ABOUT THE BOARD...
Bob Goldsack
was elected to the Delaware Valley School Board in the Fall of 2005. Bob
and his wife, Yolanda, have four children and six grandchildren—Brian, a
recent graduate of Delaware Valley is now attending the University of
Hartford. Bob graduated from St. Peter’s College with a BA and received
a MA from Montclair State College. He has had much community and
volunteer experience such as – President of Taxpayers United, Member of
the Juvenile Conference Committee, NJ; Member of the Mayors Council on
Drug Abuse, NJ; Covenant House, NYC; Football coach, NJ; Member of the
DVSD Quality Education Committee’s Accreditation Planning Team;
Counselor for Drug Rehabilitation, NJ; Assistant Director of Drug
Education, NJ; Volunteer for Survivors Resources, an organization that
helps battered women and sex abuse victims. Currently, Mr. Goldsack is
self-employed.
Deborah
DuCharme
was elected to the Delaware Valley School Board in the Fall of 2005. Deb
and her husband, Paul, have owned their home in Dingmans Township since
1988; In 2000, they became fulltime residents. Their daughter, Michelle
is in the 10 th grade at DVHS. Deb is the CEO of Pike Media Partners and
the Publisher of Milford Magazine, which she helped launch in July of
2001. She is also a veteran of the Magazine Publishing industry, having
spent over 20 years at magazines owned by a variety of companies
including: The New York Times, the Walt Disney Company, Cox Newspapers
and CBS. Deb DuCharme has been Publisher of Mary Engelbreit’s Home
Companion, Associate Publisher of Eating Well and Family Fun and
National Sales Manager for Family Circle. She is a member of the Board
of Directors of the Pike County Cooperative Extension and on the
homeowner’s board of her local community and also a member of the
Milford Garden Club and a Penn State Master Gardener. Deb has a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY at New Paltz and has earned
Graduate credits at New York University.
Sue Casey
is a lifelong resident of the Delaware Valley School District, lives in
Milford with her husband Frank. Their daughter Sarah is an elementary
school teacher and Erin is a forensic scientist with the Texas
Department of Public Safety. Sue is the Manager of Special Projects at
Outsourcing Services Group, in Port Jervis, NY, where she has worked
since 1978. A member of the Delaware Valley School Board since 1995, a
Girl Scout leader since 1986, a Master Trainer for the Sarah Wells GS
Council, a volunteer for the American Red Cross since 1991, involved in
many ministries at St. Vincent’s Parish in Dingmans, a member of the
Scranton Diocesan committee on Scouting & Youth, and a Board member for
Tri-States Chamber of Commerce, Sue’s philosophy is "To Lead by
Example."
Diane French
has resided in Dingmans Ferry for fifteen years. She is married to Bill
and they have a fifteen-year-old daughter Katie who is a sophomore at
Delaware Valley High School. She is currently in her final semester at
East Stroudsburg University and will graduate with honors May 2008. She
will receive a degree in Elementary Education with her concentration in
reading. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the prestigious honor
society for education. She has been the president of the Sunrise Lake
Swim Team, Youth Group Leader at St. Vincent’s Church and has
volunteered many hours tutoring local children. Many hours have also
been spent helping within the classrooms and with PTA functions such as
Field Days and the Spring Fling. Diane looks forward to the challenges
that lay ahead and feels that we must strive to attain the goal that all
children within the Delaware Valley School District receive a good
education.
John Kupillas
was elected to the Delaware Valley School Board in the fall of 2007.
John and his wife Patti have been full time residents of Dingman
Township since 2002. John was born in June 1947 and raised in Queens
NYC. He graduated from Bryant High School and has earned five college
credits from Pima College, Arizona. He served two years in the US Army,
with one year in South Viet Nam as a heavy artilleryman. John has four
grown children and two grandchildren with another due in May 2008. He
retired in 2002 from Verizon after 35 years of service as a
communications technician. Job responsibilities included, but were not
limited to, maintenance resolution of customer and company generated
timed outages, as well as inter-company broadband T1 and T3 circuitry
and design. As a technician John was trained in many phases of vendor
supplied electronic communications equipment and company equipment as
well as its operation. On a day to day basis he coordinated common
carriers, other central office technicians and local usage customers
including government and banks. John became a trainer for newly hired
employees, training them in all phases of equipment and company
operations. His knowledge, inter-personal skills, and training methods
were unrivaled. As an elected senior union steward for 12 years, John's
duties included co-ordination and training of other union stewards and
contract enforcement with local and upper management. He also was
responsible for maintaining overtime hours, assignment of work tours,
vacation and schedules for 180 fellow crafts people. These company and
union skills manifested themselves on September 11, 2001, when the 30
story building that he worked in three blocks from the World Trade
Center had to be evacuated. In 2006, John was elected to the Pike County
Republican Committee, representing Dingman Township. As a proud member
of Taxpayers United, John believes that education is a high priority
which is vital to America's future, as well as an affordable one.
Pam Lutfy
has resided in Pike County since 1973. She and her husband have two
children, ages 12 and 14, who are enrolled in the Delaware Valley Middle
and High School. Pam graduated from California University of
Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology and
Language Remediation. She worked in the Delaware Valley School District
from 1973 to 1987 providing speech, language and hearing therapy for
children in kindergarten through twelfth grade. At East Stroudsburg
University and Columbia University, Pam completed her Master's work in
Special Education and the Neuropsychology of Language Disorders. Pam is
the owner and director of the Sunshine Station Early Learning Centers
II, III, and I in Westfall/Milford Townships, Milford Borough and
Delaware Township. She supervises programs of infant care, toddler care,
pre-school, pre-kindergarten, developmental kindergarten, before- and
after-school care and summer camp. Pam is an active community advocate
for children and adults with special needs. Pam is one of the founders
of Pike County United Way and is a member of the American Speech and
Hearing Association, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the
National Education Association. She served on the Delaware Valley
School Board from 1988 to 1992. Pam and her husband, Dick Lutfy, own the
historic Tom Quick Inn in Milford.
Ed Silverstone
lives in Shohola and has been an area resident since the 1960s. He and
his wife Ellen, a former teacher, have three children and four
grandchildren. Ed has had careers in business and law. From 1986-2000 he
managed various businesses including as President and Chief Executive
Officer of Goltens Worldwide, the largest specialty ship repair company;
President of Fenway Holdings, a diversified manufacturer; and Group Vice
President of Hanson Industries where he was responsible for more than
two dozen businesses including Jacuzzi, Grove Crane, Farberware,
Endicott Johnson and Georgia Boot footwear, Ground Round restaurants and
Durkee Foods. From 1967-1986 he was a lawyer, beginning at the Federal
Trade Commission and ending as Counsel for a diversified manufacturing
group. Ed graduated from Syracuse University and the University of
Pennsylvania Law School. He served in the US Army and in the US Naval
Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. He serves on the Board of the
Association for the Help of Retarded Children NYC Foundation, the
country's largest AHRC chapter.
John Wladar
grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey where he was born on October 15,
1937. His parents of Hungarian and Croatian descent left his education
to the public school system, namely PS #6, Dickinson High, Accredited
Evening High and JC Junior College. Afterward he attended engineering
classes in Dayton, Ohio, Hartford, CT and Denver, CO at the behest of
his then employer, NCR. He has also attended Farleigh Dickinson and NYU,
for business and sales management. His work experiences have been
diverse. At age fourteen he worked part-time for a manufacture of
wedding gowns and dresses. At sixteen he left Dickinson High to work
full-time at American Book and Strafford Press while attending and
graduating from the Accredited Evening High at Dickinson. He was then
hired into the Engineering and Design department of American Car and
Foundry (ACF) located in Jersey City and continued his education at JCJC
in the evening. ACF built the railroad cars they designed, in Berwick,
PA. Leaving ACF, he went to WKNY in Kingston NY as a Radio Announcer.
From there he went to NCR where he spent eleven years working with
banking, business and computer systems. In 1970 he went to work for the
International Communications Corporation-Milgo Electronics as their New
York Regional Marketing Manager, spending his years there in various
marketing and sales management positions. He continued in the same vein
with Paradyne Corp. and General DataCom. In 1995 he was hired into
WorldCom’s Data Sales Division selling domestic and international
broadband fiber optic and communication systems, retiring in 2001.
Throughout his career he has dealt with predominately Fortune 500
companies as well as Federal, State, and Local Governments. He has had
Data Communication Systems designed and installed for the Atlantic City
School System, Monmouth County (NJ) Libraries, NYC Board of Ed., Ohio
State, MIT, Yale University, Univ. of Massachusetts, SUNY and various
other educational systems.
John
Wroblewski
was appointed to the board on July 15, 1999 to complete the unexpired
term of John Fisher. He lives in Milford and is married, with three
daughters in the Delaware Valley School District. John is a licensed
pharmacist and works as a project manager for Educational Resource
Systems. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Technology Committee
and Special Education Committee and is a member of the district's
transportation committee. John served as President of the Shohola
Elementary School PTA and the Delaware Valley PTA Council. He also
serves as a Lector and CCD teacher at St. Patrick's Parish in Milford.
John enjoys camping and martial arts, and recently earned his
second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
POWER AND DUTIES OF THE
BOARD
The board functions as a unit and speaks officially only through the collective action
of its membership. The Board, in accordance with its statutory mandate, shall prepare
by-laws for its own operation and policies for the guidance of the Chief School
Administrator in the operation of the school district. Within the framework of education
law, the Board concerns itself with broad questions of policy and puts into effect
policies of its own and policies recommended by its executive officer, the Superintendent
of Schools. The board shall appoint a solicitor who will represent the school district.
TERMS AND OFFICES
The Board consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary and seven
members. They are elected at large for four-year terms. The Board annually, during the
first week in December, will elect from their members a President and Vice-President who
will serve for one year. The Board shall annually, during the month of May, elect a
Treasurer and every four years, during the month of May, elect a secretary for a four-year
term. The President presides at all meetings and appoints all committees unless otherwise
directed by the Board. In the absence of the President, the Vice President performs the
duties of the President. To be eligible to be elected, one must be a citizen of
Pennsylvania, of good moral character, at least 18 years of age and have been a resident
of the school district for at least one year prior to election.
MEETINGS AND EXECUTIVE
SESSIONS
The Delaware Valley Board of Education complies with Pennsylvania law in conducting its
meetings. This law defines a "meeting" as an official convening of the Board of
Education for the purpose of conducting public business. All regular meetings are open to
the public. However, the law also permits the taking of an executive session, a portion of
a meeting not opened to the public. An executive session can be held to discuss the
following matters: those which will imperil the public safety; those which may disclose
the identity of a law enforcement agent or informer; any information relating to current
or future investigation or prosecution of a criminal offense which would imperil effective
law enforcement; pending or current litigation; collective bargaining negotiations; the
medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation,
or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline,
suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation; the preparation,
grading or administration of exams; the proposed acquisitions, sale, or lease of real
property, or the proposed acquisition of securities or sale or exchange of securities
held, when publicity would affect the value thereof.
ORDER OF BUSINESS
The agenda for Board of Education meetings follows an established order. This order can
be changed by a two-thirds vote of those present at each regular and adjourned meeting of
the board:
A. CALL TO ORDER
B. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
C. DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS
D. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS
E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
F. PRESENTATIONS
G. REPORTS
H. TREASURER’S REPORT
I. BILLS FOR PAYMENT
J. PERSONNEL ITEMS
K. NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
L. CORRESPONDENCE
M. OTHER BUSINESS
N. ANNOUNCEMENTS
O. ADJOURNMENT
P. PRESS – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
MEETING
SCHEDULE
The Board of Education usually meets twice a month, on the
second and third
Thursday, at 7:30 PM. Meetings are rotated throughout the district’s school buildings
and are listed on the District’s calendar. For additional information about the board
and board meetings, contact the Executive Secretary at (570) 296-1804.
Board
Meeting Dates for the current school term.
