WS CTC head resigns amid probe
By Mark Guydish, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Solicitor
Coslett said he met with West Side Business Manager
"I made it very clear in an email that I considered those meetings affording her her due process rights," Coslett said, meaning they constituted a "Laudermill hearing," the name for a legally mandated chance for a public employee to hear accusations and respond before being terminated.
Coslett said Tkatch's letter of resignation came after those meetings, and included, in a sealed envelope with his name on it, a check for
Coslett didn't know the source of the grant and declined to say how much more money was involved other than to say it was "not insignificant."
"I don't think the issue is restitution," Coslett said. "I'm very satisfied Mrs. Tkatch has shown a remarkable degree of cooperation."
The JOC voted unanimously to accept the resignation and to advertise the position. Coslett said he will turn his findings over to
Tkatch came to
Tkatch started her career in education shortly after graduating from
She took college courses to earn degrees and certifications that she used to get a jobs as a teacher at Hazleton Area Career and Technology Center, as principal at Monroe County Career and Technology Center and then as superintendent at Northwest Area.
Her career at Northwest Area was tainted in
According to the report, the district's contract with Tkatch at the time ran from
Tkatch , who agreed to pay part of her health insurance premium when hired in 2004, sent a memo to the district dated
The report said the offer for the waiver payment had expired
Though the Auditor General's Office said the waiver should not have been paid, the incident did not constitute a "finding," the official term for noncompliance with state law and procedures. The primary purpose of the periodic audits is to check compliance.
Tkatch said at the time that there was nothing inappropriate and that her decision not to be covered by district insurance had saved the district tens of thousands during her tenure.
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