The Bristol Township School Board was left at an impasse after failing to appoint a new member to fill a vacant seat during its September action meeting.
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The school board was seeking to fill the seat left vacant in August after Member Mary Sharble left due to a move.
The board voted twice on appointing Drew DiDonato to the seat left empty by Sharble’s August 19 resignation. Both attempts resulted in a 4-4 tie, falling short of the required majority.
The deadlock now pushes the decision to court and takes the selection process out of the board’s hands.
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A petition was filed last week by Board President James Morgan in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas asking a judge to appoint DiDonato to the school board.
A hearing date has not yet been set, but Judge Jeffrey Finley has been assigned the case.
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At the September member, Morgan cautioned members about the consequences of not reaching a decision within the 30-day window.
“If we don’t have a decision tonight, this will be going to court and taken out of our hands,” he said at the September meeting.
Some board members expressed concerns about the lack of an interview process for candidates.
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Board Member Kellie Buchanan stated: “We didn’t have an interview process. I haven’t met a single candidate. I can’t vote for someone I’ve never met.”
Morgan explained that scheduling conflicts in August made it impossible to gather a quorum for interviews or discussions about candidates.
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“Unfortunately, it fell in August. Four board members couldn’t meet. We never managed to get a quorum of five for that meeting, despite trying various dates,” he said.
The inability to appoint a new member drew criticism from Bristol Township Council Vice President Cindy Murphy during public comment.
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The township council member, who has no formal role in school district oversight, stated she was disappointed in the “naysayers who couldn’t show a unified force.”
“You do remember how you were elected. It was with the support of your political party, funded by your political party, campaigning, poll workers, mailers, and that party selected another individual who shows the democratic ideals to replace that vacancy that the Democratic party won,” she said.
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Morgan said he didn’t wish to air dirty laundry at the meeting.
Morgan reminded those interested in the vacant position that they can still run in the upcoming March 2025 primary election.
“That’s how I did it. I run. And that’s just the way you do it. You run,” he said.
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