Carl Thompson was elected president of the Littlestown Area School District board unanimously at Monday’s brief special session. Thompson, who has sat on the board since 2013 and was serving as the finance committee board chair, said he feels confident he can help to mend the divide that has erupted since seven new members began to serve in December.
The special session was called after a request at the April board meeting to vacate the president’s chair. Duane Sullivan, the board member elected to that post has stepped down, and his resignation was accepted by all board members present.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Don Bell said, “It was positive to witness a unanimous vote for Carl to fill the presidency. Carl’s immediate attention to detail by only replacing vacant representative seats while avoiding wholesale changes for board consistency was a veteran board member action. I look forward to continuing to work with Carl not only as a board member but also as the new President. In short, I believe Carl will do a fine job filling the role of the President of the Littlestown Board of School Directors. “
Board member Steven Yerger will assume the financial committee chair role and Brian Lawyer will become the board’s liaison with the Adams County Technical Institute.
At the beginning of the meeting, Littlestown resident Susanne Johnson said that it was time for the in-fighting to stop so that the board could move forward and focus on serving the students and community. “As a parent and taxpayer, I want our limited school funds and resources focused on education, not political distractions that have little to no impact on the majority of students.”
She added, “The school board will have a new president tonight. However, this isn’t a magic wand to fix the problem.” Johnson admonished board members to work together to “carefully select a superintendent with the skills, knowledge, and disposition to collaborate with the school board, staff, and community to put students’ learning and wellbeing first and move the district forward.”
Featured image caption: Carl Thompson
Judith Cameron Seniura is a freelance reporter. She began her journalism career in the early ‘70s and has written for newspapers, magazines, and other media in Ontario, Canada, Alaska, Michigan, Nebraska, San Antonio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.