Upper St. Clair School Board Makes Dramatic Changes

Upper St. Clair PA

07 December, 2021

11:27 AM

Description

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA — Philip Elias was elected president and Daphna Gans was elected vice-president of the Upper St. Clair school board during its annual reorganization meeting on Monday. Both offices are one-year appointments. Elias, the vice-president for the last two years, was first elected to the school board in 2015. Gans is beginning her second four-year term on the school board. Three board members were sworn in by Judge Arnold Klein of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Jennifer Schnore, who was re-elected in November, will serve another four-year term. Newly elected board members Michael R. Mascaro and Danielle Z. Wetzel also joined the board. An 18-year resident of Upper St. Clair, Wetzel is a professor and director of writing and communication at Carnegie Mellon University. She is experienced in teacher training, curriculum design, and assessment. Dr. Wetzel and her husband, Robert, have four daughters – three enrolled in Upper St. Clair schools and one a 2020 graduate. Mascaro, a 1992 Upper St. Clair grad, is executive vice president for Mascaro Construction Company.Hhe oversees the organization's human resources, wellness, marketing, and business development departments. Mascaro and his wife, Libby, have two middle school-aged daughters. Wetzel and Mascaro take over for Jennifer Bowen, who served one four-year term, and Louis Mafrice Jr., who served three terms. Neither sough re-election. On Nov. 8, the school board accepted the resignation of Amy Billerbeck, a 14-year member of the school board. By law, school boards must name a replacement within 30 days. In order to help ensure continuity, the Upper St. Clair School Board unanimously approved the appointment of outgoing board member Louis Mafrice Jr. to serve the remaining two years of the four-year term.