Parents, students question Penn-Trafford principal shuffling

Carly Bouch wants answers from the Penn-Trafford School District administration.

The Trafford resident is among several parents in the district who attended recent school board meetings to learn more about five longtime educators being shifted to different schools in the district next fall — including four elementary teachers who have worked in the same school for more than 15 years.

“I feel that as the taxpayers, as the community, as the parents that are coming into these board meetings expressing concerns, we deserve answers, and we’re not getting anywhere,” she said.

Superintendent Matthew Harris termed the move a strategic repositioning of staff in a letter emailed to parents in April.

Karin Coiner, who taught at Sunrise Elementary for 17 years, was shifted to McCullough Elementary, and Jeff Swartz will serve at Level Green Elementary after 18 years at Harrison Park Elementary, Harris said.

After 19 years at McCullough, Joe Marasti will be moved to Harrison Park. Dan DiNapoli is being moved to Sunrise after 16 years at Level Green. For more than 10 years, he served as principal at both Level Green and Trafford Elementary, Harris said.

Amy Horvat, who was a high school principal for eight years, will lead Trafford Elementary, Harris said.

Roger Sullivan will retain his position at Trafford Middle School, which he has held for about 13 years.

So will Penn Middle Principal Jim Simpson — along with high school principals Tony Aquilio and Greg Capoccioni.

Part of the reason for the changes was to introduce another principal to the elementary and middle schools so that no administrator has to work at two schools — a move the district has been discussing since the fall, Harris said.

“(We had) a concern for safety at both buildings, because we were leaving buildings uncovered,” Harris said.

Moving Horvat from the high school to Trafford Elementary will help address this issue, Harris said.

“She was an elementary school teacher for, I believe, 17 years at Level Green Elementary,” Harris said. “She has a great deal of knowledge of the elementary school experience. She did very well at the high school, but we just needed someone with that experience, too.”

The letter also said leadership shifts will be evaluated every three to five years. Harris said this was done in anticipation of administration retirements.

“We really haven’t had anyone retire for those years, but we perceive retirements coming within three to five years, so we will be looking at (leadership) closely in that time,” he said.

Bouch has spoken against the changes at every meeting since May 6.

“I was just like, ‘What in the world is this? What is going on? Why is this happening?’” she said. “Nothing is broken. Why are we trying to fix something that’s not broken?’”

She has three children at Trafford Elementary School — two sons entering second grade and a daughter entering fourth grade. Her daughter, 9, also plans to speak against the changes at the board meeting Monday.

“Issues are going to arise that wouldn’t necessarily have arisen with a principal that’s already familiar with their students, their classrooms, their teachers,” she said.

Before speaking at the May 13 board meeting, Bouch reached out to friends who teach in the district.

“I asked the teachers, ‘Is there anything you want me to convey tonight?’ and the simple word was ‘heartbroken,’” she said.

Karyn Frye’s 10-year-old daughter had a similar reaction to the changes.

“(My daughter) was very upset when I told her that this change was going into effect, and she said ‘Well, that’s not right,’” said Frye of Penn Township.

That’s why the Harrison Park fifth grader signed up to speak at the meeting Monday, Frye said.

Like Bouch, Frye feels parents deserve a greater explanation surrounding the changes.

“Because we weren’t given any reasoning for this change, we’re only left with rumors,” Frye said.

Administration and two school board members held a meeting to field parents’ questions and comments just over a week after the principal changes were announced. Because of their work schedules, Frye and Bouch were unable to attend the meeting, held at 9 a.m. April 29, a Monday.

About 12 parents came to the meeting, Harris said.

Barbara Nutt is worried the principal changes will impact school culture at Harrison Park, where three of her children attend.

“I think that all of the principals, from my gathering, they are good principals,” said Nutt of Penn Township. “But it doesn’t make sense to change them around. Not only does it affect the students, but it also affects the teachers going into this.”

Nutt said she fears student activities upheld by former principal Swartz will not continue.

“To have a huge change like this, that’s not helping the students in any way possible, because it’s creating a huge disruption for them,” Nutt said.

Harris said the district plans to work with each principal to make sure traditional programs remain at all of the schools.

“We’ve developed transition timelines. We’ve been working with the principals. They’re already working on the transition phases,” he said. “We definitely want to keep the programs that were in the building the same.”

Nicole Kubany said she has has lost trust in the district.

Kubany of Penn Township has four children who attend Level Green. Her youngest daughter, who will start kindergarten in the fall, was introduced to DiNapoli during a kindergarten kickoff program. A few weeks later, Kubany found out DiNapoli would not be there for her daughter’s first day of elementary school.

“They could have been forthcoming. They could have been honest from the beginning,” Kubany said. “I’m not sure they can do much to alleviate it at this point.”

Bouch is encouraging other parents to come out and speak at Monday’s board meeting through a Facebook group, PT Parents Against Principal Realignment, which has nearly 500 members. A petition attached to the group has gathered about 200 responses, she said.

“They need to see the people pollute that boardroom, and quite honestly, I feel defeated,” Bouch said. “People will say ‘I’m against it. I’m against it.’ Well, then show up. It’s literally 20 minutes of your time just to show up and be there.”

The board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at Penn-Trafford High School, at 3381 Route 130 in Harrison City. Meetings can also be livestreamed on the district’s YouTube page.