posted by Mike Madison at 4:25 PM /
From Joe Wertheim:
UPDATE (11/22): "Mt. Lebanon board delays vote on opening post"
The Mt. Lebanon School Board meeting on Monday, November 20 has the potential to be very interesting. Dr. Pamela Pulkowski, the Associate Superintendent of the district will be officially informed by the board that when her contract is up at the end of July 2007, not only will her contract not be renewed, but she will not even be considered for the position. Is it possible that this action is retaliation by the District because of the lawsuits filed by Dr. Pulkowski? Dr. Pulkowski has requested to speak when public comments are heard by the board, prior to the items on the agenda.
UPDATE (11/22): "Mt. Lebanon board delays vote on opening post"
19 Comments:
Put the pieces together. Did she accept a job the Board approved under Dr. Sable? There's so much turnover..Jansante, Sullivan, Boyd,
Allison, Barone, Biancanello, Findley, Heisler. Why do so many administrators just quit? Did she tell the truth about a hostile work environment? Is she an "outsider" rather than part of the "old boy network?" How does her resume stack up against the "lifers?" Did the long-time employees feel threatened, jealous, angry by her title or salary? She's a woman, she's over 50. Is this gender and age discrimination? Did she seek help from the legal system when the Board wouldn't listen? Does she know what really happened in the Sable buyout? What do you think...could it be retaliation?
I know she did file a lawsuit but it got thrown out.
"Is it possible that this action is retaliation by the District because of the lawsuits filed by Dr. Pulkowski? "
Anyone have anymore info on this?
You forgot one... why the sudden announcement by Dr. Wilson to retire?
This is not the only scandal involving the Mt. Lebanon School Board. The bigger scandal will come in March 2007 when all Mt. Lebanon new homeowners will learn the outcome of their 2006 property appeals. Even though the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners unanimously decided to not challenge the appeals of new homeowners in March 2006, the School Board decided to challenge the remaining appeals in late September 2006. It didn't matter to the School Board that many Virginia Manor, Markham, Foster and Mission Hills residents had their appeals heard unchallenged in August and September 2006.
Some interesting facts:
1. The company hired by the Mt. Lebanon School District is owned by the former Allegheny County Assessment Director under Mr. Jim Roddey.
2. The company owner, Mr. Gambino, is an outspoken critic of Mr. Dan Onorato.
3. The former Deputy County Manager under Mr. Roddey is an employee of this company.
4. Mt. Lebanon residents with 2006 appeals are stuck in the middle of a political battle.
5. Mr. Gambino gave the Mt. Lebanon School Board an inaccurate description of the services that his firm provides while representing the Mt. Lebanon School District.
6. The company has challenged Mt. Lebanon residents with properties that are not in the same neigbhorhood. Essentially they try to prove that all homes in Mt. Lebanon are equal. They may try to show that a Sunset Hills home is equal to a Mission Hills home!
7. The company has challenged residents with homes purchased after 2001. This is not fair because only home purchases prior to 2002 can be used to establish a 2002 comparable sale.
8. All Mt. Lebanon School Directors and Mt. Lebanon Commissioners are assessed at the 2002 level. The new homeowners pay a much greater share of taxes than all other Lebo residents.
9. Since 2002 the new homeowners have OVER-PAID more than $3 million to the school district and municipality and can only be refunded for one year.
10. The school district millage was only lowered in 2003 when the anti-windfall law was enforced.
11. The millage was not lowered in 2004, 2005, 2006 while the school district collected this windfall.
12. The new homeowners paid for the Margery Sable buyout at least 4 times. (Probably 5!!)
13. The Mt. Lebanon School Directors did not consult with the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners before breaking the long-standing (25+ years) agreement regarding property appeals.
14. It appears that the Mt. Lebanon School Board is not speaking with the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners.
PRICELESS!
One more addition to the list of administrators who will no longer be at Mt. Lebanon. On Friday, Bill Addy, Director of Human Resources, announced he is taking another job and leaving before Christmas. Is there a connection between his decision and the Pulkowski affair? He would have been the person to investigate harassment charges...and now he's leaving. Remember Watergate? Well, Mt. Lebanon has Sablegate! Why did the Board pay so much to have her go and then keep all of the programs she brought in? How bad coould she have been? Maybe she wasn't harming the district at all. Maybe she was learning too much about the "Mt. Lebanon Way" and was ready to expose it.
Spampinato bought out in Pittsburgh, Sable bought out in Mt. Lebanon. Both were hired and told to change and improve things...and when they do...suddenly they're invited to leave with a pretty penny! Boards don't know what they want...or who are they listening to when they make these costly and unnecessary decisions?
Do you think it possible (probable) that both Sable and Spampinato tried to make changes that angered the teachers unions, and the boards continue to acquiesce to whatever the unions demand? Why did the MLEA and the board secretly negotiate a new contract, a year early, immediately after the board got rid of Dr. Sable?
How many board members besides Posti and Campbell received tax refunds because their assessment appeals lowered their tax bite? Was district's attorney at the hearings for Posti and Campbell? Were there other board members who cashed in before voting to hassle some residents and not others? What was the timing?
Why not bring back Sable rather than do a search for a superintendent right now...I've heard she never wanted to leave and we're still paying her for one more year. There might be more resignations if she came back for the last year of her contract. She might clean house and get rid of the deadwood and old boys.
Do you think there was a united effort of the union and the old boys to get rid of Dr. Sable?
There were promises made for a juicy contract in exchange for the teacher vote in the 2004 election. Just ask Rodello and Hoffman. They negotiated the contract with the teachers and I bet they worked with Walton to get Sable to leave.
A question was raised by a resident at the televised 12/18 school board meeting about our PTA and its silence regarding Dr. Pulkowski.
While our PTA does a great raising funds and organizing parties etc. there doesn't seemed to be any effort by the organization when it comes to running the district.
On Dr. Sable fiasco the silence was deafening, on Dr. Pulkowski the same.
I'm curious, should the PTA take an active role in organizing parent input? That is should the PTA be forming a consensus and taking a stand on such issues?
A question was raised by a resident at the televised 12/18 school board meeting about our PTA and its silence regarding Dr. Pulkowski.
While our PTA does a great raising funds and organizing parties etc. there doesn't seemed to be any effort by the organization when it comes to running the district.
On Dr. Sable fiasco the silence was deafening, on Dr. Pulkowski the same.
I'm curious, should the PTA take an active role in organizing parent input? That is should the PTA be forming a consensus and taking a stand on such issues?
You have to separate the PTA council from the rank and file PTA. Look at Bowman, the PR lady. Her credentials were being the PTA council president. We get no PR but she tells the council what to do and say. Watch how the new president, Mary Burks, checks in with her at every meeting. Council is the mouthpiece for the administration. Weren't Sue Rose and Renee Garson PTA people too? Now they're on the board.
They get the PTA vote and then do what they are told to do. Just wait until the election; we'll see someone with a PTA connection. I've heard that Mary Burks tells school PTA people what to say if they are asked about things like Jansente leaving and the Sable buyout.
Here we have a woman, Dr. Paulkowski, who has worked to help Mt. Lebanon welcome diversity, and she's shown the door. Mt. Lebanon doesn't want outsiders or people who welcome outsiders. I heard there was a board member who didn't want Dr. J as the high school principal because his last name ended in a vowel. He's left after just a few years. This may be ethnic discrimination against Dr. Paulkowski. Dr. Sable was Jewish and she was sent on her way. Shame on the Board! Shame on Dr. Wilson! Shame on the silent majority who watch the TV meetings and never speak out.
OK, we've commented on the PTA Council doesn't represent the rank & file, and that we need to get off our duffs and take action. How do we organize our efforts, one voice at the board meetings achieves nothing. Even a crowd like we had for Sable didn't affect the board's decision to comment on or delay the ouster. So where do we go from here??
Where do we go from here? There has to be a loud and constant outcry from many people, PTA rank and file, parents, students at every board meeting to stop the insanity. I heard there were more than 40 letters sent to Board members to keep Dr. Pulkowski, plus numerous people who came and spoke and the board just ignored them. The past two boards and their long time administrators have destroyed the district's reputation. Wilson, Allen and Klein want everything to be just the way it was for the past 25 years because that's all they know. Just watch...the board will run out of time to do a superintendent search. When Sable was bought out, there were promises of a big search. Then Wilson is appointed, then we're told there's not enough time for a search and he can only be acting for a year, then we were told that he's so perfect that he gets a 3-year contract. Meanwhile, talk to Glenn Smartschen. He hated Wilson and knew he hadn't done anything in 25 years. Now Wilson is leaving June 30 and I bet there won't be time for a search or all the candidates will be "bad." Allen will be appointed as acting superintendent and then the board will announce that it doesn't need to do a search. We're being lied to again!!! Got to meetings, write to the papers. When good people are silent, bad people can do what they want.
Loud and constant outcry? Couldn't have had a louder one than the Sable incident, and what did it achieve?
NOTHING!
The public outcry lasts about 2 meetings and then apathy sets in again. The Board knows this; the administration knows this. So, they really don't have to care what the "public" thinks. A handful of people attend every meeting. Those who ask questions or raise objections are dismissed as chronic complainers. The PTA people who speak favorably are the "public" that helps to maintain the spin and the status quo. Promises are made and then broken. Does anyone question the Sable buyout? Every program she recommended is still in place. What was the real reason? Where are the questions about Top 25, disobedient students, cheating, underage drinking, inappropriate relationships, the turn-over of administrators, special education?
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