DALLAS TWP. —The race for five seats on the Dallas School Board includes eight candidates who have diverse backgrounds.
Incumbents Sherri L. Newell and Gary Youngblood are seeking re-election along with newcomers Scott Francis, Edward Dudick Jr., Jamiel W. Rollins, Susan K. Allen, Christine J. Swailes and John Pike, according to unofficial candidate fillings at the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections,
All the candidates are currently registered to appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots in the May 16 primary election.
School board members Charles Preece, Jeff Thomas and James Gattuso are stepping down at the end of their four-year terms, according to Newell, the current school board president.
Candidates have until March 22 to make changes to their petitions for elected positions, said Marisa Crispell, Luzerne County Election director.
If elected, the new board members will face the ongoing challenge of developing a teachers’ contract that would be agreeable to the Dallas Education Association and fair to the taxpayers.
Dallas School District teachers have been without a valid contract since August 2015, despite the school board’s early negotiation attempts in 2014.
Teachers went on strike Nov. 14 and remained out until Dec. 19.
Sherri Newell
Newell has served one four-year-term and is seeking a second term.
She is a current member of the Dallas School Board’s negotiation committee involved with the ongoing teacher contract deliberations.
“I want to stay and finish,” Newell said.
If elected, Newell plans to work towards a contract deal that will protect taxpayers and treat teachers and the district fairly.
“I don’t fee taxes should be raised, especially for our senior citizens,” she said. “They don’t get a raise.”
Newell is a supervisor at Newell Fuel Service Inc. with locations in Dallas and Mountain Top.
She resides in Dallas with her husband, Russell. The couple has three children, Tara, Russell and Steven.
Gary Youngblood
Youngblood was appointed in November to fill a seat which opened when former school board president Colleen Slocum resigned.
The former Dallas alumnus feels his experience as a logistics manager who oversees nearly 100 trucking companies could help develop a “sustainable contract” that would be beneficial to the district, teachers and families.
Youngblood also hopes to reunite the divided community by promoting better communication between the union and community.
He also wants to continue the current school board’s progress in developing new academic programs while maintaining current course offerings.
Youngblood and his wife, Abbie, live in Dallas with their two children, Brady and Lacey.
Scott Francis
Francis, a former soccer and baseball coach for Dallas School District, is campaigning for a school board seat to help unify the community, which became divided during the turbulent teachers’ contract negotiations.
“In the past, everyone got along,” he said. “I never saw a riff in the community like this.”
Francis’ 20-year career as an educator will bring insight to the challenges faced by teachers. The Back Mountain native is also keenly aware of the tax burden residents carry.
He was a teacher at Hanover Area High School and currently is an adjunct professor at Misericordia University in Dallas.
His wife, Ann Marie Francis, is a second-grade teacher at Wycallis Elementary School.
The couple resides in Dallas and has two children, Andrew and Alison.
Edward Dudick Jr.
If elected, Dudick said he wants to work toward developing a “fiscally responsible and fair contract” while restoring stability to students and their families.
“I want to ensure the district’s dedication to education excellence,” he said. “Dallas is one of the best school districts in the area.”
A 25-year Army National Guard veteran, Dudick is a state-registered professional engineer. He worked for the Department of Environmental Protection.
He is currently a senior assessor with Talen Energy.
“I hope to bring experience to the school board to create effective change,” he said.
Dudick and his wife, Kathleen, live in Dallas with their three children, Daniel, Chloe and Nicholas.
Jamiel W. Rollins
Rollins is banking on his broad knowledge of financial planning to earn him a seat on the school board and help develop a fair teachers’ contract.
He is employed by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and manages over $3 trillion in assets for teachers at private institutions.
“There is always common ground someplace in negotiations,” Rollins said, noting the trick to find a resolution is to find that area.
If elected, he also wants to continue the school board’s commitment to building academic programs for students.
The New Jersey native moved to the Dallas School District because his wife, Kristy, is a Dallas graduate.
He is related to two teachers at Dallas through marriage. First-grade Dallas Elementary School teacher Jennifer Derr is a cousin to his wife and Wycallis Elementary School second-grade teacher Ann Marie Francis is a sister-in-law.
Rollins and his wife live in Dallas with their two children, Jaycee and Jordan.
Susan K. Allen
If elected, Allen wants to research an idea to create a supply purchasing program between Dallas School District and other area districts to help cut expenses.
Allen said the ongoing teachers’ contract negotiations brought to light financial issues faced by the Dallas School District.
“By pooling resources with other districts to buy books and supplies could save (Dallas School) district money,” she said.
Allen was a former Supply Corps Officer and aviator with the United States Navy. She retired from a 20-year military career in 2008.
Her family chose to move into the Dallas School District from Atlanta, Georgia, in 2005.
She said the district’s high percentage of graduates who move on to college was a factor in the family’s decision.
Allen is a math teacher in the Tunkhannock School District.
She said her experiences have given her a different perspective to look for ways for the district to be fiscally responsible.
Allen resides in Dallas with her husband, Daniel, and two children, Kevin and Jessica.
Other candidates
Candidates John Pike and Christine Swailes were unable to be reached before publication deadline.
