W-B Area approves tax hike, votes to send consolidation plans to state

WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board approved a property tax increase of 2.7 percent and authorized the official submission to the state of a plan to build a new, consolidated high school.

About a dozen critics of the plan to merge Coughlin and Meyers high schools attended Monday’s board meeting. Some asked the board to reconsider decisions made June 10 when the board voted 7-2 for the consolidation and directed a design team of four engineering firms to prepare documents for the state.

The board again voted 7-2 Monday to submit the documents, which the district plans to submit today because the state on Wednesday is starting a moratorium on PlanCon funding for school construction projects. The district plans to borrow about $100 million through a bond issue for new construction, which also includes renovations at the vacant Mackin Elementary School and an addition at Kistler Elementary School.

District officials hope to get more than $20 million from the state and have concluded that renovating the current aging facilities at Meyers and Coughlin is too expensive.

Board members Christine Katsock and the Rev. Shawn Walker have voted against the consolidation, and they also voted against the $114.8 million budget, which includes a 2.7 percent increase in the property tax rate. Board President Lou Elmy and Dr. James Susek also voted against the budget, which was approved 5-4.

The tax rate is increasing from 15.871 mills to 16.2995 mills. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 of assessed property.

Wilkes-Barre City Councilman George Brown asked the school board to reconsider a vote to ask voters to approve the high school consolidation. On June 10, the board voted 5-4 against letting voters make decisions through ballot questions.

At Monday’s meeting, Solicitor Raymond Wendolowski said the proposed ballot questions at the June 10 meeting would not have been legal because the state prohibits a non-binding referendum from being placed on the ballot. He said he had researched the issue after the June 10 meeting.

A binding referendum can be placed on the ballot but must include more specific details, including a more precise estimate of the cost, Wendolowski said. The board is required to hold a public hearing on the construction plan if a binding referendum is not put on the ballot, but that will take place after specific designs are done, Wendolowski said. That public hearing could take place in six to 12 months, he said.

Under the planned consolidation, Meyers would close after construction of the new high school is done in 2018 or 2019. The plan doesn’t affect GAR Senior/Junior High School and will reduce the number of high schools in the district from three to two.

Meyers opened in South Wilkes-Barre in 1930. Coughlin opened in downtown Wilkes-Barre in 1909.

The renovated Mackin school in Wilkes-Barre is expected to open in November and will initially be used for roughly 500 ninth- and 10th-grade students from Coughlin when the oldest parts of the high school are closed. The Coughlin annex, which dates back to 1952, will remain open in 2015-16 for the 11th and 12th grades.

Board member John R. Quinn said he thinks the district can save money and open the consolidated high school earlier if the Coughlin annex becomes part of the new school. Officials said they have not figured out where to educate all Coughlin students during Coughlin’s demolition if the annex is also demolished.

During a public comment session at Monday’s meeting, John Suchoski questioned if the district’s design team would get continue to work on the consolidation project.

“Possibly,” Wendolowski replied, later adding “it’s wrong to suggest” the design team wants to “line their pockets.”

The board last year hired Borton-Lawson, A+E Engineering, Williams Kinsman Lewis Architecture and Thomas Leonard Engineering as the design team for a feasibility study of district facilities and construction options. The district has paid the firms more than $430,000.

Wendolowski noted that three workers on the design team are proud Meyers graduates. He added the firms would be paid more if they endorsed the costlier option to renovate Meyers because the district will pay a percentage of the overall cost.

Lisa Barth told the board about Saturday’s rally to save Meyers, noting 300 people were there.

“We trusted all of you,” Barth said. “You took advantage of our trust.”

The following board members voted for the consolidation: Quinn, Elmy, Susek, Dino Galella, Joe Caffrey, Ned Evans and Denise Thomas.

The following voted for the budget: Quinn, Galella, Caffrey, Evans and Thomas.

Elmy said he wanted to see more spending cuts. Walker said he could not vote to raise taxes when the board “is not listening effectively” to the public.

The board also voted Monday for a year-long hiring freeze that only allows hiring to fill essential jobs. Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak said the district will eliminate three secondary school jobs that became vacant from retirements and may eliminate three administrative jobs.