Three people have filed petitions to be named an interim member of the Blue Mountain school board.
Two of the candidates – Kim Breiner and Krista Kantner – have been making their pitch to be the temporary replacement for former board member Roy Heim, who resigned his post in August. A third candidate, Mary Jo Moss, is a former Blue Mountain school board president.
Each filed a petition with the Schuylkill County Prothonotary at the Courthouse on Tueday. It was the first business day after a 30-day clock expired, during which the remaining 8 board members had an exclusive opportunity to come to a consensus on Heim’s replacement.
Heim’s resignation was accepted at an Aug. 5 meeting of Blue Mountain’s school board. After a majority of board members couldn’t agree on who would replace Heim, it allowed taxpayers in the district to submit petitions.
The petitions require at least 10 valid signatures. That action could trigger a judge on the Schuylkill County bench to act on the petition and name Heim’s replacement. As of Friday, no judge had been assigned to any of the petitions.
In their petitions, each candidate provides whatever judge is assigned the job of choosing a replacement their case for being named.
Breiner says she’s gained invaluable experience in fiscal management by assisting her husband in the administration of his business. She also seems to offer sharp criticism of the district’s abilities to do so.
“I am aware of the delicate balance that it takes to remain financially solvent,” Breiner writes. “The understanding that hemorrhaging money without attempting to rein in spending, all the while looking at the taxpayer as the bottomless bank account is not only wrong but unwise and unsustainable.”
In her petition, Kantner emphasizes her decades of experience as a kindergarten teacher at Blue Mountain School District, her three years as president of the Blue Mountain teachers union, and her familiarity with “the role and responsibilities of a school board member” and her knowledge of “the impact school board decisions may have on the daily operations of a school and classroom.”
Moss, who initially did not submit a letter of interest to serve again on the board when Heim resigned, said she was compelled to petition the court after seeing the persistent deadlocks on the board after the seat became available.
“I believed the board had several suitable individuals under consideration. However, as the process continued, the board remained divided … It became clear to me that the board’s struggle to establish a 5-4 majority is hindering its ability to function effectively.”
Until a judge decides to take action and appoint a replacement board member, the current school board members could name someone to fill Heim’s vacated seat.
If and when a replacement is named, they’ll serve until December 2027. Heim’s term was to expire at the end of 2029. The remainder of his term will be filled in a special election next year, when five other seats on the Blue Mountain school board will be up for grabs.
At their Sept. 1 special meeting, the last public meeting held before the current board’s exclusivity period to name a replacement ran out, members were deadlocked as they introduced motions to appoint any of the remaining four candidates who endured the board’s screening process.
Initially, about a dozen candidates submitted letters of interest in Heim’s empty chair. That field was reduced to four and those prospects were brought before the board to answer a series of questions on why they should be appointed.
Despite the answers and a protracted public meeting, the remaining board members voted along faction lines and failed to appoint anyone.
Whoever is appointed will hold the seat nearly through the end of 2027. Heim was elected in 2025, so his term was set to expire at the end of 2029.
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