Council Rock School Board Reorganizes, Elects New Leadership For 2026

NEWTOWN, PA — The Council Rock School Board held its reorganization meeting Thursday night, electing new leadership and welcoming two members and two returning members to the board table.

Rejoining the board after winning re-election in November are Michael Roosevelt (Region 6) and Nicole Khan (Region 9). And joining the board as new members are Jim Green (Region 3) and Cheryl Rickert (Region 8).

Newtown area district Judge Mick Petrucci was on hand to swear in the new and returning board members.

With the reorganization, Democrats now hold six of the nine seats on the school board and the majority control of the agenda. Republicans are in the minority with three seats.

As their first action as a board, the Democratic majority nominated Nicole Khan of Wrightstown for the presidency of the board and Ed Tate of Newtown for the vice presidency.

The board's three Republicans - Anne Horner, Joseph Hidalgo and Michael Roosevelt - broke with the majority, nominating Roosevelt for the presidency.

In a 6-3 party-line vote, Khan won appointment as board president over Roosevelt. Horner then nominated Hidalgo for the vice presidency, which Hidalgo respectfully declined.

From left: Cheryl Rickert (Region 8), Jim Green (Region 3) and Michael Roosevelt (Region 6)

Khan, who is returning to the board after winning re-election in November, is taking over the leadership from Tate, who is staying on as the board's vice president after serving as president for the past year.

In accepting her new leadership role, Khan thanked her board colleagues - Jim Green, Tracey Osecki, Cheryl Rickert, and Linda Stone - "for their support and confidence in me to fill this role. I would also like to thank our previous board presidents - Ed Tate and Yota Palli - for their unwavering support, leadership, and mentorship.

"We have many things to be proud of in the district and have implemented new initiatives that will change the future of this district for the better, such as full-day kindergarten, the successful implementation and redesignation of Heart for Schools, and the work that has begun in structured literacy."

Khan continued, "I will continue to work and serve this district to ensure that every student can learn and every staff member can teach in a safe and welcoming environment. My priorities are to continue the path forward to support educational excellence and student well-being that is best for Council Rock.

"Every decision that I will make as one vote will always be in the best interest of students in our district and our community," said Khan. "I look forward to the work ahead and collaborating not only with my fellow board colleagues, but also our administration."