State College Area School District Board of Directors

Did you know in Pennsylvania there will be Democrats on your Republican ballot? Local county judges and school board candidates may cross-file. Cross-filling occurs when a candidate runs in the Democrat and Republican Primary Election in hopes to eliminate their Republican competition. There will be Democrats on your Republican ballot at the Primary. It’s important to know who you are voting for. Please help our candidates defeat the liberal left agenda and win back our county and state.

United4SCASDunited4scasd@gmail.com

Visit United4SCASD’s website for more information about their slate of candidates.

Barry Fenchak

Barry Fenchak has been a member of the State College School District for over 40 years. Barry and his wife raised 4 children who have all graduated from SCASD. He is an independent Registered Securities Principal and Investment Advisor.  Barry also served as an Instructor in Finance at Penn State for over 20 years, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the University.  He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering, and an MBA, both from Penn State.

Barry feels strongly that providing a quality education to the youth of our community is the single most critical and impactful task of any society.   “The primary role of School Board Director is to ensure that the faculty and staff of our district – those who actually “make it happen” – are equipped with the resources necessary to accomplish this mission.  This requires all members of the Board to work diligently to assure that every available resource is utilized in the most efficient and effective manner. As a community, the trust we place with our public schools is sacred.  Those individuals we place in positions to direct our schools must always respect that trust.”

Megan Layng

Megan Layng is a mother of three children and a lifelong educator. With a parent and two siblings who are career educators in New York public schools, she is from a family steeped in education. For the education of her own kids, Megan employed an approach that incorporated a combination of homeschooling, private education, and public education resulting in all of her children graduating from the US Air Force Academy. 

Megan continues to have a keen interest in education, and has herself been a successful educator. She has been on staff for several private schools and co-ops in Colorado Springs and State College. Since then, she has taught English Composition to International students at Penn State, and Grammar and English as a Second Language at Penn State’s Intensive English Communication Program (IECP). Currently she is an International Student Adviser at Penn State’s Office of Global Programs. Megan earned a double Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from Susquehanna University, and a Master’s degree in TESOL from Penn State. She lives in State College with Ken, her husband of thirty years.

Michelle Young

Michelle Young moved to State College in 2015, where she currently resides with her husband and three sons who attend SCASD middle schools. Michelle retired from the US Navy after 22 years of service and is now a full-time mom. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and master’s degrees in Systems Technology and Military Sciences. She is passionate about the growth of our youth and their development into well-rounded and independent students prepared to think critically and positively engage in life after high school. 

When asked why she wanted to serve on the school board, Michelle said, “My goal to serve on the SCASD Board of Directors is based on my interest in developing and shaping an environment that prepares and motivates our students for life outside of school by instilling in them critical thinking skills, a global perspective, and a respect for core values of honesty, perseverance, gratitude, and compassion. My interest grew from personally mentoring and coaching individuals, to organizing larger professional development programs, to shaping their professional environments for success as I became a more senior officer in the Navy. After retiring, I realized that I could continue to serve a younger community.” 

Nathan Bish

Nathan Bish is a 1996 graduate of Milton Area School District and a 2000 graduate of Penn State University.  After living out of state for 16 years, Nathan and his family returned to State College to raise their family.  Nathan is a strong advocate for public education and, more importantly, “the parent/school partnership.”  He has been involved in public education, at least indirectly, his entire life.  His father is a retired high school principal, mother a retired English teacher and his wife is a Special Education Supervisor.  In recent years, he has regularly attended school board and committee meetings as well as participated in one-to- one meetings with members of the current board and administration.  Nathan was also the only parent not affiliated with SCASD, Penn State, or another community advocacy group who participated in SCASD’s 2022 comprehensive strategic planning process. It was during that experience that Nathan felt compelled to run for school board, seeing the immediate need to refocus SCASD on its core mission to ensure that every student has his or her educational needs met.

Centre County Republican Committee