Democrats pulled off a major upset in the Pennridge School District, sweeping all five school board seats, potentially signaling a major shift in policies, according to unofficial tallies.
With all precincts reporting late Tuesday night, the Pennridge Community Alliance slate of Carolyn Sciarrino, Leah Foster-Rash, Chris Kauffman, Bradley Merkyl-Gump, and Ron Wurz each held about a 900-vote lead over the highest-polling Republican. Wurz is an incumbent who switched his party affiliation for the election.
PCA topped the Protect Pennridge 2023 slate of Josh Hogan, Bob Sellers, Jim York, Barbara Vees, and incumbent Jonathan Russell.
When five Democrats take office in December, the balance of power will shift in their favor. The board was already guaranteed three new faces. Neither Vice President Megan Banis-Clemens nor Joan Cullen chose to run for reelection. Board President Dave Reiss fell short in the primary.
The PCA candidates campaigned on a promise to fire Jordan Adams and Vermillion Education on their first day in office. Adams was hired by a slim majority of the board (5-4) in April and has been reviewing the district’s curriculum, particularly in social studies. A Democrat majority may also take aim at controversial policies passed by the current board that focus on access to bathrooms and participation in sports by transgender students.
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