Learn more about our opponents and the
Impact of their cutsSave our schools from school board candidates who want:
Unnecessary Cuts
Legal Battles + bad press
Cronyism
We need to stop Fred Bryant, Amber Wright, Kathi Despenes and Matt Warren.
See What you can do
Legal battles and Bad press
They spend more time in courtrooms than classrooms.
- Their bad publicity from their past and present overshadows students’ success.
- For years, Fred Bryant and Amber Wright sat on the PENNCREST School Board while the district became entangled in multiple civil lawsuits against the District — these suits are still costing the district money in 2025.2
PAC leader David Valesky - Their time in leadership also led to the resignation of a highly respected solicitor, creating further disruption and expense.3
- Matt Warren, has been charged with two criminal counts — solicitation of prostitution and patronizing prostitution. “These arrests are part of our continued effort to confront and dismantle the cycle of exploitation created by commercial sex trafficking,” Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said.4
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Cronyism
The art of hiring your friends instead of the right people.
- In October 2023, Fred Bryant attempted to appoint an underqualified friend as superintendent — without a public posting or proper candidate search. The individual even resigned from his prior job, stating he was about to be hired by PENNCREST.5
- Board members David Valesky and Luigi DeFrancesco are now leading a political action committee (PAC) and actively endorsing Fred Bryant, Amber Wright, Kathi Despenes and Matt Warren — in an apparent effort to regain influence and continue personal legal battles, even while not serving on the board.2
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What you can do.
Get involved. Show up. Vote this November.
Vote for the people who show up. Those who’ve walked our halls, volunteered their time, and actually understand what our schools need. The ones who are invested — not in political power, but in our students, our staff, and our future.
- Tim Brown
- Dani Schmidt
- Bob Johnson
- Jason Digiacomo (write-in)
For many we are asking to vote across party lines.
Vote for our schools, not party. Board races are supposed to be non-political, but our REPUBLICAN candidates received votes from both sides, therefore they are listed on the democratic ballot.
