W-B Area hires daughter of disgraced ex-president

By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.comEducation Reporter

WILKES-BARRE -- The Area School Board hired the daughter of former board President Frank Pizzella Jr. during Wednesday night’s regular meeting.

Elected to the board in 2007, Pizzella resigned in February after agreeing to plead guilty to passing a bribe from a teaching candidate to a school board member in 2004.

The board also tweaked the dress code after lengthy discussion.

Superintendent Jeff Namey said he realized many people would see the hiring as suspect, but he said people should know Renee Pizzella has been substituting in the district for two years and that she is “phenomenal.”

Board President Teresa McGuire said the district went through the application and recommendation process “and we hired the people who were best qualified.”

Three board members voted no. MaryAnne Toole declined comment. Lynn Evans said “sometimes you just have to do what you think is right,” but added that it was not because of Frank Pizzella’s legal problems. Robert Corcoran voted no on all teacher hirings and said “it was a procedural issue” regarding how hirings are done, and not related to Frank Pizzella’s situation.

The board is in the process of drawing up a written hiring policy.

Pizzella initially insisted he was innocent and that the money was a campaign contribution, but later agreed to plead guilty. Court papers don’t give the name of the board member who received the $5,000 bribe, but details point squarely to former board member Brian Dunn, who has also pleaded guilty to corruption charges unrelated to the Pizzella case.

He was sentenced to five months home confinement, to pay a $10,000 fine and to two years probation.

The name of the teacher who paid the bribe has not been released, but district records show only one person fits all of the details revealed in paperwork and facts mentioned during Pizzella’s sentencing: Richard Collins, a teacher at Solomon/Plains Elementary School. No charges have been filed against Collins.

The board also modified the dress code adopted last year, though initially the effort to change the code was defeated 5-4. Evans, who heads the dress code committee, pointed out that the vote had been taken without asking if board members had questions on the motion.

McGuire apologized and the vote was rescinded. Evans explained at length that the changes were minor and most had been proposed by principals. The board voted 7-2 to consider changes, then voted on each change individually.

1) Students who attend the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center for half a day must wear approved clothes during their time in the district school, and change at the center. Students returning from the center at the end of the day are exempt because they are not re-entering the school but merely catching a bus there.

2) Brown and drab or dark green were added to the allowable colors.

3) Language was added to make it explicit that shirts must have collars. Evans said some “golf shirts,” which were allowed, were collarless.

4) Layered clothes -- such as a polo shirt under a button shirt and perhaps a sweater -- must all be dress-code approved colors, and only one button can be left open at the top. Turtlenecks of appropriate color are also allowed under button shirts.

5) The size of school district and manufacturing logos allowed was increased to 3 inches by 3 inches.

6) Maximum shoe heel size was lowered from 3 inches to 2 1/2 for safety concerns walking up and down stairs.

7) Some clothes and materials that were intended to be banned in the original code were added explicitly, including “excessively tight pants,” “skinny jeans and any skinny pants,” tank tops, T-shirts, “hoodies,” baggy basketball, silk or other baggy pants, and backless or open-toed shoes. Hair must be a natural color (“No Christmas red,” Evans offered as an example) and cannot be so high as to “interfere with the education process.”

Along with Renee Pizzella, the board made the following hires: Brooke Burden, Genell Hoban, Lisa Zelinski, Michele Woolnough, Eileen Spellman, Mary Jo Sedon and David Lewis as teachers; Candace Day, Kathleen Rogan, Beth Huntzinger, Joan Pastorelli and Stephanie Frank as full-time substitutes; James Butterwick as half-time substitute.

Megan Labatch was promoted from grade I to grade III secretary, and Michelle Anthony was promoted from grade I to grade II secretary. Deborah Harvey was appointed guidance aide for 30 hours per week, and Bradley Marconi’s status was changed from substitute custodian to custodian.

The board renewed the annual contract with the Luzerne Intermediate Unit for special education services provided at a per pupil fee and estimated at $2.3 million next year, approved a $73,000 contribution to the Osterhout Free Library, the same as last year, agreed to put out a Request For Proposals for roofing and parapet repairs at Meyers High School and demolition of bleachers at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium, and purchased modular classrooms from Mobilease Modular Space Inc. for a total of $435,705, adding two classroom spaces each to Kistler and Solomon/Plains elementary schools.

Mark Guydish, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 829-7161