State education officials say Scranton remains in monitoring phase despite board declining tax increase

At a Jan. 22 meeting of the Scranton School District Budget & Finance Committee, Pennsylvania Department of Education representatives said the district remains in a five‑year monitoring phase after exiting formal recovery and that Scranton has made measurable progress but must continue implementing its recovery plan.

"Scranton has been doing some really great work," said Dr. Deborah Carrera, special advisor to the secretary of education. She pointed to student growth in grades 3–8 and eighth‑grade science and noted the district has "maintained their a positive fund balance of at least 5% of your annual revenues for 2 successive years." Dr. Carrera said PDE and the CRO will continue regular oversight and technical assistance during monitoring.

Director Katie Gilmartin asked how the board’s decision not to adopt a proposed 1.25‑mill tax increase affects the district’s monitoring status. PDE representatives said the district’s immediate finances are manageable for the current year but stressed that the recovery plan’s action steps must be followed to sustain progress. "Right now for this year, we're fine, but we have to make sure that we're implementing those action steps that are in that recovery plan," Dr. Carrera said.

Committee members and PDE officials also clarified the limits of PDE authority. Doctor Saylor and other presenters repeatedly noted that changes to the state funding formula or the Act 1 tax rules would require legislative or gubernatorial action; PDE's role is oversight and implementation of the recovery plan rather than rewriting law.

Board members asked for follow‑up information on vacancies, payroll savings and how monitoring plays out administratively. Finance staff said specific vacancy savings figures would be provided later. The committee did not take formal action at the meeting; members said they plan continued oversight and advocacy with state officials as the General Assembly and governor consider changes to the Basic Education Funding structure.

The committee will continue to review projections and operating choices as state funding discussions progress.