From todays BCCT:
Wasted opportunity
By: GUY PETROZIELLO
Bucks County Courier Times
Regarding the Morrisville School Board's June 24 vote to hire a part-time communications director: The board majority fumbled a great opportunity. The board voted 6-2 to hand the job to Patricia Wandling for $25,000. Morrisville resident Melissa Danbury, who has a child in the schools and is active in the PTO, volunteered to do the job for free for six months.
The hiring "process" was a farce. The position was never posted until that evening, resumes arrived the day before and interviews were never conducted. Board members didn't have a full job description prior to voting. How could they have made an informed decision?
Wandling is a former employee of school district solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick. She hosts the WBCB radio program "Speak Your Piece," and had board President Bill Hellmann on her program the day before the May 19 primary election. Her hiring is classic cronyism.
Hellmann often mentions the financial crisis Morrisville is facing and has not replaced departing teacher aides. Board member Marlys Mihok called faculty members' stipends for positions outside their classroom responsibilities "obscene" and said they should volunteer their time. If Morrisville is in such bad financial shape and the board wants volunteers to step up, why wouldn't the board consider using a volunteer for the job on a trial basis before voting to pay someone $25,000?
Diane Carpenter
Morrisville
