Saturday, December 10, 2016

Why was the superintendent elected secretary of the school board?

Anonymous wrote:

"Perhaps someone on this blog can answer my question. The Pittsburgh school Board recently had an election for officers. Regina Holley was elected President and Sylvia Wilson took Vice President. My question is why was Anthony Hamlet elected Secretary when he is not an elected member of the school board? How can Hamlet perform his duties as Secretary when the discussion turns to questions of his job performance. I believe this is a conflict of interest and a mishandling of the roles on the elected school board. Surely an elected school board member could have been chosen for this sensitive position. "

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

No way should the Superintendent of Schools also be the Board Secretary.

Because as the poster at 10:58 said, "How can Hamlet perform his duties as Secretary when the discussion turns to questions of his job performance."

Why would the Board make such an appointment? It doesn't make sense. So I thought 10:58 must be wrong, and Hamlet really is not also the Board Secretary.

I did a quick Google search. The poster at 10:58 is evidently correct. So I must second his/her concern. And I too will ask, couldn't the Board have found someone else, anyone else, to serve as Secretary?

Below is what my Google search returned. The link here is now broken, making things even more puzzling.

Pittsburgh school board president sets priorities for coming year ...
www.post-gazette.com/news/.../2016/.../Pittsburgh-school-board.../201612060181
3 days ago - Regina Holley at a Pittsburgh school board meeting in June. ... elected second vice president, and Mr. Hamlet was chosen as board secretary.

Questioner said...

And, doesn't he already have more than enough to do without adding a responsibility that a Board member can handle? Strange.

Anonymous said...

Questioner,

Is Board Secretary a paid position? If so, this could be a sneaky way to pay Hamlet even more money.

Questioner said...

No, all Board work is on s volunteer basis.

Anonymous said...

speculation: wants to be sure the tale is recorded correctly?
wants people to feel like he is just another member sitting there?

Anonymous said...


It allows him a seat at the table. Smart move.

Anonymous said...


The operative word here is not that he was elected but that he accepted.

Anonymous said...

Because I had a vague memory of past reorganization meetings where the superintendent was elected board secretary I went back and checked the 2015 minutes. Linda Lane was secretary and I am sure it has been the practice with each reorganization that the super is the secretary.

Anonymous said...

9:17 you are right. Supers who know about the conflicts of interests is major issue. The Board was seduced by the man who will continue to let this happen and trusts the wrong people at the top and the people at the top seduced him make him believe they can do two jobs.. Many conflict of interest situations and utter corruption in this district. People having way too much power and being their own bosses and getting away with eggregious things normally people would be fired for. So bad could be on TV you can't make this stuff up. People too scared to say anything because RISE subjective. Just look around you. PPS is so different than other districts. Who would allow someone to have two jobs with one being your own boss and not doing a very good job at either? Only PPS.

Anonymous said...

9:22,

Thank you for your research on this matter. So evidently it's common practice in the PPS for the superintendent to also be the Board Secretary. But that doesn't make it right!

The School Board must oversee the superintendent. That important duty is weakened when the superintendent is also a board officer. In fact, it's just plain silly! It would be like having the teachers union president also being a school board officer.

So, yes, it's silly. But it's also not surprising. Since the days of Mark Roosevelt the school board has been little more than a cheering section for the superintendent. So I wonder what's next. Maybe they'll make the superintendent also be the president of the school board. Nothing would surprise me anymore.