13 Dec Cognetti Resigns from School Board

Paige Gebhardt Cognetti announced on Facebook today that she is resigning her seat on the Scranton School Board to accept a position in the office of the Pennsylvania Auditor General.  Cognetti’s decision comes during a tumultuous time for the Scranton School District, marked by struggles in teacher contract negotiations, critical audits, indictments, harassment allegations, and strife among the nine directors.

Cognetti was appointed in 2017 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Jim Timlin.  A native of Oregon and a graduate of Harvard Business School, she famously tangled with fellow school director Bob Lesh over the district’s contracting and purchasing practices.  She advocated sweeping changes in the way the district did business and pushed for a criminal investigation following Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s 2017 performance report that found financial instability and an extreme level of board and administrative staff dysfunction rarely observed in school district audits.  Her efforts culminated in the indictment last September of Daniel Sansky, the district’s former fleet manager.

“I have learned a tremendous amount from my colleagues, and will take this experience with me to my new role, and throughout my life,” wrote Cognetti on Facebook.  “I am grateful to my fellow directors, and the administrators, teachers, parents and students who make the Scranton School District a great place for children to learn and grow every day.”