Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The president of Lower Merion<\/a>\u2019s school board on Monday acknowledged frustration around the surprise resignation of another superintendent<\/a>, as community members pressed the board to take more responsibility for the district\u2019s leadership churn.<\/p>\n \u201cOur students and our staff deserve stability, and every transition costs us something,\u201d the board\u2019s president, Kerry Sautner, said at a meeting Monday night. \u201cIt costs us momentum, it costs us trust, and it costs us time.\u201d<\/p>\n Sautner said the board was \u201ccommitted to taking an honest look at what we can learn and how we can move forward together\u201d after Superintendent Frank Ranelli announced earlier this month that he would resign effective April 30, 2027.<\/p>\n Ranelli took over as superintendent in April 2025, after two other superintendents left the affluent Montgomery County school district<\/a> after each serving for about a year.<\/p>\n But while Ranelli, a former superintendent in Piscataway, N.J., had said at the time of his hiring<\/a> that he planned to work in Lower Merion \u201ca long time,\u201d he said Oct. 7 that the position was \u201cjust not a good match.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Sautner said Monday that the resignation was \u201ca moment that asks all of us to pause and reflect on how we got here.\u201d<\/p>\n Several parents and community members who spoke Monday told the board it needed to recognize its role in the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is embarrassing, it\u2019s discouraging, and it\u2019s disgraceful,\u201d said Jill Altshuler, a parent in the district.<\/p>\n While \u201cthere are plenty of blame games going on,\u201d Altshuler said, \u201cthere is one factor overall that has the most impact and power to stopping the revolving door of superintendents, and that is the school board.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one group has created this crisis, but it is up to the board to lead us out of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Adrian Seltzer, a community activist, said she hoped the board would investigate why past superintendents had left, in addition to Ranelli.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless you do this, this is just going to keep happening, and it\u2019s not really acceptable,\u201d Seltzer said.<\/p>\n Deena Pack, a parent who ran for school board in 2025, told the board that \u201csomething about the makeup of the school board\u201d is \u201cnot working.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI beg of you, get some outside help,\u201d Pack said.<\/p>\n Sautner said earlier in the meeting that the board had met to discuss hiring a search firm to lead a local and national search for a new superintendent, which would \u201cbuild in opportunities for all of you\u201d to share priorities and concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will keep you informed at every step of the way and share how can you be part of that process,\u201d Sautner said.<\/p>\n Also at Monday\u2019s meeting, leaders of Lower Merion\u2019s Committee for Special Education \u2014 a parent-led, district-recognized group that supports families \u2014 voiced concerns about the superintendent turnover, warning of instability for students with special needs and stalled progress on initiatives.<\/p>\n The group requested the creation of a school board committee focused on special education to add more oversight, in what CSE president Cara Herrmann called \u201can honest and transparent request for help.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min The president of Lower Merion\u2019s school board on Monday acknowledged frustration around 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