Another inappropriate behavior cover up UPDATED

Remember this? Grogan case filed 022717 

And this? Begor 030717
             Begor 031317

How about this?  Rodella was fired.

Which brings us up to June 11, 2017:

Mt. Lebanon Girls Volleyball coaches Joe Rodella is Elaine Cappucci's friend and is still employed by Mt. Lebanon School District.

And what about the case against John Grogan and Mt. Lebanon School District?

Resolved. We will never know how it was resolved.

By the way, Timmy, before you start changing the online job posting again, this is what is on the District website as of June 11, 2017:

Job posting for Girls Volleyball Coach
Mt. Lebanon Girls Volleyball Coaches

Update June 21, 7:17 AM Case is closed.

Rodella was fired.

"Rodella was fired." That comment was just approved. It was a response to Anonymous at 6:33 PM April 28, 2017 under Anonymous letter from the inside.

Anonymous shared a link to a job posting for a Girls' Volleyball Coach in the 6:33 PM comment.

https://www.applitrack.com/mtlsd/onlineapp/JobPostings/view.asp?internal=internal&district=&category=Coach&AppliTrackJobId=612&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1

So who is Joe Rodella? I never met the guy, but Joe Rodella, former school board president and Pitt's hockey coach was hired to replace the girls' volleyball coach who was fired because of sexual misconduct. Despicable UPDATED 3X. Certainly, a hockey coach would be the logical hire for a girls' volleyball coaching position. Joe has also been in the news. PA Cyber connections prompt inquiry 

Rodella is also on the Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment Board. Mt. Lebanon Community Endowment Board of Directors as indicated in the Anonymous letter from the inside. 

Interesting connections, observations, and more mail UPDATED with link

It looks like we are off to the races, that is the commission and school board director races. Readers continue to send me particulars about candidates running in the May Primary.

Craig Grella (D), Ward 4 candidate handled Mt. Lebanon Democratic Committee chair, Michelle Zmijanac's digital campaign.

Craig supports lethal culling methods. White Buffalo president, Tony DeNicola is now recommending non-traditional lethal methods which include trap and bolt, the most inhumane way to kill deer. Craig rents his home and lives next door to a neighbor who has fruit trees. We will all pay the price to have the deer, who are attracted to those fruit trees, killed.

Steve Silverman's Accomplishments Steve believes he has improved Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety by voting for killing deer with high powered rifles in our community 30 minutes after our elementary school children are dismissed from school. Pedestrians continue to get hit in cross walks, DUI's are on the rise, and supports breathalyzer tests for people on bicycles while showing his support to the Friends of the Library. His Facebook page, Vote Steve Silverman features photos from the Beer Bashes and Brews held at the library. He is also taking credit for our Fire Department achieving an ISO Class I rating and Spring Hill Suites opening. Steve also supports taking grandmothers on Social Security to Common Pleas Court to appeal the PA Office of Open Records decision. Silverman tends to leak private emails, within a few hours, to his friends. The friends, in turn, pay an unannounced visit to the homes of those same grandmothers on Social Security. You will see many of Steve's yard signs on every corner in Ward 2.

Anonymous letters continues to show up in my mail box. The ones I got this week include a suggested political sign for the Timmy Ticket, as well as more "scoop" on Birks and Cappucci.

"Unethical" is printed in yellow ink.

Click on "scoop" link above for scanned image.

Will we get any more information on former school board president and newly appointed Girls' Volleyball Coach Joe Rodella and the Timmy Ticket's' association with PA Cyber? Federal judge sides with prosecutors in unsealing Trombetta case records

Cyber charter's former CEO agrees to plea deal in criminal case

Cyber charter's former CEO agrees to plea deal in criminal case

The disgraced former CEO and founder of Beaver County-based Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, the state's largest cyber charter, reluctantly admitted in federal court Wednesday that he turned it into his personal ATM and withdrew about $8 million.
Nick Trombetta, 61, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service from collecting income taxes. He faces up to five years in prison.

Trombetta was charged in 2012. The school was audited and came under additional scrutiny. Former Mt. Lebanon School Board President and currently the Girls Volleyball coach, Joe Rodella was under fire as written in this article. PA Cyber connections prompt inquiry

Video connections
For help outfitting 735 Midland with videoconferencing technology, PA Cyber turned to Sharpsburg-based RoData Inc. That company's president is Joseph Rodella, who reported having a 40 percent interest in the firm on his financial disclosures filed with PA Cyber. Mr. Rodella was a PA Cyber board member from 2008 to 2011. 

Purchase orders provided by PA Cyber in response to the Post-Gazette's right-to-know request include four in which the charter school hired RoData to equip 735 Midland with videoconferencing technology, for a total of $92,733. That's a fraction of the $4 million in work RoData did for PA Cyber from 2005 through this year. 

No effort was made to conceal Mr. Rodella's involvement. Purchase orders from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 list him as the contact person the school should call with any questions. 

"That's a pretty in-your-face approach," Mr. Weiss said.

No word on the outcome of that investigation.

Former MTL School Board Director Now Canon-Mac Hockey Coach

Former Mt. Lebanon School Director and former PA Cyber board member, Joe Rodella is now coaching for Canon-McMillan hockey.

Read more here: Former Pitt coach to lead Canon-McMillan hockey

Pa. Cyber School releases new details on legal costs

Pa. Cyber School releases new details on legal costs

"The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School today released documents further chronicling nearly half a million dollars in spending on legal bills spurred by the federal grand jury probe of its founder and various subcontractors.

The Post-Gazette reported Monday that the online public school, based in the Beaver County town of Midland, hired attorneys to protect its interests, those of founder Nick Trombetta who resigned from his post of CEO in June 2012, and those of seven employees.

Records released today indicate that the school also paid for attorneys to represent longtime board member Edward Elder; its board's lawyer, Timothy Barry; and computer entrepreneur Joseph Rodella.

Mr. Elder was represented by attorney Olga M. Salvatori, at a cost of $3,300. Mr. Barry hired attorney Katie Recker, and the school paid $27,678. Mr. Rodella retained Patrick Thomassey, who billed the school $4,750.

Mr. Rodella's firm, RoData Inc., which specializes in videoconferencing, did $4 million in work for PA Cyber from 2005 through 2012, according to records obtained by the Post-Gazette. Mr. Rodella was also a PA Cyber board member from 2008 to 2011. In some cases, Mr. Trombetta requested RoData's services, records indicate, and the purchases were made through a state-run purchasing system called CoStars.

The new documents show that Mr. Trombetta, who faces an 11-count federal indictment, is among numerous employees who pledged to pay the school back for his legal counsel under circumstances that are not detailed in the documents. PA Cyber declined to release the letter outlining the repayment terms, saying they are subject to attorney-client privilege."

No answers, but a nice pay increase

The Almanac has an article in this week, ML superintendent gets increase in pay. (Saved in Google Docs.)

Mt. Lebanon School Board voted 8-1 to grant superintendent Dr. Tim Steinhauer a 4 percent pay raise on Oct. 15, bringing the superintendent's 2012-2013 salary to $157,477.

Board vice-president Elaine Cappucci said, "Dr. Steinhauer sets the bar high and is always looking for continuous improvement."

She summarized the board's goals for the superintendent over the coming year, which include operating the district in a fiscally responsible manner, continuing to manage the district's high school renovation and advancing learning through technology. Cappucci also highlighted the superintendent's key role in the district's upcoming capital campaign, through which the board hopes to raise $6 million.

Yes, Dr. Steinhauer is always looking for continuous improvement. His thought provoking Post It Note in a previous thread, What is his sentence? inspired a resident to seek the answers to Tim's two questions twice in separate meetings. Dr. Steinhauer has yet to answer those questions.  Here is his latest response.

From: TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net
Subject: Question
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:42:05 +0000

Dear Mr. Huston – Last night you seemed to be referencing a posting on the Superintendent’s blog (August 31, 2012). As I noted below the posting the idea came from author Daniel Pink. Below are links to a couple of videos posted on his blog that may give you more insight into this idea. If you want a more detailed understanding, I would suggest that you read one of his books – Drive and/or A Whole New Mind.

http://www.danpink.com/2011/01/whats-your-sentence-the-video

http://www.danpink.com/2010/03/9th-graders-ask-themselves-whats-my-sentence

Best wishes -

Timothy J. Steinhauer

Superintendent of Schools

Mt. Lebanon School District

7 Horsman Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15228

412-344-2076

What did you do today to improve the life of a child?

The Almanac article continues to summarize Dr. Steinhauer's goals, which have finally been posted on the District website. I don't see how Dr. Steinhauer is very deserving.

Here are Steinhauer's goals since he has been with Mt. Lebanon.
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012

Posti, by phone said that Steinhauer is currently managing the second largest construction project in Allegheny County. What a scary thought. What happened to Terrence Kushner? http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/a-newsmaker-you-should-know-educator-will-manage-logistics-of-high-school-project-292399/

http://www.mtlsd.org/district/HeadlineArticle.asp?HLP_ID=1342&HL_ID=866

http://jposti.blogspot.com/2011/03/owners-liaison-hired.html

Is this the reason why we are not hearing about  him anymore?
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/fans-back-upper-st-clair-principal-in-courtside-conduct-controversy-468455/?print=1
Did Joe put his foot down? Why aren't we seeing Timmy's USC buddy in any RTKs?

No answers, but he is very deserving.

PA Cyber cleans house

In yesterday's Post Gazette,
PA Cyber Charter School fires most top managers:

"The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School board has axed its director, finance director, personnel director, compliance officer and a longtime lawyer, in a near-sweep of its top management that education experts on Tuesday characterized as highly unusual and potentially damaging in the long term."

There was no mention of former Mt. Lebanon School Board President, Joe Rodella this time. My August 12 post, Former School Board president's PA Cyber connections prompts federal inquiry, the Post Gazette stated that the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and a federal grand jury were probing some people who have been associated with PA Cyber, including Mr. Rodella.

Former School Board president's PA Cyber connections prompts federal inquiry

Joe Rodella, former Mt. Lebanon school board president in 2008, is on the board of PA Cyber. His company, RoData, Inc., sold the school teleconferencing equipment for the facility. According to the Post Gazette's PA Cyber connections prompt federal inquiry, RoData's

president is Joseph Rodella who reported having a 40 percent interest in the firm on his financial disclosures filed with PA Cyber: Mt. Rodella was a PA Cyber board member from 2008 to 2011. 

The company did $4 million in work for PA Cyber from 2005 through this year.

I was not involved with the school district politics in 2008, but I understand Joe Rodella was president of our school board. That was also the year that YSA was let off the hook for their Joint Maintenance Agreement commitment.

The article continues with:

Using Costars is legal, Mr. Weiss said, but buying from RoData while Mr. Rodella was on the board "could not happen in a regular school district," he said. "Clearly, this is a problem, I think, under the Ethics Act."
The state Ethics Act bars public officials, including charter school board members, from using their offices to financially benefit themselves, immediate family or businesses with which they are associated.

Again, since I don't know Mr. Rodella, I did search his name on this blog and there were seven posts associated with him.