JT tables hiring asst. superintendent

A vote to confirm the hiring of a new assistant superintendent for Jim Thorpe Area School District was tabled when it was found that the candidate lacked a necessary credential during Monday’s board meeting.

After months of searching for a candidate with human resources and superintendent experience and certifications, the board was prepared to vote on Thomas McLaughlin for the position.

When it was brought to the board’s attention that McLaughlin lacked an advanced Human Resources certificate, Gerald Strubinger made a motion to table the personnel matter. The motion narrowly passed in a 5-4 vote.

“Why are we doing this? Why are we hiring that man when he’s not certified, if that’s what they’re yelling about, that they want certification?” Strubinger said.

Strubinger has been an outspoken opponent to the hiring of an assistant superintendent since the board began seeking candidates. During Monday’s meeting, he also said a contract for the position had yet to be finalized.

Board member Raniero Marciante said that he had conducted an exhaustive amount of research into the matter before the meeting, finding that McLaughlin was lacking the key certification.

“According to the posting on our website, you must have a master’s degree, and the candidate has two. A Pennsylvania letter of eligibility, he has one. He does not have an advanced human resources certificate. He does not have it, therefore he does not have the minimum requirements for the job,” Marciante said.

McLaughlin has served as the Palmerton Area School District’s human resources director for the past year. Before that, he spent 11 years at Weatherly Area School District as a special education coordinator, an assistant principal, and high school principal until taking over as superintendent in 2011.

Dr. Michael Principe, who voted against tabling the decision, said that he was open to the idea of allowing McLaughlin to obtain certification after being hired, if possible, though no board members could confirm if that was a feasible option.

“I’d been told by the chair of the committee for weeks that he had that certificate, but the most important issue for me was that he had the experience. Having been a principal and superintendent in Weatherly for years, and then human resources in Palmerton, he has plenty of experience,” Principe said.

Marciante commented that McLaughlin should have been rejected outright in the early stages of the hiring process due to not meeting the district’s requirements.

The decision to hire an assistant superintendent has been hotly contested throughout the hiring process, with several board members and numerous members of the public arguing against the necessity of the position, along with the assumed cost.

The board addressed public comment questions during the meeting, with Principe, Pearl Sheckler-Downs and other members explaining that the candidate would be able to primarily handle human resources issues, while also harboring the authority of a superintendent. Sheckler-Downs cited the multitude of human resources issues the district faces, including lawsuits and other disputes, that could be handled by an assistant superintendent.

Business Manager Lauren Kovac alleviated some concern among the crowd that the $95,000 salary for the position would raise taxes, citing that the district had recently cut costs by opting to run a special education program in-house as opposed to outsourcing to an intermediate unit. With approximately $200,000 in savings from that decision, Kovac said that it was unlikely that taking on an assistant superintendent would cause any tax increases.

At the moment, it is unclear as to whether the board will seek out other qualified candidates, or if McLaughlin is still in the running.

“This needs further investigation,” Downs-Sheckler said.