Jackie Brisco chosen for Cape Henlopen school board

Cape Henlopen school board chose former Cape High administrator Jackie Brisco June 11 to fill the seat once held by the late Noble Prettyman.

The six-member board took less than an hour to decide on Brisco by a vote of 5-0.  Board member Sandi Minard Johnson said she abstained because she is stepping down, and she believes the sitting board should decide on the new board member.

“I didn't feel like I needed to validate the decision,” she said.

Brisco was one of six people who submitted letters of intent to the school district. The others were Terri Carey, Susan Monday, Allen Redden, John T. Reed III and Juan Saez.

In a resignation letter to the board sent in March, Prettyman recommended Brisco and Saez to complete his term.

"Both are capable and aware that there is a process and procedure to follow in this type of situation," he wrote.

All candidates were required to live in the area A district that runs from the district's north border with Milford School District south to the Broadkill River.

Brisco said she applied because she wants to be part of important decision making that will affect Milton.

“I feel like this is a great board, and I have a great work ethic and we can get the job done,” she said.

Only Brisco, Carey, Redden and Reed attended a public question-and-answer forum June 11 at Mariner Middle School.

Each of the six board members asked the candidates a question and the candidates had two minutes to respond.

Questions included ways to improve the district, communication and the pressing issues of school start times and what to do with the Milton elementary schools.

Brisco said she does not like the current configuration of Milton's elementary schools – two kindergarten to fifth-grade schools less than a mile apart yet with diametrically different socioeconomic and racial student populations.

“We have to involve the stakeholders. We have to go into Lincoln, Pine Town and Slaughter Neck and hear what they have to say,” she said.

Brisco said she has not heard from the Milton community whether they would like to see kindergarten through second-graders sent to a new school on the grounds of existing H.O. Brittingham Elementary and third- through fifth-graders put in a renovated Milton Elementary School or instead a new large school that would house all Milton students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Brisco said said she is undecided how to solve the issue, and she was unsure how she would handle it if the public responds that they want to keep the schools as they are.

“I have to do research on the two concepts,” she said.

Why was Brisco appointed?

Lewis said the district contacted the board of elections inquiring about a special election to fill Prettyman's seat, and officials said that a special election would be held during the regularly scheduled May 2016 school board election.

“It's considered a special election because it's only for two years and not five,” Lewis said.

Ken McDowell, director of the Sussex County Department of Elections, said when someone resigns or vacates a school board seat, state law requires the board to appoint someone for a year until the regularly scheduled school board election.

Brisco now will fill Prettyman's seat until June 30, 2016. An election will be held May 2016 to fill the last two years of the five-year seat which Prettyman held before his death. Fulton said Brisco can run for election in May, if she chooses. The area A seat would be up for election again in May 2018.

Lewis said there was no discussion by the current six-member board whether a decision on the area A seat should be made by the current board, which includes outgoing member Sandi Minard Johnson, or made by the new board, in which newcomer Jason Bradley will replace Johnson. Johnson did not run for re-election to her area B seat, which Bradley won by a large margin.

“It would be nice to be a full board,” Lewis said.

Lewis said if the board waited for Bradley to replace Johnson in July before taking action on Prettyman's seat it was no guarantee that result who have been any different because a new board with Bradley on board would still have had six members with four needed to make a decision.