TASD board hears players, hires manager

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

TUNKHANNOCK - The Tunkhannock Area School Board heard from football players pleading for their coach's job, and also named Patrick O'Shea as the district's new business manager on Thursday.

O'Shea replaces Sandra Lane, who had held the position for 22 years. His salary was set at $90,000.

The vote was 6-3 in favor of O'Shea, with board members Gerald Grimaud, Martin Migliori and Fred Harding in opposition. Harding punctuated his vote by stating "Absolutely not" when his name was called.

O'Shea, of Olyphant, was formerly an investment banker, having worked for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York City for 25 years. He and his wife, Donna Hudak-O'Shea, have operated the Hudak-O'Shea Funeral Home in Olyphant since 1998.

O'Shea said he never saw an ad for the opening at Tunkhannock area. Rather, he learned of it through a newspaper story about the board's September meeting, at which time school officials announced they were having difficulty finding a suitable replacement for Lane.

"I said, wow, I find that quite surprising," O'Shea recalled on Friday.

O'Shea noted that he has long had a desire to get into the education field, and with his financial background this seemed like a perfect fit.

"I'm actually a frustrated teacher at heart," he said.

During the interview process, O'Shea said he had some trepidation about applying for the job, noting the political atmosphere that sometimes invades school boards in general. But he added that upon meeting Tunkhannock Area officials, he is eager to begin working.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to take part in a school district that is quite good," he said. "I would love to be a part of this administration. They're all fabulous people."

Lane announced her retirement in December 2008, intended to be effective in September of this year. However, when the board stated none of the applicants met their requirements, she agreed to stay on a month-by-month basis.

Football talk

Before the board went into executive session presumably to discuss O'Shea's qualifications, it had heard from members of the Tiger football team regarding their coach Frank Berardelli.

The players said that although the team had a poor record on the field, they were showing signs of improvement. And they believed Berardelli would be an important part of that next season.

"We're the ones that are playing for him, and we think he's the right man for the job," said Michael Thomas. "We're building a great program and in future years we're going to be even better."

With that, Thomas presented a board with a petition signed by every member of the team.

The Tigers finished the season with a 2-8 record.

Other players stood to echo Thomas's statements.

"Coach Frank is by far one of the best in the league," said Kyle Custer.

Owen Houser said the team's poor performance was the fault of the players, who failed to live up to Berardelli's expectations.

"It was just us this year. It had nothing to do with the coaches," Houser said.

Board members thanked the players for their presentation.

Martin Migliori told Houser that it takes courage to make an admission like that.

"I saw a lot of improvement and a lot of pride within the team," he said.

Departures

Also at Thursday's meeting, board members recognized their colleagues who were stepping down, having either been voted out of office or opting not to run for re-election.

Superintendent Michael Healey presented the outgoing members - Swilley, Rob McCauley, Stephen Franko and Harding - with gifts on behalf of the administration, faculty and staff.

"These folks that are leaving, and the folks sitting at the table, are absolutely dedicated to their jobs," Healey said. "They've never made a decision that did not have students in mind."

Grimaud also thanked the departing members, saying he has learned a lot from them.

"I am most impressed by the work ethic of those who have served on the board," he said.

McCauley took a few minutes to explain his reasons why he did not want to seek another term.

"I have done so because I can no longer maintain the hope of being able to communicate effectively with this body on issues of critical importance," he said. "Mainly, I see a lack of rational analytical thought, discussion and dialog."

McCauley then offered some advice to those who will be joining the board at its next meeting, Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. at the TASD administration center - Stephen Colley, Donald Nowels, William Kropa Jr. and Mick Cronin.

"My only hope is you have embarked upon this task from a genuine interest in furthering the objectives of the district, and are not here to grieve a personal and narrow issue," he said.