William Penn School District board approves 3-year contract for Superintendent Dr. B. Coates

The William Penn School District board voted to approve a three-year contract for Dr. B. Coates as superintendent, with the contract to commence May 18, 2025, at an annual salary of $230,000.

Board members debated whether to postpone the vote so the public could attend in person; a motion to table the item failed before the final roll-call vote. Several public commenters and union representatives raised concerns about the timing of the vote and the size of the salary increase compared with classroom and support staff pay.

The motion, read aloud at the start of the meeting, called for “Motion to approve a 3 year contract for doctor B Coats as superintendent of schools for William Penn School District commencing 05/18/2025 at an annual salary of $230,000.” The motion was seconded. Board Director James Callahan moved instead to postpone the vote to the board’s regular Monday meeting; that motion was seconded and put to a roll-call vote and failed, allowing the board to proceed with the contract vote.

“It's not a matter of yays or nays. It's about openness and transparency. It's about having the residents and the taxpayers have the chance to attend in person and comment,” Board Director James Callahan said during debate on the motion to postpone.

Board President Boykins defended the timing and the board’s handling of negotiations, saying the delay stemmed from outstanding insurance questions and the need to ensure all directors had complete information. “We were notified ... that there was a post in Lansdowne today stating that the meeting was going to be on Thursday. So what we found is someone went back and stated to the public, that the meeting was going to be on Thursday,” Boykins said, adding that the board needed to resolve insurance details before acting.

Public commenters questioned whether the meeting and vote had been sufficiently publicized and whether the salary increase was appropriate given district budget constraints. Marie Louise Faber, a Lansdowne resident, said, “I can't see how any of this is equitable, in trying to get education to our students. We keep failing them in multiple ways ... yet again, we're ... not spending the money on the students where it's needed.”

Andrea Fink, president of the William Penn Education Association, called on the board to prioritize students and fiscal responsibility while evaluating administrators. “They deserve the best administrators, administrators that are fiscally responsible,” Fink said.

Solicitor Khan told the board that while there is not a fixed “30‑day” legal rule, renewing a commission can require time and proof of minutes and motion; he said it could take a little time to receive a renewed commission and that it would not be a disaster if a renewed commission did not arrive by May 18. The solicitor’s remarks were raised as context for why some board members felt they needed to act before the superintendent’s current commission expired.

At roll call on the final contract motion, the following votes were recorded: Miss Hoff — yes; Mr. Wright — no; Miss Richardson — yes; Mr. Tong — yes; Mr. Callahan — no; Miss Cook Henry — yes; Miss Roberts — yes; Miss Ivory — yes; Miss Boykins — yes. The motion passed.

The board did not provide additional details at the meeting about any buyout clauses or the contract’s full terms beyond the effective date, length and annual salary. Dr. B. Coates will continue in the role while the board prepares to post the annual evaluation results later this year, which the board said will be made publicly available.