On Monday, July 22, the auditorium of Strath Haven Middle School was packed by masses of parents, staff, and a few students for a chaotic school board meeting. As a result of the sizable crowd, the meeting was moved from its normal place in the middle school library to the auditorium. The event included nearly an hour of public comment.

The district announced the special meeting via their social media channels on Wednesday, July 17.  Previously, there was no school board meeting scheduled for July. At the June 17 meeting, the school board authorized the superintendent to independently make hiring or contracting decisions on behalf of the District from June 18 through August 26.

An agenda posted to BoardDocs indicated agenda items under personnel, including the election of a new assistant superintendent, Dr. Sharon Baddick, to replace Dr. James Conley, the previous assistant superintendent who had left the district for West Chester Area School District.

In addition to Dr. Conley’s departure, Dr. Gregory Hilden, the principal of Strath Haven High School, left for Chichester School District, with a salary of $155,000, according to Chichester’s school board records. Dr. Hilden was receiving a salary of $166,315 while still at Haven, according to the PA Department of Education’s Payroll Database.

About a month later, Wallingford Elementary School principal Dr. Gabe Savage left for Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. In an email to parents, superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille explained that Savage’s decision was made due to wanting to be closer to home and to his family.

This announcement sparked a wave of discontent among parents on social media, even prompting some parents to sign an open letter to the School Board, requesting a formal evaluation of Dr. Marseille’s job performance, meetings between administrators and staff, the settlement of a contract between the teachers union and the administration, the addressing of building deficiencies, and an evaluation and additional support for the District’s special education team. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

School Board members Rachel Holbert and Michelle Williams listen as a community member speaks at the WSSD special school board meeting on Monday, June 23. The event contained nearly an hour of public comment.

Parent Arianne Allen represented the open letter and read excerpts of it aloud, claiming it had been signed by 270 community members. 

Dan Zimmerman, who taught in the district for 41 years and graduated from Nether Providence High School, expressed frustration over the use of District funds on administrative positions rather than students and teachers, criticizing the absence of a contract with the teachers union. 

“Let me tell you something about senior citizens. We don’t mind spending money. But we do mind wasting it,” Zimmerman said. 

Other speakers criticized fiscal management under current district leadership, objecting to funds directed towards areas like facilities, fields and “learning journeys” as part of the District’s strategic plan. Speakers also questioned the appointment of a new assistant superintendent at a salary of $200,000.

Some other audience complaints included the treatment of teachers, an alleged lack of competency, and what some saw as a lack of transparency following the resignation of Dr. Savage, leading multiple speakers to call for evaluations of Dr. Marseille’s performance as superintendent.

Parent Alicia Styer called the explanation that administrators left to be closer to home “insulting to this community” and blamed the departures on the administration. 

“They leave because of the leadership, or lack thereof. They leave because they are met with unattainable demands and unrealistic benchmarks. They leave because of the obvious agenda,” Styer said.

Another worry of the speakers was that WSSD was losing prestige due to the recent departures. 

“It seems to me that this district works because of its reputation. And people agree to live here and pay very high property taxes because of this reputation. And the minute the outside world starts to get the idea that things aren’t going well in this district, everything can fall apart very quickly,” community member Wade Malcolm said.

While many speakers critiqued the administration and school board, some saw the discontent as a cue for increased communication between District officials and community members. Parent Faith King encouraged the community to be more proactive in expressing their concerns, offering herself as a middleman between teachers and administrators and encouraging parents to attend school board meetings.

“You can’t get upset if you don’t show up,” King said.

Other speakers, like parent Jenny Montague, emphasized the impact of Dr. Savage and expressed disbelief at his leaving.

“That is the type of man that worked at WES. And he gave it his all. And I find it hard to believe that he would leave for another school district in a lateral position,” Montague said.

After public comment, Dr. Marseille was given an opportunity to respond.

Dr. Marseille admitted that the administration may have implemented strategic plan improvements too quickly. 

“I am guilty of running a marathon at a sprinter’s pace,” Dr. Marseille said.

During his response, Dr. Marseille promised change, but did not identify any immediate changes that would take place. Instead, he said that he would be working with the school board to “reassess and reevaluate in terms of capacity for some of this work, and attempt to reignite our sense of unity.”

“We can’t do this by ourselves; it is our educators on the ground who are doing this work,” he said.

Board Vice President Kelly Wachtman also responded after the public comment period.

According to Wachtman, she and Board President Kevin Henry, who was absent from the meeting, had spoken with administrators and were aware of the issues raised by audience members.

Despite multiple audience interruptions, Wachtman emphasized that the board was listening to the complaints of the audience.

The board then went on to unanimously elect the new assistant superintendent, Dr. Baddick, and approve all personnel items on the board agenda, including the appointment of Middle School Assistant Principal Mr. Steven Krall as Interim Principal at WES and a confidential personnel settlement.

The next regular school board meeting will be held on August 27, 2024 and will be livestreamed on the WSSD YouTube account.