Superintendent Performance - Community Survey

Dr. Taschner's formal evaluation is due June 30, 2019. We believed it would be useful to conduct a survey to ascertain stakeholders (taxpayers/ parents and employees) views to assist in providing the community’s  feedback. Therefore, we conducted a survey from June 3, 2019 to June 8, 2019.

Breakdown of participants

We in CCAP do recognize that some do not understand or see the problems with the current administration. Some of those who are most critical of us, once worked ardently to help the district overcome the failings of a previous administration. We did not call for Dr. Taschner's resignation lightly. It was over several years of problems and concerns. All of which not only went unsolved, they actually continued to grow. We've done due diligence in research and discussions with teachers, principals, staff, students, and community members. The absolute majority of those who participated, nearly 600 respondents, concur that Dr. Taschner is not effective in her role. Reading the few comments that differ from the rest, we believe that it is likely that those either have personal connections with Dr. Taschner, receive a benefit from her that others do not, or are just behind the rest of us in seeing the truth. The truth is that if you read the comments from the survey that led us to call for her resignation, you can clearly see that is the only option to ensure that our students are provided with the services and education to prepare them for their future.

Parents / Taxpayer Results

District Employee Results

We pulled some responses representative of the majority of the community's and staff's perspectives.

How confident are you in the effectiveness 

of the Superintendent?

Community/ taxpayer results

Employee Results

"Lack of leadership.  Surrounds herself with state bureaucrats and "yes" people.  Peter principle in full effect.  Give me back the power to run my classroom and stop issuing unfunded mandates!"

"[lack confidence] So many reasons. CPMs massive negative impact on my AP/Honors students math skills, severe lack of discipline evident at CASH that affects students, teachers, and staff, her refusal to acknowledge all evidence in front of her, amazing teachers leaving in droves, students fleeing to charter a d cyber schools, the massive tax increases, etc."

"She's lost the respect of her teachers, several prominent members of the community, previous employees who were either fired or chose to leave rather than continue to work with or for her and even current members of the administration that speak privately against her and her methods.   There are reports that other superintendents within our county have a level of disdain for her that speaks poorly about her character. Discipline among students is sparse and inconsistent at best with several incidents of inappropriate behavior going completely unchecked while reported "strong arm" intimidation techniques are employed against teachers and administrative personnel 
Teachers and students report a general state of unrest that is in no way conducive to a healthy learning environment."

"I am not confident at all in the abilities; effectiveness; as well as the mental health of the district’s superintendent.  If you want to define the term ‘effectiveness’ as instilling fear into the employees and creating a hostile, harassing environment, then perhaps that would answer the question at hand because in those two areas she has succeeded without a doubt.   In addition to effectiveness, one must address the superintendent’s abilities to run the district.  Having experienced the complete and utter destruction of the district on a first-hand basis each day during her five year tenure with the district, it is obvious that she is incapable of continuing with the duties assigned to her as the superintendent.  One also has to wonder if her inability to run the district is because she is not qualified for the position and she is overwhelmed, leading to a deterioration of her mental state.  I have been to many board meetings and it is very disconcerting that she will not look people in the eye when they are speaking.  She also talks in circles to people when asked questions by the school board and community members.  During the last meeting when Mr. Fisher asked Madame Superintendent for her report, she seemed very aloof and could only talk about the districts achievements in sports, as well as other activities.  Nothing was mentioned about scholastic achievement."

"I’m not sure how to answer this. As a teacher, she seems like she means well and has never directly affected my work health but I do know to conduct my business and stay out of as much as I can. I also volunteer when I can. As a parent, I am not confident. I recently pulled my children out of CASD. The behaviors and bullying was chaotic and not a great environment for my children. My oldest has an IEP for reading and only continued to get worse. His behavior changed and he hated school. Since being at Avon Grove, he actually gets itinerant reading support and has improved greatly. And both children love school again. As a taxpayer, I’m drowning. The amount I pay in taxes, you would think I’m living in a 3000 sq ft freshly painted home with a 2 car garage and other luxuries. My modest 1600 sq ft home will never sell and I will be stuck here forever. I don’t mean stuck in Coatesville either... I mean literally in this house that we are quickly outgrowing. 
 
I think there needs to be major change for us to ever consider sending our children back to CASD when they hit middle/high school."

"Dr. Taschner has destroyed the rigor and discipline in our district.  Her administration bullies teachers into passing students, asks for no input, and straight out lies to us. We do not trust her, and never will."

How well do the superintendent's plans and programs match the goals and mission of the Coatesville Area School District? 

Community/ Taxpayer results



Employee results

"My child was not offered same level math courses Algebra at South. That the students at Scott and North were offered. I don’t even know how that is possible. This along with other poor decisions (Hiring principal at South, he didn’t last a year.) The poor decisions and the leadership since she’s taken over we are now pulling our youngest from the district. So we have to deal with the enormous tax increases, and also pay private school tuition. Both of her brothers graduated from the district. The decline has been fast and it’s getting worse each year."

"Her lack of leveling classes is the opposite of innovative. Her refusal to take the feedback the community gives makes the community not want to support her. Lastly, the teachers and administrators are BULLIED, not necessarily dedicated... sadly."

"Her ideas may work in a primarily white, higher income district however, we need to take into account the needs of our diverse population and she has no idea what that means. Throwing around the word diversity does not mean you understand."

"I’m seeing a drastic decline in academic performance from my students, I’m talking multiple grade levels behind. The curriculum does not fit our population and doesn’t prepare our students for higher education or careers. There has been an extreme out pouring of our students into private schools and charter schools. Many of the plans present for the future are going to make that number go up. My neighbors said if the middle school plan goes through they will leave district as well. This would mean not a single student in my fairly large neighborhood would attend a district school."

For those who have removed or are thinking about removing your child from the district, how likely would it be for you to reconsider staying in CASD if there was a change in leadership?

"We also need to bring back the reading and math programs from the past.  The current ones are not effective and I feel my children are not learning.  I would bring my children back if they remove the current leadership and revise the programs."

"I am holding on as best I can, but our history does not make it easy to have faith that we will turn the corner and start going in the right direction. I believe in this district and I want that to happen, but we’ve been burned so many times, it’s hard to be optimistic. That being said, every day thing remain the same is one more day I’m fighting with myself to keep my kids here. A change would at least give me hope that things might turn around."

"I would like my child to stay in CASD however under the current leadership and the lack of resources provided to all students, leaving the district may be something I will consider in the near future."

"I would like my child to stay in CASC however under the current leadership and the lack of resources provided to all students, leaving the district may be something I will consider in the near future."

Any other Employee comments?

"As long as the Dr. Taschner is the superintendent of the Coatesville Area School District, there will NEVER be an environment of trust and openness.  In five years she – and she alone – has created a hostile and harassing environment where you cannot trust anyone.  For this reason, the district will never be able to move forward.  In the corporate world, when a CEO is running a business into the ground because of their incompetency and lack of trust with the people who work for him/her, they are removed by its board of directors before irrevocable damage is done."  

Dr. Taschner has ruined the trust of the staff and community of the Coatesville Area School District.  She came in talking a good game and that she could lead the district on the right path.  She talks about the community and teachers being ‘stakeholders’ in the running of the district, but her actions speak louder than her words.  The district is destroyed and it will take years for the district to right itself – if ever – after her departure.  The staff is constantly looking over their shoulders waiting to be accused of anything and everything they might have done wrong.  They are set up to fail and if they don’t follow her rules by the book they will face retaliation. Shortly after she came, teachers were forced to sign a code-of-conduct and threatened with termination if they did not sign off.  She will deny this, but this is what was told to the staff, or perhaps it was simply ‘miscommunication’ on her part.

She will say the following isn’t true, but look at the data from the last five years.  Staff leaving; students leaving; discipline problems in every school and grade.  Teachers scared to speak out in fear of swift, ‘effective’ retaliation; parents worried about their children in the classroom being bullied and not receiving the education that they are rightfully due by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.      

What the Coatesville Area School Board, community, and educators need to do now is look at the steps needed to rebuild the district after this disastrous experiment with Dr. Taschner has ended.  First and foremost will be the question, “How can the school board, along with the new superintendent restore the trust and confidence to the community and educators to lead the district on a new path?” 

"The saddest part is that the longer we wait for a change at the top, the worse it will be moving forward.  And it is the students who are the ones who are suffering the most in the current climate and environment of the district.  They are being pushed through at any cost to the next grade; they are not being disciplined; and they can say and do whatever they want with very little (if any) punishment."

As a district, we are not preparing them for the world after high school.  Although the superintendent will beg to differ on this point saying “look at all the wonderful programs I have put in place,” - this will be her legacy: FAILURE.  Failure to the community, the staff, the current school board, and the students. It is that last group - the students - who have suffered the most over the last five years.  In the end, the biggest question to solve once a new superintendent is in place is: “How can the students learn to trust again and regain the skills and knowledge to make them life-long learners and productive members of society?”