Marple Newtown School Board Reorganizes For 2012

NEWTOWN SQUARE–The Board of Directors held their reorganization meeting for 2012 on Monday, Dec. 5, where the will seve a four-year term on the board.

At the meeting Monday night, incumbents Richard Sokorai and Fred Dewey as well as newcomers Jamie Mariano, Sherry-Lee McAuliffe and Robert Sack were sworn in by the Honorable Judge John Capuzzi Sr. of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.

School Board President David McGinley was reelected by the board for another year as president, while School Board member Nancy Galbraith was elected by the board as vice president.

According to McGinley, this will be his seventh year on the board as well as his fifth time serving on the board as president. McGinley credited the board members for their hard work and dedication that keeps bringing him back.

"Believe it or not–it's the board itself that keeps bringing me back," said McGinley. "When I got on the board seven years ago, we had these goals to accomplish. The board kept working towards those goals and every year we accomplished one of them."

McGinley listed off a few of those goals including: retaining a superintendent, building a new high school, building a new community center and developing more pride in the school district.

For Galbraith, a veteran on the School Board, 2012 will mark her eleventh year on the board and has previousy served as vice president for the board on two previous terms.

In addition, committees and chairs for 2012 were appointed during the meeting. Dewey will head the Budget & Finance Committee with board members Kathryn Chandless, Sack and Sokorai. Galbraith will be the chairperson for the Curriculum, Instruction & Technology Committee with Mariano, McAuliffe and Sack. School Board member John McDevitt will chair the Facilities & Transportation Committee with Dewey, Galbraith and Sokorai. Chandless will head the Human Resources Committee with McAuliffe, McDevitt and Mariano.

Other responsibilites for board members will also include McAuliffe taking charge of secretary's minutes and other reports as well as the PTO and Russell Elementary School liaison; Chandless for legal oversight; Galbraith as the Delaware County Legislative and Delaware County Intermediate Unit Board liaison; Chandless as the SPCA Legislative and liaison; Sack as liaison; McDevitt as and liaison; Sokorai as liaison; and Mariano as liaison.

Mark A. Sereni was also reappointed as the board's solicitor for 2012 in accordance with the following fees (no increases for all fees): $165/hour for "in court" attorney time; $140/hour for "out-of-court" attorney time; $70/hour for legal assistant time; and $2,750/year for retainer.