By SUSAN RUMBLE

Special to The Press

The Parkland School Board reconvened reorganization on Dec. 21, 2021.

This was partially done two weeks earlier when the directors, on Dec. 7, 2021, elected Lisa Roth as president and Carol Facchiano as vice president.

The four newly elected and re-elected board members, however, could not be sworn in at that time because certification of their election had not yet been received due to a legal question regarding mail-in ballots which lacked dates.

Although the ballot issue was still unresolved on Dec. 21, 2021, the Lehigh County Voter Registration Office sent the certifications to the school district, as the outcome for the school board candidates would not have been affected by the ballots still under consideration, according to school board Solicitor Steven Miller.

District Judge Jake Hammond administered the oath of office to re-elected board members. Rob Cohen and David Hein, and to newly elected members Jarrett Coleman and Annette Wilcox.

The full board of nine individuals could then proceed with the meeting agenda.

Roth announced her resignation as board president.

“This position was always meant to be temporary,” Roth said. “I was a place holder. I agreed to be president during the interim until all certified members were present.”

The board then filled the position vacated by Roth.

Board member Marisa Ziegler nominated David Hein for president. This was seconded by Patrick Foose.

David Kennedy, via telephone, nominated Rob Cohen, which was seconded by Jarrett Coleman.

The vote was 6-3 in favor of Hein.

The new president thanked fellow board members for their support, and then offered a few remarks.

“I pride myself on being open and honest with integrity,” Hein said. “I will advocate for every child, family and staff member in the district.

“Let’s have respect for each other, and the rules and policies.”

The board then voted for adoption of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Principles for Governance and Leadership.

The PSBA says school boards are committed to providing every student the opportunity to grow and achieve, and actions taken by school directors collectively and individually will have an impact in the classroom.

The association’s principles state school board members should advocate earnestly, lead responsibly, govern effectively, plan thoughtfully, evaluate continuously, communicate clearly and act ethically.

The board voted 8-1 to adopt the principles. Coleman voted no.