Wolf Administration: Scranton School District Exits Financial Recovery

Scranton, PA  – Acting Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty today announced that Scranton School District has successfully exited Financial Recovery status. The district’s removal from Financial Recovery is effective today, January 10, 2023.

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“Under the leadership of Chief Recovery Officer Dr. Candis Finan, Scranton School District has taken bold action to better serve its students and community,” said Acting Secretary Hagarty. “We commend the district for its tireless efforts to ensure all students can receive a high-quality education and we look forward to our continued partnership in the years to come.”

As part of its recovery plan, Scranton School District outlined ways to meet progress toward four strategic academic goals: improving test scores on statewide standardized tests, improving student growth as measured by statewide systems, increasing student graduation rates, and increasing opportunities for college and career readiness. Scranton’s strategic academic initiatives focused on programming to provide a robust standards-aligned curriculum, stronger supports for student achievement, increased opportunities for college and career preparedness, community-based partnerships, and engaged leadership to support academic goals.

“Financially, the district has made a remarkable turnaround with a string of positive annual financial results and has a growing fund balance and cash on its balance sheet to weather any future storms,” said Chief Recovery Officer Dr. Candis Finan. “Financial improvement has meant real benefit for the thousands of children who attend the Scranton School District. In the past, the district was rarely seen as a trailblazer; now it is the first in the region to start a STEMM Academy and build related partnerships. The Recovery process has resulted in stunning accomplishments for the Scranton School District.”

Scranton School District is the second school district ever to be released from recovery, as district leaders successfully completed requirements complemented by increased education funding under Governor Tom Wolf’s tenure in office. Last month, the School District of the City of York exited recovery, and in September, Gov. Wolf announced that Erie Public Schools exited Financial Watch status.

“On behalf of the Scranton School District, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Dr. Candis Finan for their belief in us and their commitment to our success. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to exit financial recovery and enter the monitoring phase, and we are committed to continuing to work hard and make progress towards stability and excellence. We are fortunate to have such a supportive and dedicated partner in the Department of Education, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them as we move forward,” said Superintendent Missy McTiernan. “To exit from recovery status to monitoring is a significant accomplishment that reflects the hard work and dedication of district school board members, administration, teachers, staff, and the school community as a whole in addressing the district’s financial challenges and making progress towards stability and success. The transition to the monitoring phase is an important milestone, and I hope that it marks the beginning of a bright and prosperous future for the Scranton School District and its students.”

Since 2015, the Wolf Administration has increased education funding by more than $3.7 billion. In his most recent budget, Governor Tom Wolf solidified his commitment to education at all levels with a historic $1.8 billion investment increase. This budget prioritizes resources for Pennsylvanians and Pennsylvania families and helps provide kids with the resources they need to be successful.

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