The Hamburg School District now has a superintendent on leave, an interim superintendent and candidates vying to become the permanent superintendent.
The school board voted Thursday night to hire Vince Coppola as interim superintendent through January 31. He's been the superintendent consultant as the district grapples with what to do about Richard Jetter's status as superintendent in the wake of a series of incidents which left him on paid administrative leave. Lawyers are discussing some sort of buyout on Jetter's five-year contract, which has four years remaining.
Board Vice President Tom Flynn presided as the vacation-shrunken board voted to hire Coppola.
"I think the fact that he's a resident of this district really shows his dedication to the area and his accomplishments really speak for himself," Flynn said.
Coppola has been in education for 56 years, including service as superintendent in two districts and interim superintendent three times, twice in neighboring Frontier Central. He will get up to $69,000 in per-diem pay without benefits. The interim superintendent says living in the district means he can hit the ground running before classes start in early September.
"The district continues to perform well. We're a top ten district. We've been on the honor roll for 20 out of 21 years," Coppola said. "Although there has been some bumps in the road, there's been some distractions, the parents love the school district."
One controversy has involved the attempt to remove Board Member Catherine Schrauth Forcucci who was often at odds with Superintendent Jetter. Schrauth Forcucci says she approves of the Coppola appointment.
