Board will have 30 days to find replacement from Region II
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
CALN – Coatesville Area School Board Member Rick Ritter turned in his letter of resignation on July 7, leaving a Region II seat open on the board.
Citing family and work concerns in his letter, Ritter’s resignation will take effect immediately, although the board will need to vote to accept the resignation. The board will then have 30 days to vote on a replacement, which appears to start July 7.
“This is a board issue, and they will take the appropriate measures to post the vacancy and interview candidates,” said Superintendent Dr. Cathy Taschner. Taschner also noted that the Board will continue to focus on preparations for the upcoming 2014-15 school year.
Under school code, the board has 30 days to elect Ritter’s replacement from among the residents of Caln and West Brandywine, from the date his resignation takes effect. If they fail to do so, and a new appointment would require a minimum of five votes, 10 residents in his region could petition the Chester County Court of Common Pleas to appoint a replacement.
Typically, school boards interview prospective members and then vote — often not at the same meeting, but could do so if it chose.
It is anticipated that the board will address finding Ritter’s replacement at this month’s meeting, slated to take place on either July 22 or 29.
Ritter was serving as chairperson for the district’s finance and personnel committee at the time of his resignation and has previously served as school board vice president. He was first elected in 2007.
