Former member to fill vacancy on Franklin Regional School Board; tax hike passes

After hearing a range of support from residents for 2023 school board candidates David Murphy and Amy Sheridan, the Franklin Regional School Board voted to fill a vacant seat with a former board member instead.

The board voted 5-3 this week to appoint Deb Wohlin.

She will fill out the remaining term for longtime board member Herb Yingling, who resigned last month because of health issues.

Board members Deborah Bucciero, John Fallat and Joshua Zebrak voted no.

The term runs through 2025.

An initial vote to appoint Murphy resulted in a 4-4 tie, with board members Vince Azzolina, Mark Kozlosky, Scott Weinman and Kevin Kurimsky voting no.

Board member Traci Eshelman Ramey then joined the latter group in voting to appoint Wohlin.

Wohlin served on the board from 2019-21 and is a legislative aide to state Rep. Jill Cooper. She declined to comment on her appointment.

Yingling won a narrow victory in November against Murphy for a two-year term, taking the seat by only 58 votes. Murphy received 3,720 votes. Sheridan came in sixth in a seven-candidate contest for five school board seats. She received 3,672 votes.

Budget approved

The board also approved a $68.9 million budget for the 2024-25 school year that comes with a 3.5-mill property tax hike.

The budget includes $68.4 million in revenue, and $557,000 from the district’s unassigned fund balance will make up the remaining deficit.

Salaries and benefits make up just under 65% of the budget.

The district’s millage will go from 108.36 mills to 111.86 mills. It is second highest in the county, behind the Burrell School District. For a home with a median assessed value of $34,670, district financial services director Jon Perry said it would mean a $121 increase in property taxes.

The school board voted 7-1 to approve the budget. Eshelman Ramey voted no.