LAWRENCE COUNTY N. Castle school board hires 34

Administrators were also realigned.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The New Castle Board of Education hired 31 new teachers -- probably the most people hired at once in the district since 1970.
The teaching positions are for the prekindergarten, elementary, junior high and high school. All will be earning a starting yearly salary of $36,750, said schools Superintendent George Gabriel. Three new school nurses were also hired at the same annual salary.
Gabriel said the massive hiring was a result of a numerous retirements that came from an early-retirement incentive plan introduced early last year by the district.
Looking at savings
School officials say they will save about $700,000 next year in the lower salary and benefit packages for these new teachers compared to what their more experienced predecessors earned.
Gabriel said they had 200 applicants and narrowed the field down to 110 for the first round of interviews with school administrators and teachers. That list was cut to 60 for the second round of interviews with the school board education committee, which includes five board members.
School board member Larry Nord voted no on three of the new hires because they were related to other board members. Nord said he had no problems with their credentials, but he thinks the district should adopt an anti-nepotism policy. The three board members -- Mark Kirkwood, Richard Panella and Fred Mozzocio -- abstained from voting for their individual relatives.
Shuffling administrators
In addition to hiring new teachers, the school board also realigned the administration.
Mark Elisco, formerly the assistant principal at George Washington Intermediate School, was named principal at a yearly salary of $83,000. He moves from a 10-month position to a 12-month position.
Carole Morell was hired as an assistant principal who will spend half of her time at Ben Franklin Junior High School and half at George Washington. She will earn $73,712 per year and work 10 months a year.
Other administrators were shuffled to other positions without any changes in their salaries. Andrew Gangliero, who was principal at West Side Primary Center, will be another assistant principal at George Washington.
Debra DeBlasio will be principal at H.W. Lockley Kindergarten and Thaddeus Stevens Primary Center. Carmen Nocera was named principal for John F. Kennedy and West Side primary centers.
Two administrators, Pat J. George and Richard Retort, retired.
Gabriel said with the retirements and realignments, the district is eliminating one 12-month administrator's position saving about $110,000 per year on salary and benefits.
cioffi@vindy.com