Our Opinion: Red rover, red rover, let grandma come over – to playground for seniors

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

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A review of Wilkes-Barre Area School District finances set up through the state Department of Education should be finalized by the end of this month, a spokeswoman said.An internal review performed by the district determined that, unless things change substantially, the district will run a deficit by 2017.The school board has cited that as one reason to move forward with plans to consolidate Meyers and Coughlin high schools into a new building to be constructed on the current Coughlin site. The board has also cited structural studies that say Coughlin is becoming unsafe and would be too costly to renovate. The older section of the building was closed in January.The district also determined it could spend no more than $100 million on the project without needing voter approval for any borrowing beyond that amount.All of which prompted the district to take advantage of an offer the state has made for an outside review. The state has a contract with Public Financial Management Group (PFM) to conduct such reviews.&#8220;Chronic underfunding for years has created great uncertainty for districts across the state, and the Department of Education aims to be a resource for school districts on a variety of challenges they face, including fiscal challenges,&#8221; PDE spokeswoman Nicole Reigelman said in an email response, seeking a request for more information about the Wilkes-Barre review process.&#8220;PDE has worked closely with districts over the past several months, offering assistance to help them manage and monitor their finances, including providing technical support or acting as a liaison with lenders.&#8220;Further, PDE remains responsive to calls from superintendents, business managers and other administrative staff to explore each district&#8217;s options moving forward.&#8221;Reigelman wrote that PFM &#8220;can offer assistance to districts on a limited basis. That service has been provided to a handful of districts this year, including Wilkes-Barre Area.&#8221;<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>

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