Pocono News Section

W-B Area School Board Pays Corruption No Mind

W-B Area School Board Pays Corruption No Mind - Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 11:22PM EST

Reported by: Joe Holden
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009 @ 11:22pm EDT

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Despite expectations, members of the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board had nothing to say about the latest nab in the ongoing corruption investigation.

On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Frank Pizzella, the board's president. He is accused in 2004 of transferring money to a school board member from the father-in-law of a teacher.

Pizzella was elected to the board in 2007, three years after the alleged crime occurred. This is supposedly the first public piece of evidence suggesting a teacher paid for his or her job. The indictment did not identify the participants in the apparent pay to play scheme.

Absent from Wednesday night's meeting talk of the corruption investigation. Three board members have been been charged since April. Ex-President James Height pleaded guilty to accepting cash in exchange for a contract. Board Member Brian Dunn has been a no-show since he was charged with a pay to play count. Dunn's preliminary hearing, scheduled for Thursday, has again been pushed back.

Following Wednesday night's meeting, appointed board member Christine Katsock refused to answer any questions from Eyewitness News, saying only "no comment." Katsock, who unsuccessfully ran in a number of local elections, campaigned on a platform of reform in the May primary and was top vote getter. Katsock did not return follow-up phone calls for comment.