Schools
Two Pennsbury School Board Members Say 'No' to VP Pick
The Pennsbury School Board reorganized Monday night and talked about recouping the cost of their court fight against Concerned Residents of Pennsbury.
Not all the members of the Pennsbury School Board were pleased with the election of Gary Sanderson to the post of vice president.
At Monday night's special reorganization meeting at Fallsington Elementary School, board members Simon Campbell and Dr. Stephan Kosmorsky voted against the election of Sanderson to vice president.
Campbell, who previously served in the role, said he felt the fact that Sanderson's campaign manager, Bob Harvie, was a union teacher at Bucks County Technical High School served as a conflict of interest. Harvie is also chairman of the Falls Township Board of Supervisors.
Find out what's happening in Levittownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Campbell, a Republican, also claimed that registered Democrat Sanderson's campaign was financially supported by union teachers. The district has been in talks with it's two major labor unions for awhile.
Allan Weisel will serve as the 9-person board's president.
Find out what's happening in Levittownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Not sure whether this is a reward or punishment," Weisel jokingly said of his re-election as board president.
Weisel asked the public and his fellow board members to not let political affiliations and "divisiveness" get in the way of doing what is best for students and taxpayers.
He also talked of how he joined the board do the best for the community and not to forward his Republican political views.
In the coming year, the board faces the possibility of closing one school, working to balance the budget while dealing with shrinking funding, school renovation projects and union contract negotiations.
Lower Makefield resident Bob Abrams asked the board if they could recoup the $73,000 in legal fees the district accumulated when they were fighting a realignment plan from Concerned Residents of Pennsbury (CROP).
Board member Kathleen Zawacki said she agreed with Abrams. She said that the $73,000 could have gone toward programs for students.
Campbell also said the district should try to get their money back.
Former board member Richard Johnson spoke during public comment and said he found it "chilling" that some board members wanted to go after a private citizen group. He said that was "not the American way."
Christopher Cridge, a board member, said the district would just incur more legal expenses trying to recover their lawyer fess.
The next school board meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m.
