Last night was my first Scranton School Board meeting as a member. It was heartening to see so many members of the public in the audience. Dr. Finan, our Recovery Officer, needs to hear how much our schools, libraries, and arts programs matter to us. We need to preserve them and, one day, restore them. […]
Scranton School Board Week 1: Well, Here Goes Nothin’
March 3, 2019
Scranton School District: Help Me Fix This
February 24, 2019
In both 2011 and 2013, I ran for Scranton School Board. It was enough that I promised myself I’d never do that to my family again. Obviously, that promise is broken, as it’s 2019 and Tom Borthwick for Scranton School Board has risen from the ashes. This is a post about why. My lovely wife […]
Politics
Scranton School District Pt. 4: The Solutions
November 16, 2018
Frankly, the Scranton School Board hasn’t done all that it can to solve its problems and I don’t get it. I’ve been pretty clear about proposals that would help, and nobody seems interested in making them happen. I’ll propose them here again, where they can fall on deaf ears. Some of these you’ll have heard […]
Politics
Scranton School Board: The Clear Choice
November 4, 2018
Tomorrow, the Board has an opportunity and an obligation to do the right thing and appoint the most qualified person to fill its vacant seat. While I hate to eschew my normal humility, that person is me. I’ve made my case previously, and I’m going to make one final pitch. I’ve said more than once […]
Politics
Scranton School Board: My (Relatively Solid) Case
October 27, 2018
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: In 2011 and 2013, I proposed working intergovernmentally. […]
Politics
Scranton School Board: Credibility at Stake with Appointment
October 22, 2018
With the tragic passing of Scranton School Board member Carol Oleski, the Board has a seat to fill. Last time a vacancy occurred, after the abrupt resignation of Jim Timlin, the end result, thankfully, was positive. The process itself, however, undermined the integrity of the Board. Directors Schuster and McAndrew gave me scores that are […]
Justice on the Way: SSD Edition
September 19, 2018
News broke of the first release from the grand jury investigating the Scranton School District. I’ve read the whole release, and you should, too. Here’s what you need to know: There will be more from the grand jury. There is an “Unnamed Co-Conspirator” who pops up in the release. Even without Times confirmation (which I’m […]
Scranton School District Pt 3: The Players
July 14, 2018
Blame for the current Scranton School District Disaster isn’t actually very easy to assign, because we are going way back. And that means there are different political majorities and factions and people in control at different times. Not every person listed below is getting blame, per se. The Grand Jury will handle that definitively. The […]
Scranton School District Pt. 2: What’s Been Done
July 6, 2018
So we’ve weathered a rather rough year in the Scranton School District. How? The Board really pulled out all the stops. While I certainly wish more had been done (and more could have), we made it when I thought a state takeover was a distinct possibility. The Board deserves credit. They recently released a statement regarding […]