Monica Moriak To Take Over As Christina Board President

Moriak will replace Don Patton as President of the Christina School District Board of Education.

The third largest school district in Delaware has a new board president.

Monica Moriak was selected to replace Don Patton after a 4-3 vote secured her victory at the Christina School District board meeting Tuesday night.

This follows almost two years of controversy in the board, which included the removal of former Delaware Superintendent of the Year Dan Shelton – who then filed a lawsuit against board members and the district, votes of no confidence for then-President Patton, meetings that lasted five+ hours into the hours of the following morning, accusations that Board Member Naveed Baqir lives outside the country and a subsequent removal request, and too many “point of orders” to count.

The board also unanimously voted for Board Member Y. F. Lou be Moriak’s vice president.

The voting minority in the past couple years had been Moriak, Doug Manley, and Amy Trauth, while the voting majority had been Patton, Alethea Smith-Tucker, Baqir, and Lou.

Patton and Baqir voted for new board member Shannon Troncoso, who was in her first meeting since being elected in May.

Baqir is expected to step down from the board July 15.

Moriak made it clear she’s trying to restore order to the board, vowing to do her best to follow Robert’s Rules – a longstanding practice of speaking orders and procedures – board policies, and putting student outcomes first.

My immediate goal is to work with Dr. Joyner and Rodney Jordan on moving forward with our Effective School Boards governance plan,” she told Delaware LIVE News Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.