McKeesport Area candidates forum grows contentious

A polite candidates forum at Auberle turned into a verbal free-for-all when an ex-McKeesport Area school board candidate questioned current hopefuls.

After an hour of questions submitted by Auberle students Monday, the floor was opened to adults and 2009 hopeful Keith Murphy took a shot at two hirings.

He criticized the hiring of Mark P. Holtzman Jr., son of a current MASD school director, as high school principal, and former MASD school director Gerald Tedesco's firm as construction manager for three projects.

Current board candidate Scott Smith's bid was rejected in favor of Tedesco's Pennsylvania Project Management, but he said his candidacy for the board had nothing to do with that decision.

Still, he said, it did wake him up to "either ignore it or step up and take a leading role."

Smith expressed concern about the rising cost of the projects. That prompted incumbent Mark P. Holtzman Sr. to rise from the audience and suggest that contractors could keep costs down by reducing profit margins.

Incumbent Joseph Chiaverini Sr. said he asked for Smith's response to the district's request for proposals, but still was the sixth vote for Tedesco because "I wanted to show as much of a united front as possible."

"When you put things up for bids you ask for estimates," said candidate Terri Kisan, a McKeesport planning commissioner. "I don't understand why Mr. Smith's project wasn't acceptable."

Nine of 12 May 17 candidates attended the forum, including incumbents Joe Lopretto and Steven Kondrosky and challengers Mary Jane Keller, Robin Marshall-Kelly, Kenneth Peoples Jr. and Richard Tomko. Incumbents James Brown and Christopher Halaszynski and former director David Donato did not take part.

Then there was Holtzman, who was dean of discipline at McKeesport Area High School's vocational department for two years, then took a similar role at West Mifflin Area High for three years.

"He was hired without one day of experience as a high school principal," Murphy said. "Holtzman went to West Mifflin, to (the late superintendent Patrick A.) Risha, so that Risha could take care of him."

"I thought he was doing a fantastic job in that high school," Lopretto said. "Did I throw a vote his way because his dad is on the school board• No way."

"We go on the recommendations of the administration who has interviewed candidates," Chiaverini said.

"They felt he was the strongest candidate."

"There used to be a procedure ... that would not allow (nepotism) to happen," said Kelly, who was on the board from 1983-94.

"I want to thank you as a taxpayer for speaking up," Peoples told Murphy. "We danced around the little ideas."

About early retirement incentives, David Bradley of White Oak said, "I end up paying for two people for that one position. You're passing it on to the state."

All of the candidates said they believe it would save the district money, though Kondrosky conceded, "We will lose quality educators," and Keller agreed about the loss of experienced teachers.

A member of the McKeesport Area Education Association said two state senators told district teachers that the state will reimburse districts for 80 percent of the cost of an early retirement incentive. She did not identify the senators.

The candidates could not agree on any program that could be cut as the district faces a proposed $4.3 million hit in state subsidy.

Kondrosky said Gov. Tom Corbett can "make some adjustments, too."

Some of the school board candidates urged participation in Thursday's 6:15 p.m. rally at Renziehausen Park bandshell, and a budget town hall meeting at the high school auditorium Thursday at 7 p.m., scheduled by three lawmakers .

All of the candidates at Monday's forum rejected the notion that students with low quantitative or grade-point averages should be compelled to take vocational-technical courses.