Gateway parents 'upset' with board after hiring decision changes

What started as a calm meeting ended up emotional for some at Tuesday night's Gateway School Board meeting.

“It's very upsetting. Very upsetting,” said parent Purdis Lorraine Lewis-Burke.

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Lewis-Burke and other parents walked out of the meeting after the board voted to hire West Mifflin Area School District Principal Philip Woods as a part-time equity director for Gateway.

“They're totally ignoring all the data that says you need a full time person in this position,” Lewis-Burke said.

After a committee identified an achievement gap in the district, the board voted 7-2 in June to find and interview candidates for a full-time equity director position in an attempt to close that gap.

But at some point between then and last month, the board changed that position to a part-time role.

“Your attitude is, I don't care what the public says, politics come first,” Lewis-Burke said.

Channel 11 spoke with Superintendent William Short after Tuesday night’s decision and he said he understands the frustration of parents, but the decision to change the role to part-time was a joint one between the board and Woods.

“When we have healthy discussions like this, it really showcases that we have people that care in the community and care for every child in this district,” Short said.

Cox Media Group