Federal Investigation of Schools

Teacher selection process

July 27, 2009

Hazleton wants law on hirings

Board asks for backing for measure to take direct role away from school directors.

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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Given recent charges filed against area school officials in the ongoing federal corruption probe in Luzerne County, a Hazleton Area School Board member hopes the public will show support for proposed statewide legislation concerning school district hiring policy.

“Don’t just complain. Don’t just say it’s business as usual. Take ownership here if you don’t like what’s happening. It’s time for the public to stand up,” said Elaine Curry, who chairs the Hazleton Area School Board’s Central Office Committee.

The board is requesting the Pennsylvania School Board Association to make part of its 2010 legislative platform a hiring policy resolution that the board adopted in June, and Curry said the public should support the school board’s request.

To make it easy, the district has posted an online petition on its Web site so people can just visit the site and type in their name and address to throw their support behind the request, Curry said.

The list of names and addresses will not be posted on the site, but will be downloaded to a disk, printed off and forwarded to the association before its Legislative Platform Committee meeting on Aug. 8. The online petition must be filled out by Aug. 6.

The resolution states that “School board members will have no direct role in hiring teachers.”

“School board members will not interfere in any part of the hiring process, advocate for any candidate, or conduct any interviews of teachers. The Superintendent will recommend candidates for hiring and the school board members can vote yes or no to hire,” the resolution states.

School board members are neither “equipped nor qualified” to choose the best teachers, Curry said. “Let the people who are directly accountable for our children’s education choose the best candidates for the jobs,” she said.

The request to the association includes the rationale behind the district’s request.

“Two years ago, the Hazleton Area School Board adopted a hiring policy that removed the board from any direct role in hiring teachers. We are asking the PSBA to take the lead and propose legislation mandating that teacher hirings are solely the responsibility of administration and other pertinent personnel directly accountable for student achievement,” the rationale statement reads.

The statement goes on to note that the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it is investigating allegations of “job buying” in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“We must finally adopt legislation that takes politics and nepotism out of the hiring of teachers forever. We are requesting legislation that prohibits school directors from any direct role in hiring teachers throughout the state of Pennsylvania,” the statement concludes.

Curry said stories of job buying and nepotism have been circulating “since I was a youngster. Let’s change that. Tell the PSBA we don’t want that to occur any longer,” she said.

So far, three school officials have been charged in an ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County that began with former county judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, who pleaded guilty in February to federal charges of tax evasion and depriving the public of their honest services.

The school officials charged include former Wilkes-Barre Area School Board director Brian Dunn, Wilkes-Barre Area School Board President Jim Height and Pittston Area School District Superintendent Ross Scarantino.

Dunn, 45, of Wilkes-Barre, was charged on April 21 with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in exchange for his influence in the awarding of contracts and the hiring of teachers within the district from January 2005 to December 2008. He remains free on his own recognizance.

Scarantino and Height pleaded guilty to corruption charges in federal court on May 29. Their sentencing was set for the week of Aug. 24.

Height pleaded guilty to accepting $2,000 from a contractor between Jan 1 and April 1 of this year. Scarantino pleaded guilty to accepting $5,000 in February 2008.

On Tuesday, the FBI subpoenaed documents from Wyoming Valley West School District. Previously, agents sought records from Wilkes-Barre Area, Pittston Area, Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center and Luzerne County Community College.

Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey recently defended the hire earlier this month of board member James Fisher’s wife, Dione Fisher; John Woloski, the son of Solomon/Plains School Principal John Woloski, and Justin Corell, son of consumer and family science teacher Marie Corell.

Wilkes-Barre Area has no written hiring policy, but Board member Lynn Evans said in April that the system allows board members to recommend applicants for interviews. Namey then reviews applicants and gives a list of recommended hires for the board’s consideration.

Curry insists that board member interference in teacher hiring is detrimental to student achievement.

“What I say to any school board that doubts that is this: If you’re hiring the best candidates, then release their resumes to the paper. Stand behind your selections. Show us. Show me and show the public,” Curry said.

To Back THE LEGISLATION

To support the Hazleton Area School District’s request that the Pennsylvania School Board Association make the district’s hiring policy resolution part of the association’s 2010 legislative platform, write to the association at P.O. Box 2042, Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17055-0790 or visit www.timesleader.com for a link to an online petition on the school district’s Web site.

ON THE NET

Read the legislation the Hazleton Area School Board proposed to the Pennsylvania School Board Association – and the rationale behind it – at www.timesleader.com

WHAT’S NEXT

The Pennsylvania School Board Association’s Platform Committee will consider submissions for the policy agenda at a meeting on Aug. 8. Items approved by the committee will be presented to the Legislative Policy Council for final action on Oct. 15. If the Platform Committee does not approve a proposal, the school board has a right to directly request the Legislative Policy Council to vote on the issue. The school board can send three voting members to that meeting.

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