Petition calls for Coatesville school resignations

A Change.org petition with 468 signatures is calling for the resignations of Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Cathy Taschner and assistant superintendent Kim Donahue.

The petition was started three weeks ago by Fonz Newsuan, a Coatesville education activist, who has accused Taschner of mismanagement and failure to deal with discipline problems in the schools.

Citing "a big groundswell against Dr. Taschner," Newsuan said he had gathered about 400 more signatures in door-to-door canvassing and was planning a meeting of supporters at New Life in Christ Church in Coatesville on Monday evening.

Head of the district for nearly two years, Taschner has been under fire since the start of the school year for what critics say is rampant violence in a climate of fear and intimidation. They also have complained of lapses in the special education program and in the reporting of fighting and other infractions to the state's Safe Schools Report. Newsuan has begun texting videos of in-school fights to supporters.

Taschner and other school officials maintain that the 7,000-student district is slowly improving after years of mismanagement under a previous administration, including a scandal three years ago involving racist and sexist texts between then-Superintendent Richard Como and athletic director Jim Donato.

After both resigned, the district entered an agreement with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to curb discrimination and foster equal educational opportunities in the schools.

School Board President Dean Snyder said the board supports Taschner and Donahue, and pointed to "the positive things that the school district has done in all areas of the classroom, technology, facilities and personnel. We're moving forward in all those areas."

He said the district would release a statement.

Taschner and Donahue did not return calls and emails asking for comment.

District officials have downplayed reports of increased violence even while hiring extra security guards in the high school.

In an interview last month, Taschner said union talk of a teacher exodus and faculty dissatisfaction was exaggerated and could be the result of new district policies. She said she inherited a system lagging in academics, and plagued by widespread mismanagement, cronyism, and ethics breaches.

Audra Ritter, president of the Coatesville Area Teachers Association, which is negotiating a new contract, said the petition "has brought to light some concerns that are happening in the district that we agree need attention."

The petition states, "Our community has lost trust in your ability to lead the district effectively, to protect children, and to ensure a quality education for the students. Your resignations would allow our wounded community to begin to heal.

"The district's current and future well-being hinge on the community's confidence in its leadership. We no longer have that confidence."

One of the signers, Aleeya Mayo, president of the Class of 2016, wrote on the Change.org petition, "I have watched the traditions, the pride and all of the things that make Coatesville great slip away . . . Coatesville use to be a wonderful place to go to school. As a community we need to come together and take back what was once ours before it's too late."

Another signer, Sharon Ross, wrote that her husband works in the district, and that ever since Taschner arrived nearly two years ago, "the work atmosphere has become hostile . . . Also, the increase in violence is too much for these kids to handle. My niece who has been a very good student is afraid to go to school. It's sad!"

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