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Scranton School Board Vote

SCRANTON, Pa. — A crucial vote that could raise taxes and close some elementary schools is on the table Thursday night in the Scranton school district. Tw...

SCRANTON, Pa. -- A crucial vote that could raise taxes and close some elementary schools is on the table Thursday night in the Scranton school district.

Two big votes will be taken on Thursday night.

The first, on a contract buyout for district superintendent, Alexis Kirijan.

If approved, Kirijan would step down immediately but still receive a portion of her salary.

The other major vote will be on the state's recovery plan.

If approved, some elementary schools could close, and taxes would go up annually over the next five years.

If the plan is denied, the Scranton school district would be taken over by the state.

Not all portions of the plan will be finalized tonight.

One of the main concerns was taxes, and Scranton school director Tom Borthwick says he wants to avoid that 6.5% tax raise if possible.

"The tax increase is not final it's just an option that we have. My goal is to reduce that as much as possible because we do not want to burden property taxes payers in Scranton any more than they are already burdened. But in terms of ensuring the money is going to be spent wisely, we have a chief recovery officer if the plan passes, we have no choice but to implement that plan it's a legal obligation for the board," Borthwick said.

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