Jun 7, 2013 4 min read

Superintendent Paul Kasunich knew why a majority of the crowd gathered in the Trinity High School auditorium for Thursday’s school board meeting was there.

One major topic of discussion for the meeting “was the moving of principals in the district to other buildings,” Kasunich said, “and at this time we are going to hold off on doing that.”

Kasunich’s announcement was met with a long round of applause from the group of roughly 70 parents and residents who had assembled. Administrators had originally planned to relocate principals at the district’s four elementary schools to address poor test scores at certain buildings.

“We are constantly looking at ways to maximize student achievement,” Kasunich said after the meeting. “One way to do that is to put the highest-performing administrators in buildings that are not where they should be. That’s one strategy that was the proposed, and it’s not an uncommon strategy in school districts across county.”

Kasunich would not comment on whether the district would revisit the issue in the future, stating it was a personnel matter.

Despite the announcement to hold off on the decision, a number of people voiced opposition to the plan during public comments.

“From an emotional perspective, you have to remember elementary school principals are not interchangeable,” said one mother. “They know every student and parent by name. In my opinion, they are the biggest factor of safety in our building. … It makes me feel a whole lot safer when kids are being killed in elementary schools that my principal knows everybody walking in and everybody walking out.”

Susan Johnson, an aide at the Intermediate Unit 1 school for special needs and handicapped students, spoke about the lack of board members attending the graduation held at Billy Bell Park in South Strabane Township. Johnson said she had been the one-on-one assistant to Trinity student Laura Paluda for the past 15 years.

“I am so disappointed, no, angry that not one representative from Trinity could come to the graduation and represent the district,” Johnson said. “I see all those chairs set up for all these kids to receive diplomas there tomorrow. Maybe they shouldn’t get one, either.”

Johnson was referring to the chairs that were set up for Trinity High School’s graduation, scheduled for Friday.

Johnson said Paluda’s diploma was not ready at the ceremony and was delivered only after Samantha Paluda, Laura’s mother, called to ask where it was. After the meeting, board members offered an apology to Samantha Paluda, one that Paluda said she had accepted.

“I just want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Paluda said. “But if I hear it happened again next year, you better believe I’m going to be back here.”

A motion was passed to appoint Kerrin McIlvaine to replace Shawn Mulac on the school board. Mulac resigned in May citing work obligations. Board President Scott Day said McIlvaine was the only person to respond to an advertisement for the position and the lone candidate in November’s election. The motion passed with a 5-0 vote with William Clemens, Scott R. Day, Tamara Salvatori, Jennifer Morgan, Penny Caleffe voting yes.

Board members James R. Shargots, Colleen Interval, Sandra Clutter and Jenene Hupp were absent.

New business manager David Russo presented a possible eight-year plan to members of the audience. Russo said the district’s budget deficit had to be solved by a combination of revenue increases and fiscal responsibility. Russo proposed a 2-mill property tax increase every year for the next eight years, starting in 2014.

“Those increases are less than 2 percent,” Russo said. “That’s less than inflation. … If we chose to increase this year, it will go a long way to” fixing the problem. “If we choose not to do that, we’re that much more behind the eight ball.”

The board did not take action on the measure.