The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

March 19, 2008

Judge appoints Kelly Bianco Brookfield school director

By Patrick W. Connelly

BROOKFIELD — Only one person cast a vote for Brookfield�s newest school board member and he isn�t even a township resident.

�It was a difficult decision to make,� Trumbull County Probate Judge Thomas A. Swift said Tuesday after swearing in Kelly Bianco as the new school director.

After reviewing the applications of 11 candidates, Swift said Mrs. Bianco, a business appraiser, got his nod because of her accounting background.

�A number of school districts have financial challenges,� the judge said. �She knows her way around a balance sheet.�

After talking with her last week over the phone, Swift said Mrs. Bianco seemed like she could �be a catalyst in moving the board forward.�

The seat opened Feb. 16 when Stephen J. Varga, the board�s vice president, resigned in a letter read at a meeting by Superintendent Steve Stohla.

The board allowed interested residents to submit applications for the seat and on March 5 school directors interviewed those candidates in a closed session.

President Joseph Pasquerilla slapped school director Dr. Ronald Brennan in a dispute over who to appoint, police said, and the meeting was adjourned without the board appointing a new member.

By law, the next step required Swift to decide among those interested.

Swift, a Vienna, Ohio, resident, said he selected Mrs. Bianco because she had a �cooperative spirit� and �no preconceived ideas� about board issues.

�She doesn�t have an agenda here,� he said.

Mrs. Bianco agreed, noting she is �independent� and can �appreciate everybody�s views.�

�I put my name in because I thought I could add some value and I hope that comes to fruition,� she said.

A Brookfield graduate herself, Mrs. Bianco, 39, said she was the valedictorian of her class before majoring in math and accounting at Grove City College.

�I care for the kids,� she said. �I want the best education that we can provide to them.�

Mrs. Bianco, who operates her own firm called Strategic Valuation Group in Howland, Ohio, worked last fall with the bond issue committee that successfully lobbied for passage of a levy to build a new school.

Mrs. Bianco�s three children � Billy, Spencer and Harrison � all attend Brookfield schools. Her father, Chuck Carrier, is serving as a representative of the district to the state during the design and construction of the new building.

Swift selected Mrs. Bianco over former board members Ronda Bonekovic, James E. Hoffman, Jerry Necastro, Joanne Sydlowski and Kenneth Warrender and five other residents.

As probate judge for the past 28 years, Swift has appointed public officials many times and said it�s both an �honor� and �challenge.�

Mrs. Bianco will finish the remainder of Varga�s term, which runs through 2009.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012