State expects to finish review of Wilkes-Barre Area School District finances soon

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Citing the risk of running out of money and closing before the school year ends, area districts have begun to press for action by staging public informational meetings. Wyoming Valley West has one planned for Tuesday while Wyoming Area has scheduled one for Wednesday. Both will begin at 7 p.m.Wyoming Area posted a notice on its website and sent it to area media to get the word out.By law, the state should have passed a budget by last June 30, but Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed the budget sent to him by the Republican-controlled legislature. Wolf has called for increased education spending and new revenue to cover a structural deficit.The two sides have wrangled since. School districts, like many other entities that get state money, had to survive on local tax dollars and many warned they would run out by the start of January. The legislature rejected an apparent compromise in December, sending another version that Wolf partially vetoed, finally freeing up some education money.But the Wyoming Area notice points out districts only received about 45 percent of the state money expected. &#8220;We are still waiting for the remaining subsidies that have not been approved yet,&#8221; the notice says.School officials in the area have begun to sound the alarm anew, with some warning they will run out of money by the end of March or April.&#8220;Many districts will not be able to make it through the end of the school year. Many schools may have to close their doors,&#8221; the Wyoming Area notice says. &#8220;We must not ignore this situation.&#8221;The Wyoming Valley West meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 7 p.m. at the district&#8217;s Middle School in Kingston. The Wyoming Area meeting is set to start at the same time Wednesday at the Wyoming Area Secondary Center in Exeter.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Area, Wyoming Valley West school districts schedule public informational meetings on impact of state budget impasse