Luzerne Intermediate Unit bids farewell to members Bruce Goeringer, Mark Kornoski and Chester Beggs

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WRIGHT TWP. &#8212;Despite questions raised by three soon-to-be board members, the Crestwood School Board voted to make Fairview Elementary Principal Margaret Foster the next district superintendent, provided she gets a state-required &#8220;letter of eligibility&#8221; by the start date of Jan. 8.Ron Sturgeon, Joe Kaminski and Bill Jones &#8212; all election winners poised to join the school board in December &#8212; raised concerns about the appointment, frequently focusing on the wording of a legal ad that ran in area newspapers seeking candidates.Kaminski questioned the use of the word &#8220;should&#8221; in the part of the ad that listed qualifications. He argued it meant anyone could apply even if they lacked all the qualifications. He asked Solicitor John Dean if that opened the district to future lawsuits from people who did not apply because they lacked the qualifications and took &#8220;should&#8221; to be &#8220;must.&#8221;&#8220;Anyone can sue anyone,&#8221; Dean replied, adding he believed the word choice did not open the district to a lawsuit.Dean said case law makes it clear a board can hire a person without full qualifications as long as they acquire them before they start working. The board voted to hire Foster &#8220;contingent upon receipt of necessary superintendent qualification documentation/clearances.&#8221;Betting on &#8216;a rookie&#8217;Noting Foster has no experience as a superintendent, Kaminski said, &#8220;You are betting our future on, in essence, a rookie. I just think it&#8217;s the wrong way to go.&#8221;Sturgeon discussed the possibility the new board, which will be seated at a Dec. 10 reorganization meeting, may take action on the matter. &#8220;This is one I&#8217;ll want to revisit in a few weeks.&#8221;Jones asked if the appointment could be rescinded by the next board. Dean said yes, but a court may not uphold such a move. He cited a Commonwealth Court ruling that set a precedent suggesting such a move, in this case, would be improper.All three future board member asked the appointment be delayed. &#8220;Why are you rushing?&#8221; Jones asked. &#8220;What&#8217;s the hurry? Why not wait until these things could be ironed out?&#8221;&#8220;We feel it&#8217;s been ironed out,&#8221; Board President Jerry Orloski answered, evoking audible criticism from many in the crowd.The voteWhen it came time to vote, board member Eric Aigeldinger moved to table the appointment of Foster, but only he, Michael Marshall and Maureen McGovern voted yes, so the motion failed. The vote to appoint Foster was also 5-3, with the same three board members voting against it.Foster was hired for the period from Jan. 8, 2016, through June 30, 2019, at a starting salary of $115,000 peryear.After the meeting, Orloski said the board decided not to delay the vote because the selection process had been going on &#8220;for more than six months.&#8221; Outgoing Superintendent Dave McLaughlin-Smith said Foster had done &#8220;everything I do&#8221; during her tenure heading the Bear Creek Community Charter School and noted she serves as president of the Pennsylvania Principals Association.Board Member Norb Dotzel said Foster was &#8220;head and shoulders&#8221; above other candidates interviewed. Orloski said there were &#8220;10 or 11&#8221; candidates and three or four were interviewed.Foster said after the meeting her two top priorities would be &#8220;a smooth transition&#8221; and &#8220;to help build a collegial relation with the board.&#8221; She said she believes the concerns of the three future members will be put to rest once they start working together.Tech school caseAlso during the meeting, outgoing board member Gene Mancini mentioned the latest legal action in the school board&#8217;s multi-year battle for a bigger say in running the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center.On Wednesday, Pittsburgh attorney Brian P. Gabriel filed a petition in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Greater Nanticoke Area School Board from appointing two members to the Joint Operating Committee that runs the CTC.The 11 seats on the JOC are meted out under an agreement signed by five member districts. Crestwood argues that agreement requires the number of seats each district gets be adjusted every 10 years based on the U.S. Census.Currently, there are five members from Wilkes-Barre Area, two each from Greater Nanticoke Area and Pittston Area, and one each from Hanover Area and Crestwood. The petition argues that, according to the 2010 census, Crestwood&#8217;s population grew while the other four districts saw declines, so much so that Crestwood&#8217;s numbers now exceed Greater Nanticoke Area.Urgency seenThe urgency in seeking a preliminary injunction stems from a state law requiring school boards to reorganize annually during the first week of December, naming new officers and electing members to various outside posts that may be vacant, such as the JOC.Crestwood&#8217;s petition notes that JOC appointments are for three-year terms, and that the terms of both Greater Nanticoke Area representatives expire this year.The petition argues that, without an injunction, Greater Nanticoke Area School Board will appoint two members to the JOC instead of one during its reorganization meeting scheduled for Dec. 3 and Crestwood will be unable to change that for the next three years.The petition asks that a judge order Greater Nanticoke Area to appoint only one member to the JOC and that Crestwood appoint two.According to court papers, a hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 25 before Judge Michael T. Vough. Mancini said legal technicalities may delay that hearing.<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Candidate lacks state letter of eligibility for job</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish.</shirttailMeta></div>

Crestwood School Board names new superintendent lacking state ‘letter of eligibility’