A lot of you who know me, or are reading this, are likely aware of my qualifications to be on the Scranton School Board.  I’m going to lay it out, rather simply, why the Board should’ve appointed me yesterday.  The reasons get better the further you read:

1. In 2011 and 2013, I proposed working intergovernmentally.  There’s a lot of overlap in what city, county, and district departments do.  This is a money-saver for everybody involved.  This hasn’t happened yet.
2. I’ve proposed to Board members, and on this space, that voluntary leave be offered, with a job guarantee.  This saves more money than a layoff, because the district isn’t paying Social Security, unemployment, pension, etc.  Riverside does it.  It saves jobs and money.  It’s great for new mothers or fathers.
3. I’ve recently begun proposing a payroll tax (a tax on the total payroll of an entity), akin to what the city is exploring.  This would be paired with a tax REDUCTION for most Scrantonians, via reduction/elimination of the SSD’s business & mercantile tax, as well as reductions in wage and/or property tax.  It wouldn’t be a lot, but the district can increase revenue while reducing the tax burden and spreading it more fairly.
4. Nobody needs to train me.  I know the issues better than anybody who applied.  I’m a teacher.  I’ve been involved in district politics and policy for years.  I’m on a public board.  I know how this works.
5. Mark McAndrew won’t vote for me, unless told to by his handlers, but he wants somebody with a financial background.  Fun fact: I worked for a brokerage firm, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc., for five years in operations.  I learned a lot about finance there. Another fun fact: it was the head of the Scranton PAC’s brother-in-law who hired me!
6. Further on the financial front, I’m on the Scranton Parking Authority.  I was intimately involved in its monetization, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars as part of the concession agreement.  I know how to evaluate bids, contracts and agreements.
7. Even further on the financial front, my brothers and I have been buying real estate (to keep our neighborhood from being overrun by absentee landlords) and guess who does the accounting?  Yours truly!
8. I’m a union leader.  I know a lot about how labor relations work, and how to handle labor strife, since I’ve been involved in it.
9. I’m a teacher and adjunct professor.  I know education inside out.  The jargon, the law, the policies, the needs of students, the failings of the system.  I’m in the game 14 years in a tested subject (English, specifically).

While I’m glad the applicants are diverse and qualified (a former librarian, yay!), I’ll be ready to help right this ship the second I get sworn in.