Edinger passes the school board torch

Former School Board President Mr. David Edinger attended his last board meeting in November after serving 26 years on the board of directors for Milton Area School District.

Mr. Edinger said he was first elected to the school board in the early 1980s.

“[At that time] many people were spreading a lot of bad talk about Milton Schools and their board,” said Mr. Edinger.

“I do not agree with talking about others without the facts, so I ran for the board to learn the facts,” he added. His fellow board members elected him as president in 1982 and asked him to accept the position, said Mr. Edinger.

Mr. Edinger served four nonconsecutive terms as president, according to Ms. Brenda Edinger, Milton’s secretary to the superintendent.

While working on the school board, Mr. Edinger said his duties included attending meetings twice a month and working on contracts. He also developed budgets and set policies, he added.

Mr. Edinger said his greatest challenge as a school board member was “helping people understand what good things are happening in Milton.”

It is also challenging to improve student education and instill pride in Milton Schools, he added.

After his current four year term as president, he decided to retire, Mr. Edinger said. “My four-year term was up, and I decided there are good people waiting to run, and I felt it was my time to go,” he added.

Mr. Edinger said he is proud of working with a great team of people. “I have met a lot of great people and had the opportunity to work with them and learn from them,” he said.  He is also proud of the recent start of a sports complex, he added.

After retiring from his other job as a manufacturing manager at American Car and Foundry (ACF) Industries, in 2003, he continued to serve on the board, said Mr. Edinger. He will continue to work for the Sodom School committee and his church board after retiring from the school board, he added. The Sodom School is a historical site owned by Milton Area School District.

“A committee of history buffs like me serve on the committee to keep it in a good state of repair,” he added.

Two other board members also retired this year. “Ms. Kelly Everitt and Mr. Andrew McNeal did not run for re-election,” added Ms. Edinger.