LOWER MERION — After four rounds of voting, the Lower Merion Board of School Directors elected a replacement member.
At a special school board meeting, the remaining eight board members voted to have Muna Elshakhs replace former board member Jennifer Rivera, who resigned after being arrested and charged with theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and access device fraud. The remaining board members voted to accept Rivera’s resignation at a special meeting on Sept. 14.
Elshakhs will serve as a board member until the next municipal election in November 2027.
According to the district’s press release and her comments during the interview, she has worked in advocacy on multiple issues, including homelessness, civil rights, interfaith action, farmworkers’ rights, and election integrity. She also served on the Narberth Borough Council.
“I have been a teacher in public education for 24 years,” Elshakhs said. “I’m also a mom of two recent graduates in the school district.”
According to a school district press release, Elshakhs lives in Narberth and is the mother of two Lower Merion alumni. She is a history and civics teacher in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, and served on the Strategic Planning Committee. She received her bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Barnard College of Columbia University, her master’s degree in social work, and her Juris Doctor degree from Washington University.
“In explaining her interest in filling the Board position, Ms. Elshakhs explained her belief that public schools are ‘an essential institution at the heart of our nation’s democracy,’ adding, ‘Public schools give every child the opportunity to learn alongside people of differing socioeconomic circumstances, learning styles, and racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. There are few institutions like this, where community is built across so many differences.’”
Under the law, the board had to appoint a replacement with a simple majority vote within 30 days of Rivera’s resignation.
Sautner said they received 17 eligible applications. Each of the remaining eight board members independently reviewed each application and decided whom to interview.
“This was a blind recommendation from the board,” Sautner said. “No quorum of the board has deliberated about the applicants in executive sessions or in any other format.”
Four applicants were chosen for interviews. However, two of them withdrew from consideration before the interviews, according to Sautner.
As a result, the board interviewed only two. However, Sautner said that once board members nominated their choices, they could nominate any applicant.
Elshakhs was sworn in Sept. 23.