Newsradio 1020 KDKA Editorial: The Pittsburgh School Board

Dr. Anthony Hamlet is Pittsburgh's new superintendent of schools, despite concerns about whether he inflated his accomplishments or plagiarized in his resume.

The issue has raised questions - not about Dr. Hamlet, but about the Pittsburgh School Board and how they handled his hiring. The whole process seemed troubled from the start.

For openers, the board gave a no-bid, $100,000 contract to a consultant who had never conducted a superintendent search.

No one – not the consultant, not the board – fully vetted candidates' resumes.

This whole experience highlights an uncomfortable truth. Unless you have children in Pittsburgh public schools, you probably don't pay much attention to the school board.

It is easy to forget that those nine people control an operating budget that is larger than Pittsburgh's. Unless they vote to hike taxes, the board functions without much public interest or oversight.

Hopefully that will change and we, as voters, will pay more attention our school board candidates and what they do once they're elected.