Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Hazleton Area School District In Our Sights

The Hazleton Area School Board announced the appointment of a volunteer Human Resources Team.

"School directors adopted a resolution that establishes the volunteer team and appoints a three-member panel. Its members include Thomas Butchko, Penn State Hazleton Human Resources director; Angela Lex, human resources director at Temple-Inland; and Don Mattey, a retired human resources director at Eastman Kodak."

Here's a good reason to get them started. The Board had discussions on this position as far back as June. On January 8,2009 Acting Superintendent Sam Marolo announced the Board would be hiring a person from three candidates interviewed for the position.

“There were four interviews scheduled and three (people) attended,” he said at Thursday’s committee meetings. “We narrowed it down to one and I recommend we hire the person at the end of the month.”

The board established a $25,000 base salary and will pay the grant writer $1,000 for each completed application and another $1,000 for each grant secured, Committee Chair Elaine Curry said.


Events can be like the weather, changing on a moments notice. At the January 29th meeting the Board had to scrap their plans for hiring a grant writer because the candidate recommended for the position didn’t meet criteria listed in a job posting.

Business Manager Anthony Ryba said the recommendation fell through because the district did not finalize an agreement with the candidate, but Marolo said late Thursday that the person did not have a bachelor’s degree, as listed in an advertisement.

“This person was an excellent candidate,” Marolo said late Thursday. “But you can’t advertise for a bachelor’s and give it to someone who doesn’t have that.”


Oooopps!

"The interview committee included Marolo, Early Intervention/Special Education Director Carl Manfredi, Director of 7-12 Curriculum Deb Carr, Rose Cunfer of the Child Accounting Office, literacy coach Dorothy Woods, Security Director Vincent Zola and Title I/ESL supervisor Cathy Fanelli-Andrews."

Maybe the new team can have better success at screening people.

What I don't understand from this school board is the constant labeling of a majority and minority. School Directors run on both tickets to eliminate the typical politics witnessed in the electoral process of Republicans and Democrats. That is the reason they are allowed to cross file. Yet, as soon as they are elected they pick a majority.

Some folks just don't get it. We don't want a majority or a minority. We want 9 people who were elected to do a job to work together and get the job done. We don't get a second opinion to find out what is wrong with us. We want to know what they are going to do about it.

Quit the bickering, snide remarks, name calling, taunting, hostility, abrupt responses, lack of openess, pettiness, backstabbing, cutting commentary, resentment,and any other monicker that applies. School boards are responsible for setting the platform so the professionals they hire can accomplish their goal. It is not to determine the type or style of education administered to the student. With all due respect no one resume of any school director contains enough references to actually run a school district. If any school director were to apply to a corporation hiring directors I doubt any would qualify for the job. It is one thing to know how to cook a hamburger. It is quite another to be known as a chef.

The presidential election set the tone for the mood of the country. School boards should be leading by example. How can a school board expect its students to have respect and exhibit the correct behaviors when its example is a board that expresses open hostility?

Mark Twain is quoted in Following the Equator; Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar with the following:

In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made School Boards. Prove him wrong.

No comments: