Nazareth School Board Seeks Candidates to Fill Empty Seat

The Nazareth Area School Board is looking for candidates to fill a vacant seat created by of longtime board member Thomas Maher.

The board also elected a new vice president at Monday night's meeting.

Any adult resident of the district's "Region 2" -- which includes the Eastern District of and all of -- who wishes to fill the vacant board seat may submit a letter of interest, along with a resume and other background information, to district Superintendent Victor Lesky.

The deadline is Dec. 20. Lesky said he prefers that interested parties submit letters of interest via email, to vlesky@nazarethasd.org.

Lesky described the process of filling the vacant seat in detail on Monday. After the Dec. 20 deadline, he will reply to all candidates with a series of questions, which they will have two weeks to answer. Replies are due on Jan. 3.

The next night, Jan. 4, the school board will hold a special public meeting to interview all candidates who apply for the position and reply to the questions by the respective deadlines. The interviews with each candidate will be open to the public and will last at least 15 minutes, Lesky said. The board will choose the new member that night, which will be the last day to meet the 30-day window required by state law to fill the vacant seat.

Maher, a 12-year board member and the board treasurer, had been scheduled to be sworn in for another four-year term on Monday, during the board's reorganization meeting. That started the clock ticking on the 30 days to name his replacement.

Maher's legacy and the shock of his sudden passing framed both the reorganization meeting and the regular business meeting that followed it on Monday. Lesky, other board members and speakers from the floor praised Maher's dedication and disciplined approach.

“Tom was a principled man, which he let us know many times,” Lesky said.

Board President Lorin Bradley retained his position on Monday, but the board elected Linda McDonald as its new vice president, replacing Maurice Heller, who was also nominated for the position.

The vote was 5-3. Heller voted for himself and McDonald voted for herself. Heller also received votes from board members Darrell Crook and Chris Audenried, while Bradley, Kenneth Butz, Jerry Treon and the board's newest member, Chris Miller -- who was sworn in and took his seat on Monday -- voted for McDonald.

Heller and McDonald shared a brief hug as they switched seats.

Butz was named the board's interim treasurer through June 30, 2012.

The district's preliminary budget for next year will be presented at the next board meeting, on Dec. 12.