Current, potential Scranton school directors want say in superintendent search
Jul. 25—Current and potential Scranton school directors want a say in who becomes the next superintendent.
The day after a suburban Philadelphia school district hired Melissa McTiernan, school directors in Scranton awaited options from the district solicitor on how to fill the role and had varying opinions on when it should be done.
Last month, two candidates, Tom Borthwick and Robert J. Casey, threatened legal action if the current board entered or extended contracts, including that of McTiernan. The candidates on Tuesday both suggested the board hire an interim superintendent until the newly seated board has a say in December.
Borthwick and Casey won both Democratic and Republican nominations to the board in May. If successful in the Nov. 7 general election, the men would join the board in December. Three incumbents — Carol Cleary, Sarah Cruz and Ro Hume — did not secure nominations.
"I think that the board needs to consider the future. There is nothing wrong with starting the search, but the voters made it clear they want a new direction," Borthwick said.
McTiernan, who has served as superintendent since 2019, will resign as of Oct. 31 to take the job in the Phoenixville Area School District.
"I personally think we should not rush this," Director Danielle Chesek said. "The superintendent role is vital to the district. We need to really take a step back and look at what the district's needs are as a whole and look at the long term. Rushing and hiring someone to quickly replace Superintendent McTiernan could put us in a not-so-good position."
The change in superintendent comes at the same time the district is without a chief recovery officer. The contract of Candis Finan, Ed.D., expired June 30, and the state has not named her replacement.
Director Tara Yanni said that with the state not providing the district any information about the chief recovery officer position, it "makes the timeline of finding a superintendent that has the qualifications to meet the needs of our Scranton families and students more pressing at the current time."
"We are keenly aware that we need to work together, quickly and efficiently to determine that plan," she said. "Our students and faculty deserve our best efforts to ensure that their educational needs are met as we head into the upcoming year."
School directors plan to hold an executive session later this week to begin discussing options.
"I think the board needs to meet to discuss all the potential options we have to replace the superintendent, and we should let the plan dictate the time, not the time dictate the plan," Director Sean McAndrew said.
Director Katie Gilmartin said she will look to the solicitor's guidance to ensure an appropriate process aligned with similar school districts. Director Catherine Fox also anticipates information from the solicitor.
"I don't know how it can be expected of us to wait until another board is seated, and then it's December," Fox said. "You have to do what's best for the organization as a whole."
Hume, the board president, said it would be an "error to delay starting the process of finding new leadership." She recalled how McTiernan received her appointment just a few weeks before new school directors took their seats in 2019.
"We were elected to serve for four years," Hume said, adding that directors would not be fulfilling their responsibilities "if we didn't move forward to explore our options."
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.
