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Board member raises ethics concern; chair says Negotiations Committee membership will change
Summary
At the Jan. 8 work session, board member Wendy Wiest cited Section 1103 of the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act to question Dennis Deitrich’s appointment as chair of the Negotiations Committee. Deitrich requested removal and President Tara Sprenkel said she will appoint a replacement and circulate an updated list.
Wendy Wiest publicly questioned the appointment of board member Dennis Deitrich as chair of the Negotiations Committee at the Shikellamy School District’s Jan. 8 work session, citing Section 1103 of the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act and warning that contracts could be voidable if a conflict exists.
Wiess’s concern prompted Deitrich to ask to be removed from the committee. Board President Tara Sprenkel said she will appoint a new chair and provide the updated committee list to the full board. Solicitor Matthew Slivinski also addressed the issue of committee activity earlier in the meeting when discussing building walkthroughs, advising that gatherings intended to solicit board input could meet the definition of a committee meeting under applicable rules; administrators said walkthroughs were informational and not intended to gather input.
Why it matters: Committee leadership and membership can affect who negotiates district contracts and how potential conflicts are reviewed. Wiest explicitly referenced a state ethics statute when raising her concern, and the board responded by removing the member in question from committee duties and promising to issue an updated committee roster.
What happens next: President Sprenkel will name a new Negotiations Committee chair and distribute the revised list to the board. The board did not take a formal vote on the committee membership change during the work session.
