Souderton board accepts two resignations and appoints William Braun amid public outcry over timing

Souderton, Pa. — The Souderton Area School District Board of School Directors on Nov. 26 accepted the resignations of two directors and appointed William Braun to fill a vacancy, drawing sustained public protest from residents who said the board rushed the decision the day before Thanksgiving.

The board moved to accept the resignation of Nicholas Braccia, a motion that passed on a roll-call vote after a second. The board then accepted the resignation of William Bronk. Later in the meeting the board nominated and, after objections from the audience were noted on the record, approved the appointment of William Braun to the vacant seat.

The meeting drew repeated public comment urging the board to delay any appointment until after the district's reorganization meeting and the swearing-in of newly elected members on Dec. 1. "An appointment really should not be happening less than a week before the new board takes hold," one speaker said, and many others called the timing "inconvenient" and inaccessible. Several speakers explicitly cited the Sunshine Act and the district's policies in objecting to the process.

Victor Verbeck, who identified himself as a former board member, said he reserved objections under the Sunshine Act and questioned whether the board's actions amounted to "legal gymnastics," arguing that reappointing an outgoing board member could violate policy language he cited that prohibits a board member from also holding certain district offices. "I joined in the objection by the first Mr. Moyer under the Sunshine Act," Verbeck said during public comment.

Other residents urged more public interviews, transparent procedures and the involvement of the four newly elected directors who are due to be sworn in next week. Several speakers said they had circulated petitions and emails asking the board to postpone the appointment; one resident said she had a petition with 600 signers asking the board to delay.

Board members held that the motions were in order and proceeded to vote despite the objections noted for the record. During the roll-call votes recorded in the meeting, members including Barnes, Plizak, Formica, Landis, Wheeler and Nelson voted in favor of the actions. The meeting record shows the motions passed by the votes taken at the meeting.

The board did not take public questions on procedure during the public-comment period, and the solicitor/attorney confirmed the board was proceeding in accordance with the agenda and the district's bylaws as presented at the meeting. A resident countered that other nearby districts follow a different practice, publicly soliciting and interviewing candidates after a vacancy is announced and before an appointment.

What happens next: The district's reorganization meeting remains scheduled for Dec. 1, when newly elected members will be sworn in. Several public commenters said they plan to continue seeking a policy that would standardize vacancy notice, candidate solicitation and interview processes in a transparent, public policy committee meeting.

Votes at a glance: The board recorded roll-call approval for (1) acceptance of the resignation of Nicholas Braccia; (2) acceptance of the resignation of William Bronk; and (3) appointment of William Braun to the vacant seat. Objections under the Sunshine Act were noted in the meeting record and on the public record by multiple speakers.

The meeting adjourned after the votes.