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SCRANTON - A plea agreement signed by former Wilkes-Barre Area School Director James Height calls for him to serve 12 to 18 months in prison based on sentencing guidelines, but the sentence could be further reduced if he provides substantial assistance to authorities in their ongoing corruption probe.

Height, 53, of Wilkes-Barre, was charged this afternoon with accepting $2,000 for aiding a contractor in his attempts to secure a contract within the district.  The U.S. Attorney's office did not identify the contract or the contractor in court documents.

 The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but that would only come into play if Height had a prior criminal record and there were other aggravating factors. The standard sentencing range - given the offense and his prior record - is 18 to 24 months, according to sentencing guidelines. The the U.S. Attorney's office has agreed to lower that range to 12 to 18 months in exchange for the plea.

Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a further reduction if it's determined that information Height provides significantly aids their investigation into others, according to the plea.

Height, who abruptly resigned from the school board last week, is the third school official to be charged with corruption within the past month.

  On April 20, Wilkes-Barre Area board member Brian Dunn was charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for the awarding of contracts and jobs within the school district. On April 16 Pittston Area School Superintendent Ross Scarantino was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for contracts.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Times Leader.

Posted 1:45 p.m

Updated 1:50 p.m. with press release

SCRANTON - Wilkes-Barre Area School Director James Height has been charged with accepting $2,000 in cash to help a contractor obtain a contract with the school district, U.S. Attorney Martin Carlson announced.

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