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Fitness club to debut remodel on Saturday

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Unsettled labor contracts cost Luzerne County employees longevity bonuses

WRIGHT TWP. &#8212; The Crestwood Area School Board approved a $35.6 million 2015-16 budget on Thursday night that will raise real estate taxes, but the new budget didn&#8217;t draw the most public debate.Academic programs, salary increases for the administrative staff and the lack of a band director as well as band programs and the lack of facilities for band parents to conduct their activities drew the most attention.The budget, which raised the tax rate to 9.6347 mills, passed on a marginal 5-4 vote. Directors Eric Aideldinger, Brian Marshall, Maureen McGovern and William Thomas voted against the budget. Directors Jerry Orloski, Gene Mancini, Ken Malkemes, Norbert Dotzel and Randy Swank voted for the budget.A mill is $1 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property valuation.Courtney Lomax, a financial adviser who is associated with the Albert Melone Company of Pittston, said the tax increase amounts to 2.4 percent.In passing the budget, the board acted to grant pay increases of 2.4 percent to the administrative staff, including raising out-going superintendent David McLaughlin-Smith&#8217;s salary to $120,320, encompassing a &#8220;base salary adjustment&#8221; of $590.91 and that of Brian Waite, assistant to the superintendent, to $104,716 and high school principal, Christoper Gegaris to $99,675.The pay raises drew criticism from Ron Sturgeon, a Wright Township resident. Sturgeon said that in light of recently published test scores that placed Crestwood in a low rating statewide, the raises should not have been automatic, but rather based upon &#8220;harder work to bring Crestwood up to standard.&#8221;Board Chairman Jerry Orloski, however, countered, &#8220;We believe our administrators do a fantastic job.&#8221;Sturgeon&#8217;s comments produced a series of complaints from the public about existing educational programs, the need for more advanced programs and needed revisions to the curriculum to make classes more interesting. There were parents who claimed that their children are &#8220;bored&#8221; in class.In rebuttal, Waite said Crestwood remains &#8220;above average in national SAT scores&#8221; and he said he and his staff are already working on curriculum revisions.McLaughlin-Smith came under public pressure about the lack of a high school band director with the July 4th parade at hand and fall football season approaching. He assured the public the band will have a director for the parade, and he added that efforts will be made to have a permament director by August.There was also debate on the girls&#8217; varsity basketball coach, which resulted in the board rescinding the appointment of Vince Trivelpiece as coach and replacing him, on a 5-3 vote, with Edward Stepanski, who has prior coaching experience at Northwest Area High School. Stepanski&#8217;s appointment met with objection from McGovern, Thomas and Dotzel.Trivelpiece was elected in May but issues surrounding a PIAA suspension, and Trivelpiece starting a new job resulted in his declining the appointment.

Crestwood budget contains tax raise