ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School Board Director Nick Miller on Thursday formally submitted his resignation to the board, effective Jan. 2.
Miller won election in November to the state Senate, defeating Republican Dean Browning. He’ll represent the newly redrawn 14th District and will be the youngest state senator in more than 100 years when he assumes office next month.
- Nick Miller resigned from his position on the Allentown School Board Thursday, effective in the new year, citing his state senate position as the reason
- A purchase of Chromebooks for students in the amount of $88,623.92 was retroactively approved
- A public hearing was held on whether to allow a new science and arts charter school
Miller submitted written notice of his departure in an email to the board less than 24 hours before Thursday’s public meeting. So because of the state's Open Meeting Law, the board must vote on the opening at a future meeting, possibly Jan. 12.
Board President Audrey Mathison said she believed the board could advertise the vacancy ahead of the board vote’s on his resignation, saying she wants to try to fill seat before the end of January.
By law, the board has 30 days after accepting a resignation to fill a school board seat. Miller was up for re-election to his seat in 2023.
“I’m not far,” Miller said. “There’s a ton of things that I want to continue to support in my new role; be there for the school district.”
Miller said one of the things he still wants the school board to do is update policies that a curriculum audit identified in 2018.
Chromebooks issue
Miller also made a motion to vote on the board approving retroactively 308 Chromebooks for the four middle schools at a total of $88,623.92. The computers were bought at the end of September without board approval, which violated district policy.
Board Director Patrick Palmer on Thursday had asked whether administration officials could discern if all of the computers had been assigned to students, which he also asked at the Dec. 1 committee meeting.
Administration officials said they could not say they were in students’ hands, but they said they could determine that within 10 minutes. Miller then said he wanted to move forward with the vote without that information.
Miller said through a spokeswoman that the administration had confirmed the Chromebooks had been distributed to the students prior to the meeting and wanted to save time.
However, Melissa Smith, the district director of grants and development, told board members on Dec. 1 she only knew they were inside the buildings.
Board members voted to approve the motion and voted 6-1 Thursday to approve the computer purchase. Director Lisa Conover voted no and members LaTarsha Brown and Charles Thiel were absent.
Conover also was the only no vote on the finance report, in which the board also agreed to “not raise property taxes beyond the approved index of 6.3%” in the fiscal 2023-24 budget.
The district is moving secretary to the board William Hargett to be special assistant to the superintendent at a salary of $108,000 a year, contingent on him getting a bachelor’s degree before Dec. 31, 2023.
Charter school vote
Also Thursday, the board held a public hearing into the application of a charter school wanting to open a location in Allentown on South 12th Street. The Lehigh Valley STEAM Academy Charter School is being established by a group of local educators and community leaders.
An attorney for the district, Allison Peterson, led the questioning of the applicants during the lengthy hearing. Attorney Brian Leinhauser represented the applicants, who include former Allentown City Council member Julio Guridy, Lehigh Valley educator Carlos Lopez and Lehigh University graduate student Elizabeth Taglioli. There were no public comments.
The applicants argue the school would fill a need in the area by providing K-8 students hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, art and math — or STEAM — in a small environment. Lopez said they plan to use the Harrisburg STEAM Academy as a template and have visited with leaders there in forming their concept.
The 12th Street location used to house a technical school, and the property owner would have to secure a new zoning designation. The charter school would rent the space.
The school board is expected to hold one more public hearing. It has 75 days after Thursday’s hearing to make a decision.