North Allegheny School Board Member Can Continue Coaching Softball, for Now

The North Allegheny School Board voted 7-0 Wednesday night to end the practice of allowing school board members to hold unpaid, volunteer positions that are supervised by a member of the administration.

Currently, the policy would only affect Ralph Pagone, who is the volunteer head coach of the girls’ slow pitch softball team, which falls under the supervision of athletic director Bob Bozzuto.

However, after blistering criticism from several members of the audience who suggested the board was enacting the policy as political revenge against Pagone, the board modified the proposal to take effect only after a current board members' term expires.

Pagone's term ends in December, although he has won both the Democratic and Republican nominations for reelection. 

School Board President Maureen Grosheider denied that politics had anything to do with the proposed policy, and said she asked the solicitor to draft it after receiving what she called “a significant amount of criticism from the community” about the issue. 

Pagone and fellow board member Daniel Hubert were absent from Wednesday's meeting. Pagone has been unavailable for comment on the board's vote.

What do you think? Do you agree with North Allegheny School Board's vote? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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