SCRANTON — After several rounds of voting, the Scranton School Board appointed a new director Monday night.
During a special meeting at West Scranton High School to fill the vacancy left by Katie Gilmartin’s resignation, a majority of the school directors eventually voted to have Jenna Strzelecki serve the remainder of the term, which expires in December. The seat will be up for election in November.
During a meeting April 7, directors approved Gilmartin’s resignation, effective March 28. She had served on the board since 2017 and was board president in 2020 and 2021.
Gilmartin was a political newcomer when first elected to the school board in 2017, when she was the top vote-getter in both the primary and general elections.In March 2021, Gilmartin briefly resigned as board president before colleagues urged her to stay in that role. At that time, Gilmartin cited prior recent events, including the delayed start of hybrid instruction and the response to comments made by the president of the teachers union, as not representing her goals as president devoted to policy, professionalism and process.
Gilmartin won election in the 2021 general election to both a two-year and a four-year seat and chose to take the four-year term that ends this year.
The seat is one of four up for grabs on the board this year, along with those held by board President Ty Holmes, Vice President Danielle Chesek and Director Sean McAndrew. Gilmartin did not file paperwork to run for reelection in the May 20 primary election.
Chesek is the only incumbent running for reelection. Holmes is not running for another term and McAndrew, who served on the board since 2020, is seeking a Democratic nomination for one of three seats on Scranton City Council.
Six people are running in the May primary election for school board. They are Joe Brazil, Chesek, John Howe, Strzelecki and Julien Wells, all of whom cross-filed as Democrats and Republicans, and former Director Carol Cleary, who is seeking a Democratic nomination.
Each candidate — Strzelecki, former Director Carol Cleary and Kara Kofira — had two minutes to make a public statement and then were asked to answer the same six questions, ranging from their motivation to serve on the board to the responsibilities of board members, raising taxes and cutting programs, and more.
Then, each of the eight directors was instructed to select which person they thought would best fill the vacancy using a scoring rubric to assess each one and circle their name on a paper.
Before the initial vote, Director Bob Casey said he felt each of the three candidates would have been worthy of the position.
“I was highly impressed with the qualifications and the backgrounds — and what seems to be the dedication — that all three of these people possess,” he said. “No matter who we pick, I believe the taxpayers and children of the city of Scranton will be well served.”
After both Strzelecki and Cleary each received four votes, their names were placed in a hat and an independent observer pulled a name for the directors to vote on first.
The first candidate to receive an affirmative vote of the board majority would be appointed. Holmes noted that if the directors were unable to reach a decision Monday, they would, according to the solicitor’s advice, have to repost the position.
During a roll call, Directors Casey, Chesek, Tom Borthwick and Holmes voted in favor of Strzelecki. Catherine Fox, Marie Merkel, McAndrew and Tara Yanni then voted in support of Cleary, leading to a name being pulled from the hat again for another tiebreaker vote.
This time, McAndrew switched his vote and Strzelecki was appointed to the board.
“Everybody agreed we had three great candidates and I feel like we can’t leave the position open any longer,” McAndrew said. “Carol was my first choice, but it’s not like everyone else wasn’t qualified. We had to make a decision.”
Yanni pointed to Cleary’s previous experience as a board director as her reasoning for voting in that direction.
“I think all three of you could have stepped into this role … I think what we need right now is someone who can hit the ground running, so that is why my consideration is for Carol Cleary,” Yanni said. “She has done the role. I think all three candidates would be fabulous, but I think (Carol) has the most experience and can really help the board out at this time.”
Strzelecki, 40, a lifelong Scranton resident who serves as the business administrator for the city of Pittston, said she feels her work in that role will transfer well to the school board.
“I manage their budget and finances, and I also run their human resources department,” she said. “I think I can help manage the school district’s finances, and help create and manage budgets. I have very in-depth knowledge of grant funding and writing grants, so I also think that could be an asset to the board, too. I’m very honored they have the trust in me to execute the rest of this term and then work with them for the betterment of the students’ education. I love helping people and I love being involved in the community. I’m very involved in the city of Pittston, working there, and I want to bring that involvement back into Scranton where I live.”
Strzelecki said she also strives to help elevate the stature of the school district.
“I have a lot of friends that currently have school-age children and it breaks my heart when they discount the Scranton School District,” she said. “I want to help the district come back to a place where people are excited to come here and the students want to be part of the district and have the opportunity I had growing up. I’m a product of the Scranton School District and I couldn’t be more proud to say that.”
Cleary, who served on the board in 2022 and 2023, touted her time in that role as well as nearly 27 years as a school counselor among her qualifications for the position.
“The Scranton School Board is busy and fast paced,” she said. “I bring my experience on the board, my professional experience, and the ability to move back into this position quickly and efficiently. As a board member, I’ve been committed to our students first and foremost; however employees, taxpayers and the community are always part of any decision that needs to be made. I felt when I left the board a few years ago that I still had so much more I wanted to do. I have a lot more to offer; I still have the energy and motivation to want to make a difference in our community for our students.”
In her pitch to the board, Kofira stressed that her 20-plus years of experience in U.S. and international education would be valuable to the group.
“My interest in the vacancy stems from my academic and professional background through education management and my experience as a parent of three children in the district,” she said. “I seek to serve because I want to facilitate the steps to providing greater opportunities and outcomes for all our students. Education has been the focus on my career path since day one. I would like to see budgets spent fairly and responsibly to ensure we can implement programs of excellence at all stages and locations in the district, enhance extracurricular activities and facilities, strengthen communication channels and ensure students’ and teachers’ well-being, development and morale.”