Crawford Central makes plans to replace superintendent

Oct. 17—VERNON TOWNSHIP — Several residents who attended the Crawford Central School Board work session Monday had concerns regarding the board's plans for hiring a new superintendent. The topic was on the meeting's agenda and the fear among some of those in the audience of about 25 people was essentially that the fix was in — that the board would rush to hire a "pre-planned candidate" rather than conduct a search in hopes of selecting the best possible person.

After asking meeting participants in reciting the pledge of allegiance, Cochranton resident Carol Burt then asked everyone to bow their heads as she framed much of her comment on the superintendent search in the form of a prayer. She then accused the board members of having agreed upon their decisions beforehand on numerous occasions and suggested that discussions like the one announced for Monday's meeting were deceptive, especially if they are held just before an election that could significantly reshape the makeup of the board.

"Tonight's agenda indicates that there will be a discussion regarding the appointment of a new superintendent," Burt prayed. "Based on previous meetings and that the timing of retirement begins Nov. 1, it seems as though a pre-planned candidate will be presented tonight then voted on next week, just two weeks before our elections."

Like Burt, Fairfield Township resident and current Crawford Central School Board candidate Ron Irwin called on the board to conduct a formal search for a successor to Superintendent Tom Washington, who announced his retirement in August after more than eight years with the district.

"I think that we need to follow past procedures as to how we appoint the next superintendent. I don't think it should be a handpicked person. I don't think you're doing justice to any of the taxpayers in the school district if you take and hand-select a person."

Washington and board members who responded to the concerns acknowledged that the plan outlined by the concerned residents was accurate: Washington has recommended Jennifer Galdon, the district's curriculum director, as his successor. The board named Galdon the assistant to the superintendent last month, and members appeared set to vote in favor of appointing her Washington's successor next week.

For board member Jan Feleppa, the selection of Galdon is a way of ensuring stability for the district.

"I feel very comfortable that we're not doing anything illegal," Feleppa said. "I feel very comfortable with Jen. She knows our curriculum. She has worked with our teachers."

Addressing the idea of the district's past practices in hiring superintendents, Washington said the standard approach for decades was to hire from within rather than conduct a search for an "outsider." The search that led to Washington being hired was an exception to that practice, according to Washington.

Board President Kevin Merritt said that discussion with officials at the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5, the state's regional education services agency for Crawford, Erie and Warren counties, suggested that "the picking is very slim" with regard to the available pool of superintendent candidates. Several other districts in the region have recently hired from within, he added.

Washington agreed, saying that most districts are following the "grow your own" model of "succession planning."

Attorney Tom Sennett told the board that state laws governing school districts left the process followed in hiring of a superintendent "totally within your discretion."

The Crawford Central discussion of plans for hiring a superintendent comes just after the neighboring PENNCREST School Board encountered harsh criticism from a crowd of more than 150 over its plan to quickly replace Superintendent Tim Glasspool without advertising the position.

The board scheduled a special meeting to vote on a possible hire less than one month after Glasspool informed the board of his resignation. After postponing their vote at the Oct. 3 special meeting, the board last week voted to have IU5 advertise the positions and coordinate a search.

Merritt said the shortage of potential candidates had led him to revise his previous preference for requiring a prospective superintendent hire to move into the district. Washington has never lived in Crawford Central during his tenure, instead commuting from the Pittsburgh area. Galdon, too, resides outside the district — about 30 minutes away, according to Merritt.

"I'm more apt to taking an internal candidate that we know what they've done, where they've gone and how they got to where they're at," Merritt said, "rather than going on the outside, bringing somebody in that we really don't know anything about."

Board member Ryan Pickering said the board was likely to encounter criticism regardless of which approach it took. For Pickering, Galdon's long tenure with the district was among the most important considerations.

"Having somebody who has worked in the school district for 24 years," Pickering said, "we're not going to have anybody that's more committed to the school district."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.