Conrad O’Brien to look into claims Ellison stalled DA’s probe
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
CALN – The Coatesville Area School Board voted to hire the law firm Conrad O’Brien to investigate potential instances of board solicitor James Ellison obstructing the district attorney’s ongoing investigation of the school district at its meeting on Tuesday night.
The decision comes after Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan called for the appointment of independent counsel in a statement released on Monday. In the statement, Hogan said that because his office is investigating Ellison and his law firm, Rhoads & Sinon, a conflict of interests exists with Ellison’s firm providing legal counsel for the district.
School Board President Neil Campbell said that the appointment was made in order to help the district move forward.
“In order for us to actually move forward and try to heal going forward, I think it’s in the best interest to bring on this firm to help us with the DA’s office and so forth. We want to cooperate. This is the first step in us trying to cooperate properly,” he said.
Campbell said that Ellison is still the board’s solicitor.
In other district news, the board voted to consider the purchase the Citadel Federal Credit Union at 3030 Zinn Road in Thorndale.
The building would replace the Benner Administration Building as the district’s administration building, provide a health-care center for district employees, and potentially have other uses. Campbell said that the district could open up a community center, for example.
Board members said that the building, valued at $2 million, would save the district $500,000 per year.
“This building offers a whole lot more opportunity than where we’re situated right now,” said Campbell.
The board’s decision to consider the purchase allows district employees to visit the building and examine it for themselves.
The school board tabled a motion opposing the Common Core Standards State Initiative.
Common Core establishes new graduation standards, including the Keystone Exams, new curriculum, and protocols for assessing students. Since its adoption by the State Board of Education in 2010, the set of practices has been a divisive topic among politicians and citizens, who argue it takes local control away from school boards. Proponents say it establishes a basic set of standards nationwide for students and teachers.
Tuesday night’s decision would have approved a resolution against Common Core, but board members decided to table the resolution to allow them more time to reexamine the language.
During his Board President’s report, Campbell clarified the cost of the District 1 Football Championship rings purchased earlier this year. He said that the rings cost $225 per ring, and 86 rings were purchased. $11,000 of the $19,335 total has been paid so far through a combination of fund-raising and the student activities fund.
“No taxpayers’ money has been paid for these rings, and they will not be paid with taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Much of Tuesday night’s meeting was taken up by more public comment from citizens disapproving of the district’s recent actions.
Allen Foster called for the district to seek more outside input. Foster voiced his distrust for the board’s decision to hire Reclamere, the data firm hired by the school district to protect records in light of the texting scandal. He said that the board should have left the decision to an outside group.
John Reid, the district’s Director of Pupil Services/Data Assessment and president of the Act 93 Certified Administrators of the district requested that the board meet with the district’s Act 93 Certified Administrators to discuss the current state of affairs of the district. The board said that the meeting would happen this week or next week.
Erin Scheivert and John Carlson both voiced their concern that the district has not had any public displays renouncing the actions of former Superintendent Richard Como and former Athletic Director Jim Donato.
“You have the power to make the decisions, and your decision-making sucks right now,” said Scheivert. She said it was disgraceful that, at Friday night’s football game, West Chester Henderson took the time to acknowledge the wrongdoings of Como and Donato, but Coatesville has not.
Carlson agreed. A former pastor, Carlson offered to lead a moment of prayer or reflection at a Coatesville home game.
Greater CASD: You have a short memory. Do the words Malobabich, Laurento, Funk mean anything to you? Were YOU not vigilent when the Board was elected and Como and other director cronies approved? Apparently not. And neither were the tax payers. YOU were all asleep. So, it will be different this time because…..?
Whiste-blower: What exactly is your point? Frankly, I am concerned about the present situation and the future of CASD, and yes, I am here in the NOW, explaining my opinion that the School Board’s current endorsement of the Solicitor, his firm, and the pay to play politics that has and continue to fleece the hard working taxpaying citizens of this District, parents, and students, will NOT go unacknowledged or otherwise without reaction. I vehemently oppose what the School Board is doing, I firmly believe they have and will continue to be misled by their current Solicitor, and that things CANNOT go forward until they fully recognize this including allowing their new firm, Conrad & O’Brien to be fully independent and uninhibited in their review of the issues. Why would ANYONE want a solicitor where it is well known he has huge pending conflicts in other Districts, and now, is being investigated by the DA? He and his firm should do the right thing and recuse themselves.
Let the issue go away? Frankly, given the Como and Donato debacle and now this whole Ellison fleecing, I can guarantee you that more CASD taxpayers are going to be more vigilant in insuring that the School Board, including those individuals (including Solicitor) they hire or seek legal advice from, are doing so in the best interests of students, parents, and taxpayers. The door has already been open, time to clean house, and start anew.
Let the issue go away people! Okay, we got it, Como and Donato are racist. No need for any moment of prayer or reflection! Time to move on.
“Campbell said that Ellison is still the board’s solicitor.” History will demonstrate that the decision to not only hire Ellison as their Solicitor, but to keep him, especially given his already established record of failures in other parts of the State, will likely be one of the most fundamental short-comings of the School Board. The fact that the DA has publicly announced their investigation of Mr. Ellison, not to mention the other controversies, lawsuits, and other issues involving Ellison in Harrisburg, pushes logic to its breaking point as to why the School Board won’t start fresh, even at a minimum, temporarily suspending relationship with Ellison so that the new independent counsel can be unfettered and objective in their assessment of this situation. It really seems as if Ellison and his firm has a strong-hold on the CASD Board, pretty sad state of affairs at the expense of tax-payers, citizens, and children.