posted by Mike Madison at 9:47 AM /
The Mt. Lebanon School Board reorganization meeting took place last night. I wasn't there, but a loyal correspondent sent this report:
Comments?
At the school board reorganization meeting a new president and vice president were elected. Mrs. Rose nominated Mrs. Posti who has served as vp this last year. Mr. Kubit nominated Mr. Hart. Mrs. Rose called for a recess to give the board members certain non-public information. Mr. Peterson, the district lawyer said Mrs. Rose could read an email that Mr. Rodella (former board president) sent to all board members. The message detailed that the Auditor General's report to the board that will be published in January will note just one violation: one Board Member was non-compliant with the filing of financial information for the years 2005 & 2006. Apparently, the Board Member who was non-compliant was Mark Hart. The final vote for president - for Mrs. Posti: Mrs. Cappucci, Mrs. Rose, Mrs. Posti, - for Mr. Hart: Mr. Kubit, Mr. Fraasch, Mr. Remely, Mr. Silhol, Ms. Stipanovich, Mr. Hart. VP elected was Mr. Silhol.
Comments?
Labels: school board
13 Comments:
I think we are going to see very good things come out of this new board and I am looking forward to a new era of "transparency" that hasn't existed in the past. What type of information (public or personal) is the Auditor General's report referring to? The irony is that, I believe, Mr. Hart is in charge of the finances for the Pittsburgh Steelers so you would think he would be up on this sort of stuff.
Does it worry anyone else that the man now at the helm did not file his financials? Public officials know they are subject to public scrutiny. My understanding is that although he lives in this district, he has chosen to remove his children from Mt. Lebanon schools and pay thousands to send them to private school. Does anyone else think this might bias him in decisions regarding the best interest of our public schools?
It worries me that the new Board already seems contentious and divisive. I truly hope that the school board will not let their personal agendas influence the future of our school district and I urge everyone to pay close attention to future board meetings and speak up to make sure they remain focused on the best interest of the children - our future.
PTA Mom
If I was clear on what it was then it was the annual Statement of Financial Interest. You have to declare any debt over $6500 and any source of income over $1300. There are also a number of other things such as business interests, other board positions, etc. that are disclosed.
The actual form can be found here:
http://www.clarion.edu/admin/humanresources/Financial%20Disclosure%20FORM.pdf
These are Pennsylvania State documents so they will not be found downtown.
I hope the information helps.
James
The Auditor General's report is referring to one's personal financial disclosure report. Two years in a row Mr. Hart did not file his as all board members are required to do. This could negatively impact school district business because his vote(s) become null and void.
I find it disturbing at best that he (who is the business manager of the Steelers) didn't file these statements and that this board still elected him as their president...Jo Posti was doing a very good job as the current VP and had been running meetings frequently and doing a nice job. The previous blogger mentioned looking forward to "transparency". Well if this is it, I am concerned.
You are looking for good things from a new board whose first order of business was to ignore an ethics violation and elect an individual who does not have any of his school aged children in our schools? If Mr. Rodella or Mrs. Walton, or any other incumbent had an ethics violation hanging over their heads which could cause legal fees for this district, the vocal minority which regularly attends these meetings would be outraged. No one spoke up from this group. How then, does this blatant disregard for the laws of this State, which Mr. Hart took an oath to uphold, how does that allow him the privilege of serving this district? I have very little faith that there will be transparency with these individuals since there has been too much backroom negotiating and maneuvering already. Perhaps the educated people of Mt. Lebanon can utilize the information garnered by our neighbors to the south to oust these people at the next election.
While I will reserve judgment on Mr. Hart's leadership until he actually leads, I do have some initial observations.
First, Mr Hart was in the class of board members elected immediately following the Sable fiasco. The platform for those candidates was the need for greater transparency - essentially, no more secrets. While I'm not overly concerned about the substance of the financial reports, his repeated failure to file them certainly runs contrary to this campaign theme.
Secondly, Mr. Hart has been at the center of some significant (yet unusual) personnel debates. During his initial days in office, a story appeared in the local paper regarding his opinions of the girls' high school soccer coach. He seemed intent on securing this coach's dimissal. Mr Hart also led the more recent public attack on the swimming coach and the Athletic Director. I'm not sure how the soccer coach debate turned out (but his daughter, a soccer player, no longer attends the high school) and the public showed up in significant numbers in support of the swimming coach and the Athletic Director.
Lastly, while having children in the district is certainly not a requirement for board service, it probably does give a board member a unique personal perspective on the issues facing our students. By the way, I believe that 3 of his 4 children attend St. Bernard's, which is a noble choice for many reasons and hardly Shadyside or Sewickley Academy when it comes to price. So please do not condemn him for that choice alone.
Personally though, I supported his candidacy in large part because he has 4 school aged kids (spanning elementary through high school ages), and I assumed that this would give him greater incentive to keep his eye on the ball.
If Mr. Hart reads this blog, I'd implore him to focus as much time on the big picture as he does in attempting to second guess the wildly popular Athletic Director. Given his success as an athlete and his current occupation with the Steelers, sports obviously play a big role in his life. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. My family loves them too. However, sports. play a relatively small role in the overall operation of a school district.
Good luck Mr. Hart.
I am greatly concerned that Mark Hart did disclose his "statement of financial interest" yet was voted in as the next president of this board. Ms. Posti has has demonstrated good sense in her current term on the board and should be the next president. The fact that certain people on the board have always voted in line with Mr Hart is also a concern. We need some integrity on this board and it seems that the few board members that have it will be outvoted on most issues as they come up over the next few years. I don't know about you but I am concerned!
Concerned
How many of you out there that are hyper-critical of Hart not filing his statement of financial interests forms in a timely fashion have ever filed one yourselves or even seen one--blank or filed ? I have been a public official in different capacities over a period spanning over 30 years, and have filed many, many times.They are not as revealing as you might imagine them to be.
The reasons behind the legal requirement to file should be obvious,but how many of you have personally reviewed submitted forms for information and/or accuracy ? If you have, you have probably found filings that are incomplete and/or inaccurate.Even those filed by attorneys and CPA's.But they are there,flawed nontheless.
More to the crux of the matter,how many of you critics out there are familiar with the local process involved ? Ask the District administration whether they play any coordinating role in the annual filing process for the board members,superintendent & business manager,and possibly other administrators, and what role(s) that might be.Did some coordinating followup not occur in the case of Hart ? I honestly do not know, but before I would launch a hissy=fit, I would try to be in command of some background facts.
I agree with Bill to a degree. I believe the volunteer members of all of the Boards and Authorities in Mt. Lebanon are required to file the same statements. During my 5 years on the Traffic Board, I think I only filed it once - the first year. After that, I simply found it to be irrelevant and unnecessary. Nonetheless, the dedicated folks in the Municipal office always reminded me (more than once) to send it in.
I think the purpose and role of the form is slightly different in the case of elected officials, since they have the power to hire contractors and vendors, and manage large sums of money. On the Traffic Board (and as with our other volunteer Boards), we had no such influence or authority so the purpose of having us complete the form was somewhat lost on me. Nevertheless, I'm guilty of the crime of not filing it. My apologies to the good people of Mt. Lebanon.
As for some of the other comments, please give these folks a chance to do their job. I don't agree with Mr. Hart (or the other school board members) on every issue, but that's okay. It's not the end of the world. Once we cast our votes on election day, we essentially give our proxy to these folks to vote on every subsequent issue. We trust that they will listen, educate themselves and choose wisely. If our elected officials fail (or are perceived to have failed), recent elections have demonstrated that the voters of Mt. Lebanon will be quick to get rid of them. That's the process - let it work.
If you have a legitimate gripe, show up at a meeting and make your point. I don't go to many meetings, but I do stop in when something is on my mind. This blog is not and should not be a substitute for that. And now that you have to identify yourself in order to be heard, it thankfully won't be.
Dave Franklin
Pinetree Road
I just read your new policy but hope you make one exception since there were a lot of anonymous posts against Mark Hart I would hope that you would post at least one anonymous post FOR him as well. This is what I had ready to go:
Nothing like a little School Board Reorganization meeting to get things going.
I would like to congratulate the people who have posted on this blog in the last few days regarding the election of Mr Hart to the position of President. Apparently Mt Lebanon has just set a record. The 2007-2008 School Board has already been deemed a failure and they haven't even had a true meeting yet. That is incredibly impressive, something even Upper St Clair cannot lay a claim to. And you know how proud we all get when we can do something before USC does! Virtual high-five everyone!
Seriously though, have we all already forgotten the credentials of the people on the Board. Mr. Hart was elected with the most votes of any school board candidate during his election (http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/ELECT/200511gen/muni173.asp). He was a key part of the Heinz Field construction project. Personal agenda or not, it appears that the people spoke and indeed thought that he was very qualified to be a member of the Board. While I do respect the job the old VP did, putting Mr Hart in the position of leading the school district through a very important financial time seems to be the right move. He is in the business of...wait for it...finance! Who better to lay the foundation for the high school project than the person on the Board that has the most experience in high cost construction projects?
Does not having kids in the district disqualify someone from serving on the Board? Apparently not since this past election put someone up on the Board that does not have kids in this district. And that person finished 3rd on the ballot despite not being elected on both the R and D side of the ballot. Instead of this non-politcal trait disqualifying a person from serving on the Board, perhaps we should view it as an opportunity to bring a different perspective to the Board that is much needed.
Those that are pointing fingers at Mr Hart about having a personal agenda, I would suggest that you look in the mirror. None of what you are saying is cause enough to question his ability to be President. What you are saying is all PERSONAL. The same thing that you accuse Mr Hart of being too much of. Besides that, all personal agenda issues that ANY of the Board members bring with them would have to have the support of at least four other members of the Board for them to take any action. At that point would that issue become less of a personal one and more of a general concern? It seems to me that this is one of the reasons we don't elect a single person to the Board but a total of nine people instead.
The personal financial statement is not an issue in my mind and easily explained away. Note that the auditor did not find anything improper about Mr Harts financial dealings (or else that would be reported in the auditors report!) just that Mr Hart neglected to file his statements. Yes, Mr Hart probably will get fined for being late but there will be no votes that are invalidated as some have suggested. The solicitor Mr Peterson said as much at the meeting from what I have heard. The school district is NOT at risk of any legal action because of the filing not being in on time. The fact that someone even brought this up on the night of the reorg meeting should be MORE OF A CONCERN THAN THE ISSUE ITSELF! (and I do apologize for the caps...but emphasis was needed)
I will give this school board a chance. And if I dont like it, two years from now there will be four people up for re-election.
*CitizenA*
I'm posting this Comment by request, due to technical difficulties:
I think residents and "PTA moms" need to be aware that Mr. Hart saved the district at least $500,000 on new lights for the stadium if memory serves me right.
The maintenance dept. approached the board with their lowest responsible bidders quote of just under $1,000,000. The board seemed willing to accept that.
Mr. Remely and Hart balked at the number and asked to delay the vote. They followed up with a quote from one of Remely's suppliers and Hart at the next meeting added one from a Steeler supplier at $250,000.
I'm not a friend of Mr. Hart's or Remely's, just think they should be given a fair shake.
Dean Spahr
Many people, in many school districts, have had "problems" with school board members who don't send their own children to public schools. They are saying, in effect, that they don't want to send their own children to the public schools, for whatever reason. Many people question whether they want a school district run by people who won't put their own children in those schools. It's not just a Mark Hart thing.
Linda Wilson Fuoco
I think all community members should take a moment and go to the following link:
http://www.mtlsd.org/district/boardoperatingprinciples.asp
These operating principles were adopted by the Board by unanimous vote at last month's meeting. They apply to all incoming Board members, and future Boards. They give a clear view of what the Board expects of itself, and what the community should come to expect of the Board.
There is a lot of work ahead of this School Board, and I am hopeful that the momentum of the Internal Assessment Team and the continued guidance of the Strategic Plan will help this Board to "Provide the Best Education Possible for Each and Every Student."
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