West Middlesex school board looks to fill vacancy

David L. Dye, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 23—WEST MIDDLESEX — The West Middlesex school board is looking to fill a vacancy after the unexpected passing of its president, Theodore W. Hennessy.

Hennessy, who had served on the West Middlesex school board for many years, passed away Aug. 11.

West Middlesex school Superintendent Raymond Omer described Hennessy as a "true representative of West Middlesex" who served for the district's children.

As board president, Hennessy often communicated with Omer regarding major developments at the district and guidance issued from the state and federal levels.

Hennessy would then forward this background information to the board members so that these topics could be discussed at the public board meetings.

Omer said he and Hennessy talked at least a couple times a month outside of the regular meetings, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the frequent updates issued to local school districts from various agencies.

"During the pandemic, things were changing on us every day," Omer said.

At the West Middlesex school board's latest meeting on Aug. 15, the board observed a moment of silence in memory of Hennessy, then later discussed moving forward with filling the vacancy.

Board member Dr. Andrew Erb, who previously served as board vice president, will serve as president until the board's next reorganization meeting in December, Omer said.

According to the public notice, those interested in serving on the board must be qualified electors of the school district, which includes West Middlesex, Shenango Township and Lackawannock Township.

Applications must be submitted in writing no later than 3 p.m. Sept. 2. Letters of interest should be addressed to Marykatherine Sternthal, School Board Secretary, West Middlesex Area School District, 3591 Sharon Road, West Middlesex, PA 16159.

Interviews, discussions and deliberations will be held at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, in the boardroom of the Luther Low Elementary School.

Omer said the school board had to arrange a special meeting to fill the board vacancy since the school district's code and board policy required the vacancy to be filled within 30 days, which would have ended prior to their regularly scheduled September meeting.

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