By Tom Davidson
Herald Staff Writer
FARRELL, WHEATLAND
May 12, 2008 09:30 pm
—
Suspended Farrell High School Principal Lee McFerren’s removal hearing is set to resume next week.
McFerren has been suspended without pay since Feb. 7 because of a litany of allegations involving insubordination, neglect of duty and problems managing people.
On March 16 and 17, Farrell Area School Board convened a due process removal hearing to decide if he should be fired.
During 10 hours over those two days, the district, represented by Huntington Valley, Pa., attorneys Michael Levin and Andria Saia, laid out some of the case against McFerren.
The hearing will resume at 3:30 p.m. Monday at the high school auditorium and will continue at 9:30 a.m. May 20 and 21, district solictor James Nevant II said.
McFerren, of Meadville, was hired in 2005 and given a five-year, $82,500 per year contract. His tenure has been marred by complaints from some district teachers, parents and school board members about the way he managed the high school.
McFerren contends he was hired to do a tough job and not given enough time to do it, while his supervisors contend he disobeyed them, acted on his own authority and had anger management issues when dealing with colleagues, according to testimony already presented during the hearing.
He is represented by Sharon attorney Barbara Ochs, who said McFerren was trying to do his job but encountered a staff resistant to change.
The allegations are “innuendo, gossip and rumors,” according to Ochs.
Whenever the hearing concludes, the nine-member school board will have a roll call vote on whether McFerren should keep his job. Two-thirds — six members — must support the firing for it to happen, per the school code.
Before he came to Farrell, McFerren worked at Franklin Area School District in Venango County and Crawford Central School District in Meadville.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
McFerren