Scranton School Board Vacancy

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
- Will Rogers 


And so it goes, after the Scranton School District last night filled a vacancy:

...that was created by the quasi-mysterious departure of a sitting board member
...via a process that gave interested candidates 48 hours to submit their interest
...where a decision was made in the course of about 2 hours after the letters of interest were received
...and which didn't really involve any interviewing

You can read all about it HERE.

How would I describe this process?

Hmmmmm

Oh, how about this?  Insane.  Yes, that's it.  Insane.

The last vacancy I had at work took approximately 4 months to fill, but hey, I know that far greater care and effort needs to go into hiring a corporate trainer than it does deciding how will make policy regarding the education of the nation's most precious assets.  Hell, we actually interviewed people!  What's more, the person we hired wasn't an insider, wasn't someone who gave favors to anyone else, wasn't someone with high name recognition.  Yes, silly us in the private sector:  we took our time and hired someone who had the best qualifications for the job.

Let me be even more blunt that I've already been so far:  the Scranton School Board stinks of corruption, back-room deals, and politics for the sake of personal enrichment.  It's primary focus seems to be on granting power to board members and protecting employees, not the education of our region's most precious assets.

In the midst of all this mess, there is one bright spot;  Director Kathleen McGuigan seems to have finally had enough.  Usually a voice of reason for the board, Mrs McGuigan now seems intent on waging a legal battle against its latest actions.  I wish her well.  If recent events at the local Intermediate Unit tell us anything, it's that bad things happen when good people keep their mouths shut.  

Good hunting Mrs McGuigan.