School Board Reorganizes
Several new and returning members of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board took the oath of office at its reorganization meeting, held last Monday, December 6. The Honorable Stephanie H. Klein, a Delco Court of Common Pleas judge, administered the oath to Dr. David Grande, Kevin Henry, Rachel Holbert, Wendy Voet, Kelly Wachtman, Nannette Whitsett, and Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith.
The newly sworn-in board then elected Kelly Wachtman its president, Dr. David Grande its vice president, and Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith its assistant board secretary.
Next, board president Kelly Wachtman appointed committee representatives (an action that does not require a board vote). The representatives of the in-district committees are:
Finance: David Grande, Kevin Henry, Rachel Holbert, and Lawrence Kutys.
Policy: Jennifer Lentz, Rachel Holbert, Kelly Wachtman, and Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith.
Facilities: David Grande, Kevin Henry, Rachel Holbert, and Lawrence Kutys.
Educational Affairs: Kevin Henry, Jennifer Lentz, Wendy Voet, and Nannette Whitsett.
Workload: David Grande, Wendy Voet, and Kelly Wachtman.
Wellness: David Grande and Wendy Voet.
The out-district committees’ representatives are:
Delaware County Community College: Rachel Holbert.
Delaware County Intermediate Unit: Lawrence Kutys.
Delaware County School Board Legislative Council: Nannette Whitsett.
PA School Board Association: Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith.
The board unanimously approved the schedule of school board meetings for December 2021 and for calendar year 2022. The schedule they approved conformed to the one proposed by the school administration, which was described by Dr. Grande at the November board meeting, and calls for the board to begin holding legislative meetings once a month. Board president Wachtman clarified that no votes are taken at the committee meetings—all votes are taken at the legislative meeting.
Audience Comment Period
Three members of the audience expressed a concern about the change to a once-a-month meeting. They noted that these meetings are the only time that community members can bring new business to the board. One of them expressed a concern about loss of transparency and limited coverage of the meetings. Ava Wachtman, the daughter of Kelly Wachtman and a student at Wallingford Elementary School, asked the board how it was planning to keep her and her friends “continually” safe from COVID, particularly since she understands that her school’s principal, Gabriel Savage, has talked about lifting the mask mandate in the spring. She also expressed a concern that having a board meeting only once a month would limit students’ ability to share their ideas with the board.
