There are eight candidates -- one is a write-in contender -- seeking party nominations for four seats on Plum Borough School Board in the May primary.

Though all candidates have cross-filed, four Democrats and four Republicans are seeking a spot on the ballot.

Loretta White, Eli Shaheen, Annie Loub, and Jerry Bauer are endorsed by the Democratic committee. Kevin Dowdell, Shane McMasters, Andrew Drake and Sal Colella are endorsed by the Republican committee.

Loretta White

Loretta White is an incumbent school board member.

White, 73, taught English at Plum High School for 34 years before retiring. The Sardis Road resident earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Duquesne University.

White was elected in 2005 and wants to retain her seat because with four years of experience, she said she can hit the ground running.

"I have something to offer," said White. "The learning curve for me would be small."

White's children and grandchildren have all graduated from Plum and she said she is committed to the borough.

"I'm really very involved. It's a great place to live and raise kids and I want to continue that and add to it."

White said her experience in education brings a lot to the board. She also researches ways to improve education and district financial issues.

"I've worked hard to add rigor to the curriculum. The kids need to be challenged. We have to educate every child. It isn't just the special education kids or the gifted kids; we have to go all the way across the curriculum. Sometimes it's the middle-of-the-road kids who get pushed aside," White said.

A quality education and a balanced budget can go hand in hand, she said. White said the board has been doing that and would like to see the trend continue.

White said the most important issue facing the school board now is finding a way to upgrade the elementary facilities without raising taxes.

"There are so many working families and seniors who can't spare another penny," said White.

She would like to foster good communication.

"Someone told me once that we are the most transparent board they've ever seen, and I'd like to maintain that," said White.

White is a volunteer tutor for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council; she volunteers at Plum Senior Community Center as a greeter and teaches a poetry class; she is secretary of both the Eastern Area Special School Joint Committee and the Plum Distinguished Alumni Committee and is the vice president of Plum Reads.

She is a member of Allegheny Foothills Historical Society and Plum Borough Council's comprehensive plan steering committee and is an active member of St. Januarius Church, serving as a lector and a Eucharistic minister.

White was recognized as an All-Star Educator by the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and 1994.

Eli Shaheen

Eli Shaheen, 60, is a semi-retired teacher who taught at Plum for 35 years and is running in his first primary. Shaheen is running as a write-in candidate because his election petition was challenged by the Republican committee.

Shaheen, of Fiesta Drive, moved out of the borough briefly and moved back in March 2008. He wasn't thinking of running for office at that time and forgot to register to vote in Plum Borough until after the election in November.

To appear on the official ballot, candidates must be registered to vote in their municipalities for one year prior to the primary.

"It was very strange. At the courthouse, these people were asking me if I had any arguments to make and I'd been in politics for all of 20 minutes. I just want to contribute."

Shaheen, who obtained his bachelor's degree in mathematical education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his master's degree in the same subject from Duquesne University, said he is running because his entire life has been about education.

Shaheen has served as an information technology consultant for Plum in 2007-08 and for South Butler County School District in 2008-09 as part of the Classrooms for the Future state program.

"I want to be involved in education in a different way. I know how the system works. I know the field. You shouldn't run for school board unless you have at least a cursory knowledge of the district."

Shaheen also brings extensive knowledge of technology to the school board, he said.

For about a year, Shaheen took a step away from the classroom and worked for an electronics distributor.

"It was only 15 months. I missed teaching," he said.

Shaheen said residents should vote for him because he's dedicated his entire life to education in Plum.

"I read somewhere there are seven reasons to run for school board and only one of them was education-related. I think there should only be one reason -- the kids in Plum deserve the best education they can get. I will do my best."

Shaheen, who is the chairman of exhibits for the 2009 Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, said the biggest issue facing the board now is a mathematical one -- passing a balanced budget while maintaining a quality education.

Jerry Bauer

Jerry Bauer, 65, of Regency Park is running in his first primary, but he has served as a school board member in the past.

In the early 1990s, Bauer said he was appointed as a board member to serve the remaining two years of a term. He was unable to run for re-election at that time because he was a federal employee.

Bauer, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve in 1994, worked for the federal civil service until 2003.

Bauer, a Central Catholic High School graduate, received a bachelor's degree in urban affairs and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in guidance and counseling from California University of Pennsylvania. After his retirement, he worked briefly as a substitute teacher for Plum.

He said he is running because he has the time to dedicate to the position and he cares about the education of the children in the borough.

"My grandchildren, nieces and nephews have gone to Plum schools. I'm also concerned myself about keeping taxes reasonable for all of us. I certainly have the time now to give something back."

Bauer said he brings leadership experience from his time in the military and his degree in education to the board.

"I'm pretty level-headed. I spent my whole life in the military where you make decisions every day. I'm disciplined. I've lived in the same house for 42 years; I'm pretty steady here."

The military has given Bauer experience in working with teams and said he is a good team player. He said he doesn't have a personal agenda and is an independent thinker.

"I might be a Democrat but Rena Lynn Koteski, who is a Republican, sat next to me on the school board and I voted with her many times because it was what was best. Everyone has to work together, the board the PTA, the teachers, the union; it's about giving and taking."

Bauer, who is a member of the Masonic Lodge 799 in Plum and the American Legion, said the biggest issue facing Plum is the same issue facing districts across the state.

"It's the cost of education and keeping taxes down while providing a quality education. What is the answer? How can we keep getting people to want to come to Plum when you pay $7,000 in taxes on some new houses? We want to keep Plum moving forward at a reasonable cost."

Bauer said he genuinely cares for the children and their education.

"We entrust our system to ensure all of these children become something good in society and I'd like to be a part of that."

Annie Loub

Annie Loub, 57, of McKim Drive, is running for her first elected office because she thinks her daughters received a wonderful education in the school district and she wants to give back.

"I know it's children first," said Loub, who served on the PTA at Pivik and Oblock Junior High before serving seven years as president of the PTSA at the high school. "Plum has been good to me and I want to be part of the education system."

Loub is a graduate of Greenbrier Junior College and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina.

She has retired after spending 20 years running a custom clothing business in downtown Pittsburgh. Loub said her business experience -- dealing with cash flow, accounts payable and receivable and working in a business environment -- will help her on the school board.

In her work with the parent-teacher organizations at all three levels of Plum Borough School District, Loub said her goal was to make a difference for the teachers.

"We tried to fundraise to get things for the teachers that they wouldn't have gotten," said Loub. "We made a big difference. What the teachers wanted, we did, especially when there wasn't enough money from the school board."

After being involved at the district for so many years working with the teachers and the students in three school buildings, Loub said becoming a member of the school board would give her a new way to work for the children.

"I care about the children of Plum Borough. I know that it's about the budget, but it's really about the children."

Providing an education within the framework of a balanced budget is one of the biggest issues facing the district, Loub said.

"We have to keep up with the technology for these children so they can get a good job. We have to keep that going without raising taxes. That will be the most challenging factor for the next decade. No one wants their taxes to be raised."

Loub said she is a doer and will go the extra mile for the children of Plum. She said she plans to serve with integrity while providing a nurturing learning environment for the borough's students.

Kevin Dowdell

Kevin Dowdell, 50, is an incumbent seeking a second term on the school board.

The Plum resident said he thinks his first term was successful and he has seen improvement in the district's education system and finances.

"I'd like to see us move forward in the next few years," said Dowdell. "I enjoy serving in the community and working with the education system."

Dowdell, who has a bachelor's degree in biology and computer science, has been an engineering manager for 15 years.

He spent five years as a den leader in the Cub Scouts and he oversaw all of the committees. Dowdell developed the track and cross-country program at St. John the Baptist School and coached the team for nine years.

He also served two terms as president of the St. John's school advisory council.

Dowdell helped develop the Plum Running Mustangs Alumni Association, a runners group that has raised more than $20,000 for leukemia research.

"My experience and management of those activities gives me the kind of skills that help me to be a good school director," said Dowdell.

He said he is even tempered and a good planner who likes to look down the road at projects that are coming up so the district can plan for them rather than being surprised by them.

"We should put a little aside each year so when things are due for repair we don't have to scramble and raise taxes to fund those projects," said Dowdell, who cited the eventual replacement of the football field turf and the boiler systems as examples. "I like that stability."

In the vein of managing the district's facilities, Dowdell said the biggest issue facing the board is the feasibility study that is prioritizing renovation work needed at the district's elementary schools.

"That is going to be a big challenge, but we need to maintain our schools. It will be a tough road, but hopefully we will know what is coming and we can soften the blow a little bit."

Dowdell said his record speaks for itself, and he has been a consistent and independent voter on the board.

"I don't vote with any group of people, I vote on what is best for our community. I've been voting against a lot of new spending in programs -- things that might be nice if there is a good financial base, but right now we have a $600,000 deficit (in the draft preliminary 2009-10 budget)."

Dowdell attends many of the board committee meetings, not just those he belongs to, "so I can make sure we're getting the best we can out of our district."

Sal Colella

Sal Colella, 60, said he is running in his first primary because he believes education is the single most important investment a community makes.

Colella, of Carrie Ann Drive, is a retired pharmacist who also worked as the senior director of marketing and finance at Cardinal Health.

He earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh and a master's of business administration at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

"Education is a fundamental right that everyone has," said Colella. "I want to make sure my grandkids have the same opportunities my kids did."

Colella said while people can't predict the future, they can take action. Things are changing so quickly, said Colella. "The educational process has to change along with it. The environment is changing and I would consider myself a change agent."

Colella prefers sharing control rather than taking over a situation.

Plum residents should vote for him because he has experience, and is accountable and trustworthy, he said.

He brings a detail-oriented personality to the role of school board member. He describes himself as creative and a leader. Colella said his approach would be student-centered.

"I understand what students need to do and need to have in order to be successful in a changing environment," he said.

He said his experience in finance and professional development will be assets if his bid is successful.

In the short term, Colella said, the most important issue facing the school district is to remember that learning doesn't stop for children when the bell rings at the end of the day.

"We have to develop a coalition of teachers, students and parents," he said.

In the long term, the most important issue is the district's financial situation, he said. Between the district's debt ratio, the possible renovations to the elementary buildings, and reassessments that could be coming from the county, there are a lot of balls the board will have to juggle in a fiscally responsible way, he said.

"I don't accept mediocrity. As a board member I would be required to do hard things and I can do hard things. For example, with the feasibility study, I would not close any schools. I think there could be creative ways to fund what needs to be done, but the communities want their neighborhood schools."

Colella has been attending school board meetings regularly for three years and said he brings a different perspective.

"I just finished a piece in the New York Times about the CEO for Google (Eric Schmidt) who said 'Incumbents very seldom invent the future,' " he said.

Shane McMasters

Shane McMasters, 37, is the judge of elections for Plum Borough's 13th district. He is running for school board for the first time, he said, because he has a passion for the Plum community.

"I have a vested interest in making certain the district is educating my kids in a manner they all deserve," said McMasters, of Pine Valley Drive.

He has three young children and he wants to make sure their time in Plum schools, like his own time in the Plum system, is well spent, he said.

McMasters is an operations supervisor who manages a staff of insurance investigators at Trover Solutions. He is a Plum High School graduate who received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Edinboro University.

He is studying for a master's degree in economic crime management at the Utica College of Syracuse University.

McMasters said he would bring his analytical skills to the school board.

"I'm the type of person who puts a tremendous amount of thought into everything I do and say. I'm not terribly emotional. I think before I act. I enjoy research. I enjoy problem solving."

One reason he is running for school board is that he is concerned about a lack of accountability he sees from the administrators, said McMasters.

"I have the interest of this community at heart. Plum Borough is where I was born and raised. I want to ensure my children have the benefits that I had and that their children, going forward, find Plum a good place to live," he said.

McMasters wants the district to be strong academically for each student regardless of ability.

He is also concerned, he said, about fiscal responsibility and said the budget is one of the biggest issues facing the board.

"We have issues with irresponsibly spending, I believe. In 2009, it's not just Plum Borough, there are concerns everywhere economically that really need to be thought out. We have to be careful and understand that raising taxes isn't always the way."

McMasters said he is worried about the teachers' contract signed last year as an early-bird agreement. He is also worried that the district might hire 24 new people to replace those retiring this year, even though enrollment is down.

"From an accountability perspective, for the last seven or eight years every administrator has gotten 'exceeds expectations' on their reviews and were allowed the maximum raises afforded them. I have trouble believing they are exceeding expectations when test scores have fallen."

McMasters said his message is that he has a real passion for the community and is motivated to make sure the children get a quality education.

Andrew Drake

Andrew Drake, 52, has been attending school board meetings regularly for the last few years and said he is ready to be on the other side of the table.

The Balkan Drive resident said the educational side of the district is running well, but the financial side is not.

"I think there are opportunities for improvement within the processes we use so that we have consistency from year to year."

Drake, a program manager at Westinghouse Electric Co., said the board doesn't do enough risk analysis. He would like the board to plan events in advance -- such as aging furnaces that need to be replaced -- and put money aside for that in the budget.

"The other reason I'm running is that I don't think the board is sharing information with the community," said Drake, who is president of Whispering Pines homeowners association. "I want to be on that side of the table so I can share that information with the community. The information is available but not shared, there is a difference."

Drake earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Miami University in Ohio and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from Ohio State University. In 2005, he completed his project manager certification from the Project Management Institute.

Drake said he is a certified instructor who has taught people how to operate nuclear power plants and to do that he had to learn how to be teacher. He said that knowledge will help him as a school board member.

As a project manager, Drake works on large projects managing the scope, schedule and budget of the work. He knows how to put together a budget and how to evaluate contracts, he said.

If school officials moves forward with the feasibility study and decides to renovate the elementary schools, Drake said his experience would be an asset.

"If the citizens want a change, if they believe the budget is not being managed to their satisfaction, if they believe we're not looking at other options, I bring a different perspective to the board. I deal in facts and figures. I want to see detailed analysis of the $52 million budget and I want to see the trend of the last three years."

He said making sure that money isn't spent unnecessarily will ensure the board's primary focus remains on education.

"If you don't realize until April that you're running under budget, you've lost the opportunity to spend that money on educational things."

Drake is active with the Boy Scouts Troop 111, has served as president of the Plum High School rifle team booster club , and through Westinghouse he speaks in high schools to encourage students to think about careers in engineering.