A reader pointed out the last article about the upcoming school board vacancy cited the notice the district put up last year in 2021 when Marylin Huff left. Last week they took that down and yesterday they put up the new notice to replace Jennifer Lentz in Region 3. They put it up just before a holiday weekend before the launch of a new school year and are only effectively giving one week to apply. Probably not the best way to recruit.

IMMEDIATE VACANCY
SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTOR
REGION 3

Including:
The Borough of Swarthmore and the Borough of Rutledge
The Board of School Directors of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is seeking to appoint a candidate to fill the vacancy of a member through the first Monday in December 2023, at which time a candidate elected in the November 2023 municipal election will assume the seat. The qualified candidate for this appointment must be a resident of the District for at least one year prior to the date of appointment, must currently reside in Region 3, and must be at least 18 years of age. Additional requirements for the Office of School Director are set forth in the Pennsylvania Public School Code.

Responsibilities include attending regularly scheduled and special meetings of the Board; providing direction to the Administration through policy; adopting a yearly budget; and working as an effective team member.

Any interested party should send a letter of interest and brief resume by noon on Monday, September 12, 2022 to Debbie Elias, School Board Secretary, via e-mail at delias@wssd.org or hand delivery at 200 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA 19086. Please be advised such letters of interest and resumes may become public documents pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law.

A qualified candidate will be appointed by the Board of School Directors by majority vote at the School Board meeting on September 28, 2022. Candidates must attend the September 28, 2022 Board meeting in person and will be asked to address the Board and respond to questions from Board members.

The school board continues to turn over at an unhealthy rate. The position pays nothing, involves taking a great deal of abuse from the community and I expect some of the board members put in the equivalent of a full time job at times. For no compensation. New members often take some time to come to grips with the position. This is unsustainable and leads to obvious inequalities regarding who is able to work these hours for no pay. Unfortunately, none of these underlying issues are likely to be resolved in the foreseeable future. But, if you know someone in Swarthmore or Rutledge that’d be a a good addition to the board, encourage them to apply quickly. The deadline is September 12th, and the board will vote in a replacement at the Sept. 28th meeting. They note the candidates interested must attend that meeting.

In 2023, whoever is appointed and Wendy Voet will be up for re-election in Region 3 (if they decide to run). In Region 2 (southern Nether Providence and Rose Valley), Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith and Larry Kutys are up for re-election. In Region 1 (northern Nether Providence), Nannette Whitsett will be up for re-election.