School Board Appoints Patricia Gillespie to Open Seat

At a special meeting Tuesday night, Great Valley School Board voted to appoint a new member to replace Bruce Chambers, who on June 11. Seven of the remaining eight members attended in person, and Andy Daga called in from the parking lot of a South Carolina Walmart to cast his votes.

Below are a few salient issues from the meeting, some of which will be covered further in subsequent articles:

• After interviewing , the board voted 5-3 to install Patricia Gillespie to the open seat, representing Region 1 through 2013. Gillespie, whose three children attended Great Valley from kindergarten through high school, said she has been regularly attending meetings for decades.
• Despite internal dissension and fiscal warnings from the business director, the board expressed an interest in adding social studies classes to the 2012-13 high school schedule. At the previous meeting, a parent raised concerns about , which could leave some seniors ineligible for certain colleges, mostly in the south, that require four years of social studies. Superintendent Alan Lonoconus said adding the classes would cost about $50,000.
• The board approved a list of personnel changes, including the promotion of Great Valley High School assistant principal Michael Flick to principal. The outgoing principal, Dan Goffredo, has been . The administrative personnel changes will save the district about $150,000 per year, according to Lonoconus. []
• Board member Stephanie Gunderson suggested the board reconsider its to not pay teachers who mentor other teachers. Other board members felt it was improper to reconsider a decision long settled. As the business director and superintendent presumably thumbed through Robert's Rules of Order, the argument escalated. Voices were raised, but the motion was not seconded, and it was quickly followed by a motion to adjourn, which passed without delay.