The Oley Valley School Board has filled two vacant seats after the resignations of Aaron Keller and Sharon Kershner.
Kershner and Keller left the board in October for personal reasons, school board members said at the time. Kershner died Nov. 1.
At a meeting Monday, the empty seats were filled by Mike Fredd and Andrew Kline, who were appointed in a split vote.
Seven candidates interviewed for the position at the meeting: Mike Fredd, Kristen Gumeniski, Donald Haas, Andrew Kline, Jodie Kline, Darrell Markley and Kevin McTish.
Fredd received votes from board members Maria Bogdanova-Peifer, Candice Corle, Mary Harris and Christina Moyer.
In an initial vote, Kline tied with Markley, a former Oley Valley superintendent, and McTish, a corporate controller, with each receiving three votes.
Kline won in a revote, earning votes from board President Jamie Freed, Dawn Zackon, Corle and Zachary Moore.
Fredd said he has experience in agriculture and has been running an animal feed business for 40 years.
“I know quite a few of the kids that come here that are in agriculture,” Fredd said. “This is more or less an agriculture town…I’d like to see that continue.”
He said he worked with kids running a 4-H club when he lived in Florida and would use his experience running a business as a board member.
Peifer asked Fredd about his position on what she called “the issue of boys in girl’s locker rooms.”
“I don’t think Title IX (a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education) was put in place to see boys in girl’s locker rooms, or boys playing in women’s sports,” Fredd said.
Kline said he graduated from the school district in 2020.
“I have been sitting in this room at meetings for over six-and-a-half years now,” Kline said. “I’ve sat in (district) classrooms…I’ve gotten to see a lot of current teachers, the current curriculum…I think I can bring some of that expertise as a pretty recent student.”
He said he gained experience in writing government policy during his time serving on the student government at Villanova University, where he studied civil engineering.
Kline also said he has experience managing a budget during his time as chair of the student presidential group within the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Before the vote, Peifer brought up a petition in Berks County Court signed by Kline and 26 other residents that calls for the removal of several school board members.
Peifer said Kershner told her that she wanted to put the petition behind her after she resigned.
“(The petition) stressed (Kershner) to no end,” Peifer said. “The people who have been a party to this (petition) want to take (Kershner’s) spot. I have a problem with that.”
Corle said she was seeking a candidate to replace Keller’s agricultural expertise.
After the first vote where Fredd was selected, Moore said Peiffer appeared to be casting a vote based on conservative political views, rather than out of responsibility to the district.
“You’re voting to keep boys out of girl’s locker room,” Moore told Peifer. “Which I agree with. But there’s more to being on a school board and leading a school.”
Peifer said she was acting in a way that aligned with the community consensus.
Corle said the board needs to garner feedback directly from staff and students.
“I think the only person you have on (the list of candidates) that is most relevant is Andrew Kline,” Corle said. “He has given us his word that he will bring professionalism to the board. Put all your politics to the side and think about what’s best for the students right now.”
