The West Mifflin Area school board fired superintendent Daniel Castagna on Wednesday, capping months of tense hearings to decide his fate amid allegations of serious wrongdoing.
In nearly a dozen public meetings since last summer, witnesses have accused Mr. Castagna of a range of offenses, including allegations that he paid members of a notorious biker gang to spook political rivals and that he helped a convicted killer get a school security job.
The board voted 6-3 in support of the move, with members Janice Gladden, Judith Ahern, and Judy Andzelik opposing the decision.
Mr. Castagna and his attorney, Colleen Ramage Johnston, have staunchly denied the accusations, dismissing them as part of a vendetta against him by board members whom he did not support politically. Neither attended the meeting Wednesday.
Reached by phone Wednesday evening, Ms. Johnston described the vote as the board’s “final act of political retaliation” against Mr. Castagna. They plan to appeal his firing in Common Pleas Court within the next few weeks, she said.
“There was no evidence to support the allegations of misconduct, and there is overwhelming evidence that several of the school board members planned to fire Dr. Castagna once they were seated after winning the election because he did not support them politically,” she said.
School board President David Marshall and other members declined to comment on the decision, citing Mr. Castagna's ongoing federal lawsuit against the district and the six board members who suspended him.
Hearing officer Thomas Castello sustained all but two of the charges. He ruled that there was not enough evidence to conclude that Mr. Castagna hurt the district’s public image by filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Complaint against the board or that he hired Sin City Deciples Motorcycle Club members to intimidate political foes at a school board meeting.
Dozens of residents again crowded the West Mifflin Area Middle School auditorium Wednesday at a special meeting that reflected the divide between Mr. Castagna’s supporters and detractors.
Roughly a half-dozen residents addressed the board during the public comment period before the vote. Most expressed displeasure with the handling of the situation, including that Mr. Castello’s findings were not made public before the meeting.
As Mr. Castello began to read a summary of his findings, one resident in the crowded shouted, “That should have been done first!”
“This was a personal vendetta from the start,” said resident Rachel Kuzia. “In the long run, I think this is just going to play out in federal court.”
“Me and Mr. Castello must have come to two different hearings,” said resident Phil Shar after the board made its decision. “They haven’t proven anything and that’s the truth. Everything was based on hatred.”
Mr. Shar, a retired West Mifflin Area School District teacher, added, “Dr. Castagna is the best superintendent we ever had.”
“I’m not really shocked at how the board voted,” said resident Kevin Squires. He added Mr. Castello’s recommendations “seemed to be his interpretation of the hearsay” that was permitted at the hearings.
“How do you judge that and say ‘this is evidence?’” Mr. Squires said.
Resident Russ Boyle said of the board’s decision: “I think they made the right choice.”
“You can try to spin the scenario any way you want, but the bottom line is the guy has two DUIs,” Mr. Boyle said. “What kind of example is he to kids?”
The board has also been divided throughout the process. Emails obtained last month by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shed light on those rifts, including a quarrel over whether some members were withholding information about the process from each other.
The board placed Mr. Castagna on unpaid leave in July 2018, as he faced a pending DUI case in Beaver County.
The hearings, which were held under Section 1080 of the Pennsylvania School Code, allow the board to fire Mr. Castagna — and void any buyout requirements — “for neglect of duty, incompetency, intemperance or immorality.”
They have become more common in recent years after a 2012 change to the Pennsylvania School Code put limits on the terms of severance packages, making such agreements tougher to reach, legal experts said.
Mr. Castagna was about halfway through his five-year contract extension the board approved in 2015, which started at an annual base salary of $156,181, with a 3.5 percent increase each year.
If Mr. Castagna wins his appeal, the board could have to pay his legal expenses, per his contract.
Freelance writer Deanna Carpenter contributed to this article. Matt McKinney: mmckinney@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1944, or on Twitter @mmckinne17. Deana Carpenter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: March 14, 2019, 12:34 a.m.