Man petitions for B-C seat
A Centerville man has petitioned Washington County Court to be named to a vacant Bethlehem-Center School Board seat after directors there failed to do so within 30 days of the Dec. 3 resignation of former Director Richard Martin.
The petition filed Monday by Thomas Bair, a maintenance supervisor at Mon Valley Hospital, places the decision before Washington County Court under the terms of the Pennsylvania School Code.
Judge Katherine B. Emery has instructed Beth-Center directors to announce at any board meetings this month that she has set a Jan. 31 deadline for eligible residents of the district to petition the court to be considered for the post, said district solicitor Lane Turturice.
Martin, a former Beth-Center High School principal, did not give a reason for his resignation and it came after he served just one year in office. His replacement will serve through the end of the year, after voters elect a new director to represent Region 1 in November.
In his petition, Bair states he is qualified to serve on the board because he was Beth-Center board president after being elected to the office in 1998.
He claims he is familiar with school policies and employee contract negotiations and is concerned about the quality of education in the district, court records show.