WEST GOSHEN — The West Chester Area School Board has four new members, as well as a new president and vice president.

At Monday night's annual reorganization meeting, three-term board member Jeff Seagraves was unanimously voted president. He will replace former President Jim Smith, who likely would have not had enough support to remain in charge.

Three-term board member Terri Clark was chosen vice president in a 7-1 vote of her colleagues. She had initially wanted to be president and would likely have had enough support to do so. But because of conflicts between her and some of the incumbent board members, she agreed only to seek vice presidency. She will replace former Vice President Susan Carty, who lost her bid for re-election.

Common Pleas Judge John Hall swore in the four new board members. They are Maria Armandi Pimley of West Goshen, Heidi Adsett of East Bradford, Sean Carpenter of West Chester and John Wingerter of East Goshen.

The presence of these new members, all of whom are Republicans, is responsible in part for the change in board leadership.

Smith had harshly criticized the candidates early in the campaign season, saying they were running solely for partisan purposes.

The candidates are allied with Clark and would have made it difficult for Smith to remain president. Combined, they represent five votes on the nine-member board.

When the four Republicans won election this November, Clark, who last year was often sidelined and ignored by her board colleagues, tried to marshal support to become board president.

But Clark and Seagraves worked out an agreement for Seagraves to be president and Clark to be vice president.

"We talked it over, and one of the things we recognized is that we wanted (the appointment of a new president) to be a unanimous vote," Seagraves said during an interview after Monday night's meeting.

Seagraves said he wanted to ensure the board "moves forward in a positive manner."

Clark, explaining her acceptance of the vice presidency, gave an almost verbatim take.

"I feel confident that I could've had enough support to be president," Clark said. "But I felt that, in order for the board to move forward in a positive way, it would be better for me not to be president."

Other board members, including Smith, have expressed reservations about Clark's performance. But Smith was the only board member to vote against Clark's appointment.

In an interview after the meeting, he expressed a negative opinion of Clark but was short on specifics.

"I just feel I could not support her in a leadership role after observing her on the board over the last six years," Smith said. "I just feel when you take on the responsibility of a very serious job like this, you have to give it your full attention."

Regarding Smith's vote, Clark said only that "everyone is entitled to their opinion."

After being voted president, Seagraves, assigned his fellow board members to the school board's four standing committees. Although there had been speculation to the contrary, Seagraves said Jim Davison would remain head of the board's property and finance committee.

Davison negotiated the most recent teachers contract, which gives teachers a 4.5 percent raise in each of the next two years. His role as defender of this unpopular contract created conflicts between himself and Clark, who voted against the contract.

Davison had also been critical of some of the Republican school board candidates. This combination could have put him, on Monday night, in the same boat as Smith.

Due to a family medical emergency, Davison missed the voting portion of Monday night's meeting. But he showed up for a cookie-and-juice reception held afterward.

To contact staff writer Dan Kristie, send an e-mail to dkristie@dailylocal.com.