Scranton School Board retains law firm, hears about staffing shortages

Sarah Hofius Hall, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·3 min read

Oct. 4—SCRANTON — The Scranton School Board will forgo soliciting proposals for legal services and keep the same firm through 2025.

In a meeting that also included numerous concerns about staffing shortages from teachers and parents, the board voted 6-3 to retain King, Spry, Herman, Freund and Faul.

The vote caused the board minority to accuse fellow directors of violating policy. Director Catherine Fox questioned whether fellow directors could be gaining something from the deal. Director Sarah Cruz said the vote puts the district "back five years." Director Katie Gilmartin said she felt the extension was a "bait and switch."

The Bethlehem law firm, known as KingSpry, will handle all legal needs for the district, including solicitor services, negotiations and special education cases. The district will pay the firm a retainer for solicitor services of $40,000 the first year, $42,400 the second year and $45,050 in 2025. Hourly fees beyond that vary, including $125 for paralegals and $195 for attorneys in the first year.

KingSpry began working for the district on an interim basis in April, after directors ousted John Audi's firm over the faulty bus contract bidding process. At the time, the board minority sought to request proposals from other firms. A board policy requires the district to seek proposals for professional services, but the state does not.

Citing high satisfaction with KingSpry, Superintendent Melissa McTiernan requested the contract be extended for three years instead of the board soliciting proposals from other firms. Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finan, Ed.D., would not say if the extension was in the best interest of the district. The recovery plan includes following a process that requires soliciting proposals for services, so the vote will require her to include the noncompliance in a weekly report to the state, she said.

Members of the majority said they trusted the administration's recommendation. The district "could" request proposals at the end of the contract, according to the resolution.

In other business:

* Brent Ward, the father of a junior at West Scranton High School, said his daughter has just recently started to receive math instruction this school year. A last-minute vacancy left several math classes uncovered, and parents were never notified. Ward said he has filed a curriculum deficiency report to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and asked the district to keep parents more informed. Districts nationwide are reporting staffing shortages, and in the last decade, the number of newly certified teachers in the state declined 63%.

* Because of lower enrollment at the district's cyber academy this school year, two teachers who left Robert Morris Elementary to teach virtually will be allowed to return to the Green Ridge school. Their return will displace two teachers who began last year. The father of a fourth grade student urged the district to place the cyber teachers in a vacancy elsewhere. McTiernan said the cyber teachers maintained their building-level seniority.

* Teacher Holly Meade said Northeast Intermediate is down nine teachers, including four in special education. In one of her English classes, 21 of 23 students have individualized education programs, and she receives no additional support. "You're setting up the Northeast students to fail," she said.

* Robert McLeod, who teaches math at Northeast, again urged the district to increase the diversity of its teaching staff. One of only a few teachers who are nonwhite, McLeod repeated the benefits of having a staff that better reflects the student body. Director Ty Holmes, the first Black member of the school board, said he wants administration to put a team together to begin actively recruiting a more diverse staff.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.