By Pat Litowitz
New Castle News
A community group that once promoted drug and alcohol prevention resurfaced last year with a new task: educating inmates.
Today, doubts regarding the New Castle Area School District Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force’s legitimacy have surfaced. The release of a school district correspondence to the nonprofit entity has sparked questions about the group’s leadership structure and who controls its finances.
While each organization shares the name “New Castle Area School District,” the group is not a creation of — or controlled by — the school system. During the 2005-2006 school year, the district selected the organization to administer its prison education program.
DEROSA DECISION
The decision to hire the nonprofit came at the recommendation of Assistant Superintendent Nicholas DeRosa, who has since retired. For years, DeRosa served as liaison between the school and the Lawrence County jail.
Attempts to contact DeRosa were unsuccessful.In a document obtained by the New Castle News, a National City Bank statement shows the group with a balance of $28,230.59 as of Aug. 21, 2006.
District business manager Joseph Ambrosini, in a March 27 letter, suggested that the district overpaid the agency for its services.
“Since your organization was hired by the school district as an independent contractor ... any and all monies paid by the school district not utilized for the prison program must be returned to the school district,” he wrote.
The group received $86,100 for the school year. Ambrosini said yesterday the program cost should have totaled approximately $60,000.
“They did a budget to say they needed X amount of dollars to take care of salaries, supplies, secretary,” Ambrosini said. “When we did the math, I’m showing that I gave them too much money.”
THE MYSTERY
The makeup of the board of directors is somewhat of a mystery.
The group filed articles of incorporation with the state in March 1988. At the time, Robert Heath was listed as president; Chuck Cuba, vice president; Dennis Vincent, treasurer; and Jewell Cuba, secretary. Of the four, Heath, Vincent and Chuck Cuba said they ended their association with the nonprofit group years ago.
The state’s Department of State Web site continues to list the organization as active with Heath, Vincent and Jewell Cuba listed in their above roles.
Heath said he resigned his post 10 to 12 years ago.
“Once you leave, you’re not there,” he said. “You’re not president.
“When I was in it, it was an active group. Everything we did was school related, and we did everything for the kids.”
The group also lists Gary Bucci, Don Melonio, Ron Esposito, Dr. Mabel Paige. Ray Doneluck, John Orlando and Steve Catale as board members.
APPROACHED
Paige, a retired district administrator, said DeRosa approached her months ago about being a board member.
“He asked, ‘Would I like to be part of that,’ ” said Paige, who was active with the task force through 1999. “He said he’d be in touch but wasn’t.
“(DeRosa) said he’d like to get it started (again) because of the (drug) situation in town.”
Paige added that she wasn’t aware that the group was involved in the prison education program.
DeRosa also approached Bucci.
“It was mentioned to me sometime back,” Bucci said. “If it is (in existence), I was unaware of it. If I was asked to be a member, I would have volunteered.”
Attempts to reach Melonio, Esposito, Doneluck, Orlando and Catale were unsuccessful.
The Cubas, who are married, remain associated with the prison education program. Chuck Cuba serves as a teacher, while his wife performs secretarial duties.
“I haven’t been on that (drug and alcohol) board for eight years,” Chuck Cuba said. “I don’t want to talk about it.
“I don’t trust you people. Good night.”
Attorney Louis Perrotta said he was asked to prepare several documents for the task force. He declined to name the person making the request. Perrotta said yesterday that he has had no additional dealings with the nonprofit group.
STATUS
While the New Castle Area School District Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force received nonprofit status from the state, it lacks federal tax-exempt status. An IRS representative said that could be for one of two reasons: the group did not apply, or its application was not accepted. The agent would not disclose what took place in regards to the task force.
Superintendent George Gabriel said it was the district’s standard practice to subcontract for services in regards to the jail. In the 2004-2005 school year, the Family Center held the prison program contract. Gabriel said he consulted with DeRosa about changing providers.
The task force, known in the 1990s as the Fighting Against Drugs and Alcohol Committee, had a solid reputation, Gabriel said.
ANOTHER WAY
“I told Nick I would like to go with another organization,” he said. “And FADAC name came up in the conversation. “You had some good, honest, reputable people on that board. I figured this would be a good organization to operate our prison program.
“Nick was handling it, and I was trusting his judgment at that time.”
The task force’s operation of the prison program lasted one year. The school district oversees the program now. Stan Magusiak, assistant to the superintendent, is program liaison.
“Our feeling was we could maintain better internal control of the program if we handled it,” Gabriel said. “We took the bull by the horns and made major changes for the good.”
The school board ended its association with the New Castle Area School District Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force on Aug. 16.
The task force also had proposed operating a pre- and after-school program for the district.
Gabriel rejected that offer.
Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
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