Penn Hills residents are going to see a busy race for school board in the primary.
With nine candidates running for four open seats, only two out of nine candidates are only seeking the Democratic nod. The rest of the candidates are cross-filed, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ unofficial candidate list.
Here are the candidates and their responses to election questions posed by TribLive:
Mark Banner
Age: 48; born and raised in Penn Hills; returned to Penn Hills as a resident about 12 years ago
Political party: Democrat
Political history: None
Education: Associate degree in carpentry from the Pennsylvania Carpenters and Joiners Association
Occupation: Active duty in the Army for three years and continued in the Reserves for seven years; member of the carpenters union; currently serves as a property superintendent; also serves as head coach of the Penn Hills Middle School football team
Do you agree with recent decisions that the board has made? Banner said it doesn’t really matter if he agrees or disagrees with the current board’s decisions.
“I coach in the district and have worked alongside teachers and administrators to help players’ academic and athletic needs be met,” Banner said.
He said he believes he can bring a new perspective to the board and bring the families he has intereacted with closer to the district to collaborate with the board.
“I think I have a different view than what the school board may be used to,” Banner said.
Qiana Buckner
Age: 47; Penn Hills resident for about 13 years
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: Buckner ran for mayor of Penn Hills in 2022 and lost to the township’s current mayor, Pauline Calabrese. Buckner made history by being the first black person to run for the seat. She said she plans to run again. For eight years until the pandemic, she was vice president of the Board of Directors for the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship and served as head of the personnel committee, as well as director of its Soaring in the STEAM program.
Education background: Associate degree from Community College of Allegheny County in general studies; currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Carlow University and earning credits for a master’s in leadership policy at Carlow
Occupation: Job coach in a violence prevent program; works with “high-risk individuals” who are reentering the working world
Do you agree with recent decisions that the board has made? “I don’t agree with some recent decisions,” Buckner said.
She used the recent teacher contract negotians as an example.
“It took forever for teachers to get a contract to the detriment of our students,” Buckner said. “It’s time to stop looking at our kids as dollar signs. It’s not about how they can serve the district, it’s about how the district can serve them.”
Buckner said as a board member, she would focus on how to improve standardized test scores.
“I’ll be doing my due diligence with research and homework,” she said.
Buckner said she wants to prioritize how to be there for teachers, parents and students with an emphasis on proper support for IEP and 504 plans.
Joseph Capozoli
Age: 71; Penn Hills resident for about 30 years
Political party: Cross-filed, endorsed by Penn Hills Republicans
Political history: Capozoli is finishing his fifth year on the school board.
Education: Before going to school, Capozoli was a steelworker. He later attended Duff’s Business Institute and earned an associate degree in accounting.
Occupation: Retired; previously worked in the Pittsburgh Controller’s Office before being hired as a state auditor, where he worked for 27 years
What is the biggest issue facing this school district right now? Capozoli said he recognizes that despite the district’s recent successes, the work is not done. He said there is a need to keep progressing financially and educationally.
Capozoli comended the work of the board and the administration to leave financial recovery status.
“We went from a negative $400,000 to a positive $26 million in a four-year period. That was huge,” Capozoli said.
Despite that progress, he said the board needs to maintain financial responsibilities for the taxpayers’ money.
Capozoli said with new administrative leadership, the district has been able to make significant progress, including the new teacher contract. He said the board has been able to help introduce new programs such as PHorge Academy and the Innovation Institute.
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“Educationally, there’s room for improvement, but we have risen under the new leadership of Superintendent John Mozzocio,” Capozoli said.
He said he wants to continue his work with the board to see the district reach its potential.
“The work doesn’t stop here.”
Monica Colbert
Age: 51; Penn Hills resident since 2020
Political party: Democrat
Political history: Colbert said she has never run for public office but has served Allegheny County as a ward chair and member of the Penn Hills Democratic Committee since 2020.
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and English literature from the University of Pittsburgh; master’s degree in American studies from Fairfield University in Connecticut
Occupation: Associate director of access and transition initiatives in the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion at Carnegie Mellon University; works with high school students to provide them access to STEM opportunities at CMU as well as with local industries and community partners; also provides support programming for students new to college
Do you agree with recent decisions the current board has made? “The most recent decision of the board working with the teachers union to avoid a strike in Penn Hills School District last month is profoundly impactful for our community, and I am in full agreement with it,” Colbert said.
She called negotiations a complex matter and said both parties demonstrated collaboration.
“(It) is a process I look forward to participating in to bring about positive results for our students and families in Penn Hills,” Colbert said.
Dawn Golden
Age: 54; Penn Hills resident for about 18 years
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: None
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as a master’s in education for school counseling from the University of Pittsburgh; certified school counselor, K-12, Principal K-12 and has a superintendent letter of eligibility; currently in the dissertation phase of earning a doctorate in educational leadership from Point Park University
Occupation: Assistant superintendent of student support services for Pittsburgh Public Schools; previously served as assistant superintendent for special education and pupil personnel for the Penn Hills School District
Do you agree with recent decisions the current board has made?
“I believe the school district is finally headed in the right direction; however, the delay and lack of focus on student academic outcomes and parent engagement have impacted trust from parents and the community as well as student outcomes,” Golden said.
Golden said her career has sharpened her “problem-solving skills” and taught her how to make hard decisions and get results. She wants to focus on advocating for students and families, and holding systems of accountability.
“My desire to run for the school board is to address the district’s academic challenges, advocate for equitable opportunities for students and support and engage parents, families and the community at large,” Golden said.
Golden said she wants to help create schools where the needs of the whole child are addressed to ensure all students can thrive, support educators by ensuring they have the necessary resources to support the students and to ensure every family is engaged.
“This is not about politics for me. It is about purpose and passion, and I am ready to bring focus, integrity and commitment to the work of the school board,” Golden said.
Evelyn Herbert
Age: 63
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: Seeking third consecutive term on the school board; previously was elected committeewoman from 1998 to 2011 and school board director 2000-04 and 2017 to present
Education: Bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh
Occupation: Executive assistant
What is the biggest issue facing this school district right now? “The biggest issue for the school is the PSSA test scores. They have increased but not enough. For the community, I would like to see a tax break for senior citizens,” Herbert said.
Reginald Hickman
Age: 51; moved to Penn Hills about a year ago
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: Previously served on the Plum School Board in 2018 after being appointed to fill a vacant seat from March to December of that year
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Education: Bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh; doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Occupation: Educator and director of curriculum at Urban Pathway Charter School
Do you agree with recent decisions the current board has made? Hickman praised the current board’s efforts to create initiatives to improve attendance.
“I’d lik to see more done for transients. When students move about, we should be there to make sure they’re acclimating to the schools,” Hickman said.
He said the district had not done enough academically and the improvement plan does not address academics in a robust enough manner. Hickman said he used to write school improvement plans and helped districts across the state. He said in the district’s current plan, there isn’t a section to address intervention if a student is scoring below their grade level or is not scoring proficiently.
He said some type of multitiered system of support should be in place for students who aren’t performing.
“It’s not there, and it should be there,” Hickman said.
Marisa Jamison
Age: 55; Penn Hills resident for 23 years
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: School board member since 2020; appointed in October 2020 and elected in May 2021
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Occupation: Blended service coordinator supervisor at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh
What is the biggest issue facing this school district right now? Jamison said if she’s reelected, she wants to emphasize the improvment of the mental health services offered to students.
“We offer some services, but we want to make sure we continue services in the schools,” Jamison said.
The district currently offers a program in partnership with Pittsburgh Mercy, she said, but introducing new programs in addition would be beneficial. She said, ideally, the programs would start as early as elementary age so students can be equipped with those skills by the time they’ve graduated from the district.
“Our kids, they need to learn and know coping skills, and I feel like that is lacking. We want to make sure it’s offered in the schools,” she said.
Nicole Richardson
Age: 47; Penn Hills resident since 2017
Political party: Cross-filed
Political history: Richardson is finishing up her first four-year term on the board.
Education background: Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris University; master’s degree in business administration from Phoenix University
Occupation: Director of interns of college and career readiness at a private Catholic high school
What is the biggest issue facing this school district right now? Richardson said the most pressing issue is the district’s ability to maintain fiscal responsibility to avoid state receiverships. The district recently was released from financial recovery status by the state in May 2024. Despite this, there is still work to be done, Richardson said.
“We still need to be good stewards of our finances and budget spending,” Richardson said. “I understand what the needs are, the three- to five-year projected plans and what we need to do to stay on top of finances and, at the same time, move the district forward with the necessary upgrades we need.”