Blackhawk School District fires superintendent, will be challenged in civil court
CHIPPEWA TWP. ― Officials at the Blackhawk Area School District are searching for a new superintendent after they decided to cut ties with their head administrator.
The Blackhawk School Board passed a motion Thursday to fire Superintendent Robert Postupac. The vote to remove Postupac came after the board placed the administrator on paid leave following a report by the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission detailing ethics violations the administrator committed within the district to ensure his daughter received a job in the Moon Area School District.
"I have been made aware that this evening, some members of the Blackhawk School Board will deliberately mischaracterize and illegally misuse a document in an attempt to terminate my employment contract," Postupac said in a press release before the decision occurred. "If this action is to occur, it will not only have been wrong and illegal, but further widen the deep-seated political biases that certain board members hold against school leadership."
According to the state ethics board, Postupac worked with Moon Area School Board member Mark Scappe during the summer of 2016 to influence the districts' hiring processes, ensuring his daughter received a full-time job within the school system that was not properly advertised. In return for this, Postupac worked to ensure Scappe's son would be selected for a full-time gym teacher position that was open at Highland Middle School.
Throughout the 58-page report, investigators detail multiple witness accounts, phone calls and emails that took place during the hiring process to ensure Scappe's son would receive a position at the middle school. Various members of the school board during this time told the ethics board that Postupac had stated a job exchange would happen if his daughter received the position in Moon Area.
Within the report on Postupac, state ethics investigators said Scappe's son was not selected for a second round of interviews and was scheduled to receive a rejection letter, but was included in the third round of interviews due to "actions by Postupac in his official capacity as BSD Superintendent." During this third round of interviews, investigators said Scappe's son was asked to teach a lesson, which was expected of all second-round applicants, but concerns were raised by some board members after outdated health information was being presented by the applicant.
Despite these concerns, Scappe's son was eventually hired by the school board. Investigators note Postupac had informed his secretary to use language that did not identify the applicants and that they were completing background checks for the finalists when preparing the draft agenda for the meeting several days before the vote took place. Two days before the vote, the ethics board said the agenda was updated with the name of Scappe's son and another employee being hired by the district.
On Thursday, Postupac publicly denied these claims in a media release sent to news outlets by his current legal representation. In the letter, the superintendent said he does not cast votes in the hiring process and the investigation is being "manipulated" in order to terminate his contract.
"Let me be clear," Postupac said. "I am innocent and the State Ethics Commission did not recommend the filing of criminal charges against me. My family and I made a difficult financial decision to not fight the ethics charges pending before the commission and agree to certain stipulations in order to put this years-long situation to rest."
Investigations from the ethics commission are not equal to criminal charges, as only a district attorney or the state's attorney general can file criminal charges related to their findings. Violations of ethics can be recommended to be pursued by law enforcement, but the board can only impose penalties against subjects. The board had recommended several penalties for Postupac based on the Ethics Act, but implied no further actions would be taken if compliance was met.
In his letter, Postupac stated he will pursue an appeal to the school board's decision in civil courts and there he will "be able to share [his] story" with the public. In his defense, Postupac claimed the court process will "hold those who spend more time on politics than improving our children’s educational opportunities accountable.
"I have been an educator for decades and have made tough decisions to turn around Blackhawk’s once sinking financial ship," Postupac said. "I have led and worked with wonderful educators and students who put in the work to improve academic performance that has led to historic gains. This is the work I want to continue, but first, I must rise to not only defend my history as an educator, but my honor and morals as a human whom children look up to. I am prepared for this fight."
At this time, Postupac remains superintendent of the Western Beaver School District and officials have not publicly announced any actions against his position in that administration.
Scappe has also faced disciplinary actions from the Moon Area School Board, being censured by the group, and the incident was referred to local law enforcement for investigation.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Blackhawk School District approves vote to fire superintendent
