Lower Merion school board member charged with stealing over $50,000 from employer has resigned from the board
The school board will meet next month to vote on Jennifer Rivera's resignation.
A Lower Merion school board member accused of embezzling more than $50,000 from her employer has resigned from the school board.
Jennifer Rivera, who has served on the school board for eight months, tendered her resignation from the board effective Tuesday, Amy Buckman, spokesperson for the Lower Merion School District, confirmed in an email Wednesday.
The board will vote on accepting the resignation at a special meeting Sept. 14.
Rivera could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rivera has been charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and related crimes in relation to funds she is accused of stealing from SMB Team, a Bala Cynwyd-based marketing agency that works with law firms.
An affidavit of probable cause for Rivera’s arrest said she used more than $25,000 in company funds to pay for airline travel and family vacations. Rivera also allegedly used SMB funds to pay a coworker to film a friend’s son’s bar mitzvah. Rivera used the company credit card to fly the same coworker and his wife to another employee’s wedding, where he was hired to be a photographer, according to the affidavit.
She was released on $25,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled to appear before a district judge for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 2.
Rivera was elected to the Lower Merion Board of School Directors in November on a Democratic slate. She was the highest vote-getter of the eight candidates who ran for a spot on the board last fall.
Rivera also sits on the board of directors of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, a Norristown-based educational service agency that supports local schools. Margaret Wright, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit board president, did not immediately respond to questions about whether Rivera was still serving on the board; however, Rivera’s name and photo were pulled from the intermediate unit’s website after a reporter’s inquiry.
In an announcement Thursday, the Lower Merion School District encouraged “qualified candidates with a strong commitment to public education” to apply for the vacancy.
Candidates must be 18 years or older, residents of Lower Merion or Narberth, and have lived in the school district for at least a year. They cannot be an employee of the district. Those interested in serving on the board are asked to submit application materials by Sept. 9. The school board will invite “highly qualified candidates” to participate in public interviews during a special meeting on Sept. 22.
The selected board member will serve until Dec. 5, 2027. The remaining years of the term will be filled by the winning candidate of the November 2027 municipal election.
This story has been updated with additional information on the process for filling a school board vacancy.
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