School Board Sans Working Class Causing Turmoil In Wallingford Swarthmore
By Bob Small
If we had known the July 22 Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board Meeting would have been so exciting, we would of dropped our normal schedule of watching old westerns.
More than 250 attended. The big item was to announce the hiring of Dr. Sharon Baddick as assistant superintendent. Originally scheduled for the Strath Haven Middle School Library, the meeting had to be moved to the auditorium.
Among the issues the public raised was the failure of negotiations with the union, and the alleged “mistreatment of staff.” Other complaints were issues with the buildings and a general lack of communication.
Much of this has also been discussed on Next Door Swarthmore and other arenas.
In a letter to the Swarthmorean that was read into the meeting’s record, Arianne Allen had five suggestions:
- A formal, independent evaluation of Dr. Marseille’s performance with emphasis on his ability to create a supportive and collegial work environment.”
- Designate the District’s top priority to “stopping the bleeding” of the loss of administrators, teachers and staff by setting up meetings to “course correct”.
- Work with the teacher’s union to approve a contract for the 2024-25 school year.
- Do the budget and building decisions that are needed for the physical structure.
- Evaluate the Special Education Team’s needs and help them become successful after their staff departures.
This was also reported in both the Delco Times and Town Talk.
Board Member Wachtman was interrupted by members in the audience” and said they wouldn’t continue “if decorum wasn’t restored”.
We should mention that the nine school board members almost all have a Bachelor’s degree with a number having Masters Degrees. They’re all members Board Members / Overview of a certain class without any “diversity”.
Slightly over a decade ago, four candidates for two seats included “ a police officer, a real estate agent, an investigator and a retired paper company executive. “
Might a return to this type of diversity be helpful? Just saying.
Full disclosure; My Bachelor’s degree, in English, is from Neumann’s night school.
The next meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 School Board Meeting Calendar
School Board Sans Working Class Causing Turmoil In Wallingford Swarthmore