The State College Area School Board on Tuesday night picked Jesse Barlow to fill a vacant seat on the board on an interim basis for the next four months.
Barlow, a former State College Borough Council member who is running for a full four-year term on the school board in November’s election, was selected from among 14 candidates to fill the school board seat vacated by Dan Kolbe in June.
Barlow’s selection came at the end of a more than two-hour special meeting that involved brief remarks by each of the candidates and two rounds of nominations and voting by the eight sitting board members.
He will be sworn in at the board’s meeting on July 21 and his interim term will conclude after the Nov. 4 election. Because Kolbe — who resigned because he is moving out of state — served less than two years of his elected term, his seat will be on the ballot in November for a two-year interim term, with the Centre County Democratic and Republican parties nominating the candidates.
Barlow was the second-highest vote-getter in the May primary for the fourfo four-year-term school board seats up for election this year. A registered Democrat, Barlow won nominations on the Democratic and Republican ballots and is likely to win a full-term seat in the general election.
In his presentation to the board on Tuesday night, Barlow said he “will be engaged engaged on all issues” facing the district, but focused his remarks on three specific topics: facilities, the relationship with state government and human relations.
Barlow said supports building a new Park Forest Middle School, an estimated $130 million project for which the district currently expects to begin construction in early 2026.
“We need to build a new Park Forest Middle School,” he said. “We have needed it for a long time. I am supportive of the necessary upgrades to our other schools as well. We have the best school district for miles, but it won’t stay that way if we neglect our buildings.”
He added that the state provides 20% of the district’s funding and “they should be providing more,” noting that the legislature has not yet fully met the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s 2023 order to revamp the commonwealth’s school funding formula and address inequities.
While “not a die-hard opponent of charter schools,” Barlow said the legislature has “grossly underregulated” them, pointing to a recent state audit that found questionable spending and huge reserves amassed by cyber charter schools.
Barlow, whose two children graduated from SCASD, also said his motivation is “to work toward a school system where all, whatever those social backgrounds and skills, can thrive.” For that reason, he said, following up on an expert consultant’s report on suicide prevention and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives are “essential to this district.”
“I know I’m preaching to the choir here when I say it’s essential that SCASD continue its commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging especially at a time when the federal government is abandoning it and even thwarting these efforts,” he said. “I’ve seen the world before school districts cared about human relations. The excusion and isolation of marginalized groups from that time is something no one should wish to return to.”
Barlow was one of five candidates to receive a nomination in the first round of voting by the board, during which none achieved the necessary five-vote majority. He was one of two nominated in the second round and won the appointment with a 7-1 vote.
Board member Jackie Huff said she values consistency within the board, and that because Barlow is expected to win a full term in November his appointment to the interim position would give him an early start.
“He garnered a large number of votes in the primary and so I think the chance of him winning in November is so large that it makes sense for him to start his term now,” Huff said. “But I don’t want the vote to discourage anyone because I’ve seen so much spark here tonight and I really appreciate you coming out.”
Like Huff, several other board members praised the candidates who sought the interim position (18 submitted application materials, but 14 appeared for presentations on Tuesday night), and encouraged them to get involved in other ways or running in future elections.
““Every candidate was impressive and had valuable perspectives and skills to offer the board,” Board President Amy Bader said in a statement after the meeting. “It was heartening to hear from so many community members who are passionate about SCASD and public schools. We encouraged them all to continue pursuing their interests in serving the school district, whether that be through a future election or volunteering for one of the district’s many community committees.”
In addition to the four full-term and one two-year positions that will be up on the ballot in November, the board likely will have another interim position to fill after the general election. Current member Gretchen Brandt, who has two years remaining in her term, will leave the school board if she is elected to College Township Council in November.
