Central Greene tables recommendation to appoint new principal
WAYNESBURG — Central Greene School Board Tuesday tabled an administrative recommendation to appoint Robert Stephenson as principal at Waynesburg Central High School.
Superintendent Brian Uplinger said following the board’s workshop meeting that it is likely the board will reconsider the recommendation when it holds its regular monthly meeting Jan. 19.
Stephenson, who is currently the assistant principal, has been the acting administrator at the high school since the board Dec. 5 voted 7-2 to fire Dave Mason, who was initially suspended with pay Aug. 21 and then without pay Sept. 23.
Rumors surrounding Mason’s suspension began to surface at the beginning of the school year, and the standard response to inquiries as to why the firing of Mason, who had been a music teacher and assistant principal before being named principal, was “a personnel matter.”
However, Uplinger issued an “official” press release, saying, “The Board of School Directors of Central Greene School District terminated/discharged Mr. David A. Mason from his employment with the Central Greene School District for violating Section 11-1122 of the Pennsylvania School Code.”
Provisions of the code’s section state in part: “The only valid causes for termination of a contract … entered into with a professional employee shall be immorality; incompetency; unsatisfactory teaching performance; intemperance; cruelty; persistent negligence in the performance of duties; and willful neglect of duties.”
Meanwhile, had the board this past Tuesday approved the recommendation to hire Stephenson, the action would have set his salary at $89,175 prorated from Aug. 25 through the remainder of the 2015-16 school year.