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WILKES-BARRE — Student Natalie Davidson’s words had the heat of fire as she spoke about what it meant to learn how to apply the sciences to the real world, an opportunity on the chopping block at the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting Monday.
Industrial Arts programs “showed me the possibility, they showed me there can be technology jobs out there for me,” Davidson said, warning the world will be different if students aren’t taught tech that can solve problems.
“We are the future,” she said, “we are going to be there and we are going to dictate what happens to your life.” Lacking essential knowledge will make it harder to fix future problems.
A record 64 people signed up to speak at Monday night’s Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting, with teachers, parents and students passionate about a proposal to suspend elementary and secondary library services, family and consumer science, technology education, and elementary and secondary art.
The agenda also included a preliminary budget with a tax increase and a vote to borrow up to $150 million.
The crowd was so huge the first order of business was a unanimous vote to reduce the maximum speaking time from five minutes to three “so everyone gets a chance to speak,” Solicitor Ray Wendolowski said. Wendolowski also noted the board would not comment based on his recommendation.
Teacher John Padilla led off with a comparison of the Vietnam War mantra of destroying a village to save it.
“Under the guise of saving this district, you will in fact be the architects of its destruction,” Padilla said. “It is impossible for us to know the profound exponential loss students will suffer without these classes.”
Because teachers with seniority have the opportunity to switch subjects if certified and bump someone else out, Padilla added “a quality teacher will be replaced with a simply qualified teacher.”
Keith Eberts, whose job as a STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math) teacher could be in jeopardy, rattled of projects of his students, including an electric guitar from a shovel and a Nintendo game controller from scratch. “We’re not building bird houses in my class.”
Student Devyn Jackson quoted Albert Einstein: “Logic will get you from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere.”
Teacher union president Jeff Ney made a rare appearance at the podium, contending the district is acting without a clear plan as to what happens after the cuts. Acknowledging the board faces a financial crisis created over decades, he urge the board “don’t let poor decisions made years ago that got us into this mess be compounded tonight.”
After John Suchoski called for residents to vote all the members off the board, President Joe Caffrey called for a five-minute recess, prompting calls from some in the audience to “make it three.”
Former Board Member Mark Schiowitz, a prominent member of the group Save Our Schools, presented an alternative to the current consolidation plan: Build a cheaper replacement for Coughlin near the Plains/Solomon school, restore Meyers over years, make Solomon a K-6 school and gradually upgrade GAR.
Attorney Kim Borland hailed the plan, saying it would save money and prevent the need for layoffs, prompted by studies that suggest the district will be bankrupt in five years.
Family and consumer science teacher Janna Michael offered quotes from students, including “if I don’t have this class, I’ll fail,” and one that brought a laugh from the crowd: “This is the class that taught me I don’t want to have children.”
Her voice choking, Brittany Wolovich warned against rumors of future cuts to music. “When words fail, music speaks.”
And after ignoring the three-minute limit by saying he pays taxes and “I own this microphone,” teacher Barry Trievel called for greater activism by all on all education issues. “It’s time to do more.”
When all was said and done, Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak introduced the resolution as “agonizing” and insisted the district “looked at every possible scenario.” Denise Thomas moved for the motion. Ned Evans was first to vote, saying the kids “got right to my heart” before voting no. Everyone else voted yes.
Eliminating the programs does not automatically mean the people teaching in those programs will lose their jobs. Teachers who may have other seniority and appropriate state certification could “bump” a less-experienced employee currently teaching that subject.
The board would likely set a cut-off date at which the certifications all teachers have are the ones used to decide who is laid off.
The board also approved a preliminary budget for next year of $116.9 million, about $2 million more than than this year, rasing taxes to 16.8536 mills, up from 16.299. A mill is a $2 tax for every $1,000 in assessed property value.
And the board voted to begin the process of borrowing up to $150 million for “capital projects” as it moves forward on the consolidation of Meyers and Coughlin High Schools.
