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21 seek seats on N. Schuylkill school board
Published: July 3, 2009
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share thisNorth Schuylkill School District does not lack for people who want to serve on the school board.
As of Thursday afternoon, 21 people, including educators, doctors and a police lieutenant, had written letters to the office of county Prothonotary Peter J. Symons Jr. asking to be considered for one of four board positions remaining open.
Judge D. Michael Stine, who on June 23 removed eight board members for violating the state School Code by not electing a superintendent for more than two years, has scheduled a hearing for 9:30 a.m. July 22 to hear testimony from applicants.
In his order, Stine had asked anyone interested in joining the board to write a letter to Symons' office to express his or her interest in serving on the board.
Stine replaced four of the board members on June 25 in order to have a quorum for meetings that night and on Tuesday. The four new board members are President Robin Hetherington, Grace Glowacki, Debra Hampton and Kelly Moran; the lone holdover is Vice President Robert Orth.
Applicants gave various reasons in their letters for wanting to serve on the board.
"Through my experience with the children and parents within the community, I have become well aware of the best decisions that a School Board member should make," wrote Butler Township police Lt. Daniel J. Holderman, Ashland.
Working with people is important to Phyllis Gallagher, Frackville, who has been a professor at Marywood University, Scranton, and Harrisburg Area Community College.
"I have always been able to create and maintain relationships," Gallagher wrote.
Frank C. Woodward, Ashland, said more than 30 years of working in special education and administration at Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 will help him improve the district.
"My only interest in serving on the School board is to assist with effecting positive change," he wrote.
Stine removed eight members - President William Rogers, Vice President Jane Rapant, Treasurer Christine Heyer, Robert Wetzel, Phil Rapant, Edward Balkiewicz, John Motsney and John Misiewicz - from the board for failing to elect a new superintendent after accepting the resignation of Robert E. Franklin Jr. in May 2007.
Instead, the board in May 2008 chose solicitor Mark Semanchik as interim superintendent and tried to convince the state Department of Education to allow him to become superintendent on a permanent basis. However, the department rejected three mandate waiver applications the district submitted on Semanchik's behalf.
Stine ruled the board did not show it was "impossible or impracticable," to elect a permanent superintendent when it picked Semanchik, as the School Code requires for selection of an interim superintendent.
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