JOHNSTOWN - The Greater Johnstown School District Board of Education Tuesday re-elected its president, but made a change for vice president.
By an 8-1 vote, President Robert Curtis was re-elected.
New member Ronald Beck voted against Curtis. Beck said he would like to see people in board officer positions "rotated" every year.
The board replaced previous Vice President James Levin with Joanne Freeman. Both were nominated, but Freeman was elected by a 6-3 margin. Voting for her were herself, Leslie Buggeln-Bosworth, Curtis, Russell Martin, Evamarie Mraz and John David Praught. Voting no for Freeman were Beck, Scott Miller and Levin.
Curtis, the city's postmaster, now is serving his second consecutive term as board president. He presided over a busy 2008-09 school year that included a decision to close Jansen Avenue Elementary School, a decision to redistrict elementary students, ongoing negotiations between the board and the Johnstown Teachers Association, and an ongoing need to develop a long-term transportation facility for the district.
"We have a lot of unfinished business," Curtis said during a break in the meeting.
He said the district still must resolve its bus facility needs and he is "still concerned" about how the cloudy state aid picture will affect the district in the future.
Freeman said some board members have expressed an appreciation for her past service and wanted her to become an officer.
In addition to Curtis and Freeman being sworn in, new board members Mraz and Beck also were sworn in. Mraz is a former member of the board.
Mraz, of 25 W. Main St., and Beck, of 401 S. William St., were elected in May. District voters elected them to the board, re-elected Levin, and voted out former board member Robert Kosowicz. Graduating Johnstown High School senior Patrick Javarone also lost the election.
The board made numerous other personnel moves at the meeting, including approving the resignation of Michael Satterlee, director of health, physical education, recreation and extracurricular activities. He has become the new principal of Knox Junior High School, appointed June 30 by the board to the $72,000-per-year position.
The board reappointed Larraina Carpenter as district clerk for the 2009-10 school year. Other appointments included Alice Dillenbeck as district treasurer and chief accounting officer, RoseAnn Duross as school tax collector, Vanessa Wilder as district claims auditor, and Dr. Richard Solby as school physician.
Appointed as fall coaches were: Jon Swartwout, Thomas Nicholas, Matthew J. Benton, Bruce Heberer and James Rodecker, all football assistants; Tracy Ringer, field hockey head coach; Tara Bruce and Christine Krempa, field hockey assistants; Michael Hill, boys soccer assistant; and Tricia Best, volleyball assistant.
