Baldwin-Whitehall school board reappoints its president, vice presidents

Baldwin-Whitehall school board kept its three top leaders in their positions heading into next year.

Anthony DiCesaro, Peter Giglione and Robert Achtzehn were reappointed as board president, first vice president and second vice president, respectively, at the December reorganization meeting.

DiCesaro won a second four-year term in last year’s election. He previously served as first vice president and has been board president for at least two years. He did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Giglione was appointed to the board in September 2018 and won a four-year term in the last election. He has served as first vice president since December 2019.

“I am honored and humbled by the fact that my colleagues have so much faith in my ability to help this district that they twice appointed me to the first vice president role,” Giglione said. “It is a position that I take very seriously.”

Achtzehn was appointed to the board in May 2018 to fill a vacancy, and also won a four-year term in the last election. He has been second vice president since December 2019.

“I am honored by my fellow board members that they have put their trust in me as an officer,” Achtzehn said.

A major issue facing school districts across the country is how to educate students during the covid pandemic.

The vice presidents agreed students should be back in school safely.

“Our number one priority must be getting our students back into school in a manner that is safe for them, our teachers, and staff,” Giglione said. “I applaud our teachers for working tirelessly to educate our kids in this environment, and cannot thank enough those in administration who developed and continue to improve our remote learning model.”

The district plans to welcome back kindergarten through sixth grade to its hybrid model Jan. 4 and the rest of the students Jan. 11.

Achtzehn said lessons learned from remote learning need to be incorporated once the district resumes its in-person “Back to Better” plan.

“It has been a difficult year,” Achtzehn said. “I believe our administrators, teachers, staff and community have all come together to prioritize both the health and safety of everyone and the education of our students. Our challenge is to continue to improve the education, experiences and sense of community for all our students regardless of the environment.”

One major project for the district expected to start in 2021 is the construction of a new building.

The district plans to build a new $48 million, 48-classroom elementary school to replace the aging W.R. Paynter Elementary.

“We need to oversee that process to ensure that taxpayer funds are appropriately spent on that project,” Giglione said. “Finally, upgrades to our older buildings are a constant issue that the board addresses at nearly every meeting, and that will likely continue to be the case in 2021, and beyond.”

More information about district activities can be found at bwschools.net.