Franklin Regional school board members butt heads over meeting procedures - TribLIVE

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Franklin Regional Superintendent Gennaro Piraino decided in early June that he’d had enough of school board members arguing and talking over one another in public meetings.

“Maybe I’m overstepping my bounds, but I’m a member of this team of ten,” Piraino said. “Right now, what is happening week after week is unconscionable and unacceptable to me.”

Recent school board meetings, which since mid-March have been held virtually through the Zoom platform, have featured several terse exchanges centered around requests by new school board member Gary English.

English — and several residents who share his opposition to the Sloan “elementary campus” project — has been requesting a 10-year financial plan for the school district for the past two years, citing concerns over the district’s ability to responsibly finance the project while still addressing maintenance issues at its other schools.

Two of those residents, Walter Cebulak and former school board member Richard Kearns, wrote a June 11 letter to state Auditor General DePasquale, asking for his “assistance and support of long-range planning being essential to fiscal responsibility.”

English has continued making requests for the 10-year plan as a school board member, and during his remarks on public comments submitted to the June 1 school meeting, again asked board President Herb Yingling when such a plan will be made available.

“I don’t think you’re going to get one,” Yingling responded.

English characterized Yingling’s response as “disturbing with the financial situation the district is in,” before being interrupted by board member Gregg Neavin calling for a point of order, a request that frequently crops up when English has the floor.

That devolved into a yelling match between English and Neavin, with each accusing the other of being a bully.

School board members calling for points of order have accused English of straying from Robert’s Rules of Order, which typically govern public meetings. English in turn has accused other school directors of violating board policy on reasonable decorum and abuse in an attempt to silence him.

Neavin said he would not sit by and allow English to take over school board meetings with “his dog-and-pony show.”

At the June 1 school board meeting, Piraino decided he’d had enough.

“Most of the time, I am able to bring students into these meetings to demonstrate the great things that are happening in classrooms,” he said. “The last several months, I have not done that because I don’t feel that the work of this board is focused on our kids and is not the example I want to set for them. And all of you are better people than that.”

Board member Scott Weinman bemoaned the fact that communicating with district administration used to be accomplished with a simple phone call.

“Now everything has to be routed through (the school board president),” Weinman said. “I think it damages the relationship that needs to be built between this board and the administration and teachers.”

Neavin apologized to Piraino and fellow board members.

“That’s not the way adults should behave,” he said. “Not once has that been my experience up until recent months on this board, and I’m embarrassed for myself and for us.”

English said he left the Zoom meeting following the argument with Neavin, but watched the remainder of the meeting through the district’s YouTube livestream.

“Where is the decorum when two school board directors are constantly stepping all over me, and the school board president is allowing it?” English asked. “I shouldn’t have to raise my voice, but I keep on getting interrupted. Mr. Neavin goes on at length about things that have nothing to do with agenda items, and I sit politely and listen.”

Piraino’s words seemed to have an effect, with relatively little arguing at the board’s meeting Monday night.

English said his job as a school director is to ensure quality education for students “while being mindful of what the district taxpayers can afford.”

“I truly believe that FR has lost the last half of that equation,” he said.

Piraino said at the June 1 meeting that the board’s work cannot reflect “the national political scene or what’s going on in Harrisburg.”

“Even when we have differences, we shouldn’t be playing ‘gotcha’ or using one-upmanship or shouting each other down or using intimidation tactics,” he said. “You’re all volunteers. You don’t need that and you don’t deserve that. … I’m asking for the decorum that needs to happen, so we can be proud of the work we’re doing. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone on, but I’ve sat here week after week and it’s gone on long enough.”

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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