BOARD SENDS OFF SCHILLING
Fellow members share their thanks and fond memories; next member could be appointed March 6
LANSDALE » Members of the North Penn School Board have sent off another colleague, saying their farewells to recently retired member John Schilling.
“You gave us a lot of advice. This is not easy, being on this side of the table all of a sudden. There’s a lot of new stuff to learn, and John was very helpful in providing his advice to us,” said school board President Tina Stoll.
“We really appreciate that, and are sorry to see you resign, and we wish you all the best in the future,” she said.
An incumbent Republican who had been on the school board since 1995, Schilling announced his resignation from the school board earlier this month, citing personal and
health issues. Applications to fill the vacant board position are due by Feb. 23, and the school board sent off Schilling during their Feb. 15 meeting with a plaque commemorating his years of service, and a round of stories and memories.
Board Vice President Ed Diasio recalled a one-onone
discussion he had with Schilling roughly a year and a half ago when Diasio was undecided on a vote.
“I was feeling conflicted on one of my votes, I wasn’t exactly sure how to vote, and you told me to vote my heart, and to not let anybody pressure me into voting a certain way,” Diasio said.
“You shared with me that in your 22-year career, there was one vote you kind of felt pressured to take, and
you never felt good about it. And I’ve never forgotten that, and I’ve tried to have my votes reflect that. I’ll remember that for as long as I serve on this board,” he said.
Board member Terry Prykowski said “it’s been a pleasure” to work with Schilling for much of his 22 years, and board member Jonathan Kassa recalled a mistaken impression his son had as Kassa talked to Schilling after being sworn in last December.
“I remember my son coming up and saying ‘What was he telling you about? It looked like you were in trouble.” And I said, “No, that man, Mr. Schilling, is teaching me a lot.’ Thank
you for that wisdom; it won’t be forgotten.”
Board member Juliane Ramic said she appreciated Schilling’s willingness to share his thoughts, and member Christian Fusco said Schilling had “sacrificed quite a bit to make this district a better place.”
Board member Jenna Ott said she hoped the two can catch up and talk about a book Schilling lent her — and member Mark Warren said he hopes Ott, who took Schilling’s seat at the school board table, will continue Schilling’s tradition of publicly thanking residents who give gifts to district schools.
“Every meeting, when we would go through and bring
in the gifts, it was always, ‘let’s go over to John and make sure John gets time to thank everybody,’” Warren said.
“Even in my short time here, it’s clear you cared about that, and make sure people understand how thankful we are for the things they gave us. I’ll be looking over to Ms. Ott to make sure she does it,” he said.
Superintendent Curt Dietrich presented Schilling with a plaque commemorating his years of service, before asking Schilling to reverse his traditional position and shake hands with the rest of the board as a visitor instead of as a fellow member.
“He spent more than 22
years on the school board, doing a tremendous service to our community, always doing what he believed was the right thing to do. I always appreciated that about John,” Dietrich said.
Applications for the vacant school board position are due by 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 and must include a resume, letter of interest, and completed state ethics form or statement, which can be found on the district’s website www.NPenn.org. The board would then publicly interview candidates, and could vote to appoint one, during their March 6 meeting at 7:30 p.m at the district Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock St. in Lansdale.