Changing of the Guard at School Board

The Piedmont Board of Education won't formally choose new officers until July, but informally it appears that second-term board member Richard (Rick) Raushenbush will be elected president at that time.

The board's new vice president is likely to be either Sarah Pearson or Andrea Swenson, both elected to to their first terms in the February 2012 municipal election.

Board members discussed the choice of officers Wednesday night because at least one member will be absent at each of the next two meetings (Pearson in June, current Board President Roy Tolles in July), and they wanted a discussion that included all five members.

Both Tolles and second-term board member Ray Gadbois said they are not interested in serving as president or vice president for the coming year, while Raushenbush said he would like the post.

Pearson and Swensen have both expressed interest in eventually serving as president of the Board of Education during their first four-terms on the board, and both would like the experience they'd gain in the vice president's position first.

Pearson suggested that one of them might serve as vice president for 2012-2013 and the other for 2013-14. Raushenbush asked Pearson and Swenson to sort out the order between themselves.