AG’s Says It Can’t Help School District On Bus Contract Issue

The state attorney general’s office denied the Scranton School Board’s request for assistance in determining if the district’s no-bid busing contract with DeNaples Transportation is legitimate. On April 24, board President Barbara Dixon, Vice President Robert Casey Jr. and Directors Carol Oleski, Mark McAndrew, Paul Duffy, Tom Schuster, Katie Gilmartin and Paige Gebhardt Cognetti sent a letter asking Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office to help “determine the validity of the district’s primary transportation contract.” Director Bob Lesh did not sign the letter. The attorney general’s office examined the law to thoroughly answer the district’s questions and determined it is not appropriate for the office to issue a legal opinion, Grace said. In October, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale criticized the district’s no-bid contract and busing costs with DeNaples, among other issues, during his scathing audit of the district.