Five Democrats Won Seats On The West Chester Area School Board: UPDATE

WEST CHESTER, PA — Five Democratic candidates won seats on the nine-member West Chester Area School Board in the 2023 General Election, according to the unofficial results provided Wednesday by Chester County Voter Services.

Four incumbents and one newcomer running on the platform “United for West Chester Area School Board” captured the seats. The candidates campaigned on the theme of standing up for student achievement, student voice, and student rights. They supported transparency, fiscal responsibility, and collaboration.

These candidates won seats on the school board:

Region One covers parts of West Chester and West Goshen Township.

• Alex Christy, incumbent, earned a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University. Christy was appointed in March to fill the remainder of Dr. Kate Shaw's term after she was appointed to serve as deputy secretary in the state Department of Education. He works in the Pennsylvania Senate advocating for reform. He said spent several years managing an inclusive, in-school Special Olympics program with the school district of Philadelphia. He works in the state legislature, advocating for fair funding. He serves on the pupil services and education committees.
• Katy Frey, a newcomer, was born and raised in Chester County. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in environmental studies and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Temple University. She is a former policy staff writer at Ballotpedia who reported on public education and water science.

Region Two covers East Goshen and West Whiteland townships.

• Dr. Karen Hermann was born and raised in the West Chester area. She graduated from Henderson High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master’s and doctorate in education leadership at Immaculata University. She taught for 36 years, including 20 in the West Chester Area High School. She supports having a school district that represents all constituents.
• Daryl Durnell graduated from Henderson Senior High School and earned a bachelor of science from West Chester University and a master’s of education from Concordia University, Portland, Ore. He teaches fifth-grade emotional support at Collegium Charter School. Durnell and his husband, Ed, live in East Goshen and have three adult children and one granddaughter. He serves on the pupil services committee and is chair of the education committee.

Region Three covers East Bradford, Thornbury, Westtown, and West Goshen townships.

• Gary Bevilacqua, board vice president, earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering at Villanova University and a master’s degree in project management at George Washington University. He worked in the Aerospace industry as an engineer, project engineer, and spacecraft program manager for GE Aerospace, Martin Marietta, and Lockheed Martin. He works for Vanguard as a technical manager in the IT department. Bevilacqua volunteers throughout the community, including coaching soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. He and his wife, Cindy, have two children and five grandchildren.