PARKLAND, Pa. — Two opposing candidate groups vying for Parkland School Board appear ready to face off in the general election, according to complete but unofficial vote results.
The race featured groups of candidates who campaigned together and shared resources.
- The two opposing candidate groups in the Parkland School Board race have won the Democratic and Republican nominations, according to unofficial results
- One group is made up of primarily incumbents and campaigned on focusing on the future of the district
- The other, called Elevate Education, focused on reducing spending in the district, increasing transparency on the board and increasing parental involvement in education
One of the groups is made up of incumbent Directors Carol Facchiano, Jay Rohatgi, Lisa Roth and Marisa Ziegler, as well as newcomer Chris Pirrotta.
Facchiano said the group formed because they all were focused on the district's future, specifically on figuring out how to address projected overcrowding in the district’s middle and high schools.
The other group, called Elevate Education, is made up of Republican challengers Mike Deering, Beth Finch, Natalie Janotka, Bobby Lanyon, Mike Millo and George Rivera.
The group's main priorities were reducing spending in the district, increasing transparency on the board and increasing parental involvement in education, according to its website.
The unofficial results show the incumbent candidate group winning in the Democratic primary and the Elevate Education group winning in the Republican primary.
The two-year seat
Five four-year seats and one two-year seat also are up for election. The two-year term was created by state Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s resignation from the board in December.
Millo appeared to have won the Republican nomination for the two-year seat, for which he campaigned.
The unofficial results show Rohatgi winning the Democratic nomination for the two-year seat as well as the Democratic nomination for one of the four-year seats.
If Rohatgi were to win both seats, he would choose which seat to fill and the board would appoint someone else to fill the vacancy.
Foose concession
Incumbent Director Patrick Foose sent out a written statement conceding both the Republican and Democratic primaries.
“Tonight, the Parkland community made clear that they would like to see the district go in a different direction with a new group of school directors,” Foose wrote. “I respect their decision and the will of the people.”
Foose was elected to the school board in 2019.
In his concession, he said that when he was elected, he “saw a system that lacked transparency and accountability for all of our stakeholders in the Parkland School District.”
“Tonight, the Parkland community made clear that they would like to see the district go in a different direction with a new group of school directors. I respect their decision and the will of the people.”Patrick Foose, Parkland School Board director
Foose repeatedly has said he believes the school board should be more transparent. He has been the lone dissenting vote on certain issues because of these concerns, such as the recent appointment of Director Robert “Bob” Bold.
The candidates
Fourteen candidates ran for the six seats on the board.
Five incumbents were on the ballot. Board Directors Facchiano, Foose, Roth and Ziegler were seeking re-election. Director Jay Rohatgi was appointed to the board last year and ran to be elected.
The challengers were Republicans Deering, Finch, Janotka, Lanyon, Millo, Rivera and Laura Warmkessel, and Democrats Joanne Dillman and Pirrotta.
All candidates except Dillman cross-filed, meaning they appeared on both the Democratic and the Republican primary ballots.
