Canfield school board candidates list priorities

Two newcomers, an incumbent and a previous board member are running.

By JEANNE STARMACK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

CANFIELD — Four candidates are running for two open seats on the Canfield Board of Education.

Seats open are David Moore’s and Martha Zarlenga’s. Zarlenga is not running again.

Moore is completing his first four-year term.

Once Zarlenga leaves, all the other members will have two years’ experience. “If you haven’t been involved — there is a learning curve,” Moore said.

“I just think we need to keep experienced people on the board,” he said. “I’ve been to many meetings before I won.”

A senior systems engineer for WCI Steel Inc., Moore said he plans to take two weeks’ vacation every year to pursue board activities such as seminars and conferences.

Moore believes a critical year in school finances is approaching, because all four union contracts will be up for negotiations.

He also said new local and state funds will be needed to carry out future educational programs.

He said he doesn’t think cutbacks will be necessary because he believes the community will support the schools.

He also said that the school board needs to raise a goal for achieving a 90 percent passing rate in each content area on the state’s report card. “This standard is not acceptable or high enough,” he said.

Moore also said he favors a more open approach to the community. He has pushed for the board to have open access to the district’s policy manual. At present, people must go to the district offices and have a secret password typed in on a district computer to access it.

He also helped rewrite policies.

Renee Gessner, a 1976 Canfield graduate, is running for elected position for the first time.

“I’m not a political person,” she said.

She has business experience as a J.C. Penney fashion board coordinator, a buyer in retail and managing her husband’s dental practice.

She has also served as treasurer for the Junior League of Youngstown. For the schools, she has worked on the Mission Statement Committee, the School Levy Committee, and the booster clubs for basketball, drama and choir.

She said she has skills to help maintain excellence in the schools and be a voice for the district at the state level. She said her priorities are a balanced curriculum, developing new avenues for funding, streamlining the check-and-balance audit system for extracurricular activities, and making sure schools have the latest technology.

She also said she believes she can be independent, thinking for herself when it comes time to vote on the board.

“I have to stand for the truth and I would not falter from that,” she said.

She said the board needs to be open with constituents.

Anthony F. Peluso is a 29-year resident of Canfield. He has served on the school board before, from 1992 to 1999.

He is vice president of human resources for Farmers National Bank in Canfield. He is a Vietnam veteran.

Peluso said he did not run for a third term on the board before because he was traveling a lot and he had some health issues.

“Now I want to get back to the schools,” he said. “I think my experience and knowledge is valuable. Canfield has a young board.”

He said there may be other ways to fund the schools besides levies — an income tax, for example. People would no longer be funding the schools through property taxes. “You would only be taxing people on their income,” he said.

Peluso also said he is independent. “I do have the ability to listen to both sides. I don’t jump on the bandwagon with people. I think for myself,” he said.

James Barkett, a priest with the Antiochian Orthodox Church, says that for him, being on the board will be all about the kids.

“Kids need to be kids. They are having a hard time being kids,” he said.

He is a full-time chaplain at the Juvenile Justice Center in Youngstown. He also counsels children in Ohio Department of Youth Service prisons to help them win early release.

He said that among children, bullying is a large issue that needs to be addressed.

The Rev. Mr. Barkett also said the school board should strive to get more parents involved with the district and should get out into the community to find out needs there.

Money will always be an issue with the district, he said. “We’ll have to work smarter and more efficiently.”

He said that it will be important to lobby the state for money and to seek grants for programs to benefit the children.

He also said the district should acknowledge children’s faiths, no matter what they are.

“Give children the ability to express what their faith is. Why are we afraid to tell our children about a higher power?” he said.

He said that although religion cannot become a part of the curriculum, a committee of clergy could be made available for children if they want to take advantage of it.

Mr. Barkett is a four-year Canfield Township resident.