TUNKHANNOCK — It took six weeks of retirement living before former Dallas School District Superintendent Frank Galicki decided to go back to work.
Facing the impending departure of Superintendent Michael Healey, Tunkhannock Area School Board hired Galicki on a per diem basis to fill in until a replacement is found.
“I was out of the schools for four or five weeks; it was still fresh in my mind,” Galicki said. He officially retired June 30, and “by August, I was thinking where am I going to be at the start of the school year, wondering whether I would watch the buses go by or be involved.”
The opportunity at neighboring Tunkhannock Area developed, and the 42-year educator took it. “I’m strictly a fill-in temporarily. I’ll help in whatever way I can, and assist the search process for a new superintendent.”
Technically, Galicki was hired to start as assistant superintendent Monday, then become acting superintendent Sept. 1, one day after Healey’s final official day on the job. Healey has accepted the post of superintendent in a district in Crawford County.
But the state won’t allow Galicki to start work immediately because he already started collecting his pension. He must receive a waiver from the Public School Employees’ Retirement System before he can begin working at Tunkhannock. Galicki said that waiver is expected some time next week.
The Tunkhannock Area School Board voted to hire Galicki at a rate of $500 per day. Because he worked 42 years in education, his pension is 105 percent of his salary which, according to the state, was $120,000 in his final year, 2014-15.
