McKeesport Area Board Fills Vacant Seat

Alumnus, CPA Josh Lefcowitz joins board

By Adam Reinherz
The Tube City Almanac
May 09, 2025
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

(Adam Reinherz photo)

McKeesport Area School Board has filled a seat vacated by former school director Dan Goughnour, who resigned from MASD after winning last month’s special election to the state General Assembly. 

Following a suggestion by School Director David Donato during the May 8 meeting, the empty seat will now be held by Josh Lefcowitz. 

School directors, including Matthew Holtzman and Latoya Wright, praised Lefcowitz as well as Donato’s decision to put a name forward. 

“Up until the last minute, even after the deadline, we were still getting people interested in applying, so we were thinking maybe just have the judge decide,” Holtzman said on Thursday. School Director David Seropian “brought up the point that we have a responsibility to at least try to fill the seat with people that put their names in.”

Seropian’s position, which was shared during Thursday’s executive session, proved compelling to fellow school directors.

“As David had mentioned in the back room, we have a responsibility as board members to settle this ourselves first,” Donato said.

If the school board did not appoint a replacement for Goughnour within a 30-day period, “anyone from the community could petition the court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County to set a hearing to appoint a new board member,” MASD solicitor Gary Matta said during last month’s school board meeting. 

School Director LaToya Wright said that, like others on the board, she entered Thursday’s executive session with a different opinion as to who should fill the vacated seat but Seropian’s position proved persuasive.

“We do have a duty to fill this seat,” Wright said. “I would have liked to see more candidates, especially minority candidates, apply for this position. However, I do think that Mr. Lefcowitz will do a good job.”

Wright is not running for reelection in the May 20 primary.

Unlike others who wished to fill Goughnour’s seat, Lefcowitz neither ran for the position nor was “tied to anyone,” Wright said. “He has shown interest in supporting our district and our community. It seems like he very well wants to be involved and he is very unbiased. And, as a parent and as a current board member, I think that is just what this board needs to fill that seat.”

During Thursday’s vote, Lefcowitz, a McKeesport graduate and certified public accountant, received unanimous support. Moments later he expressed thanks via a Facebook post.

“Thank you to the board for appointing me tonight to fill Mr. Dan Goughnour’s seat,” Lefcowitz wrote. “I will do my best to serve the community during the relatively short period of time that I will be serving. I wish I could have been present tonight but I had a prior work commitment. Finally, I appreciate the words of support from those who spoke at the meeting.”

Though Lefcowitz is the board’s newest member, the position won’t span a typical four-year term, Matta explained.

Given that it’s to fill a vacated seat, “the appointment is only till the reorganization this coming December,” Matta said. “It’s for a short window.”

Adam Reinherz is a Pittsburgh-based journalist. He can be reached at adam.reinherz@gmail.com.

Originally published May 09, 2025.

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