Lower Merion picks a new school board member after 17 people applied for the vacant seat
Muna Elshakhs, a Tredyffrin/Easttown teacher, was selected to replace Jen Rivera, who resigned after being arrested last month on embezzlement charges.
The Lower Merion school board on Tuesday selected a Tredyffrin/Easttown teacher and former Narberth Borough council member to fill a seat left vacant by a school board member who was arrested.
The board picked Muna Elshakhs from a group of 17 applicants, after interviewing her and fellow applicant Andrea Gosfield during a special meeting Tuesday. The board had selected four candidates to be interviewed Tuesday, but two withdrew their names from consideration before the meeting.
The board did not release their names, or the names of the other candidates who had applied to fill the seat. The position became vacant after Jen Rivera resigned after she was arrested last month on charges of stealing more than $50,000 from her employer.
Some community members accused the board of a lack of transparency in appointing a new member to the term, which runs until December 2027.
“Table this appointment, give the full list of applicants and enter them into the public record,” Matthew Posey, who is among a group of parents challenging the district over its use of technology, said during public comment Tuesday, as he accused the board of “back room deliberations.”
District spokesperson Amy Buckman said before Tuesday’s meeting that the eight board members had “individually notified the board secretary of their top choices from among the applicants to be publicly interviewed.” The secretary tallied the selections, and “the applicants with the most selections” were scheduled to be interviewed, Buckman said.
Those who weren’t selected included at least two people who ran for the Democratic-led board unsuccessfully in 2025: Rich Lester, who ran as a Democrat but was not endorsed by the local Democratic party, and Deena Pack, who ran as a Republican.
In an interview Tuesday, Lester said he was unsure how board members had made their selections for filling the vacant seat. He said he was told there was no scoring rubric used.
“To have no sort of what we’re looking for is disappointing,” said Lester, who had proposed more accountability and financial analysis from the board.
Pack, who addressed the school board during public comment Tuesday, said she was the only applicant who had received more than 7,000 votes, and had already been scrutinized by community members during the campaign process.
“Should the board change its mind, I’m ready,” she said.
When it was time for the board to nominate candidates, board president Kerry Sautner nominated Pack. But she didn’t vote for her.
Sautner voted for Elshaks, as did board vice president Todd Ridky and members Shayna Kalish and Sarah Thomas. Board members Anna Shurak, Juanita Rivera and Jason Herman voted for Gosfield.
Board member Abby Rubin, who has clashed with board leaders, including around the district’s technology policy, nominated and voted for Lester.
That gave Elshaks four votes, but five were needed for a majority. The board voted again with the same result.
Elshaks then withdrew her application, though some board members told her she didn’t have to, and solicitor Kenneth Roos told the board they could still vote for her.
“There’s nothing wrong” with the board’s split, Sautner said, calling the debate “healthy tension.”
“This is a good problem to have,” Ridky said, later adding, “I wish we had more seats to offer tonight.”
Shurak said that Gosfield, a lawyer, had been involved in the district’s equity policy and had children in district schools that weren’t currently represented by other board members.
Thomas credited Elshaks’ perspective as a current teacher, though some board members questioned her ability to attend daytime committee meetings given her job. Sautner said the board could be flexible with scheduling.
Shurak ultimately switched her vote to Elshaks, saying she wanted to respect the majority of the board. Kalish accused Lerner of obstructing the process by continuing to vote for Lester; Lerner said she had a different opinion.
After Elshaks files a financial statement of interest, she will be sworn in and officially join the board, Roos said.
Inquirer Lower Merion
