The authors
of this blog would like to thank the FC board for taking care of three agenda
items at the January 27th meeting that will greatly impact the future direction
of Fort Cherry.
Foremost was
the board’s formal acceptance of Superintendent Robert W. Dinnen’s
retirement.
Subsequently,
and wisely, the board invoked Section 1073(b) of PA School Code which states:
By formally
accepting the resignation and invoking Section 1073(b), the board fulfilled the
terms of Dinnen’s contract. Formal
acceptance also ensures that the board secretary include the vote in the
official minutes of the board.
Additionally
the board did not renew the contract of the school auditor, Cypher and Cypher.
The motion
to renew failed to get enough votes, thus opening the door for a new set of
eyes to be used on Fort Cherry’s finances.
Those voting
to keep the status quo and Cypher were Cindy Gaskill, Larry Heinrendt, and
Jamie White.
Those voting
for change by seeking proposals for a new auditor were Tina Cottril, Melinda
Errett, Chris Lauff, Jodi McKay, Jeanine Miles, and JoAnne Wagner.
Although no one from
the Observer-Reporter attended the meeting, it appears O-R staff writer Emily Petsko called FC’s Administrative Office after the meeting to learn some details.
The O-R
quotes Dinnen as saying:
“We’ve advanced the academic achievement of our students,
instituted numerous professional development activities for our staff, created
a collaborative process with parents and moved technology to state of the art …
and went from $20 million in debt to debt-free.”
Let’s think
about that statement.
Dinnen: “advanced
the academic achievement of our students”
That’s an
easy claim to make, but do the test scores back up the claim?
Joanne
Wagner created a blog while running a successful campaign for school
board.
In Ms.
Wagner’s April 30, 2013, post, she pointed out in 2013 that FC is not
“advancing the academic achievement of our students” as Dinnen claims. She references the Pittsburgh Business Times 2013 School Guide which shows FC’s statewide rank dropped:
Dinnen: “created
a collaborative process with parents
Typically,
Dinnen spins things to make himself sound and look good. A man who has no trouble claiming another's career and achievements as his own (as he did with Lt. Col. Yelk and Mattoon JROTC**), most likely would have no qualms using another's ideas and claiming them as his own.
Interestingly, Ms.
Wagner also states in her 4/30/13 post, , “. . . we need to acknowledge our
problems in order to start a dialogue in the community about how to fix them. .
. . This is a shared responsibility between the community and the school. We can solve these types of problems by developing collaborative
relationships and working together, not ignoring them or fighting about
them.”
Dinnen: “instituted
numerous professional development activities for our staff”
“Professional
development” for the administrators at FC seems to have taken a front seat, in
front of our children’s education. As
documented in this blog, “professional development” has consisted of lavish
meals, travel, and entertainment for administrators.
Under
Dinnen’s tenure, the Administrative Compensation Plan (Act 93) has been
modified to include a $5000 yearly
bonus for a doctorate degree – a degree obtained with 100% tuition
reimbursement thanks to FC taxpayers. In
addition, the Act 93 gives administrators who sign off on a grant a 5% cut, even if a teacher or parent has put the work into applying for
it. The administrator simply signs off on the application, and 5%
goes to the administrator.
Dinnen: “moved
technology to state of the art”
Sure, FC
has state of the art technology, but is it curriculum-driven? Former board member Leann Darnley asked that
very question last May when the board was considering technology purchases. Administrators did not respond. Has FC been purchasing state of the art
technology for the sake of bragging rights, or has an educational need truly
been established?
Dinnen: “$20
million in debt to debt-free”
FC would
have paid off the $20 million debt last year, with or without Dinnen at the
helm. The district took out a bond to
renovate years ago and was required to make a $1.6 million yearly payment. Furthermore, FC is not debt-free. The district took out a $4.5 million dollar
bond almost immediately after paying off the old debt and the board is
discussing the possibility of increasing
that bond to $31 million.
Also of
interest in the O-R, was this quote from business manager Paul Sroka:
“Dr. Dinnen has been very helpful to me in my professional
development and mentored me in understanding school finance.”
Sroka: “mentored
me in understanding school finance”
One would think that an understanding of school finance would
be a prerequisite for employment as a school business manager, not something
you learn on the job. Did Dinnen’s
mentoring include lessons on dubious coding of inappropriate expenditures and
commandeering the district’s corporate AmEx card?
--------
With the board’s
decisions to hire a new superintendent and retain a new auditor, we are cautiously
optimistic that FC is on its way back to “Truth, Honor, and Integrity”.
This board
faces many challenges. Proposals from
auditing firms need to be considered. Decisions
over the renovations are looming, along with a decision to increase the bond to
as much as $31 million. Hopefully
prudence and good judgment will prevail.
