Ambler Council May Petition to Revert School Board to Ward System

It was a primary grievance of the British colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, and it has become a primary concern of some councilmembers of Ambler Borough — no taxation without representation.

Some Ambler Borough councilmembers Tuesday night believed they shouldn't have to pay taxes since there is no representation of the borough by Wissahickon School Board candidates.

Ambler's "no taxation without representation" stance may lead to a petition for a referendum on the next ballot to bring back the ward system for the school board.

Councilwoman Patty Strus expressed her disappointment with Monday night's vote by the Wissahickon School Board to close Mattison Avenue Elementary, the last remaining elementary school in the borough.

"I was very disheartened by the whole six months of what the residents went through to try and save our school," Strus said. "Unfortunately, we lost the battle. So, as of June 2013, Mattison Avenue will be closed. It is very upsetting to all of us up here. We all fought very hard to keep that school."

Councilman Sal Pasceri wants to force the Wissahickon School Board to have three members from Ambler Borough.

"Since we don't have any representation (on the school board), can we not force them to have three members from Ambler on there like there always was?" he said. "We're paying taxes; we have no representation. Can we say we're not going to pay school taxes anymore because we're not represented?" 

Solicitor Joe Bresnan said the school board went to an at-large system because it was having difficulty fielding candidates from Ambler Borough.

"So, the borough didn't disagree at the time to go to at-large," Bresnan said. "To switch it back, to go to wards, you have to petition with a referendum to get on the ballot."

Bresnan added that the change to a ward system would have to be districtwide.

Council President Tony Isabella asked if such a decision would be made by the school board or Ambler Borough. Bresnan said it would be made by the school board.  

Bresnan said he would research the petition process for council.

Strus said that unfortunately the issue of finding candidates to represent Ambler Borough hasn't changed.

"There are four seats up this year. If we had the candidates from Ambler, we could run against them," she said. 

Pasceri said with an at-large system, nobody from Ambler Borough can win in the school board election.

"We don't have the people," he said. "We should have three representatives regardless. We want three people from Amber that are automatically going to be on, three from Whitpain and three from (Lower) Gwynedd."

Pasceri said the only reason Ambler Borough ever had only one person on the school board is because the board gave them a "token."

"They nominate them and they turn around and say 'Let that person from Ambler get on.' That's the only reason why we had one for a while," Pasceri said. "If they don't want anybody from Ambler, they vote us out." 

Isabella said the Wissahickon School Board is nine people "deciding what to do with a school in our town."

"They've probably never been in our town," Isabella said. "The only time they come to town is when it's voting day to get votes."

Pasceri said if the school board decided to close a school in Blue Bell, Ambler Borough won't even have a say in it.

"Blue Bell has three elementary schools; this is our only school left," he said.  

Isabella said there used to be three public schools in Ambler, with three representatives.

"Now, we have zero schools and zero representatives," he said, "and we pay taxes like everyone else does, which is unfair."