Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania has sued the board of control that runs the troubled Chester-Upland schools, accusing it of failing to resolve the district’s longstanding financial and academic woes.
In the lawsuit filed Sept. 30 in Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg, the Democratic governor asks for the court to place the district in receivership, which would give a court-appointed official the responsibility for the board’s functions. Previously, he called for an investigation into the management of the 7,500-student district and pressed the three members of the board to resign.
The board was appointed in January 2003 by then-Gov. Mark Schweiker, a Republican. Its members, whose terms expire in December 2007, cannot be removed unless found guilty of criminal activity.
The lawsuit alleges that the control board has “grossly mismanaged” the district, increased its structural deficit, and failed to raise student test scores.
Members of the board could not be reached for comment.