PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New members of the Central Bucks Board of School Directors were sworn in on Monday night, officially flipping to a Democratic majority. And they did it in front of a packed audience. Parents and voters squeezed into the meeting.
Most of the audience was in support of the new board although during public comment, some speakers called to see respect in the room, as well as transparency from the board.
“Just getting it back to where we were. That’s pretty much what we’ve all wanted. We’re a better community than what’s been going on, we deserve better, we elected better,” said parent Barbara Kielbana.
Shenoa Incorvati, a parent from Doylestown, said, with the recently elected board, she hopes to see more engagement between members and the community.
“Before, it’s always been … they just sit there and stare with blank faces during the community part of this. And I want them to acknowledge what the people are saying,” Incorvati said.
The new board wasted no time in its first meeting, passing a measure on Monday night's meeting that suspends several hot-button policies enacted by the previous board — limiting transgender athletes, allowing library books to be challenged and banned, barring political symbols, including LGBTQ pride flags, from classrooms.
"Those policies are now suspended. The transgender athlete policy that was passed two weeks ago — that's now suspended,” Karen Smith, the new board president, said.
This is Smith's first time as president and her ninth year on the school board. Smith was sworn in on a stack of books that had been challenged by the previous board.
"We were talking about what to get sworn in on — you don't have to use the Bible. And somebody suggested banned books, and I thought, "Yea, I'm gonna do that."
The board also voted to investigate the legality of the severance package given to the district's outgoing superintendent.
The previous Republican-controlled board agreed to pay him $700,000 in their lame duck session after their election loss in November.