The Avon Grove School Board held its annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 7.

The first order of business was the swearing in of three new members—John Auerbach, Richard Dumont, and Lynn Weber. Board member Herman Engel, who was serving as the chairperson for the special meeting, administered the oath of office for the new members. Returning board member Bill Wood had already been sworn in for the start of a four-year term on the board.

Wood and the three new members join Charles Beatty III, Jeff Billig, Herman Engel, Tracy Lisi, and Bonnie Wolff on the board for 2018.

The next order of business for the school board was to select a new president for the next year. Billig nominated Lisi for the position. It was the only nomination and the full board affirmed Lisi's nomination to serve as president. She is entering her third year on the school board, and was elected from Region II, which includes the areas of Penn Township and New London Township.

Wood nominated Wolff to serve as the vice president of the board. There were no other nominations and she was voted by the full board to serve as vice president for the next year. Wolff has served on the school board for 15 years, and was board president for 2017—her fourth year in that role during her time on the board.

The school board will continue to meet as a committee of the whole on the second Thursday each month, and regular meetings will take place on the fourth Thursday of the month. There was a brief discussion by the board about possibly changing the start time of the committee-of-the-whole meetings—Weber suggested a 6:30 start time because it would be difficult for her to make it to 6 p.m. meetings. She also said that 6:30 p.m. might be more convenient for residents.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese pointed out that the committee meetings had already been moved back by a few hours to be more convenient for everyone. Several board members pointed out that later start times make it more difficult for staff members who are called upon to participate in the committee meetings. The earlier start time for the committee-of-the-whole meetings also helpful because those meetings can be lengthy, and the early start means an earlier conclusion. Ultimately, the motion to change the meeting time was withdrawn, and the board opted to keep the 2018 start times the same as 2017.

In the last piece of business on the agenda, Wolff was also appointed to serve as the board's representative to the Chester County Intermediate Unit. The term of the appointment extends from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021.