Farrell High principal, school board square off

FARRELL, Pa. — When Lee V. McFerren came to the Farrell School District in 2005, it looked like a win-win situation for both.

The high school, where McFerren was to be principal, was in trouble and wanted a tough, no-nonsense administrator. Academically, students were struggling, and the school had to take corrective action to satisfy the state. There were also discipline problems. Kids were roaming the halls instead of going to classes. Kids simply walked out of their classes, or walked in to other rooms to talk to their friends. They mouthed off and cursed at teachers.

McFerren, with the blessing of then-Superintendent Richard Rubano, said he was to fix all that.

He had come from the Franklin School District, an elementary school principal there. Now, he would be a high-school principal. He also expected to fill the superintendent’s post when Rubano soon retired. There he was, in his late 30s, on track to become a superintendent. It was a career move that excited him.

But neither the school district nor McFerren achieved what was desired.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com