Donna Smith Seeking Reelection to Bellefonte School Board

Donna Smith will run for reelection to a second term on the Bellefonte Area School Board, she announced in a release.

Smith, who taught in the district for 33 years and was chair of the English Language Arts Department at the time of her retirement, has served on the board’s Policy Committee, Legislative Committee and Branding Committee, and is the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) liaison.

She serves on PSBA’s Legislative Advisory Committee and is known for her public school advocacy. Smith said she is committed to fair funding of public schools and reforming Pennsylvania’s “outdated charter school laws” to protect students and taxpayers. She also speaks and writes on those issues and regularly meets with elected officials.

In a second term, Smith’s primary goal would be to help the district complete its long-awaited elementary school project “equitably and responsibly,” she said.

She added that she believes “in setting an academic culture, expanding STEAM opportunities, promoting the Bellefonte School District, improving communication between the Board of Directors and the community and helping all of our students succeed in this global and changing world.”

Both of Smith’s children are Bellefonte alumni and her grandchildren now attend district schools. She was an active member of several athletic booster clubs, served on the COVID Reopening Task Force and volunteers for Bellefonte Reads.

A registered Democrat, Smith plans to cross-file for both ballots in the primary, as is typical for candidates in school board elections

She is the second school board incumbent to launch a reelection campaign. Current board member Kimberly Weaver is one of five candidates running on the Win4Bellefonte slate, joining Jenn Barnhart, Darrell Sharp, Timothy Kessling and Patrick Buck.

Five Bellefonte Area School Board seats are up for election this year. They are currently held by Smith, Weaver, Nate Campbell, Julie Fitzgerald and Marie Perini.

Candidates have until March 7 to circulate and file nomination petitions. Primary Election Day is May 16 and the Municipal Election is Nov. 7.