After six rounds of votes, the Pleasant Valley School Board directors selected a new board member to replace Laura Jecker, who resigned in early August. The special meeting was held Thursday evening in the district conference room.

PV graduate Robert Clark was selected to fill the seat until December 2023, and can run in the 2023 election to remain in the position for the last two years of Jecker’s term. She was recently elected in November 2021 to a second term.

School board President Susan Kresge and all of the school board directors thanked the six candidates who applied for the seat. Kresge told the remaining candidates that they are welcome to run in the 2023 election. There will be six seats open on the board, including the seat now held by Clark.

Clark’s 20 years of experience in education tipped the hat in his favor. Teresa Greggo, who nominated him for the seat, said that she felt that Clark brings to the school district a love for education and professional experience in it as well.

“I just feel that we can get them both,” Greggo said. “I truly believe that with Robert Clark that he has the experience. He’s worked with students, administrators, and staff. He brings district operations, but he also brings the heart. He has kids in this district. … Here you’ve got experience and you have heart. I just want to bring that to attention as well.”

Clark said after the meeting that aside from leaving the area to go to college, he has lived in the Pleasant Valley School District all of his life and he works as a school adviser on technology. A member of the Class of 1998, he now has children in the school district and has taken an interest in the school board meetings.

“I’m excited,” Clark said about being selected for the school board. “After being in education for so long, it’s just something I thought I could really offer, another insight to the district. I think I can help move PV forward.” Coming in second was Alice Wheelis, who is a parent of children in the school district. Wheelis was nominated by school board director Melanie Zipp, and interviewed via an online platform because she could not be present for the meeting.

School board director Todd Kresge nominated Peter DeSanto. DeSanto is also a parent with a child who has been in the school district. The other candidates were Michael McMurtry, Matthew Roselli and Matthew Walters.

Each candidate was interviewed individually by the school board and asked the same six questions. They were given 20 minutes to answer the questions, but most candidates finished in about 15 minutes.