The district’s reasoning for closing Bancroft appears to change by the day. I don’t blame anybody if they find it hard to keep track of. I’ve written about it more extensively here. Their strategy is simple: shift gears, distort, backtrack, throw something at the wall, hope it deflects legitimate criticism, and close Bancroft anyway. The […]
Politics
Keep Bancroft Open
March 15, 2021
There is no justifiable reason to close George Bancroft Elementary. Right off the bat, we all know how important neighborhood schools are. They are the linchpin of a community, the glue that holds it together. Bancroft, like many schools, serves as a place for families to gather and interact and access is simple, as it […]
Scranton Must Bus Its Kids
January 24, 2021
Before I talk about the bussing debacle, I want to address today’s article in the paper, which focuses on the district’s Recovery Plan. According to the article, “While some of the former school directors who approved the plan in 2019 believed they could amend it, the new directors learned last year that Finan had the […]
Politics
A School Day in the Time of Covid
July 22, 2020
Politics
The SSD Recovery Plan: Workforce
July 29, 2019
The single largest driver of district expense is our employees. Salaries and benefits cost money. So the plan examines our workforce needs and has recommendations in that regard. The plan would LIKE to offer raises, but points out that they aren’t feasible without changes. This means that as the district negotiates with its unions, there’s […]
The SSD Recovery Plan: Revenue
July 29, 2019
This is one part of the plan I was excited for. There are some innovative ways that the district can actually make money. Generating revenue is extremely important if the district is going to survive the next few years. The problem with the district has been that it has used one-time revenue sources and borrowing […]
The SSD Recovery Plan: Information Technology
July 29, 2019
The district has had a few IT problems over the years. The Auditor General cited us for not having proper inventory (which is addressed in a different portion of the plan) and we’ve dealt with a grading system, eSchool, that doesn’t work properly. I suggested getting a new system, since this one is plagued with […]
Politics
The SSD Recovery Plan: Buildings
July 28, 2019
The Plan calls this section “Capital Planning and Facilities Management” but what we’re talking about are buildings and building closures. The problem is that the buildings in the district are ancient. The costs to upgrade and maintain them are massive. Cutting buildings saves on their regular maintenance costs, but also removes future improvement costs. That’s […]
Politics
The SSD Recovery Plan: Transportation
July 27, 2019
This is all that most people want to talk about. It’s the issue most blown up by the media, it’s the one I heard most about while running, it’s the one Chris Kelly leads off with whenever he calls. As Directors Duffy and Popil, in particular, have pointed out, the $18.9 million that the state […]
The SSD Recovery Plan: Human Resources
July 27, 2019
Everybody, at some point, has complained about district hiring. There are some oddities there, but it isn’t so bad as it once was. Some might recall that directors got “picks” for jobs. That hasn’t been a thing while I’ve been there. That said, shortly after I was appointed, I had to interview candidates for coaching […]