NA Grad, Critic of Proposed Peebles Closing, Seeks Seat on North Allegheny School Board

Tara Z. Fisher, a member of the group Save NA Schools which has been fighting the proposed closing of any of the district's elementary schools, is running for a seat on the North Allegheny School Board. 

Fisher is a graduate of North Allegheny High School and the University of Virginia where she earned both an undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting.

After spending several years working for Congress as an accountant for the Joint Committee on Taxation, she and her husband Ryan returned to Pittsburgh to be near family and raise their three children in the North Allegheny School District. She continues to practice as a CPA and is a part-time business professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Below is a portion of her letter to the McCandless Republican Committee seeking its endorsement:

I believe my financial background and expertise make me a strong candidate for school board.  The district is facing a series of financial challenges in the years ahead, and I believe that my skills can help the board properly plan and budget for future obligations so that the district is effective in making strategic decisions.

I think it’s important that North Allegheny strive to maintain its status as a premier school district amidst difficult economic times.  I believe that privatization of ancillary services, such as transportation, can help the district better focus on its core competency (educating students) and yield annual savings for the district.  Other districts have had great success with outsourcing ancillary services, and the cost savings generated from such measures can help preserve the programs and curriculum associated with North Allegheny’s elite status.

I will also work to strengthen the ties between the district and the community.  I believe it’s important for the school board to have a strong relationship with the community and to encourage the community’s trust in the system.  I currently serve on the Memorial Park Christian Preschool Board, and I believe it’s the spirit of cooperation and collective decision-making that provides a board success in short and long-term planning.

I’m eager to commit my time and energy to the betterment of this district, and I hope you will support me by giving me your vote of endorsement.  My goal is to ensure North Allegheny maintains its elite reputation both now and in the future.

At its meeting Wednesday, the McCandless Republican committee endorsed Fisher, Scott Russell, Gary Wenig and incumbent Tom Schwartzmier for the NA School Board.

Click here for the complete list of candidates for the North Allegheny School Board.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook

Check out some of today's other top stories here.