Lehighton School Board impasse
It seems all but certain that the vacancy on the Lehighton School Board will be filled by one of the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas judges.
After the eight board members failed to come up with a unanimous candidate within the 30-day allotted time period, which ended Sunday, they forfeited naming rights, and, accordingly, the task falls into the lap of the court.District Court administrator Roberta Brewster said a computer will randomly decide which judge gets the case. If the selected judge needs to recuse himself, another would be assigned, she said.When will all of this occur? Brewster said there is no timetable and the matter will be scheduled according to the selected judge's availability. The board had the opportunity to choose. It certainly had enough candidates from which to select - 10 in all. Three were brought up for votes, and in each instance the board split down the middle - 4 to 4.The two camps are divided on whether the district should build a new elementary center or whether it should renovate the four existing elementary schools - one in each of the district's four municipalities.Actually, this issue was settled last year when the board by a narrow 5-4 vote authorized the administration to proceed with the new building. Since then, the district had been moving forward, but slowly and cautiously with plans to build the school, which would house all kindergarten through fifth-grade students, and close the existing East Penn, Franklin, Mahoning and Shull-David elementary buildings.Toward the end of 2015, several members decided not to run for re-election, and, on Jan. 1, incumbent board member William J. Hill died, leaving the vacancy and a hopelessly deadlocked board.We don't presume to tell thejudge how to do his job, but we hope that the selection of a board member is based on comprehensive criteria, not one based solely on whether the candidate favors or opposes the new building plan. Unfortunately, we feel that the current eight board members were too fixated on this issue when they tried to come up with a successor toHill. Those blinders prevented the board from considering many criteria, resulting in passing up a potentially outstanding addition to the board.Board members need to be concerned with much more than bricks and mortar issues. An effective school board member is a vigilant watchdog in keeping the school district on track. The board sets policies that affect the children in the district. It is up to the school board to develop the vision and goals for the district, and the board members must hold the administration accountable for results. One school board member cannot do the job alone. Effective school board members bring their unique talents to the table while collaborating and working as a team. The person whom the judge selects must, along with the other eight members, be a champion of the educational program in the district, and, as such, he or she needs to be zeroed in on how the students in the district are being educated.Here are some questions the judge might ask prospective candidates, courtesy of Great Schools Staff:• What are your visions for the Lehighton School District five to 10 years from now and what changes will you work toward to achieve that vision?• What policies would you initiate to improve student achievement?• What are the characteristics of a superintendent you most admire?• How would you measure a superintendent's success?• What level of skills should high school students have upon graduation?Sure, having the proper facilities is one component in a well-rounded educational program, but the success or failure of a district revolves around its total educational program, its instructional and support staff, its administration, its board of education and a number of other key factors which have nothing to do with facilities.We hope the judge will take into account the many factors that go into selecting a competent board member. Someone who aspires to be a board member must do it from a truly altruistic spirit. It is a difficult job, a time-consuming job, and the pay is terrible - in fact, there is no pay. That's why a board member serves for the betterment of the community and its children. That is why he or she must be determined to make theinstitution the best it can be for the resources that it has.All of this must be balanced by an understanding that the local taxes to fund education are the heftiest that a property-owner pays. While most support education as one of the key benefits of living in certain districts, the board member must remember that a district must live within its means. You can't have Cadillac taste on a Chevrolet budget.That has been one of the concerns in the Lehighton district among some taxpayers who oppose the new building plan. They believe that the building will cost more than the estimated $32.5 million. One board member last year predicted it would cost closer to $40 million before it was done. Renovating the four existing elementary schools would be a cheaper option and would retain these buildings that have psychological relevance in their respective communities, opponents believe.Proponents of the new building believe that this 146,000-square-foot facility will enhance the students' learning environment, improve their competency skills and improve efficiency in delivering a dynamic educational product. The new board member will face enormous pressures because his or her vote may determine in which direction the district heads with its building or renovation program, but the new member needs to bring so much more than this to the table, too.Bruce Frassinelli |