Letter to the Editor: People sacrificed for your right to vote; don’t waste an opportunity to be heard

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Ned McGinley, Frank Wadas inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; For the second time in two weeks, Wilkes-Barre Area School Board member Ned Evans proposed merging all three high schools into one new one, and for the second time the motion was roundly rejected, with only Evans and Dr. James Susek voting in favor.</p><p>Evans had made a similar motion at the board&#8217;s regular meeting April 11, with the caveat that expansion work on Kistler Elementary be scrapped. That motion received only three yes votes, with Denise Thomas joining Evans and Susek.</p><p>Monday night&#8217;s motion called for continuation of the Kistler project, designed to let the district move grades seven and eight from Meyers High School to Kistler. The board voted last June to consolidate grades nine through 12 at Meyers and Coughlin High Schools to a new building at the Coughlin site, retaining GAR Memorial High School.</p><p>Monday night&#8217;s motion included something else lacking in the April 11 vote: Cost estimates for a 360,000 square foot building to house students from all three schools. In fact, the district design team of four architect and engineering firms had drawn up high and low estimates for four different options not previously discussed by the board, each outlined on five large sheets of paper available to the public before the meeting:</p><p>1) Consolidate all three high schools into a new one while expanding Kistler, estimated between $92.7 million and $108.4 million.</p><p>2 ) Consolidate Coughlin and Meyers in a 330,000 square foot new building with the Kistler expansion and no work on GAR, between $87.2 million and $102.1 million.</p><p>3) Consolidate Coughlin and Meyers but scrap Kistler expansion and repair/renovate GAR, between $112 million and $136.7 million.</p><p>4) Consolidate all three with repairs and renovations at GAR but no work at Kistler, between $117.6 million and $143 million.</p><p>All three estimates excluded any work on the Times Leader building next to Coughlin, though a separate estimate for buying and renovating the building was included, estimated at a cost of $7 million to $9.8 million.</p><p>The board has other options with the Times Leader property, which parent company Civitas Media put up for sale. Panzitta Enterprises has proposed renovating it to classroom space, then leasing it for 20 years to the district. The district would take ownership after that.</p><p>The board voted in February to pursue three succeeding options: Negotiate a lease if possible, buy it if a lease can&#8217;t be arranged, and take it by eminent domain if an attempt to buy fails.</p><p>But School District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski has said the state Department of Education frowned on the lease-to-own deal. Wendolowski said the state gave a green light to a straight lease, and the two sides will try to negotiate a 20 year lease that could be renewed at least twice. The initial lease would cost up to $17 million, according to Panzitta&#8217;s proposal. Wendolowski said any renewal would be for a nominal rent of $1 a month.</p><p>The four cost estimates appearing before the meeting without warning fired up several members of the audience, most of whom have repeatedly spoken against the current consolidation plan.</p><p>Attorney Kimberly Borland chided Board Member Shawn Walker for calling the board&#8217;s decision-making process on the consolidation &#8220;a journey.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We have not been on a journey,&#8221; Borland said. &#8220;A journey is the act of traveling from one place to another. At best, we have been treading water. At worst, we&#8217;ve been going around in circles.&#8221;</p><p>Borland&#8217;s wife Ruth, also an attorney, criticized the new information on costs because it didn&#8217;t seem to jibe with previous estimates from the same design team. &#8220;You keep changing minds and changing options so much that my head spins.&#8221;</p><p>Several people warned that students from low income families would get lost in a large school. &#8220;If we put them all in one large school yes, we&#8217;re going to save money, but are we going to save these kids?&#8221; Bob Holden said. &#8220;These kids need better. Please, please.&#8221;</p><p>Despite the confusion and heat, the plan at the beginning of the meeting was the same at the end: Continue consolidation of the two schools while expanding Kistler and negotiating acquisition of the Times Leader property.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Area school board member Ned Evans, third from left, makes a motion to consolidate all three city high schools at a special meeting at Kistler Elementary School Monday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Area school board member Ned Evans, third from left, makes a motion to consolidate all three city high schools at a special meeting at Kistler Elementary School Monday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Area school board member Rev. Shawn Walker addresses the audience at a special meeting at Kistler Elementary School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre Area school board member Rev. Shawn Walker addresses the audience at a special meeting at Kistler Elementary School. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attorney Kim Borland addresses the audience at a special meeting of the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Attorney Kim Borland addresses the audience at a special meeting of the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_WB-new-high-school-options20164251852379-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Overview of cost estimates for four new consolidation options presented to Wilkes-Barre Area School Board Monday </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_WB-new-high-school-options20164251852379-3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Overview of cost estimates for four new consolidation options presented to Wilkes-Barre Area School Board Monday </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre resident Tracey Hughes makes her way to the podium to address the Wilkes-Barre Area school board. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042616wba_mg_4-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Wilkes-Barre resident Tracey Hughes makes her way to the podium to address the Wilkes-Barre Area school board. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Four new high school estimates presented at Wilkes-BarreArea board meeting; board again rejects complete consolidation