Four positions were up for grabs on the nine-member board, with Bilek elected to serve a four-year term alongside fellow Republican candidate Cara Eardley and candidates Jesse Blank and Joseph Antonowicz, who ran on both the Republican and Democratic tickets.

Unofficial election results show Eardley led with 4,298 ballots cast in her favor; Bilek received 4,200; Antonowicz earned 3,736; and Blank tallied 3,672 votes.

Democratic candidates Rick Imler, with 3,119 votes, and Richard Baronner, with 3,029, ran as part of a four-person slate with Antonowicz and Blank.

Blank, Antonowicz and Eardley will replace current board members Jennifer Costanza, Ronald Sommers and Scott Brenneman, who did not seek reelection.

Future plans

Bilek said she was grateful to receive the continued support of the Hollidaysburg Area community as she looks to build on the progress made in her first term on the board, noting her enthusiasm to work alongside the three new members.

Although he is disappointed the “eminently qualified” Imler and Baronner lost, Blank said he is thrilled to see himself and Antonowicz elected to the board.

Blank is focused on ensuring the district continues to provide a quality education for children in the district, while improving Hollidaysburg Area’s financial health.

“I want to make sure we can provide a roof that doesn’t leak, that our students can attend school in safe facilities,” Blank said.

Eardley

The financial health of the district was top of mind for voters, with a multi-million-dollar deficit included in the 2025-26 operating budget.

Eardley identified the district’s unbalanced budget as the leading challenge she will seek to address in her tenure on the board.

“I’m just grateful for the support of the community in the campaign, and I’m looking forward to getting on the board to start making a difference,” Eardley said.

The three new members will join the board at a period of acute transition for the district.

Hollidaysburg has faced mounting fiscal deficits in recent years, with the current 2025-26 budget showing a nearly $3.8 million shortfall.

To combat these persistent financial concerns and a potential stagnation of student enrollment, school administrators are currently reviewing an updated facility feasibility study to determine the future of the district.

The plan, which was presented to the board by Mechanicsburg architects Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates in fall 2024, offered a number of scenarios to reduce the deficit by consolidating a number of the district’s three elementary schools, moving ninth grade to the Senior High and a suite of comprehensive renovations to facilitate the grade realignment.

Crabtree estimated the plan could cost up to $130 million at the time, representing a financial burden that is out of reach for the district without a sizable bond issue, cost-saving measures and several years of successive Act 1 Index property tax hikes.

Antonowicz could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.