Click here to subscribe today or Login.
November 26,2008: Pittston Area School Board is in agreement on improper hiring.
During the most recent meeting of the Pittston Area School Board of Directors, three cafeteria monitor positions were voted on and approved for hire. There were five persons that were interviewed for these three positions. The applicant with more seniority working in the school district was not the person voted for by the school board and subsequently not approved for hire.
The school board decided to vote for each of the five applicants to fill the three positions. One nominee received a unanimous nine vote count, while two others received an eight and seven vote count out of a possible nine. This appears that most of the board members were in agreement about their choices.
As the voting indicated, practically the entire school board was absolutely sure of which persons should be hired. The board stated that their decision was not based solely on seniority, but on the personal preferences of each director.
I do not know what criteria was used to obtain these overwhelmingly similar personal preferences. How is it possible that each school board member had obtained the same complete knowledge of the qualities of the three applicants they all voted in harmony for?
I do find it highly coincidental that two of the persons hired were pictured in the local newspaper with the same school district official that conducted the preliminary job interview. This picture was published after the school board decision was made and concerned a matter unrelated to these questioned hirings.
The board also stated that all the applicants do a good job. Once again the school board is in agreement here. So now that all considerations are being equal, shouldn’t seniority, at least as a courtesy, then be the deciding factor for which applicant is hired? Apparently seniority is not important, as proved by the vote of most of the school board.
I’m speaking strictly in support of the senior applicant. One who is a qualified, dependable, hard working employee with seniority. This person has earned the right to advance a job position. Their outstanding service to the Pittston Area School District was rewarded with only two votes of confidence from the standing nine members of the school board of directors. This is a terrible injustice to a senior employee that deserves much better appreciation for a job well done !
I certainly do not understand the reasoning behind the decision making process of the Pittston Area School Board of Directors. I Respectfully Disagree, quite strongly, with their final determination on this particular matter.
A concerned taxpayer
Note: As per the Sunday Dispatch policy, this letter was signed by the writer and verified by the Dispatch. The name is withheld upon request of the writer for reasons the newspaper deems legitimate.