Claiming Scranton school directors operate behind the scenes, forcing administrators to resign and creating a hostile atmosphere, the president of the school board resigned Monday night.
After 11 years on the board, Kathleen McGuigan said she can no longer tolerate the actions of most directors.
“I hope the taxpayers and business owners of this city sit up and take notice of what is happening,” she wrote in a letter that was read by Director Kyle Donahue. “You need to elect board members who will set policy — not change it or ignore it because it fails to suit their own personal agendas.”
Mrs. McGuigan did not attend the meeting, and her resignation is effective immediately.
Also Monday night, Mark McAndrew resigned from being vice president but will stay on the board. A new president has not been named. The board also approved the teachers contract with a 7-1 vote.
Resignation letter
Mrs. McGuigan said she had considered resigning since May, when an association of administrators accused some school directors of being too involved in daily operations and threatening the jobs of central office staff and principals.
Since then, directors have continued to create “an atmosphere that has become extremely hostile and not at all conducive to success.” The majority operates outside the confines of the Sunshine Act, the state’s open meetings law. Directors also “blindly follow” the advice of the solicitor and engage in “destructive practices,” she wrote in the letter.
Reached after the meeting, Mrs. McGuigan said another deciding factor was when she learned last week that Director Cy Douaihy had unilaterally canceled interviews for the supervisor of elementary education opening. Efforts to reach Mr. Douaihy after the meeting were unsuccessful.
Mrs. McGuigan said she tried to unite the board and make progress in the district, but could not find support from the board majority.
“I feel the weight of everything off me,” she said after the meeting. “I have to concentrate on my family and my business.”
The board accepted her resignation 6-2, with Mr. Donahue and Mr. McAndrew dissenting.
Majority members said they disagreed with her accusations.
“Kathleen and I agreed rarely,” Mr. Douaihy said. “I honestly believe she resigned because she found herself in the minority. We’ll move on.”
After Mrs. McGuigan’s resignation was accepted, Mr. McAndrew, also a member of the minority, said he no longer wanted to be vice president.
“Due to the current make-up of this board, I believe my ability to be an effective leader will be greatly diminished,” he said. “I love this district and want to focus my attention on supporting the administration, teachers, students and parents, as we work to approve student achievement.”
The board has not yet announced how it will fill Mrs. McGuigan’s seat. Directors will likely reorganize at their October meeting. Director Bob Sheridan, who served as acting president for about two months last year, said he would likely serve in that capacity again.
Teachers contract
Directors made the one-year teachers contract, which calls for a 1.75 percent raise, plus step movement, official. There are no changes to health insurance. Paraprofessionals also will receive the same raise.
Though both sides had approved the state fact-finder’s report, the board had to vote on the full contract to make it official. It passed 7-1, with Mr. Donahue dissenting and questioning how the district can afford the $2.9 million in raises, as it now faces a 2015 deficit of $7.5 million.
“We simply don’t have the resources to fund the increase in salaries,” Mr. Donahue said. He warned that directors voting for the contract should come up with programs or staff to cut for next year.
Also Monday, the board voted to amend the administrative hiring policy to allow for a board member rotation for sitting in on final interviews and voted to allow Tom Wolf, the democratic governor candidate, to speak at Scranton High School sometime in October.
Directors also appointed David Brudzinski to principal of the Whittier annex and approved a $37,882 upgrade to the district’s security and alarm system.
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter