Who could fill a vacant State College school board seat? One party shares its pick
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Centre County Democrats nominated Jennifer Black for a vacant school board seat.
- The county's Republican committee plans to announce its pick soon.
- The winner of November's special election will serve two years on State College's board.
At least one familiar face will appear on the ballot for a vacant State College school board seat this fall.
Jennifer Black, who ran in May’s primary election as a cross-filed candidate, will serve as the Democratic nominee for a vacant seat on the State College Area School District’s board of directors, the Centre County Democratic Committee announced Thursday. A professional tutor and former Bellefonte teacher, Black will contend for a two-year seat on State College’s school board.
Black has long said the driving force behind her campaign for a school board seat was the 2024 death by suicide of her daughter, Park Forest Middle School student Abby Smith. Black has advocated for greater mental health resources and transparency within State College’s school district, which ordered external reviews examining bullying and suicide prevention and response protocols following Abby’s death.
“Jennifer is running to create connections among all members of the SCASD community,” Centre County Democratic Committee chair Margie Swoboda wrote in a statement. “She wants to ensure that the education of all students remains the focus of the board and that the mental health needs of our students, faculty and staff are being considered and met.”
The Centre County Republican Committee has not yet announced its pick for November’s special election. A spokesperson said the committee will unveil its pick within the next few weeks.
Filling a vacancy
State College’s school board inherited a vacant seat following the mid-June resignation of Dan Kolbe, who is moving to Chicago with his family. Because he received election to a four-year term in 2023 and served less than half of his elected term, the winner of November’s special election will fill a two-year interim term through November 2027.
State College’s board appointed former Penn State professor and State College borough council member Jesse Barlow to fill Kolbe’s vacant seat until November’s election. Barlow, who remains on the November ballot for a four-year term on the board, will serve on an interim basis until Election Day.
Black was one of seven cross-filed candidates to run in May’s primary election for State College’s school board. Though she received more than 5,000 total votes, she did not earn a party nomination for a four-year term on the regular November ballot.
The Municipal Election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4. Pennsylvania voters have until Oct. 20 to register to vote in that election and until Oct. 28 to request a mail-in or absentee ballot.
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