' learning recovery. Recommendations come from our administrative team and educators for board approval. As a board it is our responsibility to ask questions and do our best to vote on the recommendations that support student growth and allow us to rise above this pandemic.