Eight School Board Candidates Interviewed For Vacancy In Abington

ABINGTON, PA — Abington Township school directors held a meeting earlier this week to interview a slate of candidates hoping to become the next school board member, the vacancy created after the recent departure of a former school director.

The open seat was created with last month's resignation of board member Jennifer O'Rourke, who had been elected to the body back in 2017.

According to school district materials, those candidates who were interviewed on Monday during the special meeting were Paul Morse, Arthur Baehr, Rachel Hartman, Rachel Tomas, Nicole Gesing, Erin Glaser, Joseph Rooney and Gregory Pennekamp.

More information about each of the candidates can be found here.

The district posted the resumes and letters of interest that had been provided by each of the candidates.

Neighboring Upper Dublin Township also saw a vacancy on that community's school board at roughly the same time as O'Rourke's departure in Abington.

Upper Dublin School Board member Michael Henderson last month left the panel after serving for two-plus years, saying new travel work commitments would make it difficult for him to carry out his duties.

A search for Henderson's replacement continues.

Both Abington and Upper Dublin school boards are elected bodies with nine members each.

Abington is a much larger school district than Upper Dublin, but both are equally recognized as top-notch educational institutions in the Philadelphia suburbs.