Palmyra Area SD board elects Jill Martin president; Corey Andrew chosen vice president

The Palmyra Board of School Directors elected Jill Martin as board president at its Dec. 4 reorganization meeting and selected Corey Andrew as vice president, the board announced.

The chair explained the process for electing officers and called for nominations. Jill Martin was nominated by a board member for president; the board then took a roll-call vote. The chair announced Martin approved by a vote of 7 to 2. During her remarks after the vote, Martin said, "I am very honored. . . . I will pledge in public to work with every single board member collaboratively and respectively, and with the teachers, administrative staff, in a collaborative way this year, to really further the excellence that we've all seen Palmyra has been exhibiting this past year." (Transcript.)

Nominations for vice president followed. Corey Andrew was nominated and the chair announced the voice/roll-call result as 5 to 4 in Andrew’s favor. The board also held a vote for treasurer; candidates included Seth Steinmetz and Christine Fisher. The transcript records the chair announcing the treasurer selection with a result given as "By a vote of 5 0 4" and the chair stating the selected candidate; the transcript wording is garbled in places and the exact roll-call names recorded in the audio are not fully clear in the text.

The board confirmed continuing officer terms for two secretary positions: Mike Friends will continue as board secretary through June 30, 2026, and Susan Gilligan will remain assistant board secretary through June 30, 2026.

The board also moved through a series of appointments to outside bodies and committees. The chair asked Mr. Guy to continue as the Palmyra Public Library representative; Alicia Haldeman was appointed to a Palmyra Area Recreation and Parks Commission seat (meetings typically monthly on Wednesday evenings); Dave Loudermote (name appears with variations in the transcript) agreed to continue as the Cougar Foundation representative; and Susan Gilligan accepted appointment as the district’s Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) legislative regent. The board approved representatives to the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center, appointing Corey Andrew as representative, Susan Gilligan as first alternate and another member as second alternate for terms running through Dec. 7, 2028, the chair said.

An unidentified visitor offered a public comment before the officer elections, thanking the board: "I just wanna welcome you all from the bottom of my heart... a lot of us in the community are very, very appreciative." (Transcript.)

The reorganization meeting was adjourned and the board immediately called a short regular meeting for hiring purposes.

What’s next: The board will continue committee assignments and begin its regular agenda work at future meetings; several outside appointments carry multi-year terms noted above.