On the June "Start a new post," Anonymous wrote:
Regarding the process of replacing the outgoing school board member, there is the question as to whether the school board president was advised by the district's legal counsel and if, in fact, she was advised correctly.
This situation brings up another situation that should be addressed, the fact that the PPS, the 2nd largest district in the state, does not have its own in house legal counsel. Every time the present legal consultant answers a phone call regarding the district, the PPS is billed at an exceedingly high rate. The amount that the district is paying to an outside lawyer is fiscally irresponsible. In fact, two full time lawyers, along with benefits, could be hired for the cost that the district is paying in the present situation.
In a time when schools are being closed and teachers are losing their jobs, every cost-cutting measure must be examined. And perhaps there will be a less politicized approach to the legal opinions as well!
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I have heard from more than one source that yearly legal fees are nearly $250,000.
I'm a little confused here. Robert Stefanko was the board solicitor and lawyer until his retirement a decade or so ago. Does this mean that his position was never filled?
Yes, it looks like just an outside law farm is beingused.
They Ira Weiss as their counsel -- he has a local law firm that does school district law.
http://www.weisslawoffices.com/profile.aspx
Ira Weiss is their "counsel" and he sits at all those board meetings. (poor man). However, in the case of lawsuits, they hire outside counsel. They also have insurance so when they lose a lawsuit, they only have to pay a certain share of it and the insurance company pays the rest.
I wouldn't feel too badly -- I'm quite certain he doesn't sit there out of the goodness of his heart!
Honestly, the 250K figure seems quite low, especially in comparison with the number of employees in the district and the various ways the district needs legal services.
We all know that Ira Weiss is not in-house counsel- not an employee of the PPS. As a consultant, he is paid far, far greater than an in-house lawyer- enough for at least 2 full time attorneys.
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