Mt. Lebanon School Board appoints new member for vacant seat
Following the resignation of Elaine Cappucci and the conducting of public interviews in a special meeting held Aug. 8, Mt. Lebanon School Board on Monday appointed Stephen J. Strotmeyer to fill the vacant seat.
Five “exceptional candidates,” according to Daniel Remely and other board members, created a split vote that ultimately was decided by Lawrence Lebowitz, board president. He altered his support in favor of the majority for Strotmeyer.
Lebowitz’s decision made the vote 5-3, with Katie Caste, a longtime volunteer and active resident in the district, also receiving support.
“One of the functions of being the school board president and being a leader is making decisions in the best interest of the district, which is not necessarily those of the president’s. I do not want a situation where we had this decision made by somebody else on our behalf. I’m very impressed with his background and think he brings a lot to the board,” he said about Strotmeyer.
The board needed to make a decision within 30 days of Cappucci’s resignation, which occurred on July 18 because her son is seeking employment within the district. That window would have expired Thursday, after which the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas would determine the outcome.
Strotmeyer, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh and a six-year resident of Mt. Lebanon, moved to the area from Pleasant Hills because of the school district.
“We targeted two communities, Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon,” Strotmeyer told the board. “We looked at the schools and knew this board was exceptional, especially after knowing what was going on in the plans for the new high school.
“Mt. Lebanon is one of the pinnacles of the Western Pennsylvania school system, and that’s really what drew me in,” he said.
Regarding what he will bring to the board, Strotmeyer cited his job.
“Being in a university setting in academics, there is a lot of collegial behavior that goes on across all of your projects and work,” he said. “You always have to factor in other staff members and how it affects everyone. You are always working with a team.”
Strotmeyer has two daughters, ages 7 and 10, who will be joined by what Remely called “his other children.”
“Throughout your efforts as a board member, remember that your decisions are no longer or may not solely be based on the needs of your child, but rather on what’s best for your children,” Remely said. “You now have 5,300 of them.”
Strotmeyer will finish Cappucci’s term, through the end of 2017, and could opt to run for re-election next year.
On Monday, the school board also decided to proceed with the plans to complete engineering work on the middle and elementary schools for the possibility of air conditioning.
According to Superintendent Timothy Steinhauer, the hope is that the process will be completed by September, giving the board more information about the potential costs of moving forward with installation.