(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The year will be new come January 1, but most of the New Brighton School Board members and tasks to complete will remain the same. Keyword: most.

The final meetings of the year for the board took place on Monday, starting with the annual year-end reorganization meeting. John Ludwig was reinstated as board president, and Christeen Ceratti was reinstated as vice president for 2023. Both were approved by unanimous board votes. Richard Start was reinstated as Solicitor for another year on the school board. The same schedule as 2022 for alternating meetings on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month was also unanimously approved, as was the date for voting on the proposed final budget (May 22) and the final budget (June 26).

Following the reorganization was the regular meeting, in which Elizabeth Hough was unanimously approved to join the school board. Before the vote, it was revealed that Hough was one of three candidates in the selection process for the open position. Hough replaces the outgoing Travis Whalen, whose resignation from the school board was approved last month. Hough was not present at Monday’s meetings.

Another resignation became official at the regular meeting, as NB Middle School Principal Dr. Julian Underwood had his resignation unanimously approved by the school board. “We do regret ratifying your resignation, we appreciated your time here,” president Ludwig stated. “You were a great asset to this district for a long time. We wish that you could stay, but we understand.” The board then presented Dr. Underwood with a gift, followed by a round of applause.

“It’s been a great fourteen years, almost fifteen,” Underwood stated, noting that January 8 would have been his fifteenth anniversary. “But I don’t think I’ve worked with a board that was so supportive of everything that the Middle School tried to do, and a superintendent as great as Joe (Guarino).” Underwood’s official date of resignation was backdated to November 23 of 2022.

The reorganization meeting and regular meetings were the last for the New Brighton School Board in 2022. Their next scheduled meeting will be in the “Little Theatre” at the high school (their regular meeting space) on January 9, 2023.