This is for the "avalanche of applicants" who did not get the job. Elaine Cappucci had to resign from the school board since her son was interviewing and ultimately got the job. I understand there are many teachers both within our district and outside of our district who were disappointed/pissed/surprised with the outcome. Now that her son is a Mt. Lebanon teacher and football coach, Elaine Cappucci is running for her old position on the board. Teachers, through a Right To Know, here are the documents pertaining to the hiring of Elaine Cappucci's son.
Response letter to my Right To Know
Documents pertaining to the Cappucci hiring
Please note that on page six of the documents, is the original job posting date of 7/13/2016. On page seven of the documents, Andrew Cappucci applied online on 7/6/2016, a week prior to the job posting. And now you know why there is no trace of Timmy changing the online job posting listed on page three of the documents almost a year later!
70 comments:
I'm not sure what to make of those documents. I'm not intimately familiar with teaching credentials, but his teaching experience and academics do not seem particularly outstanding. Football stuff seemed to crop up a few times. I know it's the world we live in, but it would be disappointing if MTLSD was more interested in a hiring a football coach than a teacher.
He looks well qualified in my opinion. Very respectful throughout the interview process. So what if he got a little favor because of name recognition within the school district/football. Life is partially about connections- everyone knows that. He was president of the history honors society at a fine academic institution. Time to let this conspiracy go.
You got through all of that pretty quickly, 5:27. I hope you got to see what I added in the last paragraph.
Elaine
"Move on." "Let the conspiracy go." "Just relax." "Nothing here." "Not a full investigation."
Elaine
Elaine, wasn't the "closing date" 7/13, not the positing date. wouldn't this mean he applied within the time frame?
Why is this so hard to comprehend? Look at page six. Original job posting was posted on 7/13/16 and closed on 7/13/16. The job was posted for LESS THAN ONE DAY. Cappucci applied online on 7/6/16, seven days before it was posted.
Elaine
Elaine, Elaine, Elaine. 6:20 just told you how it is... "Life is partially about connections- everyone knows that."
Well, there you have it, Teachers. Too bad. So sad. Move on.
Elaine
Elaine, did you read the documents? The original deadline was the 11th. An additional applicant came forward and wanted to apply (ON THE 12TH.) He asked if this was okay. On page 20, you can see that the leader of the application progress said "I am going to open up the internal posting for you...." This was on THE 13TH. Then she said "Can you submit your application within the next few hours?" The website read posted on the 13th because special treatment was given to a late applicant! No special treatment was given to Andrew when it came to the application dates. That is why the website read 13th to 13th. It was opened back up for a few hours to accommodate a late applicant. There. That's the answer to the dates. Did you read the documents they sent you?
Elaine, page 20 or so. You can clearly see that the job posting was reopened on the 13th after the original closing date for another applicant to submit his application late. Cappucci did not submit his application early. I know this isn't the answer you had hoped for, but doesn't this solve that question?
There is an irony here. For months, people have complained about the possibility that Andrew submitted his application outside of the window. It was andrews fault that the posting was up for one day. In reality, the special treatment was given to another applicant. The posting was reopened after the applicant asked to apply late. Cappucci applied as he should have. He wasn't the one who got special treatment when it came to applying. How rich. Sorry Elaine, time to take the L on this one. A hard L.
Yes, I read the documents. Is that why the job posting dates were altered almost a year later? Compare page 3 to page 6.
Elaine
Here is the irony, 7:06 PM. Elaine Cappucci resigned on July 18, 2016. See https://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2016/07/elaine-cappucci-resigns.html Her son applied on July 6, 2016 and even had an interview while Elaine Cappucci was a school board director. Now she want to be a school board director. That's the irony. That is why teachers are so pissed.
Elaine
Elaine Cappucci resigned on July 18 at the end of the school board meeting. Second round of interviews were the following morning.
Elaine
And to all those future MTLSD graduates that hope someday to get your teaching degree and come back to educate another generation of Lebo kids... FU! Unless of course you have the right connections.
here lies the problem...MTLSD is not ELAINE CAPPUCCI's privately held company. It is a government entity using many FEDERAL DOLLARS. People that do favors for friends usually run THEIR own companies. ELAINE CAPPUCCI should not be entitled to favors for bing a school board member. Personally I want the BEST/MOST /QUALIFIED candidate for the job... Not the Superintendent Girl friends son getting the job as a favor to her.
8:29pm has a good point. It is difficult to tell from the documents exactly where his advantage in the process came from. It could be mommy. Or it could be sports ... there is more evidence here that sports was his "in." What type of Social Studies teacher the taxpayers - and really, the children - are getting for our money is really the question, as 8:29pm points out. In MTL, family ties, other local connections, and sports are a pretty good trifecta. But are the children really being mentored in how to become historians to participate more fully in today's democracy???
This could be a case, which would not be unusual for MTL, about choosing glossy, short-term shine over long-term, sustainable substance.
So someone goes back later and corrects the record to the original posted and closed date to avoid confusion/make sure all historical data is correct. Something wrong with that?
There are no records of the change being made. The change occurred after I filed a complaint with the Ethics Commission. IF there is nothing wrong with that, then there should have been a paper trail.
Let me ask you this, 9:00 PM. Do you think there is anything wrong with a school board waiting to resign on the eve of her son's second interview?
Elaine
Fulfilling her position and responsibilities she committed to until the last moment before she needed to leave? Seems like she did the right thing
*school board director
Elaine
Of course you do, 9:15 PM.
Elaine
9:00 pm, why change the historical record at all, at any time?
And I am willing to bet that you see nothing wrong with Elaine Cappucci running for the seat she had to give up because it was a conflict of interest.
Elaine
Confused. Did young Cappucci apply for the position before it was posted or not?
The hiring of Cappucci's son violated union regulations in light of the job posting. No wonder the teachers are pissed. Doesn't matter what is his qualifications were. It is still an illegal contract.
No. 9:26. He applied during the acceptable time. The posting was changed later to accommodate someone who wanted to apply late.
9:23, to make sure all records are correct/avoid the confusion that the posting was open for 1 day.
The posting date of 7/13 is not the "original." What is shown now on the website is the original, changed back from 7/13.
Yes, 9:27 PM. The posting was changed nine months after Cappucci's son was hired. I know it is a tough concept to grasp, 9:27 PM.
Elaine
Elaine, I'm not sure if you are grasping this.
There was an original posting and closing date.
Andrew applied within this time.
The posting closed.
An applicant wanted to apply late.
(See page 20)
Person overseeing process said they would open up the application again for a few hours.
That was on the 13th.
The date changed because of this.
You are right, 9 months later, it was changed again, back to the original dates.
However, none of these changes were because Andrew did anything wrong. He applied within the dates. The 13th came from the late applicant. Do you understand?
9:33 PM, I never said that Andrew did anything wrong. It isn't about Andrew. I have said that from the beginning. It is what Elaine Cappucci did and what Timmy did. Get it?
I think you have a monumental task of getting the teachers to understand, 9:33 PM. They're not grasping this. They are really pissed.
Elaine
Why bother after 9 months ? Only after Elaine filed a complaint !
9:33 PM, one more thing and I'm calling it a night. With you, at least. I have appealed a Right To Know with the PA Office of Open Records. MTLSD claims that there are no records that show why the posting was changed nine months after Andrew Cappucci was hired. They should have asked you, because you know how it all went down.
Elaine
For the longest time, this has been about how Andrew applied before the date posted and it was only open for 1 day! Now that this was proven to be false, only then, is it not about Andrew anymore. So... a school board director had a son who took challenging history courses at W&J (a good school for education), was president of the history honors society, played football in mt lebanon, and was able to provide an extra skill (coaching football) beyond just teaching. He is young, personable, respectable, had plenty of references, and prior experience teaching in a district. From a hiring stand point, he is young and committed to the district. His family is from here, he played football here, he wants to coach and teach here. Seems like a good investment to me.
Elaine, accept when you are wrong. Logical arguments are often made on this blog, only to be overshadowed by these conspiracies and personal grievances that just make you and others look bad.
9:27: Union regulations dictate how long a position is open. Doesn't matter what the school district decided. The Union Regulations in contract with the School Board dictates the individual postings and how long the position is open. The School District is in violation of their contract with the Union. Jobs postings are ALWAYS posted beyond 1day.
9:53, the job posting was open for more than 1 day. It was extended an extra day and needed to be reopened for an extra applicant. I'm guessing you didn't read the documents? See page 20.
Andrew Cappucci applied for that position while his MOTHER--Elaine Cappucci was on the School Board. This is not allowed his application should not have been accepted. Elaine Cappucci only resigned from the board once she KNEW he was getting the job. The problem is ELAINE CAPPUCCI. She should not be permitted to EVER SERVE on the board again.
Why doesn't she just go the way of MARY BIRKS...Birds of a FEATHER.....
Why not publish all of the resumes of all the applicants...redact the names, lets have a vote of who the most qualified candidate is....If its andrew cappucci then he has no problem...but I am hedging he knows he was not the BEST QUALIFIED!
I said from the beginning that it isn't about Elaine's son. From "This nonsense has to stop."
I don't believe this has anything to do with Elaine's son. I wish him all the best.
This is all about Elaine Cappucci and Tim Steinhauer. I also believe that the three incumbents, whoever they are, who are running with Elaine need to decide if they want to go down with her. It doesn't look good, even if no felony was committed. Just the suggestion of wrong doing is enough to make people think.
Elaine
February 27, 2017 at 4:40 PM
10:93: I don't need to to see the documents. The School Board screwed up and everyone knows that. The Union knows that as well. Where have you been in all of this mess! You obviously do not know about Union Regulations.n
9:48,
Steve Silverman went to W&J. I rest my case.
I am not sure if we will ever know exactly what happened here ... even if Robert Muller takes it up ...
But, 9:53pm, you are missing something very important when you say:
"Elaine, accept when you are wrong. Logical arguments are often made on this blog, only to be overshadowed by these conspiracies and personal grievances that just make you and others look bad."
Elaine does not look bad when she points out how other things look bad. She is actually trying to save the community from itself - from its own dark, greedy, selfish, power-hungry forces.
These forces can be fought. But it will take MORE people like Elaine, and more blogs like Lebo Citizens. Community, citizens, Janice Crompton, don't be afraid to speak up!
The reason this looks so bad is because it fits a larger, dangerous pattern.
Elaine is trying to wake up the sleepwalkers.
Yes, 9:53 PM, logical arguments are often made on this blog, only to be overshadowed by documentation that just makes you and others look bad. Don't you just hate when that happens, 9:53 PM?
In this case, MTLSD has no documentation as to why the job posting was changed nine months after the position was filled.
Elaine
Well Elaine, 11:32 doesn't even need to see the documents! He/She knows everything without them! Elaine, I commend your effort to file the right to knows and try to find the truth, but when the documents show a clear answer to many of your questions, watching folks refuse to read them/understand them is frustrating! Of course there is no documentation 9 months later! Why would anyone need to send around emails about changing this? Someone probably saw your postings, read the accusations, and changed the dates back to the original dates to avoid further confusion. Is this illegal? Is this the answer you're searching for? Yes, of course the posting was most likely changed because of your blog postings, but interpreting the documents allows for a clear understanding of the reasoning for the 3 different postings of dates.
1) Original Posted/Closed
2) Dates changed to 13-13 for late applicant
3) Dates changed back 9 months later to original dates for historical records and to avoid confusion.
Why can't it be this simple? Shouldn't this be how you want it? This obvious interpretation and outcome is probably the best case scenario. No foul play occured with the dates during the application process. The only person who applied early/late wasn't even Andrew! Why are you so insistent on refusing these obvious conclusions? Have you reached the point where you HOPE somebody committed a crime or wrongdoing so you can expose them on this blog? I read an interesting article about the policy of scandal vs real politics. Real politics allow you to change the minds and persuade others, always hoping to find the truth and work with the beliefs of others. Politics of scandal simply WANT to catch your opposition doing something wrong, so you can embarrass them/remove them from the picture. Elaine, accept that in this case, you were wrong. Move on. Try to persuade others that you/Jason/others are right about deer, PAYT, whatever. I'm sick of this "gotcha" conspiracy attitude on here. Dont you get tired?
I don't give the slightest damn if Andrew Cappucci applied outside the window or otherwise. I don't care if his mother was on the school board when he applied or not. The only thing that I care about, that any of us should care about, is whether he was the most qualified applicant to teach the children in the district. The condensed job posting/interview period, his scant experience in a weak district and the appearance that this job was offered to him during his final interview suggest, at a minimum, that this was a sham process.
If I were in Dr. Steinhouer's shoes, I would want to make it clear that the process was proper, consistent with precedent and that the best candidate was selected. The fact that he isn't screaming this from the rooftop of 155 Cochran Road suggests that this is not the case.
If I were in the teacher's union, I'd want some answers.
There is a conflict of interest when you are interviewing for a teaching job where your mom is still on the school board. Full stop. Why was he "winnowed" from the avalanche of applicants to even get the interview? Regardless of how influential Elaine Cappucci was is in the hiring decision, the appearance of nepotism due to his Mom's position on the board cannot be undone. This behavior is damaging to our system/school district and perpetuates the misguided thought that public teaching jobs are about who you know. Elaine Cappucci subsequently stepping down does not unring the bell.
Does anyone here have a sense of the qualifications typical for a similar teaching position? 3.33 undergrad GPA, no masters, two years teaching experience at school with a 67% 4-year grad rate with test scores below the state average? These credentials seem fine, but not outstanding. I thought MTLSD teaching jobs would be very competitive with many outstanding candidates to choose from.
Elaine Cappucci hired Steinhauer. Elaine Cappucci managed and evaluated Steinhauer. Elaine Cappucci is neighbors and friends with Steinhauer. She talked to him almost daily for years while in Board leadership. She socialized with Steinhauer dozens of times. The very idea that this was a fair and objective hire is simply ridiculous. The very idea that the Administration can objectively evaluate the kid with mom perched on the school Board is simply ridiculous.
And 10:14 if we put Elaine Cappucci back on the school board there will be many more conflicts of interest with her voting on teacher contracts, football budgeting and with the falling population deciding on closing a school and furloughing some teachers.
Will she be able to objectively make decisions if they could negatively affect her son?
That attitude ... "Of course the children of the well-connected get what they want" = the narrative of:
+ The Newcomer's Tax (Pay for the excesses of the established with the money of the less-connected)
+ The Artificial Turf (the children of our well-established sports community deserve to 'play when it rains' -- and get cancer?)
+ Why we need to kill deer instead of SLOWING DOWN rushing your kid to their next oh-so-important activity!!
Jason, all well and good but there's only one way to deal with the "well-connected" and that is to show them that they aren't all that well connected.
Start voting their buddies out of office. The PA Ethics Office isn't going to do squat on these issues and if you need an example Elaine's experience with RTKs should be sufficient. The State sided with Elaine until the well-connected decided they couldn't let her win.
It'll go the same way on these ethics violations.
Want to see changes, then organize, pound the pavement and vote them out. Elaine's blog can't do it for us.
Jason, that attitude kinda blows the unity rallies out to the water, doesn't it!
Everybody's equal, everybody's the same unless of course you happen to be well connected.
2:29, are you that naive to not know how the world works? You're shocked that the well connected get ahead? Born this morning?
Did anyone else notice that Tim wasn't a part of the hiring process?
6:56, no I wasn't born yesterday and am well aware of how the world works.
I'm also old enough to know that when the well connected get so blatant and in-your-face with their little favoritism games it's time to rein it in.
You unfortunately won't recognize the folly of it until you're out connected someday by a bigger fish in a bigger pond.
6:56pm just verified that MTL is indeed an oligarchy. Not that this claim was ever in doubt...
When I interviewed at the school district I teach in, the first form I filled out (before I interviewed with a single person) was a nepotism disclaimer. I had to claim that I was not related to any administrator or school board member. They would not have even interviewed me. This begs the question, why does Mt. Lebanon School District NOT have a nepotism clause for employees?(At least as far as I can tell.) Hmmm...maybe because they like the way the system is set up? Had a nepotism policy been in place, Mr. Cappucci would not have even been allowed to APPLY for the position, let alone interview for the job. These policies are in place for good reason (collective bargaining, discipline, etc.) and the Cappucci's worked. this. system. HARD. Keep up the good fight Elaine.
Let's switch to football for a moment.
Does he really coach anything? He's not listed under the football staff directory.
http://www.mtlebanonsports.org/information/directory/index
I noticed that Elaine Cappucci resigned on the eve of the first round of interviews. Sorry.
Also, 6:57 PM, Timmy was part of the interview process. See page 77 and 78. It looks like he was there for the final interview, along with Ron Davis.
Elaine
Check page 86. Jennifer Cooney lives about three houses away from Elaine Cappucci, on Roycroft. She lives directly across the street from Kristen Linfante, and across the street from the Dean of Students, Carlie McGinty.
Elaine
Nepotism policy excerpt-2. No relative of a Board member, the Superintendent or an Assistant or Associate Superintendent shall be appointed, hired or advanced to any regular employment, professional or otherwise, within the Mt. Lebanon School District. For purposes of employment of professional staff who are related to Board members, the definition of
"relative" is expanded, per the School Code, to include first cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
1. No member of the Board, nor the Superintendent, nor an Assistant or Associate Superintendent, shall seek, assist or advocate the appointing, hiring or advancing of his or her relative to any regular employment, professional or otherwise, within the Mt. Lebanon
School District.
7/18 AC wasn't hired by MTLSD yet. Why resign and risk losing the seat over a hire that may never come to be? If the hire came later, why not just resign for certain then to avoid conflict under the nepotism policy? The policy (I think) doesn't restrict interviewing. It does say board members can't assist or advocate. So do we assume she resigned because of #1 and not #2?
Who is Jennifer Cooney and why is she getting a personnel report?
Why is Elaine Cappucci running for school board ? ? ! !
Because we have so many uninformed voters, 7:54 AM. It's tragic. We have until November to get the word out. None of this would have come out, had she resigned and just went away quietly.
Elaine
7:54 A sense of entitlement that would make a Hilton heir blush. She thinks of it as her Board.
Wondering how young Cappucci feels about all this?
Young Cappucci feels $52,000/year good and enjoying a much easier school district to work in with mom looking out for him, 8:17.
8:00, remember Madame Cappucci's reply to the CAC (an advisory group made up of experienced architectects and building professional for the GS project)? After hearing their advice, she replied that she had no intention of revisiting the plans to tear down building C, and that was the end of that.
9:14 correction HS project
Rather than hire somebody who already had their masters degree, Steinhauer hired the Cappucci boy who did not have a masters degree. No problem. Just send him back to school to get it and have the Mt. Lebanon taxpayers foot the bill! It will total about $10,000.00 but hey, who's counting?
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