CATAWISSA RR - Southern Columbia Area school directors increased the board complement to eight members Monday by appointing a former Shamokin Area special education teacher and athletic director to fill a vacancy.
After the board conducted public interviews of two candidates at the beginning of the meeting, directors appointed Thomas Reich by a 5-2 vote to a seat for the region that consists of Ralpho Township. He will serve until the end of the term in November 2016. Also interviewed was Sam Kranzel.
Neither Reich nor Kranzel ran for the position at election time because Reich was employed in education until his retirement in August and Kranzel, as a federal employee, was restricted by the Hatch Act from being a candidate.
During the 30-minute interview, both candidates spoke about what they could bring to the board. They both commented that people who went to Southern were the district's biggest accomplishments.
"My nephew graduated top of his class at MIT, the U.S Naval Academy and Officer Candidate School. He graduated faster than anyone in submarine school. He is Southern through and through, and we have a pretty good football team," Kranzel said.
"My three children graduated from Southern Columbia; all were good athletes. My three grandchildren are here now and are athletes. I know there is a target on Southern's back. My heart beats black and gold," Reich said.
Following the interviews, board member Charlene Cove made a motion to appoint Kranzel with Gail Zambor Schuerch seconding it. That motion defeated 2-5 with Cove and Schuerch voting in favor and Joseph Klebon, Charles Porter, Timothy Vought, Michael Yeager and John Yocum opposed.
Klebon then nominated Reich for the seat, with Yocum seconding the motion. Reich was approved 5-2, with the vote breakdown being the exact opposite of Kranzel's.
Yeager, board president, lamented that the board could only select one, since there were two open seats on the board. The other seat, in the region which comprises Catawissa Borough and Catawissa Township, was declared vacant. The highest vote-getter in the election had two write-in votes, but he has since informed the district he is no longer interested in serving.
"Here are two very qualified candidates and we can only pick one and there is a seat still vacant. This is really making the argument for changing the way our elections are done," Yeager said.
The 2 1/2-hour meeting included a number of presentations, including the SCA girls soccer team, which finished as the PIAA state runner-up in 2013.
Team captains presented the board with championship plaques from District IV, the Heartland Conference and the PIAA runner-up trophy, as well as a national academic award.
"Based on a 4.0 grade-point average, our team averaged a 3.9 along with the members averaging above our distinguished honor plateau," assistant coach Jen Stine said.
"All the plaques are nice," Yeager said pointing to the academic award, "but that is the one that you all should be very proud of."
Following a presentation from members of the senior class, the board approved the 2014 senior class trip, three days in Boston, Mass, scheduled for May 2 to 4.
In other business, the board approved the advertising and display for public inspection of the 2014-2015 proposed preliminary budget. Budget committee chairman Charles Porter said the budget is in the opening stages and, at this point, has a million-dollar deficit.
"We are just in the beginning stages, but this is going to be a tough budget, just to let everyone know," Porter said.
The board also approved an amendment to the district's flexible benefit plan to allow employees to carry over a maximum of $500 a year and a memorandum of understanding with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue to enable Berkheimer and Associates to obtain tax return information from the state to cross-check earned income tax rolls.