Wyoming Area hiring discussion leads to talk of next superintendent

EXETER — After a brief voting session without controversy at the Wyoming Area School Board meeting Tuesday, audience questions to behavior of board member Nick DeAngelo at a previous meeting, to hiring policy and eventually to the replacement of Superintendent Janet Serino who plans to retire when her contract expires next June.

An audience member contended the recording of last month’s meeting posted online showed DeAngelo “pointed disrespectfully” and cursed at a person posing questions. Several board members said they did not hear any curse.

The conversation turned to the district hiring policy, which Serino outlined: A committee of administrators and staff review submitted applications to make sure all requirements are met, and each applicant is interviewed and rated. While board members can and do sit in on interviews, they have no say in the ratings. The top-scoring candidate is presented to the board for a vote, and Serino said the board accepts the proposed candidate almost always. But if the top candidate is not accepted or declines a job offer, the board is presented with the next highest scoring candidate.

Serino said she is “proud” of the system put in place since she took over more than seven years ago, and Board member Gerald Stofko agreed, insisting the best people are being hired in all positions thanks to the system.

That prompted teacher union president Melissa Dolman to point out Board member Leonard Pribula had posted comments on Facebook saying the district had slipped in comparison to other districts and needed to hire “better” teachers and administrators. Pribula said she was misinterpreting his post, but she called it up on her phone, read part of it and offered to let Pribula read it.

Another person turned the hiring question to a previous proposal to hire an assistant superintendent, presumably to prepare to take over when Serino retires. Solicitor Jarrett Ferentino said the hiring process for an assistant superintendent is different, and that the current superintendent can nominate a person for the board to consider. He also said the nominee can be from outside the district or inside,and that an assistant superintendent does not necessarily become the superintendent when the position is open, but could remain in the second top post under contract.

Board President Phillip Campenni said the board has not taken any action yet in order to see if Serino will offer a nominee.

Asked after the meeting if she is considering staying on the job one more year to give the board more time to find a replacement, she gave a firm no. She has worked in the district for 20 years, and worked in Catholic schools for 20 years before that.

Serino said she was fortunate to be appointed in the district central office as curriculum director, then as assistant superintendent, giving her experience that helped make a smooth transition to the superintendent post. But she added she has not yet nominated anyone for a the post, and when asked she noted the board could also opt to conduct a search process for her replacement.

In talking about her years on the job, Serino frequently returned to a mantra she has long voiced: “Everything we do has to be for the kids.” Along that topic, she noted the district, like most others in the area, has not made firm plans regarding masking once school returns, and likely will wait until the second week of August to do so because Federal and state guidance keep changing.

“We need to be together, for the students,” she said. “I hope that’s my legacy, to have the kids ready for the world, and happy.”