Jeannette superintendent balks at mayor's call to merge with Hempfield
JEANNETTE, Pa. (KDKA) — Talk of a school merger in Westmoreland County has pitted two officials against each other.
On Monday, Jeanette Mayor Curtis Antoniak called for a merger between the Jeanette and Hempfield school districts. He didn't mince words when he said Jeanette's struggling district's time is up.
He said his push for a merger has everything to do with academics and students' futures and nothing to do with sports.
"What I want to see at Jeanette, I want our town to flourish," Antoniak said Monday. "I want our kids to have a great opportunity. I want our kid to go on to college."
The Jeannette School District has repeatedly been in the bottom 50 percent in the state for graduation rate and math and reading proficiency, areas where Hempfield ranks higher.
Since Antoniak's comments, Jeanette School District Superintendent Matthew Jones responded letter, saying in part: "Mr. Mayor, instead of researching and reporting false information, making assumptions about our district and reporting false narrative you could just visit our schools and experience the rigorous, robust, and fulfilling education our students are receiving."
However, at Monday's school board meeting, Jones said the mayor did share some basic truths about the district.
"One, there is significant poverty in our school district," Jones said. "Two, the school district does collect a larger portion of local taxes than the city or county. And finally, many of our staff do not live in the city. The accuracy of his statements end there."
If a merger is ever approved it would take five years to come to fruition.