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Berish to be honored at Knights of Columbus dinner dance

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Pugh named corporate chairperson for Bowl For Kids’ Sake 2016

<p>Rather than rally public support for a planned new high school, Wilkes-Barre Area School District leaders continue to bumble along, blowing each opportunity.</p><p>Take, for instance, the release of an artist&#8217;s renderings showing what a consolidated, downtown school might look like: four-stories, flexible classroom setups, ultra-modern &#8211; a public building in which people arguably could take pride. So how was this centerpiece of the district&#8217;s potential $100 million school-upgrade project introduced?</p><p>Was it unveiled at a news conference to which the area&#8217;s print and broadcast journalists were invited? No.</p><p>During a specially called school board information session? No.</p><p>With fanfare on the <a href="http://www.wbasd.k12.pa.us/" target="_blank">district&#8217;s website</a>? No.</p><p>Instead, you <em>could</em> have caught a glimpse of the artist&#8217;s renderings <em>if</em> you happened to attend an open house Sunday at the district&#8217;s newly renovated Mackin school, and <em>if</em> you moseyed into the cafeteria/auditorium, and <em>if</em> you noticed the images that a projector silently cast onto the wall. Good grief. About the only way this reveal of a controversial, taxpayer-funded, community gathering spot could have been less conspicuous is if the district had slipped the drawings into a kindergarten student&#8217;s show-and-tell presentation.</p><p>We are not suggesting that school board members try to build consensus for the plan by resorting to a P.T. Barnum-style sales pitch. It won&#8217;t work; lots of district residents have legitimate concerns about how this project is being executed.</p><p>However, school officials could win converts and more respect by not taking people by surprise (remember last year&#8217;s hasty vote to drop certain building sites from consideration and proceed with consolidation) and by better targeting its message.</p><p>In too many cases, the district has appeared inconsistent. On public input. On the project&#8217;s pace. On transparency.</p><p>For example, while allowing open house participants to gawk at drawings of the dreamed-of high school, Wilkes-Barre Area continues to defend its non-release of building &#8220;specifications.&#8221; The district solicitor maintains that revealing floor plans and other details could pose a security risk from potential intruders, including terrorists. (While safety is paramount, does anyone believe most savvy alumni of the city&#8217;s three, decades-old high schools couldn&#8217;t commit a floor plan of those places to paper?)</p><p>For the sake of this project, and its ultimate success, district administrators and school board members should strive to supply as much information as possible and telegraph their moves. Meanwhile, preach the plan&#8217;s merits. Tell people that a centralized school &#8211; in the heart of a city, within walking distance of three college campuses &#8211; will position this district to be a leader in knocking down barriers between high school and higher education. Won&#8217;t it?</p><p>We can&#8217;t be sure; like other aspects of this project, we haven&#8217;t heard much about it.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">An artist&#8217;s rendering shows what a consolidated, downtown Wilkes-Barre high school might look like: four stories and ultra-modern. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_School.jpg</photo0><caption0>An artist&#8217;s rendering shows what a consolidated, downtown Wilkes-Barre high school might look like: four stories and ultra-modern. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Lay out Wilkes-Barre high school consolidation plans for all to see and, possibly, appreciate