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NILES — The Brandywine Board of Education has a new member as well as a new vice-president after action at a special meeting Monday night. 

The purpose of the meeting was to interview applicants to replace Board Vice-President Thomas Payne who resigned from the board in late September.

     Board members interviewed two applicants for the position: Jeremy Colby and Toni Lawrence. Both applicants had submitted letters of interest as well as answers to a series of questions. Colby also applied in July for the vacancy left when Angela Seastrom resigned and is also running for one of three four-year seats on the board this November.

     Colby is a local business owner and has also worked as a substitute teacher. He noted that he received special education services when he was in school because of a learning disability. He had said in July that he is interested in getting resources to kids with special needs.

     He answered two questions from board members. Board Trustee John Jarpe asked him about the role of the school board in accountability for student achievement. Colby said he sees the board as part of the district leadership that should be responsible for student achievement as a whole.

     “The numbers and goals are very complex when it comes to student achievement and can be affected by socio-economic factors and family issues,” he said. “But overall it has to come down to the leadership of the board and district leaders.”

     Board President Elaine McKee asked Colby about his views on the board’s recent discussion of Title IX changes and how student privacy and security concerns can be addressed. Colby said his first goal would be to make sure any board action doesn’t put the district in legal jeopardy.

     He added that he would want to make sure that data shows there are real problems when it comes to student privacy and security concerns. “We should have some data that says we are solving a real problem here and not putting a bunch of resources and time into something where the data shows that we’re not seeing a problem,” he said.

     “Let’s make sure we’re dealing with what is actually in front of us versus what in theory could be there,” he added. “I don’t want anything unsafe to happen.”

     In her interview, Lawrence praised the school district for its family and community spirit and said her husband graduated from Brandywine and she has three grandchildren attending Brandywine schools. She is an author, has operated a community newspaper in the past and has volunteered with community festivals.

     She was asked one question by Jarpe. He asked about an answer she gave about what parents should do if they have a school-related concern about their child. He had interpreted her answer to be that a parent should go to the child’s teacher and then to a school board member.

     Lawrence said that parents should follow the chain of command, going first to the teacher, then the principal and superintendent before going to the school board.

     Board members had no discussion about the two candidates before voting to appoint Colby to fill the vacancy left by Payne’s resignation. Colby will serve the remainder of Payne’s term through December, 2026.

     Board members then went on to the appointment of a new board vice-president. Jarpe, who was appointed to the board in August after Seastrom’s resignation, was nominated and then voted to fill that position through the end of the calendar year. A full slate of new board officers will be elected in January.

     The November election will feature Jarpe as the only one running for the partial two-year term left from the Seastrom resignation and five people running for three four-year terms. Those running for the three four-year terms are incumbents Jessica Crouch and Holly Pomranka as well as Colby, Ryan Candler and Shannon Daniels.