This has been a curious year — and more — in local politics. The State College, Pennsylvania, school district developed a plan to renovate the high school. Their plan was opposed by some unwilling to spend the money and by others who did not like the idea of a large, single high school for a growing town. Opposition to the plan became more heated, with accusations that the Board was refusing to listen to citizens. In the spring primary, a slate of five candidates opposed to the Board’s high school renovation swept the election and are now poised to control the school board after the November election.
The challengers spent a lot of money on the primary, much of it donated by developers and related business interests, and appear to be spending heavily on the fall election campaign. Some citizens are supporting two write-in candidates — here’s Christopher Long’s argument.
Supporters for the slate of five challengers — who control the ballot on both the Republican and Democratic ticket — are appealing to voters to “Finish What We Started.”
It is still not clear where the probable new board will take the district, but we do appear to be in for a change. Perhaps it is a bad sign that as soon as the challengers swept the primary, their lament that their side was not being heard was replaced by the new theme that the supporters of the outgoing board should sit down and shut up.
