Coatesville school board appoints Wuertz, OKs Ellison inquiry

Coatesville school board appoints Wuertz, OKs Ellison inquiry

By Kyle CarrozzaStaff Writer, The Times

MG_8568

The 7th and 8th Grade String Ensemble performs at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

CALN – The Coatesville Area School Board added Ann Wuertz to the vacant Board of Education seat, approved the release of the Conrad O’Brien investigation to the public, and voted to waive privileges in order to allow the Chester County District Attorney to investigate the district’s relationship with former Solicitor James Ellison.

Wuertz, a parent of one Coatesville graduate and two current students, beat out Corey Fields, an assistant principal at West Chester Rustin, in a 5-3 vote for the vacant Region II seat. Wuertz is also a co-chair and co-founder of the district’s Parent Liaison Committee.

“I want to be a part of making a difference and continue to help the district move forward,” she told the Board.

Wuertz has also chaperoned multiple field trips, worked with students one-on-one at Reeceville Elementary and has been a part of Reeceville and North Brandywine’s PTAs.

After an executive session to brief Wuertz on proceedings, the Board held two key votes, one approving the release of the Conrad O’Brien investigation to the public. The district approved the investigation last year after former Superintendent Richard Como and Athletic Director James Donato’s text messages were leaked.

The Board also voted to allow district administration and solicitation to waive privileges between CASD and Rhoads and Sinon LLP so that the district attorney may investigate the relationship between the two parties.

The decision comes after Monday’s release of the grand jury report that states, “The millions of dollars in legal fees billed by James Ellison present the largest potential for criminal charges in this investigation.” During much of his time working with the district, Ellison was employed by Rhoads and Sinon before working on his own under Susquehanna Legal Group.

In addition to those investigations, the Board also voted for Superintendent Dr. Cathy Taschner and current District Solicitor Michael Levin to work with the necessary legal bodies to facilitate a forensic audit to the district. The FBI and State Attorney General were two of the potential groups mentioned to complete the investigation.

School Board Member Deborah Thompson, who provided the main push for item, said that she believes a forensic audit could reveal information from the past that recent investigations may not.

“We need to ensure that there’s justice. I don’t think he’s [Como] the only one that took money from this district. He may have followed a pattern that was before him,” she said.

Thompson pointed to a Barbacane, Thornton, and Company LLP presentation from earlier this year as evidence that an investigation is needed. After completing a standard yearly audit, the tax firm said that the district lacked oversight in fund transfers.

Thompson also hopes that the district will be able to recover mishandled money if an investigation brings any wrongdoings to light. She said that bringing in state or federal investigators would save the district the cost of hiring a private firm.

In unrelated legal matters, the district also approved Hartman Underhill & Brubaker, LLC to represent administrators for student discipline hearings. Taschner explained that during these hearings, one law firm represents the school board, and a separate one must represent administrators to prevent a conflict of interest. The rate is not to exceed $190 per hour.

The Board also voted to reorganize a few of its operating procedures. Among the larger changes, the solicitor will only be present at Board meetings and executive sessions when needed, and the Board’s Community and Student Relations Committee has been changed to the Policies Committee. The committee will serve as a liaison between the district and the community.

During Tuesday night’s superintendent’s report, the district recognized students, both current and former.

CASH Principal Robert Fisher read the names of last year’s Advanced Placement Honor scholars, many of whom returned from college to receive awards recognizing their achievements. He also recognized Alicia Ferreiro, who designed the district’s holiday card this year. Ferreiro received a framed print of her card and presented an autographed print to Taschner.

The 7th and 8th Grade String Ensemble also performed “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and a holiday medley.

   Send article as PDF   

Share this post:

Recent Posts

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.