With Finan's contract expired, Scranton without a recovery officer
Jul. 5—The Scranton School District is without a chief recovery officer.
The state's contract with Candis Finan, Ed.D., expired Friday. Finan said Wednesday she had not received notice from the state, and the district also had no information.
"I'm concerned about not knowing who is going to continue the incredibly important work of the CRO in this very critical time of the district's recovery," board President Ro Hume said. "There are lots of challenges, and we need to know."
Repeated attempts to receive an update from the Pennsylvania Department of Education were unsuccessful over the last week.
On June 21, a spokesman said the department had not made a decision on whether Finan would receive another contract. PDE previously said chief recovery officers in Scranton and elsewhere would be advised June 15 or later about their status as of the end of June. Members of the school board sent dueling letters, one in support of Finan and one asking for her to be replaced, to state leaders last month.
The district exited financial recovery in January and entered a five-year monitoring phase, which gives the district more control. A chief recovery officer will continue to provide oversight but not be as directly involved. Finan, who had served in the position since the district entered recovery in 2019, earned an annual salary of $144,000 from the state.
"I think to have no information at all is challenging," Director Katie Gilmartin said. "I do think that some update on the progress or an anticipated timeline would be appropriate."
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.
