School Board Director Heather D. Nicholas Honored for 16 Years of Service

Bensalem Township School is pleased to recognize and honor Mrs. Heather D. Nicholas for 16 years of service to our district.  She was presented with a certificate adding her to the PSBA “Honor Roll of School Board Service.”  

Mrs. Nicholas has a strong belief in the value of public schools and local control of public education for the benefit of all students. She gives unselfishly of her time and talents for the betterment of Bensalem schools. 

She served as a PSBA Representative to the Federal Relations Network. She has also served on the following committees: Bensalem Education Foundation (BEF) - assisted in the founding of BEF as a board member representative; Charter School; Instructional Affairs; Business; Technology; Facilities; Board Policy; Bucks County Technical High School Joint Board; and the Just for the Kids Education Foundation.  Mrs. Nicholas wants to ensure we keep doing what is right for our community, as we cannot have a strong community without strong schools. 

QUOTE FROM SUPERINTENDENT – Dr. Sam Lee

Mrs. Nicholas has been a tireless advocate for the students of Bensalem. Her 16 years of service on the Bensalem Township School Board has seen the introduction of full day kindergarten, Pre-K Counts, a massive renovation of our High School combined with expansion of program options including district-wide STEM, a career pathways model with the Bensalem High School Class of 2023 earning 235 micro-credentials, Dual Enrollment, One to One technology for students, sound and effective district governance during the pandemic, and the district’s return to budgetary structural balance.

Mrs. Nicholas has kept taxes well below the Act I index and increased our senior citizen’s tax rebate. Under her leadership, we maintain effective staffing levels in both transportation and health services in the midst of a severely challenged market. Additionally, Bensalem was named Best Community for Music Education for the past four years and the Bensalem High School Marine Corps JROTC was recognized as a Naval Honor School for the third consecutive year.  Mrs. Nicholas was on the negotiating team for several collective bargaining agreements. All of this in the most challenging times for public education.  

QUOTE FROM BOARD PRESIDENT – Eric Price

To know Heather Nicholas is to have a first-hand account of dedication, hard work, and positive values. All things necessary for keeping Bensalem a great place to live and raise a family, and she has proven year after year to be a key player in that strive. As we celebrate her 16th year with the Bensalem Township School District, we would like to recognize just a few of her many achievements. Most recently, she was part of the negotiating team that helped reach an agreement on the teachers’ contract during an early-bird negotiation.  First of its kind in Bensalem history.  During her time, she has served as President, Vice President, and Chairperson of the Instructional Affairs Committee. Heather has been a great mentor, friend, and colleague to me during my tenure on the Board and I look forward to continuing to learn from her invaluable experiences. She is an incredible educator herself and understands what makes a school system a winning ecosystem. For dedicating 16 years to this School District, our children, township and our community, all volunteer, might I add, we are extremely grateful. 

The Bensalem Township School District thanks Mrs. Nicholas for her many years of dedication and service to our students and staff.