Lucy Klain Is The New Lower Merion School Board President
At its re-organization meeting on December 7, the Lower Merion School Board elected Lucy Klain as its new president. Previously, Klain was Vice President of the School Board. She will be replaced as vice president by the outgoing president, Melissa Gilbert.
From a 2019 campaign website
When she was seeking the endorsement of the Democratic Committee of Lower Merion Narberth (DCLMN), in March of 2019, Klain joined Subha Robinson, Shayna Kalish, Peter Lee and Shawn Mooring in opposing any effort by the Lower Merion School District to try to settle the Arthur Wolk law suit. It appeared to some at the time, that opposition to settling the lawsuit was a litmus test for winning the committee’s endorsement.
Some differences on interscholastic sports
More recently, Gilbert and Klain have been on opposite sides of a few votes having to do with the exent to which Harriton and Lower Merion High School teams should be participating in interscholastic sports. In August, Klain voted with the majority (on a 5-4 vote) to allow a limited amount of sports activities, and Gilbert voted with the minority. Then in October, Klain again voted with the majority to allow the schools to play football, and Gilbert voted not to allow them to play. That vote was 5-3-1 (one abstention). And in November, in another 5-4 vote, the board voted against allowing the schools to play winter sports. This time, Klain voted with the minority, and Gilbert voted with the majority.
Differences on sports are overlooked
Their differences about school sports were not a sufficient obstacle to get in the way of Klain winning Gilbert’s support for the board presidency. “I would like to enthusiastically nominate Ms. Lucy Klain for Board President. She’s been a fantastic vice president, and I’m sure she’ll be an even better president,” said Gilbert.
After the board unanimously voted for Klain as president, Shawn Mooring nominated Gilbert as vice president, and she was also elected without opposition.