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PLAINS TWP. — In one of the most dramatic meetings in months — if not years — the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board rejected a motion to consolidate all three high schools into one new one, approved a plan that cuts millions in spending in the next four years, and fired five GAR Memorial teachers.
The board also accepted the resignations of Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak and Business Manager Leonard Przywara, both effective Aug. 31. The former had been expected; Prevuznak read a statement announcing his retirement at a previous meeting. But Pryzwara had not made any public notice of plans to retire.
In the same vote to accept the retirements, the board approved a $25,000 early retirement bonus for both men and 18 other employees. Solicitor Ray Wendolowski said the bonus had been negotiated for all professional employees last year at the board’s request, to encourage more retirements for cost savings. Board Member Christine Katsock told the audience 17 of the retirees will not be replaced.
All of which was punctuated with an urgent interruption more than 90 minutes into the meeting by Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak to announce a 5-year-old Dodson elementary student was missing. By the end of the marathon session he announced the student had not boarded the bus, but apparently walked home safely.
Prevuznak said there are procedures in place to make sure all students board a bus, and promised to “look into” what happened.
The meeting opened with Katsock unveiling the “Pathway to the Future,” designed by the business office, a plan to move the district from a projected deficit to a surplus by 2019-2020.
A district analysis had projected that a current surplus will evaporate and change to $29.4 million in red ink by 2020-21 without change. A separate study by the PFM Group, contracted by the state, estimated the red ink at more than $70 million.
The pathway presented by Katsock and unanimously approved by the board later in the meeting could cut up to $11 million in spending over four years:
• 2016-17 — District-wide cuts equal to $4 million to $4.5 million; acquire loan for debt service payment. Katsock said current estimate is about $4.8 million in borrowing.
• 2017-18 — Cuts of approximately $2.5 million; preserve a capital fund balance of $4 million.
• 2018-19 — Minimal cuts; preserve capital fund balance of $4 million.
• 2019-20 — Cuts of approximately $4 million based on consolidation and through other cuts if necessary; preserve $4 million for capital fund balance.
The board also voted 7-2 to terminate five GAR Memorial High School teachers: Corey Brenner, Mollie Evans, Jason Lukachinsky, Jill Wujcik and Glenn Zimmerman. The board gave no reasons, but sources confirmed in March that they were allegedly caught either drinking before or while chaperoning a junior high dance. They had been suspended with pay after the incident.
Wendolowski said the five waived their rights to hearings before the School Board, but added the union has already promised grievances will be filed. The threat of grievances does not change the termination, but a successful grievance could force the district to restore them to their posts.
Near the end of the meeting during the “new business” section, Board Member Ned Evans made the motion to consolidate all three high schools into one new one, stressing the move would be made only if the district was successful in efforts to acquire the Times Leader building, or at least the parking lot adjacent to Coughlin High School.
Evans had promised to make the motion during a short special meeting March 29.
Evans has made no secret of his preference to consolidate Meyers, GAR Memorial and Coughlin into one school, contending it saves more money and assures all students in grades 9-12 have the same opportunities afforded from a new, state-of-the-art school.
The board voted last year to consolidate grades 9-12 in Meyers and Coughlin into a new school to be constructed on the Coughlin site. Students in grades eight and nine at Meyers would be moved to an addition to Kistler Elementary.
Asked how much time such a change would delay construction of a new school, Architect Kyle Kinsman of WKL Architects said it was hard to tell, but noted some work is already done on the smaller school needed to consolidate Meyers and Coughlin, and offered a rough estimate of five additional months if that work had to be redone for a larger school.
Several board members appeared to have a hard time deciding on the vote. Shawn Walker, in particular, questioned the motion at length and took a long time to ultimately vote no.
Walker said he felt retaining three community high schools was the best choice, but if that were not an option, a single high school was the second best option. Yet he added, “There are too many questions” about the idea to vote for it now, though he may agree to a similar motion later.
“This has been an incredible journey,” he added.
Evans, Denise Thomas and Dr James Susek cast the three yes votes for complete consolidation. Susek said that, like Evans, he has always believed a single high school would be the best choice.
After the meeting, Wendolowski gave an update on district efforts to acquire the Times leader building and property on North Main Street, adjacent to Coughlin. Panzitta Enterprises, Inc. has offered to buy the building, renovate it into classrooms and lease it to the district for 20 years with district owning it after that.
The board previously voted to negotiate the lease, to buy the building and renovate it if a lease can’t be settled, and to take the building by eminent domain if the first two options fail.
Wendolowski had said the negotiations were stalled while the district awaited guidance from the state on whether such a deal would be legal. On Monday he said the state had advised a “lease to own” deal would be problematic, but that the district could lease the building indefinitely.
That means the district will consider a deal that would lease the building for something like 99 years, Wendolowski said.
After that?
“That’s for some other solicitor to worry about,” he quipped.