Oxford resident raises PTO governance concerns during public comment
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Summary
Resident Evan Kilchenstine told the board the Oxford PTO faces internal friction: he said bylaws aren’t being followed, officer appointments were made without membership meetings, several meetings were canceled or rescheduled with limited notice and members lacked awareness of changes; he urged community attendance at an upcoming PTO meeting.
During public comment, Oxford Borough resident Evan Kilchenstine addressed the board on governance concerns within the Oxford Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Kilchenstine emphasized he was not criticizing the PTO liaison who spoke earlier, but said there is "friction in the PTO right now" and that many members feel problems are not being brought to the broader membership for discussion.
Kilchenstine listed several specific concerns: he said bylaws and best practices are not being followed; that two new officers (a treasurer and secretary) were reported as added without a membership meeting or public notice and that at least one new appointee had never attended a PTO meeting or event; and that a vote to form a bylaws‑revision committee (taken at an earlier meeting) never proceeded because the December meeting was canceled after members had voted to nominate committee members. He said meeting cancellations and a recent change in the posted time and location for a Jan. 21 PTO meeting were not effectively communicated to parents and that those changes have led some members to suspect the changes may affect attendance and outcomes.
Kilchenstine urged membership engagement and urged supporters to attend the PTO meeting he said was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Hopewell’s LGIA Room. The board allowed the allotted comment time but did not record a substantive response to Kilchenstine’s concerns during the meeting.
Kilchenstine framed several items as opinion and community concern rather than formal accusations; the record shows the matters were raised publicly and remain unresolved in the meeting transcript.