Editorials

OUR OPINION: W-B SCHOOLS

June 30, 2010

A lesson in doing the right thing

IF WANNABE teachers pay bribes to get jobs in the Wilkes-Barre+Area+School+District%22>Wilkes-Barre Area School District, what lesson does that convey to children?

And if you, as a concerned parent, teacher or citizen at large, have an opportunity to speak up for what’s right, to influence a new hiring policy, offer input and encourage reform, but you instead choose to ignore the issue … well, then what message will those kids receive? What will your inaction say to them about the importance of a quality education? Or of democracy? Or fairness?

Consider those questions in light of the area’s ongoing corruption scandal, and then consider attending the district’s hiring policy committee meeting tonight. The session, at which public input is encouraged, has been set for 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Coughlin High School, 80 N. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre.

A similar and sparsely attended session was held one morning in late May.

The current school board, to its credit, has appealed for suggestions on how to build a sensible, evenhanded hiring policy – apparently the district’s first, written policy addressing the topic in recent memory, perhaps ever. Certainly, a sweeping break from past practices is needed.

Three former board members have pleaded guilty since April 2009 to accepting, or delivering, bribe money intended to influence board business, such as which teacher candidates were given jobs and which companies “won” taxpayer-funded contracts. As recently as Tuesday, an area businessman was sentenced to five months in prison, plus other penalties, for his role in school district-related corruption. Richard Emanski, of King Glass & Paint, admitted he supplied and installed free carpeting in the home of a school board member in late 2004.

While conducting business on behalf of the public, no school board member should ever compel someone to grant a personal “favor,” give them money or otherwise grovel. Being voted to this post is not a license to line one’s pockets or feather friends’ and families’ nests.

Remind your school board members of your expectation that they seek out, adopt – and follow – the best practices in hiring and other board procedures. Share with them your ideas for improvements. Demand they perform respectably and responsibly.

By doing what needs to be done for the betterment of the district, adults on and off the school board can begin to set a new example.

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