STRUTHERS Hearing targets schools chief

If allegations are found to be true, she could lose her teaching and administration licenses.
By MICHELE C. HLADIK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Struthers City Schools Superintendent Dr. Sandra DiBacco-Tusinac is fighting for her career over what supporters think is a minor issue.
But the Ohio Department of Education thinks that the issue is serious and that DiBacco-Tusinac provided false information to the state board of education and should lose her educational certificates including her superintendent certificate.
In a hearing that began Thursday, DiBacco-Tusinac faced charges she wrongly signed an application in 2003 with false information about the teaching experience of Struthers teacher Cheryl Richards.
"A superintendent's signature on an application verifies that the applicant has the qualifications," said Ohio Assistant Attorney General Rachelle Peloquin, who is representing the ODE.
She added that the state relies on a superintendent's signature and should have no reason to doubt it.
The department is expected to hold a hearing today to determine if information Richards provided on the applications was false.
Anonymous complaints
Under questioning, Lori Kelly, a supervisor in the department's office of professional conduct, revealed her office received two anonymous complaints that DiBacco-Tusinac did a "favor" for Richards by signing the applications.
"I had a lot of doubts about the allegations," Kelly said. "I didn't think a superintendent would provide false information to our department.
"I thought it was more a case of someone got half a story."
But according to Peloquin, as the allegations were investigated, investigators met with several versions of events from the superintendent.
"There were numerous stories," she said. "The story always changed."
Peloquin requested that the hearing officer recommend the state board revoke DiBacco-Tusinac's permanent high school teaching certificate, eight-year supervisor's certificate, eight-year high school principal certificate and four-year superintendent certificate. Peloquin further requested DiBacco-Tusinac not be allowed to reapply for these certificates for five years.
Superintendent's response
But DiBacco-Tusinac disputes the department's claims that it tried to clear the matter up and that she "defiantly" stood in the way.
She said that she was the one to contact the department when she learned they'd discovered a problem, but that they never responded to a letter she wrote and refused to give her information about the complaints over the phone.
Her supporters, including her husband, Larry Tusinac, school board member Matt Rhodes, a handful of others from the community who attend the hearing and her attorneys, Krista Keim and David Kane Smith of Cleveland, said the matter was simple and could be cleared up with a few simple clarifications.
"[DiBacco-Tusinac] had no intention to deceive anyone," Keim said in her opening statement. "What we have here at worst is a miscommunication."
Keim said that the superintendent had nothing to gain by providing false information or deceiving the department and that there is no evidence to justify revoking the certificates.
According to DiBacco-Tusinac, she briefly reviews all applications that cross her desk before signing them, but once they are signed she doesn't see them again unless there is a problem.
She said she was alerted by someone in the department there could be a few questions on Richards' applications and to expect a public records request. She said the information was provided to the best of her knowledge and that she tried to get the information to the department as soon as possible.
She said she also responded to questions with a letter and requested the department let her know if there were further questions.
According to a spokesman, hearing officer Stephen Teetor is expected to release his recommendations within a few weeks.
Teetor is also the hearing officer in the Richards hearing.