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This is a plea, not a request, for Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, the city council, Luzerne County Manager David Pedri and the Luzerne County Council to intercede in saving Wilkes-Barre.
The demise of the city is at the threshold of a downward spiral that maybe difficult to stop. At the center of this debacle is the Wilkes-Barre Area School District’s dysfunctional board of education.
The county and city are experiencing serious debt as is the school district. The school district continues to find ways to deepen the debt. The saying “if you are in a hole, stop digging” applies to the school board.
The latest “non-plan” is to move all high schools or maybe just two high schools — the board has a ton of maybes — out of the city.
As the president of Save Our Schools, a homeowner and graduate of the city school system, I ask for the assistance of city and county governments.
I suggest that the city and county councils pass resolutions opposing the school district’s plan to move the high schools from the city, stating in a public meeting why it is bad idea. Both councils need to discus in a public meeting why they need to be involved or not.
In Pennsylvania five board members can place 80,000 people in a quarter of a billion dollar debt, and the 80,000 have no say.
Richard A. Holodick
President, Save Our Schools
Wilkes-Barre