Scranton School Board Director Katie Gilmartin resigns
Reached Monday, Gilmartin declined to comment on why she stepped down in the final year of her second four-year term. She did not file paperwork to run for reelection in the May 20 primary election.
Katie Gilmartin (File photo)
Currently serving on the board's community relations and personnel committees, Gilmartin was the school board president in 2020 and 2021.
Scranton School Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., released a statement Monday afternoon announcing Gilmartin submitted a letter of resignation Friday.
The school board will consider Gilmartin's resignation at the board's regular meeting on April 7, Keating said.
One of the numerous items on the board's agenda for the work session Monday at 7 p.m. at the West Scranton High School auditorium is listed as a 'Motion to Accept – Resignation of Director Gilmartin.'
Pursuant to board policies, the board 'will take the necessary steps to fill the resulting vacancy. Further information regarding the process and the timeline will be shared with the community as it becomes available,' Keating's announcement said.
The four seats on the school board that are up for grabs this year are held by Gilmartin, board President Ty Holmes, Vice President Danielle Chesek and Director Sean McAndrew.
Of those four, only Chesek seeks reelection to the board.
The candidates in the 2025 primary for Scranton School Board and how they filed — as Democrats or Republicans, or cross-filed in both parties — include Joe Brazil (D/R), Danielle Chesek (D/R), John Howe (D/R), Jenna Strzelecki (D/R), Mary Walsh (D/R), Julien Wells (D/R) and Carol Cleary (D).
McAndrew, who has served on the board since 2020, is seeking a Democratic nomination for one of three open seats on Scranton City Council.
Holmes, who is ending his first term on the board, had said that instead of seeking reelection he wants to focus on his health and other community endeavors.
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.
Gilmartin also serves on the Scranton's Historical Architecture Review Board.
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