By Nick Mattera
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
A special meeting of the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education will be held today to finalize a few last-minute appointments and contracts as the school year gets under way.
With one administrator retiring unexpectedly and another taking maternity leave, the school board is expected to approve two short-term contracts to shore up those positions on an interim basis.
School District Superintendent R. Christopher Roser said he is recommending the board approve a $500-a-day contract with former principal Margaret W. Beach to work at the primary Education Center until current principal Tamara Larson returns from maternity leave.
He is also recommending the board approve a $450-a-day contract with Nancy J. Orsi to work at the Intermediate Education Center — this is a position which was vacated by Beach over the summer and Roser said it is an interim basis until a full-time replacement is found.
“(Orsi) worked here at one point and then she moved on to Starpoint to be an administrator,” Roser said. “She is going to be our interim, while we look for a replacement for (the vacant) position.”
Roser said interviews haven’t started yet and the position was posted on the district’s website up until last Friday.
As the search for an athletic director continues, Roser said the district has received nearly 70 applications for the position and interviews will begin shortly. In the interim, Roser said Scott Townsend will continue to work as acting athletic director and the district is expected to approve a $42,869 long-term substitute teaching contract with Scott Mueller, who will fill Townsend’s social studies teaching position until a full-time athletic director is found.
“Once the AD position is selected, those positions will then be filled permanently,” Roser said.
The board is expected to convene in an executive session following today’s meeting which Roser said is just to review the findings of the internal investigation into former boys varsity soccer coach Sam Ricotta. No action is expected to be taken. Sources have told the Gazette an agreement has been worked out which will allow Ricotta — who came under fire after it was determined he falsely told opposing players and coaches a player on his team suffered from Tourette syndrome — to retain his teaching position but never coach in the district again.
Roser, because it is a personnel matter, could not confirm those claims but did say appropriate action was taken.
The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. today in the Community Resource Center 4061 Creek Road, Youngstown.
