Tag Archives: Harrisburg School District

Harrisburg school district leaders swept out, as receiver brings in outside team

June 27, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district Receiver Janet Samuels speaks to the press following Thursday night’s school board meeting.

Harrisburg’s newly appointed school receiver is clearing out most of the district’s top leadership, firing the superintendent, the solicitor and the business manager, among others.

Dr. Janet Samuels tonight announced a new partnership that will subcontract most district management functions, including those of the superintendent, to Norristown-based Montgomery County Intermediate Unit No. 23, one of 29 “intermediate units” set up by the state legislature in 1971 to provide support to local school districts.

Therefore, as of June 30, most of the district’s top positions will be eliminated, terminating the employment of the following people:

Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney
Solicitor James Ellison
Business Manager Bilal Hasan
Acting Harrisburg High School Principal Barbara Hasan
Federal Program Administrator Damali Brunson-Murray
Acting HR Director Lance Freeman
HR Manager Shelena Roy
ACCESS Coordinator Annette Roy

The chief academic officer position will also be eliminated, but Jaimie Foster, who currently serves in that job, will become the new Harrisburg High School principal, replacing Barbara Hasan.

“This was done with much thought and much care,” Samuels said following the announcement. “We are going to move in a very, very, very aggressive manner.”

Earlier today, word leaked that Knight-Burney had sent an email to staff that indicated that she would leave her job, which she’s held for nearly a decade. Until tonight, it was not clear whether she was resigning or would be fired.

According to the resolution detailing the shakeup, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit No. 23 will supply “a team of highly qualified individuals to provide leadership and administration of business services, human resources, internal operations, academic services and student services operations” for a period of three years.

Dr. John J. George, the executive director of Montgomery County Intermediate Unit No. 23 and the former acting superintendent of the Reading school district, will head up the team.

The resolution praises George for “dramatic financial improvements and educational improvements in the Reading School District.”

“The turnaround of the Reading school district was a result of our ability to design and implement a comprehensive, systematic plan that rebuilt the governance, academic, financial, personnel and operational functions of the school district,” George said, in a statement. “We will utilize a similar strategy to review every aspect of the Harrisburg school district, correct any deficiencies, and create systems to ensure that the district is fiscally efficient, staffed with qualified and effective teachers and employees, and is moving towards academic excellence.”

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit No. 23 will “provide key administrative functions of the district and develop an intervention plan designed to stabilize and rebuild the financial and human resources systems of the district, design and implement a K-12 academic plan, design a governance plan, hire key administrative positions and eventually return the district to local control,” according to the resolution.

George will “provide a reorganization plan for the district leadership team, will realign administrative functions to align with a new organization chart, will provide personnel to administer the office of business services, office of human resources, office of academics and office of student services and will to the greatest extent practical collaborate with the current district staff members and assume that all employees are working with fidelity,” according to the resolution.

Samuels also announced that the district will return to hiring an outside law firm for legal counsel, in this case Philadelphia-based Fox Rothschild LLP at a rate of $250 to $300 an hour, depending on the type of work.

The resolution offered various reasons for the personnel terminations. For Knight-Burney, the rationale was that she was working in violation of the law.

“Dr. Sybil Knight-Burney’s most recent appointment as superintendent was non-compliant with Act 82 of 2012, as she was appointed without the required written contract of employment and all payments made to her during the 2018-19 school year when she did not have a written contract were non-compliant with Pennsylvania law,” stated the resolution.

The resolution further said that her resume “does not provide any official letter of eligibility to be a superintendent in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit No. 23 will now assume “the job responsibilities of the superintendent,” according to the resolution.

The resolution also states that the receiver has broad latitude to replace non-instructional personnel, including the solicitor and business manager.

The position eliminations and terminations, Samuels said, would reduce staff expenses by $600,000 per year.

“The bottom line is that this is what’s best for the children,” she said. “This is a reorganization that will work.”

Almost lost in the district shakeup was what, ordinarily, would be the big news of the night—the 2019-20 budget vote.

Earlier in the meeting, the district school board, by a 6-2 vote, passed its 2019-20 budget, which was unchanged from the preliminary budget approved last month. The $155 million budget will result in an increase of 3.4 percent for the school portion of the city property tax, increasing the millage rate from 28.8 mills to 29.78 mills.

Read the full resolution and press release on the school district’s website.

The Week that Was: A summary of news and features around Harrisburg.

June 21, 2019 | by TheBurg Staff

Harrisburg school Director Carrie Fowler spoke to the press outside of the Dauphin County courthouse on Monday.

From schools to trash to art, there was no lack of Harrisburg news this past week. Here are some of the stories that you may have missed–or already forgot.

Art Festivals abound this summer in Pennsylvania. Find out what’s being shown from the Schuylkill to the Allegheny.

Carlisle Arts Learning Center opened its newest exhibit, “Works and Working,” featuring artwork from a variety of techniques and disciplines. Learn about the new show here.

Death Cab for Cutie brought major concerts back to the Harrisburg waterfront with a show in Riverfront Park, part of the H.U. Concert Series. It was a damp but fun evening, said our reporter.

Devin DePamphilis is a young photographer with a bright future ahead—or maybe he’ll just decide to become a dentist. Click here to learn about his award-winning photography.

Harrisburg entered into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement so that the city soon will begin picking up Steelton’s trash. We published stories both about the City Council vote and the official announcement.

Harrisburg school district conceded the fight over receivership, surprising a packed courtroom by voluntarily agreeing to a state Department of Education takeover. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg’s historic markers are getting a facelift, thanks to a combined effort by Historic Harrisburg Association and Midtown Action Council. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg musician Nyshae Bell, under the name Ayana Aura, sings of her life and struggles, featured as part of TheBurg’s continuing series on local black musicians for African American Music Appreciation Month. Click here to read her story.

Janet Samuels was named the receiver for the Harrisburg school district and presided over her first school board meeting. Get all the details here and here.

Moss Creek Art opened recently in New Cumberland, featuring a variety of custom-made jewelry and art pieces. Find out how owner Carlee Seele took the unusual journey from dentist to artist.

Mostly Toasted debuted in the Broad Street Market, specializing in gourmet-style grilled cheese sandwiches. Get all the tasty, gooey details by reading our story.

Quirky hotels were once a mainstay across the American landscape, but many have faded away over the years. In central PA, a few still exist, and you can stay there. Read our feature story here.

Sara Bozich has a weekend full of fun in store, including 3^rd in the Burg and a new brewery featured at Sip @ Soma. Find out her recommendations here.

Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg saw two new openings this past week, as both Curry in a Hurry and a new Sprint store held ribbon-cuttings. Curry in a Hurry is the food court outpost of the legendary Shipoke restaurant, A Passage to India.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here.

Receiver Samuels pledges transparency, collegiality in first school board meeting under her leadership

June 17, 2019 | by Maddie Crocenzi

The Harrisburg school district’s newly appointed receiver, Dr. Janet Samuels, pledged collaboration with the school board, staff members and the larger community during the district’s first school board meeting under state control.

Samuels (pictured at microphone) was appointed as receiver Monday afternoon by Dauphin County Judge William Tully. The three-year appointment requested by the state Department of Education gives Samuels tremendous power to run the district, including responsibility for most educational, administrative and financial policies and decisions.

From the beginning, Samuels ran the meeting differently than board meetings were run previously, stating that she wants the district to operate efficiently and cost effectively. Staff members from the school district read agenda items that related to their departments, and Samuels said that she expects staff members to come to school board meetings.

“One of the things that is expected is members of the staff will read recommendations, but they will also be expected to do homework,” she said. “It is the expectation they are taking copious notes and that we follow up with members of the public.”

Throughout the meeting, Samuels asked staffers to provide rationale for agenda items for greater transparency with the public. She also made notes to address public questions and included costs, funding sources and terms of contracts in the agenda.

In an effort for transparency, the agenda and personnel items were displayed on a screen behind the board so the public could follow along. Samuels said that she also plans to use board documents so members of the public can access agenda items online before the meeting starts.

Cost-efficiency is another one of Samuels’ goals, she said. In the case of a nearly $2 million contract renewal with for-profit alternative education provider Camelot Education, she said that the district plans to be more mindful of spending going forward and will look across the board at re-evaluating contracts in the coming years.

“This is a one-year contract only so that the district and staff have time to do due diligence to look at what’s most appropriate for children and look at how and why decisions were made,” Samuels explained.

Although some school board members and Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney sat with her during the meeting, Samuels was responsible for approving recommendations.

At the end of the night, Samuels said the goal will be transparency, serving the public and posting agenda items on the screen and prior to board meetings.

“The bottom line is this is about the business of children,” Samuels said. “I see this as an opportunity to work in a collaborative fashion with school board members, with the community, with parents to make a difference for the children in the Harrisburg school district. There are incredible and extraordinary children in this district, and this is about rolling up our sleeves and working together to support all students.”

Samuels said that Monday night’s meeting only addressed the most time-sensitive items. Another school board meeting is scheduled for June 27 at 6 p.m., when Samuels will address payments, approval of the treasurer’s report, budget transfers and other items. The district also must pass a final budget for the 2019-20 school year.

Samuels named Harrisburg school district receiver; administration pledges cooperation

June 17, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district Solicitor James Ellison

A Dauphin County judge has appointed Dr. Janet Samuels as receiver for the Harrisburg school district, giving her broad authority to run the district for the next three years.

Judge William Tully issued an order that Samuels serve as receiver, a three-year appointment requested by the state Department of Education. Samuels has served as the district’s state-appointed chief recovery officer since last year.

In his “Memorandum Opinion,” Judge Tully outlined how the district has failed to meet the academic objectives outlined in the 2013 recovery plan and the 2016 amended plan, thus necessitating the receivership. The district fell far short on a number of measures, including graduation rates and standardized test scores, the opinion states.

The opinion further faults the school board for “failing to comply with the directives issued by the CRO.”

With her appointment, Samuels now is widely empowered to run the district, assuming the roles of both the CRO and the school board. The one power she explicitly lacks is the ability to levy and raise taxes, which remains with the elected school board.

If she chooses, Samuels has the ability to cede some authority back to the board or even appoint an advisory body.

Just before Tully’s order was made public, district Solicitor James Ellison held a hastily arranged press conference at the district’s administration building, during which he emphasized that school administrators, including Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney, would fully cooperate with the receiver.

Ellison said that the decision to drop the district’s opposition to receivership came last night, at a special, closed-door session of the Harrisburg school board.

“The board of school directors and the superintendent of schools decidedly determined that it is in the best interest of our children if we pivoted our time and energy and resources from litigation to continue cooperation and work collaboratively with the receiver and the secretary to bring about positive educational changes for them,” he said.

Despite Ellison’s statement, school board Director Carrie Fowler said this morning that she did not know of this decision and described herself as “shocked” that the district had dropped its opposition to state receivership.

Samuels is expected to run the regularly scheduled school board meeting tonight. Among other issues, the district still must approve a final budget for the 2019-20 school year. The district, until now, has only approved a preliminary budget, which contains a 3.4-percent property tax increase.

“Dr. Samuels is upstairs as we speak and getting ready for tonight’s board meeting,” Ellison said. “She is the receiver of this district, and our obligation and our duty is to work with her to bring about the positive educational changes that she intends to bring.”

Ellison cited the “failed city takeover” of the district from 2000 to 2010 as a lesson for today, saying that effort proved that stakeholders should cooperate, not be in conflict. The previous receivership, led by former Mayor Steve Reed, yielded little academic progress, but resulted in tremendous financial pain for the district, Ellison said.

At his press conference, Ellison painted a very positive picture of the school system.

“This district has rewarded the trust of many parents, as our city schools have done well by their children and countless others that have personally passed through our schoolhouse doors and gone on to become prominent and productive citizens here and elsewhere,” he said.

State to take over Harrisburg school district as administration concedes receivership fight

June 17, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school board Director Carrie Fowler speaks to the media following today’s brief court hearing.

A Dauphin County courthouse let out a collective gasp this morning, as a judge announced that the Harrisburg school district would not contest a petition to place the district under state receivership.

Judge William Tully announced from the bench that the district decided not to challenge the state Department of Education’s takeover of the district, surprising a crowded courtroom, which expected the hearing to last at least a full day.

“I’m shocked, absolutely shocked,” said current school board Director Carrie Fowler, following the announcement. “I thought they were going to fight this.”

Fowler said that, while she initially opposed the state’s move, she now backs receivership for the district.

By every indication, the district seemed prepared to contest the petition filed on June 3 by state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera. Just last Wednesday, district Solicitor James Ellison filed a lengthy response to the petition, offering a point-by-point refutation of the state’s critique of the district and its case for receivership.

The district, however, had a very high bar to reach to successfully battle receivership. It needed to show that the state’s request was “arbitrary, capricious or wholly irrelevant” to restoring the district to financial stability.

In a previous hearing, Tully already had indicated that he believed that the state’s case for receivership was strong.

From the bench, Tully commended the district for its decision. He said that the district and the state now needed to work together to “complete the goals” of the district’s 2013 recovery plan.

“I hereby grant the receivership,” he stated, before banging the gavel and dismissing the courtroom.

Tully still must issue his formal order, in which he may announce the name of the receiver. The state has asked that Dr. Janet Samuels, the current chief recovery officer for the district, be appointed receiver for the district for a three-year period.

Under state law, the elected school board is now stripped of all authority, except the power to levy and raise taxes.

In fact, the Harrisburg school board is in the midst of the budget process for the 2019-20 school year. It was due to pass a final budget by June 30, though it seems now to lack the authority to do so. That budget assumed a property tax increase of 3.4 percent.

It remains to be seen how exactly the receivership will manifest itself, in terms of organization and additional resources that may be made available to the district.

Only two other school districts in Pennsylvania are currently under receivership, Duquesne and Chester-Upland. In Duquesne, the receiver is responsible for all financial, administrative and educational decisions, backed by a 20-person “Receiver Advisory Council” made up of city residents.

Jayne Buchwach, a Democratic nominee for school board, said that she believed that the receivership would take effect immediately. She hoped that the receiver, the administration and the school board now would work together.

“Will it be a cooperative relationship?” she asked. “I hope so. If so, it would make history.”

She also echoed Fowler in her surprise at today’s outcome.

“I’m just stunned, but I do appreciate that the current school board and the administration did not fight this, saving us all a long day in court,” she said. “Now, onto the next chapter.”

Judge issues order preventing Harrisburg school board from acting on contracts

June 10, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district’s Administration Building

A Dauphin County judge has issued an order preventing the Harrisburg school board from unilaterally entering into new contracts, including a settlement with Premier Charter School.

Judge William Tully issued the order late Friday, following a hearing in his courtroom, but the order was just made public this morning. It bars the board from entering into binding obligations without the express consent of the state’s representative to the district, Chief Recovery Officer Janet Samuels.

The order states that “. . . the [school] board is enjoined from binding the district to new—or terminating existing—commitments, obligations, or expenditure of resources, including by amending, altering or entering into any contracts for goods or services (including the hiring or contracting of personnel), unless such action is done with the written consent of the Chief Recovery Officer as being consistent with the 2016 Amended Recovery Plan . . . .”

The final sentence of the order specifically prevents the board from “entering into any settlement authorizing the granting of a charter to Premier Charter School.”

Last week, the board hastily scheduled a “special” meeting, which Tully stopped by issuing an injunction as the meeting’s private executive session was occurring. At that meeting, the board was to consider voting on a settlement with Premier Charter School, which would have allowed the school to continue operating, despite the board denying it a charter renewal last year.

The meeting also was called to discuss a variety of personnel issues, which district critics feared included entering into contracts with Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and Solicitor James Ellison.

On Friday, Tully held a hearing that revealed that Thursday night’s school board meeting would have taken up the issue of a settlement with Premier Charter School. According to Tully, Samuels had not been made aware of the proposed settlement.

In its petition for placing the school district into state receivership, the state Department of Education has recommended that Samuels be named the district’s receiver.

“Shouldn’t you have discussed the settlement with your CRO and possible receiver?” Tully asked Ellison during the court hearing on Friday.

Tully also criticized the school district for calling the special meeting so suddenly and then posting the agenda, which made no mention of the proposed settlement, just hours before the meeting was to occur.

“That timetable had a smell to it,” Tully said.

The hearing on the district entering into state receivership is slated for June 17.

Judge expected to issue order barring Harrisburg school board from entering into contracts

June 7, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district administration building

A Dauphin County judge is expected to issue an order stopping the Harrisburg school district from entering into certain contracts without the express consent of the district’s chief recovery officer.

At an hourlong court hearing on Friday afternoon, Judge William Tully said he was prepared to issue an order that would prevent the school board from acting on certain contracts and other legally binding matters, in anticipation of a June 17 hearing that could place the district into state receivership.

Tully seemed to reject the principal argument of district Solicitor James Ellison, who said that, even if the school board entered into contracts over the next couple of weeks, those contracts potentially could be unwound if the district were placed into receivership.

Tully, however, pointed out that that undoing those contracts would require litigation, which would end up unnecessarily costing the taxpayers of Harrisburg.

“That’s why this injunction is probably going to be granted, because that’s where the harm is,” Tully said.

He indicated that he would draft the order to allow the district to enter into contracts only with the explicit approval of Dr. Janet Samuels, the district’s chief recovery officer.

Last Monday, education Secretary Pedro Rivera filed a petition with the court requesting a three-year state receivership and asking that Samuels be named the receiver. The hearing on the petition is slated for June 17, and Tully then has 10 days to approve or deny it.

Immediately after the petition was filed, the current school board called a special meeting for unspecified “personnel” matters, leading some to believe that the board wanted to quickly pass long-term contracts for the district superintendent and solicitor.

Today, Tully also called into question Ellison’s reasoning for that special meeting, which was stopped last night after Tully issued a temporary injunction to prevent it from happening before today’s hearing.

Ellison said that the meeting was called so the board could approve a potential settlement with Premier Arts & Sciences Charter School, which would allow the threatened school to continue operating, and, in the process, approve a smattering of faculty contracts.

Tully, though, was not satisfied with that answer. He cited the board’s repeated reliance on special meetings, its alleged lack of transparency and the fact that the agenda for the special meeting was posted just hours before it was to occur.

“That timetable had a smell to it,” Tully said.

Today’s hearing also brought to light that the state’s petition for receivership is likely to be granted. Tully described the state’s burden of proof as a “low bar” to meet, as state law allows for receivership unless the judge determines that the request is “arbitrary” or “capricious.”

As the hearing ended, the crowd of about 50 people broke into applause with the belief that the judge would grant the emergency order preventing the school district from entering into contracts.

“I am extremely pleased,” said Jayne Buchwach, who, last month, won the Democratic nomination for a school board seat. “And I don’t feel badly for Mr. Ellison.”

State files motion to stop Harrisburg school board from granting contracts

June 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district’s administration building

The state secretary of education has filed an emergency motion aimed at stopping the Harrisburg school district from entering into new contracts, just hours before the school board is scheduled to meet in special session.

Secretary Pedro Rivera this afternoon filed an emergency motion for an injunction “to preserve the status quo,” in anticipation that the board would vote tonight on long-term contracts for the school superintendent and solicitor.

Rivera wants to halt all contractual decisions by the district until county Judge William Tully decides whether or not to grant Rivera’s petition to place the Harrisburg district into state-controlled receivership. That hearing is scheduled for June 17.

“The board should not be permitted to enter into or terminate existing contracts during this interim period with the Petition pending, impacting a receiver’s ability to effect meaningful change,” according to today’s court motion.

In his response, school district Solicitor James Ellison stated that “there is no legal basis whatsoever for infringing upon or limiting their [school board’s] actions as the Secretary requests.”

As of this posting, Tully had not taken action on the injunction motion.

The school board has scheduled a special meeting for tonight to discuss unspecified “personnel issues,” which many believe could include action on several long-term contracts.

On Monday, Rivera petitioned the court to place the Harrisburg district into receivership, citing numerous alleged failures on the part of the current school administration and board. The hearing was originally slated for tomorrow, but was pushed up 10 days.

Harrisburg school district asks court to delay hearing on receivership

June 4, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A recent meeting of the Harrisburg school board

The Harrisburg school district is requesting a delay in a Friday hearing to determine whether the district will be placed into receivership.

In a court filing today, district Solicitor James Ellison requested a delay for the hearing until Tuesday, claiming that scheduled Friday hearing was too early for the district to properly “prepare a defense.”

“Given the volume of information contained in the Petition and its related exhibits, as well as the significance of the remedy sought by [state Education] Secretary [Pedro] Rivera which could result in a state takeover for the second time in two consecutive decades and change the government of the Harrisburg School District from that of local control to a state appointed receiver, the District and the Harrisburg School District Board of School Directors are requesting additional time to adequately defend against the Petition and the claims set forth therein,” according to the “Motion for Continuance” filed by Ellison.

The requested June 11 hearing date is still within the seven-day statutory requirement to hold a hearing following the submission of Rivera’s court petition on Monday, Ellison wrote.

Ellison stated that Rivera’s “counsel have [sic] invested a significant amount of time to gather information and materials to craft the Petition,” which totals 403 pages, with 14 separate exhibits. Therefore, Ellison wrote, the request for a continuance is “reasonable” and “fair.”

After the hearing is held, the court has 10 days to make a decision to grant or deny receivership.

Yesterday, Rivera filed a petition with the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas asking the court to appoint a receiver for the district, namely Dr. Janet Samuels, the current chief recovery officer for the district. Judge William Tully then set the hearing for Friday at 1:30 p.m.

In the petition, Rivera offered numerous reasons for the request for the three-year receivership, which would put the district directly under the control of the court-appointed receiver and a Board of Control. These included:

“Failing to meet, or even make progress toward, established targets for student achievement.”
“Failing to hire or retain a Chief Financial Officer and a qualified Business Manager with the requisite experience to provide financial leadership.”
“Failing to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce the excessive staff absenteeism that negatively impacts the District’s ability to serve its students.”
“Failing to exercise appropriate administrative controls by maintaining an accurate staff position file, resulting in, among other things, the District improperly providing health care benefits to former employees at the cost of more than $700,000.”

“The Secretary seeks the appointment of a receiver because the District has failed to implement or fulfill key initiatives in a financial recovery plan unanimously adopted by its board of directors, approved by the Secretary of Education, and prepared consistent with a statutory obligation to provide for the delivery of effective educational services to all students enrolled in the District and for the District’s return to financial stability,” according to Rivera’s petition.

On a related issue, school board President Danielle Robinson has called a special meeting of the school board for Thursday to discuss “personnel issues.”

The meeting notice, in today’s issue of the Patriot-News, does not indicate specifically which personnel matters are at issue. However, both Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and Solicitor James Ellison currently lack contracts with the district.

The timing, just before the scheduled receivership hearing, may indicate that the administration’s supporters on the school board might try to approve new contracts for Knight-Burney and Ellison just before the district goes into receivership, after which the board would lose that power.

State files petition to place Harrisburg school district into receivership

June 3, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The Harrisburg school district Administration Building

The state Department of Education today took a first step towards putting the Harrisburg school district into receivership, meaning the district soon could come under the direct control of a state-appointed receiver.

Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera petitioned the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas to place the troubled district into receivership, recommending appointing Dr. Janet Samuels as receiver, according to Rivera.

Samuels is currently the district’s state-appointed chief recovery officer (CRO), a position she assumed last year.

“When a receiver is appointed, the individual takes operational control of the district, assuming all the power and duties of the CRO and the board of school directors, except the power to levy and raise taxes,” Rivera said.

Judge William Tully has scheduled a hearing on Friday at 1:30 p.m. He then has 10 days to grant or deny receivership. The judge can either accept the department’s recommendation of a receiver or name an alternative.

The district has been in “financial recovery” since December 2012, and Samuels is one of a succession of CROs over that time.

The CRO, the school administration and the school board were supposed to work together to improve the district academically and forge a financial recovery plan. However, school taxes are now about to rise for two consecutive years, and the district has not shown substantial academic improvement.

Moreover, the district administration increasingly has been under fire for over-hiring faculty, for controversial appointments and for shuffling around principals, among other issues.

In a primary election two weeks ago, Harrisburg voters rejected every incumbent on the ballot, instead nominating five challengers for seats on the city school board, all of whom promised substantial oversight and reform of the district.

Local officials expressed a range of reactions to the news of a possible receivership for the district.

Current board Director Carrie Fowler said that she was “highly disappointed” by the move.

“I can honestly say that I am not surprised by their decision, but was hoping for a different outcome,” she said. “Losing local control of our public school system is silencing the community that clearly stated loud and clear on May 21 they wanted a change.”

Director Judd Pittman described the state’s decision to seek receivership as “a bit of a mixed bag.”

“We’re talking about removing local control, especially after the last election. However, a lot can happen between now and December,” he said, referencing the fact that the new board won’t be seated for six months, meaning that the existing school board would make decisions until then.

For instance, the board would need to approve a contract for newly hired district solicitor James Ellison. The board is also awaiting the results of a state-mandated financial audit of the district.

For the state, the final straw may have come last week, when the administration terminated the contract of the district’s interim human resources director, leaving that crucial department without leadership just days before a major faculty recruiting event, Pittman said.

“She was putting necessary processes into place, and we got rid of her,” he said.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse was fully supportive of the state’s move.

“I want to thank Gov. Wolf and Secretary Rivera for making this difficult but necessary decision,” he said. “I believe receivership will allow the Harrisburg school district to address its many systemic problems and provide brighter futures for the next generation of city youth.”

If the court grants the petition, this would not be the first time the Harrisburg district found itself in a form of receivership. In 2000, the state placed the district under the control of former Mayor Steve Reed and an appointed Board of Control. That arrangement ended in 2010, leading to the hiring of current Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney.

Currently, only two districts in the state are under receivership–the Duquesne city and Chester-Upland school districts, according to the state DOE.

This story has been updated with comments from local officials.

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