When a school board vacancy occurs, transparency should be the bare minimum standard—not an optional courtesy. Yet once again, the Souderton Area School District Board appears poised to ignore both best practices and the expectations of the community they serve.
Souderton is a dues-paying member of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA). That membership includes access to detailed guidance on ethical governance, transparency, and responsible leadership. But instead of following those standards, Souderton repeatedly chooses the opposite path.
What PSBA says school boards must do
The PSBA School Board Candidate Guide is clear:
“The board is responsible for publicly advertising the open position and conducting a selection process, including interviews, before a vote is held…”
PSBA’s governance principles emphasize transparent communication, open dialogue with the community, clear rules for operations, and strict ethical standards. Souderton’s board has adopted these principles—but consistently refuses to follow them.
Sneaking Through an Appointment on Thanksgiving Week
Perhaps the most telling part of this latest maneuver is the timing.
The board scheduled this appointment the day before Thanksgiving, when most families are traveling, cooking, or preparing for the holiday. It’s a familiar tactic: schedule something important when the public is least likely to show up, ask questions, or push back.
If transparency mattered, the board would wait until after the holiday—when families can participate and when the newly elected directors, chosen by the voters, are sworn in. Instead, the board appears intent on using Thanksgiving week to quietly push through an appointment no one asked for.
Souderton stands alone
While the law permits a board to appoint behind closed doors, most Pennsylvania school districts choose the ethical path over the bare legal minimum.
Souderton is choosing secrecy—again—and doing so mere days before the newly elected directors take office.
Meanwhile, every nearby district uses transparent processes:
- North Penn: Posted the vacancy, collected applications, interviewed candidates publicly.
- Perkiomen Valley: Filled a vacancy through public posting, applications, and open interviews.
- Upper Perkiomen: Used a transparent, advertised process in its last vacancy.
- Pennridge: Has a written public appointment policy in place since 2012.
Everyone else does this openly. Souderton does not
The irony? Souderton’s solicitor, Mr. Sultanik of Fox Rothschild, also represents North Penn, Perkiomen Valley, and Upper Perkiomen—districts that do follow PSBA best practices. Souderton simply chooses not to.
A pattern, not an accident
This is not the first time Souderton has ignored transparency when filling a seat. Vacancies in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2019, and 2023 all followed the same pattern: rushed, insider appointments rather than community-driven processes.
The result is a board that increasingly answers to itself—not the public.
And voters have noticed. In this month’s election, the community rejected the board’s closed-door culture.
Yet instead of respecting that mandate, the outgoing majority is trying to install another hand-picked member before the newly elected directors are sworn in.
Why this matters
School boards shape taxes, curriculum, district spending, safety decisions, long-term debt, and the direction of public education. A board seat is not a political favor. It belongs to the public.
PSBA’s own principles reinforce this obligation:
- “Promote transparency while protecting necessary confidential matters.”
- “Engage the community… and acknowledge varied input.”
Souderton’s board continues to do the opposite.
The community deserves better — and here’s what you can do
The voters have already spoken. They want a new direction.
For the board to rush an appointment now—during a holiday week—is more than disrespectful. It’s a deliberate attempt to maintain control and silence voter intent.
Souderton families deserve leadership that honors not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of it.
SIGN THE PETITION
Demand the board wait until the newly elected members are sworn in before filling this vacancy:
EMAIL THE SCHOOL BOARD
Tell them to stop rushing this appointment and follow transparent PSBA-endorsed procedures:
- Steve Nelson – snelson(at)soudertonsd.org
- Ken Keith – kkeith(at)soudertonsd.org
- Bill Formica – wformica(at)soudertonsd.org
- Mike Barnacz – mbarnacz(at)soudertonsd.org
- Kim Wheeler – kwheeler(at)soudertonsd.org
- Nick Braccio – nbraccio(at)soudertonsd.org
- Andrew Landis – alandis(at)soudertonsd.org
- Janet Flisak – jflisak(at)soudertonsd.org
Encourage them, respectfully but firmly, to wait until the newly elected directors are sworn in. A transparent process is not too much to ask — it is the minimum the community deserves.
