Some local school board candidates are not what they seem

Editor’s Note: Rich Heiland is a veteran, award-winning news reporter, editor and columnist. We were alerted to Rich’s column on local education and felt it deserved wider distribution beyond his personal Website. With his permission, we present this column — with hopes that Rich’s work will appear here semi-regularly. By Rich Heiland, Special to the Times I was told this...

Move to remove WCASD board members is an attack on democracy

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Court of Common Pleas Judge William P. Mahon vacated his order Friday removing five members of the West Chester Area School District Board of Education — but the case and the possibility that duly-elected public officials could be removed from office remains a possibility. So for now, Sue Tiernan, Joyce Chester, Kate Shaw, Karen Herrmann and Daryl...

County judge removes 5 from WCASD board over masking policy

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa The original petition filed in the West Chester Area School District case. A Chester County judge moved Tuesday to remove five members of the West Chester Area School District Board of Education on what he termed a procedural issue — saying that neither the school board members or school district responded in a timely manner to a petition seeking...

WCASD to host discussion with Dr. Bernice King

Dr. Bernice King will participate in a historic moderated conversation with the West Chester Area School District on Tuesday, Feb. 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public through a YouTube livestream. The moderated conversation with Dr. Bernice King is part of a larger Strengthening Community Symposium that will focus on strengthening community in the areas of parent,...

Letter: Before you go to polls, please read this!

To the Editor, The Republican Committee of Chester County (RCCC) has violated their own bylaws in attempting to overturn the will of over 2,900 Republican Voters.  This past May, Mr. Chris McCune won the Republican Primary for West Chester Area School District (WCASD) Region 3 Director by a wide margin.  This is why you will find his name on the official ballot as a Republican. One reason Chester...

Letter: Politicization of school boards should concern everyone

To The Editor, The rapid politicization of school boards should be of concern to all stakeholders. There are good and valid reasons that school board members should adopt a non-partisan stance in their duties.  The only agenda a school board candidate should have is the continued educational progress of our students, the continued prudent use of taxpayer money and community resources, and the...

Letter: WCASD voters beware

To the Editor, Who should we trust when voting on Tuesday, November 2nd?  If you cannot trust your own political party and its leadership, who can you trust to be truthful, well-intentioned, and sincere when it comes to the students, teachers, and staff within the West Chester Area School District? Last May, I had the unique opportunity to support a Republican school board candidate for re-election...

Rabid GOP now feeding on their own

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa If they held a local competition for “off the rails” in politics, Chester County Republican Chair Gordon Eck would win by a landslide.  His — I won’t dignify it by calling it an Op/Ed — recently published screed attacking a fellow Republican and local Board of Education president over the fake issue of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in our...

Chesco school districts poised to resume in-person classes

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Some Chester County school districts moved this week to bring students and teachers back into county classrooms as early as October — with one school district formally approving a plan this week to reopen school buildings next month. Meanwhile, school districts around the county approved a return to interscholastic sports practices this week and...