SV board member to leave
JACKSON TWP — Although local taxes fund the lion's share of school district programs, state mandates and intervention in curriculum are increasingly controlling the movements of school boards. Frustration over that situation is a major factor in a longtime Seneca Valley School Board member's decision not to seek re-election.
Ken Brennan announced that because he is unable to attend the December meeting, Monday night's school board meeting would be his last. Brennan's term expires at the end of the year.
Brennan said Tuesday that although his main reason for leaving the board is personal, the erosion of local control of school districts makes the job of an elected school director largely irrelevant.
Brennan said the recent passage of the state-generated Keystone exams, which opponents say will increase dropout rates and prevent some students from entering college, was the last straw.
"Why stay there and try to make a difference in the climate that we have now?" Brennan said.
He said the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and the state Department of Education's Pennsylvania System of Schools Assessment are other examples of government interference in school board decisions, but the Keystone exams passage "is the ultimate surrender of local authority."
Brennan began serving the district when he was appointed to the Seneca Valley advisory committee, which was the precursor to the long-range planning committee, 20 years ago when his now-grown children were in elementary school.
He was then elected to the school board and has represented Lancaster and Forward townships for the past 14 years.
Brennan said when he became involved with the school district, the main issues were growth and taxation as well as school expansion and renovation as southwestern Butler County exploded in residential and commercial growth.
"We created an environment people wanted to move into," Brennan said.
He said his proudest accomplishments during his tenure on the school board include the involvement of Westinghouse Electric in school curriculum, instituting the drug testing policy for all students involved in any sport or school-sponsored extracurricular activity, and keeping curriculum and building conditions consistent in all the district's elementary schools.
Brennan also feels he has worked hard to keep taxes down, which has included voting against annual district budgets over the years.
He said he will miss his seat on the joint operating committee at the Butler County Vocational-Technical School as well as his affiliation with school district staff, administration and fellow board members.
"I'm sure they're not all going to miss me," he said.
Brennan said he will use his newfound time at the Zelienople Rotary, where he is vice president and will be president next year. He also will remain on the vo-tech school's authority board as it moves through its upcoming $11 million renovation and expansion project.
Joseph Cunningham, Butler vo-tech director, said Brennan served on the school's joint operating committee for all but one year of his tenure on the Seneca Valley School Board. He served as secretary for five years and as vice chairman for three.
Cunningham said he also served on various subcommittees during that time, including buildings and grounds and personnel.
"Ken Brennan has always been an advocate for a career in technical education," Cunningham said. "Our staff and students wish him well in his future endeavors."
Brennan said he will look back at his tenure on the school board with pride.
"I feel I have represented my district as best I could."
