Election 2021: Keystone School Board Election Heats Up

KNOX BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — With the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 2, three write-in candidates hope to upset the established order at Keystone School District and win seats on the board.

(Pictured above, top to bottom, left to right: Trisha Dixon, John Slagle, Buck Weaver, Randy Burr, Jason Say, Stacey Thompson and Jason McMillen)

The Incumbents

(Pictured above, from left: Trisha Dixon, Randy Burr, and Stacey Thompson)

Randy Burr (Licking/Beaver/Callensburg), Stacey Thompson (Knox/Salem), and Trisha Dixon (Elk/Ashland/Shippenville) are the three incumbents being challenged for reelection by the three write-in candidates.

Thompson has served on the Keystone School Board for 12 years and is currently the treasurer of the board. In addition, she has taken an active part in school governance and activities, including:

• Pennsylvania School Boards Association, serving on their Board of Directors, Federal Relations Network, and Legislative Advisory Committee
• Employed as a secretary at Keystone Jr./Sr. High School, served as an advisor to student government there and has coached junior varsity volleyball
• Served as the President of the Keystone Music Association and Director of C.A.T.S

Burr has been on the board for eight years, and is active in his community and various other organizations:

• Board member of Lutheran Senior Housing; and St. Paul’s/Salem Church parish president and Sunday school teacher
• Past Potentate Zem Zem Shriners; Member of the Edinburgh Lodge 550 New Castle Constituency; and Clarion County Trikes
• Butler County Vocational Education Teacher
• Maintenance Supervisor at Giant Eagle

Dixon has served eight years on the board and is involved in a wide range of organizations and activities:

• Twenty-two years as a high school educator; 20 years as a youth group leader; and 13 years as a local and global mission leader
• Nine years coaching track, cheer softball, and swimming
• Five years as a live-streaming educator, supervisor, and volunteer; and professional videos/photography for youth musicals, recitals, and ballets

Thompson told exploreClarion.com the election went deeper than the mask mandate and asked voters to consider the board’s record in other areas of school governance.

“I feel that we have served our district well,” she said. “We have voted not to raise taxes. We have voted to hire exceptional teaching staff, custodians, secretaries, and administrators that have made our school one of the top PA schools, and we’ve also worked collaboratively with all our administrators and business managers to continue to keep our school debt-free.”

Thompson explained that she, Burr, and Dixon base their candidacies for the school board “upon doing what’s right for our students and doing what’s right for our community.”

“All our decisions are based upon what comes best for our children and how will it affect our community,” she said. “Our decisions are never a one-time shot decision. We try to remain consistent with those two key factors.”

Burr made the point that the school needs to be protected to ensure financial stability, explaining that a loss of funding from the state for not following the mask mandate would mean higher taxes in the district.

“You got to protect the school,” added Burr. “If we’re all going to lose funding, that’s going to cause taxes to raise. You don’t harm the school.”

Board president John Slagle (Elk/Ashland/Shippenville) is also running for reelection in the same constituency Dixon and Buck Weaver are competing; however, he has not been targeted for defeat by the anti-mask mandate trio.

Slagle is a pharmacist and the owner of The Medicine Shoppe in Clarion, Tionesta Pharmacy, Waterford Pharmacy, and Sheffield Pharmacy.

Additionally, he serves on the Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy as an independent pharmacist.

(Pictured above: John Slagle (center) at the board meeting September 20. Photo by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography)

Speaking to exploreClarion.com, Slagle said he has experience, as he has served around 30 years on the school board. He also noted that he has good reasons for wanting Keystone to prosper.

“I have a vested interest in the district. I can make a positive contribution to the district,” he explained, citing the fact his grandchildren are currently Keystone students, while his children are Keystone alumni.

Dixon did not give a comment for this article.

The Challengers