Superintendent Defends Nepotism Claims

Even though the Hatboro-Horsham School Board and its administrators did not post the job, or interview anyone other than the sister of a board member, Superintendent Curtis Griffin stood behind the decision to create a new inside communications position.

Griffin said Jeannie Hagan–the sister of board member Thomas Hagan–had applied for other district jobs and he decided to interview her for a then yet-to-be-created position. Prior to the board's affirmative vote on April 15 to hire Hagan at $60,000 a year, Griffin said her brother acknowledged that she was a family member. 

The district's policy regarding employing family members of board members "stipulates to teachers," Griffin said. 

"There is nothing in the Pennsylvania code or within our school board policies which prohibit such a hiring," he said. 

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As the director of community outreach and communications, Jeannie Hagan's main task, according to Griffin, is to sell sponsorships to not only cover her salary, which was effective as of March 22, but to "exceed her salary."

Griffin said the district's calendar and its quarterly newsletter represent "two key opportunities" in terms of selling advertisements to cover the $6,000 to $10,000 expense, in addition to Hagan's salary.

Beyond that, he said Hagan, who holds an associate's degree in business from Montgomery County Community College, is also responsible for creating a "greater digital presence."

Jeannie Hagan did not return calls and emails seeking comment.  

She and the school district came under fire after a representative from the district's outside contracted public relations firm, Jenkintown-based The Communications Solutions Group, posted an announcement on Patch about Hagan's hiring.

Leza Raffel, president and owner of The Communications Solutions Group, confirmed that her company was still working for Hatboro-Horsham.

"We are still working with the district," Raffel said in an email to Patch. "Our scope of work is different from Jeannie's since our expertise is strategic communication, writing, media relations and graphic design."

Commenters called Hagan's hiring a sign of "nepotism" and a "conflict of interest" and some wondered if the district would continue to pay both the firm and Hagan. 

Last year, Griffin said the district spent about $56,000 for public relations services offered through The Communication Solutions Group. The addition of the newsletter and calendar increased that amount to between $70,000 and $80,000 in total, he said.

Raffel, in an email to Patch Thursday afternoon, pointed out that her company was only paid $56,000 and has not been involved with the district's calendar.

"The newsletter is an out of pocket charge from the district printer to the district," Raffel wrote. "The district will be paying (those fees) regardless of who is doing the work."

The goal of hiring Hagan, he said, was to transition into a new role at no additional cost. Hagan's position is being offered on a "trial run" through August, he said. Should it move to a permanent position, Griffin said there would be an "open call" for candidates. 

But, even before then, Griffin said the district would begin reducing its contracted costs with The Communications Solutions Group. 

"We will start in July, start to scale back," Griffin said. "We're going to continue some relationship with them."

Besides leaning on Hagan more readily, Griffin said the district will also "look closely" at communications-related services offered by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.

Despite not interviewing any other would-be candidates, Griffin insisted that Hagan's position is one the district had hoped to create for some time. He researched how a dozen other school districts in Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties handle communications.

"They have a better sense of the district from the inside to move it out," Griffin said of districts with internal communications employees. "We need a point person to help on all those things."

Should Hatboro-Horsham School District have advertised its internal communications position before interviewing and hiring the sister of a board member? Tell us in the comments.