Board OKs 3-year contract as citizens voice ‘no confidence’ in district
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
Alain Foster reads a statement on behalf of fellow citizens stating that they have no confidence in the Board. The statement asked for the firing of Solicitor James Ellison and the resignations of five board members.
CALN – In a special meeting Tuesday night, the Coatesville Area School Board voted to appoint Dr. Cathy Taschner as the new superintendent of schools.
Taschner, who makes the move from her position as assistant superintendent in the Susquehanna Township School District, will start no later than July 1. Taschner’s contract, also approved by the board, will last for three years at $175,000 per year.
However, concerns were raised over the matter. School Board Member James Hills provided the lone vote against both Taschner’s appointment and her contract.
During public comment, Linda Messinger asked the board to reexamine the language in the contract, which states that official contact between district staff and board members will come through the superintendent exclusively.
“Isn’t this in part what has gotten us into some trouble in the past? What if an employee has an issue with the superintendent themselves?” she asked.
District Solicitor James Ellison stated that language elsewhere in the contract allows board members to communicate with staff members directly, should the need arise. At the request of Board Members Diane Brownfield and Deborah Thompson, he said that he would be willing to add more explicit language to make this more clear.
The special board meeting also saw the board’s approval of an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Unit for the 2014-15 school year.
During the non-agenda public comment portion of the meeting, Alain Foster, on behalf of a group of parents, taxpayers, and citizens that stood with him at the podium, read a statement issuing a vote of no confidence in the School Board.
“The school board operates in a non-transparent, unchanging manner that appears to hide the truth and promote bad unplanned decisions,” said Foster.
The statement went on to request the firing of Ellison and the resignations of Board President Neil Campbell and Board Members Jim Fox, Rick Ritter, Laurie Knecht, and Diane Brownfield.
Parent Carolyn McGaughey also raised concerns about the district, mentioning growing class sizes, the elimination of reading specialists, program cuts, and the state of district buildings in particular.
“Look around, be proactive, be the difference,” she urged of school board members. She also asked board members to attend school events.
Hills said that he also would like to see the board make more progress, but they have struggled to do so in the wake of controversies surrounding the district.
“Since I got on this board, you’re absolutely right; we’re doing nothing for the kids—why? Because we keep having to deal with issues that grown folks have caused. Not the children, grown folks. And until that changes, we can’t move on,” he said.
Military members stand before the board in honor of their involvement with CASH’s JSMC program.
He also said that residents do not understand the many aspects of being a school board member.
“I tell any of you, ‘Walk in my shoes.’ None of you know what we do,” he said.
Hills also challenged parents to become involved in the same ways they would like to see board members involved.
“The next time someone comes up here and they want to talk about this, I’m going to listen to their complaint, but then I’m going to hold up a volunteer sheet and say, ‘Come on, let’s see what you’re going to do,’” he said. “I guarantee you, I’m going to have one, and we can start with all the schools. My name will be the first one on that list.”
Also on Tuesday night, The Finance and Personnel Committee voted to table a motion to approve providing legal services for former Board Member Tonya Thames Taylor.
The motion, which would have been voted on by school board members at the full meeting later this month, proposed the hiring of Leon Goodman, Esquire to represent Taylor. Finance and Personnel Committee members Rick Ritter, Neil Campbell, and Stuart Deets decided to table the motion in order to make Goodman’s contract more uniform with the contracts for lawyers representing other district officials.
Deets said that Ellison as well as Conrad O’Brien, the law firm currently conducting the district’s internal investigation, advised the Board to seek separate legal representation for Taylor based on a potential conflict of interest had she been represented by lawyers already representing other school officials.
“For consistency’s sake, she was a board member when this occurred during that time. All parties have agreed that she should receive reimbursement,” said Deets. “If she were to be charged, then of course we would stop the coverage; that’s the policy for anybody who we’re covering. If they’re charged with anything, then our coverage stops.”
During the Community and Student Relations Committee meeting, the district recognized the military personnel involved in overseeing the Joint Service Military Corp this school year.
“Standing before you are real American heroes,” said Tom Audette, who was heavily involved in organizing the program.
Director of High School Curriculum and Instruction David Krakower thanked the military members for their serving the country as well as the school district.
During the Education Committee meeting, Dr. Teresa Powell announced that the district will host Camp Academia for middle school students in July. Students will come into school from 8-3 Monday-Thursday and have the opportunity to participate in math, science, and art activities.
Administrators also presented district plans to implement changes based on Pennsylvania Core standards. PA Core will require students to demonstrate proficiency in literature, biology, and algebra on their Keystone Exams. If they are unable to pass these tests, students will be required to complete projects set forth by the state in order to graduate.
