• Notes on the transcription
• Preliminaries
• Election of board president
• Election of board vice president
• Public comments (none)
• New business

Notes on the transcription

This document was transcribed from a recorded broadcast of the public school board meeting of 7 December 2009. I have corrected obvious errors in speech, such as stammering or saying “um,” except where it was not obvious what the speaker was trying to say. —Tom Moertel

Please report errors to standards@mlao.org.

Preliminaries

[CAPPUCCI, serving as temporary president, calls the meeting to order.]

[Judge Randal Todd swears in the new and returning board members: REMELY, POSTI, OSTERGAARD, BIRKS.]

[Roll call: all members present.]

Election of board president

CAPPUCCI: Now I’d like to open the floor for nominations for board president.

FRAASCH: I nominate Mr. Kubit. [Seconded]

ROSE: I nominate Josephine Posti for president of this board. [Seconded]

CAPPUCCI: Any others? [Hearing none.] Discussion.

ROSE: Let me explain why I would like to nominate Joe Posti. She’s entering her fifth year of service. She has demonstrated a level of professionalism, diligence, and competency on this board, and she’s enhanced our work to provide the best education possible for each and every child in our public school system. I admire her courage and her strength to continue to serve in the best interests of these children, and I think she would make a very good president. She is fair, conscientious, and committed to working with all board members and brings a level of leadership and intellect that we could use on the board this year.

CAPPUCCI: Any others?

FRAASCH: I guess I’ll say why I nominated Mr. Kubit. I think Mr. Kubit has the temperament to lead this board through what I think will be some difficult times. He has my utmost trust and respect and I think he’ll do a terrific job of leading this board forward.

POSTI: I’ll mention something that I have already mentioned to Mr. Kubit and that is why I am, unfortunately, unable to support him as president. During the past two years the board leadership has not performed certain duties of the office of president and vice president. This includes regularly attending meetings with the municipality, with PTA council, with our union leadership. We have not had board goal-setting. We have not had a board self-evaluation in two years. We have had limited discussions during board meetings, and we have had leadership who have not communicated regularly, either with board members or with our constituents. We have had constituents [who] have had emails unanswered for very long periods of time, as much as many months. More[over], leadership has not provided support to agenda-setting meetings, has cut presentations by the administration about important issues like the curriculum and the strategic plan. I think that this vote was an opportunity for us to work together as a more cohesive board, become a more united board, and perhaps bridge some of the divides that we have. I think that because we have not consistently seen the board leadership that I expect, I would not be able to support Mr. Kubit, but regardless of the outcome today, I look forward to working with whoever the president is and to doing whatever I can to help us become a strong, more united board.

ROSE: I have one more thing to say, if I can do so. I think it’s important to show that we have worked very, very hard to make this reorganization a positive, optimistic venture. In fact, on November 12 of this year, I sent an email asking board members to consider bringing respect, trust, and cooperation back to our board work. Unfortunately, we still have dissolved into an us-versus-them mentality that has, in my opinion, no place in our boardsmanship. And with this reorganization at this very moment, we have the power, we have the chance, we have the opportunity to change our behavior. Please consider choosing a president and then choosing a vice president from the “other side.” Give them the opportunity to work together, and if they can do so, let it extend to each of us to respect one another, trust one another, and cooperate with one another in the very significant work we have ahead of ourselves. And I think that needed to be said tonight.

BIRKS: Welcome, everyone, to “Survivor School Board.” I’m fortunate enough to have just come from PSBA training this past weekend. And the following passage affirms my choice this evening for president. It comes from The Key Work of School Boards Guidebook, published by the National School Boards Association: Climate is an essential aspect of system culture. Culture has been described as “the way we do things around here.” Climate is a by-product of culture and is dependent upon it. Effective school boards give priority and attention to climate because it factors importantly into what students and teachers are able to accomplish. Climate is also a critical determinant of how parents and others in the community view schools. School boards that understand the powerful effect of climate pay attention to the human dimension of the organization. They articulate values, such as respect for others, civility, integrity, and inclusion, and they model the behavior they expect from others. End quote. My vote this evening goes to the individual who I believe will be able to create such a climate on our board, insisting on continuous improvement by its members. That is guiding philosophy of this district, and it should be the guiding philosophy for this board. Thank you.

STIPANOVICH: It seems to be the night for statements. This past weekend and today, I have receive more than one dozen emails and phone calls from community members, asking me to consider voting for one of the nominees, for a varying number of reasons. While I don’t agree that there should have been any community lobbying for this position, the board has before us what I believe are two qualified candidates for president. Both candidates have served in the vice-president role, and both have promised to work very hard to move the board in what they each feel is the right direction. While during my two-year tenure on the board, I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to work closely on any committees or issues with Joe [Posti]. I have, however, worked on the policy committee with Ed [Kubit], which I chair, and have attended as many audit and finance committee meetings, which are chaired by Ed [Kubit], as my schedule permitted. While attending both of the committee meetings, I have been able to assess Ed [Kubit]’s leadership capabilities and know that he will fulfill the role of president to the best of his abilities. Whether or not a board member agrees with past board president’s decisions, this evening’s vote should not be based on prior leadership actions, and should move forward as we continue our work on the high-school renovation, begin working on the teachers’ negotiations, budgeting process, and along with all the other issues we will be facing in 2010. This board should not be about taking sides — alliances are for “Survivor” — but we should welcome open dialog and differing opinions as we strive to provide the best education for each and every student.

KUBIT: I have reached out to every member of this board and explained my interest in serving as board president, and I have shared with every person on this board my commitments and my intentions. So I would just ask you to consider those with all the sincerity and serious that [you] can. And that’s why I’m asking for support as president of this board.

CAPPUCCI: If I can make my little statement. I’m going to disagree with Ms. Stipanovich that we should not consider prior leadership decisions. I reached out to Mr. Kubit. I called him, and talked to him because I had heard that he was interested in becoming the board president. He did not contact me. When we had this discussion, he gave me a list of problems that he has seen with the board leadership over the past two years, that he would like to correct. Which is all well and good, but he has been a part of that leadership, and he had the opportunity to correct those problems in the past year and did not. For me, that sets a poor leadership example. I also asked Mr. Kubit, if he were elected, that perhaps he could choose a vice president of someone that he has differing opinions with, and he told me that he could not do that. While he feels that is important at the committee level, he did not feel that was important in board leadership, and I respectfully disagree with him. I think that we need to bring this board together, and Mr. Kubit has proved to me that he is unwilling to do that. In the past several weeks, as I have talked to board members about this reorganization, that has been my goal, to bring some differing sides together, and I have been given a deaf ear.

With that, if there are no further comments, I will declare the nominations closed (which I should have done before) and I will ask for a roll call. You must vote for either Kubit or Posti.

BIRKS: Posti.

CAPPUCCI: Posti.

FRAASCH: Kubit.

KUBIT: Kubit.

OSTERGAARD: Kubit.

POSTI: Posti.

REMELY: Kubit.

ROSE: Posti.

STIPANOVICH: Kubit.

CAPPUCCI: With that the motion to elect Mr. Kubit has passed, and I will turn the gavel over to him.

KUBIT: Thank you Ms. Cappucci, and thank you, members of the board. I would like to make a short statement and then move on with the agenda for this evening. I am honored, eager, and humbled to be trusted with serving this board as president. Thank you for that trust, and I do not take it lightly. The issues facing us are significant and serious, and the seriousness of addressing these issues is essential. While the high-school project is progressing, much discussion and hard decisions still remain. Our 2010–2011 budget-planning session has already begun, we are entering into important contract negotiations, and we face a storm cloud of potentially significant financial constraints thrust upon us. Full and active agendas will no doubt start beginning next week and not ease any time in the near future. To the new board members, I welcome you. To the returning members, I look forward to working together. To reflect upon where we are together, we will all discover what works well, and continue it, and we will decide what needs improvement, and improve it. I am proud to serve this board with nine individuals, with varied talents and abilities. Each of those talents and abilities are essential for the success of this board and our district, with a 100-percent commitment to respectful, open, honest, and trustworthy communication among every one of us in public meetings, executive sessions, and in private conversations, we will make great strides toward successfully addressing the issues facing Mt. Lebanon schools. I am confident that a year from now, we will find ourselves in a better position, as a stronger board, and a stronger school district. This board, our superintendent, the administration, teachers, the residents, and students of Mt. Lebanon can count on my dedication to making Mt. Lebanon the best school district it can be and providing the best education possible for each and every student.

Election of board vice president

KUBIT: I’d like to open the call for nominations for vice president.

POSTI: I nominate Sue Rose.

CAPPUCCI: Second.

KUBIT: I would like nominate Mr. James Fraasch.

FRAASCH: Second.

KUBIT: Discussion.

POSTI: I’ll start —

KUBIT: First of all, I want to make sure that there are no other nominations. [Waiting, hearing none.] Okay, nominations are closed. Open for discussion.

POSTI: I’ll start with Mrs. Rose. Mrs. Rose is the most senior level, senior member of our board. She has more longevity than any other board member. And with that longevity comes a tremendous amount of experience in construction. She was a part of the elementary renovations, as well as the current high-school project that we are going through. She was an exceptional chair of the policy committee when she chaired policy. She also has experience with other committees, including being a representative of SHASDA. I think that, in addition to her depth of experience, her nomination is a recognition that we as a board could use some leadership that is representative of different factions of the board by creating some diversity not only in terms of demographic diversity but diversity of points of view, I think, will help to strengthen you as a president, Mr. Kubit. I think that growing as a board member comes from working with somebody who may not always share your point of view and can help you to see the other side of an issue, and I think that that’s something that Sue [Rose] brings to the table. She does it respectfully, she does it fairly, and that’s why she has my nomination.

ROSE: I will follow up with just one comment. If elected, I will be willing to work with you, Mr. Kubit, in the spirit of respect, trust, and cooperation, in spite of any differences we may have. And Maya Angelou said, I do believe, once, “when you know better, you do better.” Well, don’t we know better now, and isn’t this our opportunity to do better?

CAPPUCCI: I will continue. Again, I have to agree with what Mrs. Posti said. I would vote for Mrs. Rose because of her experience and because she would bring to the board leadership a different opinion, and I think that is what I have been working for the past several weeks. I think it is important for all of us to have leadership that represents a wide range of views.

KUBIT: Other comments? [Hearing none.] I do have one thought that I would like to share. I have a strong appreciation for many of the discussions and ideas that I have shared with James [Frassch] over the past few years. James has always presented me with a different way to address issues and questions. Often I agree with James, and often I disagree. Always, I benefit from the discussion. James has demonstrated an eagerness to plow through the information we receive. He continues to impress me with a level of preparedness and the details he brings to the discussion topics. James has demonstrated an understanding of financial issues regularly raised. Never shy about sharing his thoughts, James is a valued opinion and voice, which is why I nominated him for vice president.

BIRKS: If I can weigh in. I’m sorry, there were lots of discussions, lots of phone calls today, and I had one, thankfully, today, finally, with Mr. Kubit. And I’m a little confused, I guess, because I’m new, when I had a conversation with you [Mr. Kubit] at 2 o’clock this afternoon, Mr. Remely’s name was on your lips as your vice-presidential choice, and I’m just confused, because I’ve never done this before, exactly what transpired in the five hours between our conversation and the nomination that you’ve made this evening. I’m just confused. It sounds like it’s been decided a lot longer than five hours ago, and, once again, we’re trying to encourage inclusion, encourage respect, equal respect among all board members, we are, like you said, nine equal members here, and I’m just trying to wrap my head around exactly what, …

KUBIT: I am happy to address your question.

BIRKS: Thank you.

KUBIT: During our conversation, I do not believe the position of vice president came up.

BIRKS: Oh, I thought it had, sorry.

KUBIT: I don’t recall talking about that with you.

BIRKS: Okay.

KUBIT: As you say, there have been a number of conversations back and forth for the past two weeks. I have had a conversation with everybody at this table, [a] number of conversations with some, and this is a decision that has been evolving and continued to… And as far when a decision had been made, I don’t know … that I can address that, other than to say I don’t recall, in our conversation earlier today, having discussed the position of vice president.

BIRKS: I’m sorry, I thought that we had had a little bit of a cross… talking about different offices, and who we were going to be considering, but, if that was my… There were a lot of conversations, like you said, Mr. Kubit.

KUBIT: We’ve talked about quite a few things. I do not recall that being one of them.

BIRKS: Yes we did.

KUBIT: Because I don’t think that is anything I would have misrepresented to you.

BIRKS: Okay.

POSTI: Well, it’s interesting that Mrs. Birks brings it up because when I spoke with you, Mr. Kubit, on Saturday, Mr. Remely’s name also came up, and I was also very surprised to hear Mr. Fraasch’s name come up today. I am unable to support Mr. Fraasch. I think he does bring a lot of strengths to the board. I actually value the fact that he and I do disagree, often, on different issues [before] the board because I do always learn something new from his point of view. The reason I can’t support him is because there have been times when he has released information that’s been shared in executive session and most recently a board member sent an email to the board that was then released to a constituent without that board member’s permission. I think us being able to trust each other and work respectfully is based on the expectation that when we share something with each other in that manner that there is respect, that we will respect things like executive session and, if we feel as if we need to release some information, we will ask permission first.

REMELY: A comment from my side. We had discussed, I had been asked about the vice presidency. My opinion was that on my plate at the current time is the high-school project. It’s where I have the most experience. I do not think I could do justice, or did not think I could do justice to the position, and to that undertaking as well. And I’d like to make a general comment. I know from phone calls and email that everybody was saying that it was time to have a little respect, a little honesty, a little of this back-and-forth, and yet since this meeting opened I have heard nothing but board-member bashing one after another. And if that’s the way we’re going to develop our respect and develop our efforts by this board, we have a long way to go.

KUBIT: Any further discussion? Okay, I’d like to ask for a roll-call vote, please.

BIRKS: Rose.

CAPPUCCI: Rose.

FRAASCH: Fraasch.

KUBIT: Fraasch.

OSTERGAARD: Mrs. Rose.

POSTI: Rose.

REMELY: Fraasch.

ROSE: Rose.

STIPANOVICH: Fraasch.

KUBIT: Okay, we’ll have Mrs. Rose assume the position of vice president.

[Mrs. Rose moves to the vice-president’s chair.]

Public comments (none)

KUBIT: Okay, now we’re at the time for comments from residents and taxpayers who have previously requested time to speak. Presentations and comments are to be limited to 4 minutes. Dr. Steinhauer, has anybody requested such time?

STEINHAUER: No.

KUBIT: Thank you. We’ll move on to comments from residents and taxpayers concerning action items for this meeting. Presentations and comments are to be limited to 4 minutes. I would ask you, according to board policy, to share your name and your address and share your comments. Seeing none, we will move on to the new business for board consideration and action.

New business

[The transcript ends here, but the meeting continued a short while longer, with the board discussing the meeting schedule for 2010, and with the board reappointing Thomas Peterson as School Board Solicitor. No public comments followed.]