School Board Candidate: Danny Guy Kelly

Danny Guy Kelly thinks technology should be an integral part of classroom education and said his work selling reading and math software to area school districts will help modernize Chartiers Valley.

“Lecturing is the worst way to teach kids,” Kelly said. “If we want to improve and get those kids moving forward, then we’re going to have to change the way we teach.”

Although the administration is considering putting a laptop computer in the hands of every high school student, Kelly does not think the district has done enough to use new technology. He said he often meets with superintendents and teachers from area schools to discuss what type of equipment and software would be most useful in the classroom. That will also save the taxpayers money, he said.

“I know in the next couple of years you’re going to see e-versions of textbooks,” Kelly said. “A district won’t have to buy big textbooks where they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on new books. The cost might be a little more expensive up front, but you can use that device for an unlimited amount of textbooks.”

Kelly, 48, of Collier, grew up in the area and graduated from Chartiers Valley High School in 1981. He works on the digital side of Pearson Education, which is one of the country’s largest suppliers of classroom textbooks.

He pointed to neighboring school districts that use computerized technology more effectively. Kelly said he works with Upper St. Clair’s elementary schools to improve the technology in their classrooms.

He said that knowledge of new technology will help save Chartiers Valley money and improve education.

“Really, what I do is to help schools to teach kids and provide individual learning paths,” Kelly said. “I think it would be helpful for the district to have someone who has that background and maybe could look it from an insider’s perspective with technology.

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