The “report card” in this case is a performance audit conducted by the Pennsylvania Auditor General, which in his opinion “…shows serious financial instability and an extreme level of board and administrative staff dysfunction rarely observed in school district audits”.
The audit’s press release notes that the District could be on its way to financial recovery status if there are not major changes (the District is currently in financial watch status). Unlike Pittsburgh Public Schools claims of insolvency that the Auditor General took issue with, the Auditor General noted that the Scranton School District’s debt situation is the “..worst of any in the state”.
The City of Scranton (according to STEB market value records the City and the School District are identical entities–there are no other municipalities served by the District) has been in Act 47 distressed municipal status since 1992 and has a severely distressed rating based on its pension plans.
