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WVC streaking into the Distrct 2 boys volleyball playoffs

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Our Opinion: Send an SOS to rally rescuers around endangered Irem Temple building in Wilkes-Barre

<p>YATESVILLE &#8212; The Pittston Area School Board on Tuesday voted to fire a teacher, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/521709/official-pittston-area-high-school-teacher-suspended-for-alleged-inappropriate-relationship-with-student" target="_blank">who has been under investigation for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student</a>, amid a potential Sunshine Law violation.</p><p>After a brief executive session, the board unanimously voted to terminate &#8220;employee number 41166,&#8221; effective April 28, 2016. A source within the school district confirmed to the Times Leader the employee was Colleen McGarry.</p><p>The motion was grouped together with other agenda items and all the items were voted on together.</p><p> A Times Leader correspondent interrupted the roll call on a point of order and asked why the employee wasn&#8217;t named.</p><p>The board said the employee wasn&#8217;t named because it was a &#8220;personnel issue&#8221; and that the employee number &#8220;is the only identifying information it is required to give.&#8221;</p><p>After the meeting, when the correspondent told board solicitor Sam Falcone and board president Kent Bratlee that omitting the employee&#8217;s name before a vote was a violation of the Sunshine Law, they both stated that it wasn&#8217;t.</p><p>&#8220;I think the solicitor is incorrect,&#8221; Melissa Melewski, media law counsel to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said when the situation was described to her.</p><p>Melewski said &#8220;If the public doesn&#8217;t know who the teacher is, they can&#8217;t have a meaningful discussion&#8221; on the matter. And the state Sunshine Act guarantees the public the right to comment on such public actions of a board before they occur.</p><p>In addition, the state Right to Know law makes a public school employee&#8217;s hiring and firing public record, according to Melewski.</p><p>McGarry taught 11th and 12th grade mathematics, including advanced and honors classes.</p><p>When contacted Tuesday, District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said she couldn&#8217;t comment on charges in connection with McGarry.</p><p>The board also unanimously voted to approve the proposed final budget for the 2016-2017 school-year. The $47,544,243 budget includes a millage increase of 3.3 percent. The new millage will be 14.9773. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value. The increase would amount to roughly $96 per year for an average home valued at $200,000.</p><p>During the work session that preceded the regular meeting, business manager Albert Melone presented the proposed budget which included an alternate millage increase of 5.28 percent.</p><p>&#8220;We need (the increase) just to break even,&#8221; Melone said. &#8220;The truth of the matter is that we have no choice.&#8221;</p><p>Melone said everyone from every department needs to come together to save the district.</p><p>&#8220;You will take down your own school district if you keep taking care of yourself,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Every department is under the gun; from transportation to entitlements, &#8220;</p><p>&#8220;This is about the future,&#8221; Melone said. &#8220;If we do not make it, it is in my opinion that it will be on everyone. No one will be able to point to anyone and say &#8216;they did it,&#8217; or &#8216;he did it.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>The board&#8217;s next regular meeting will be held 7 p.m. June 21, with an executive session starting at 6 p.m. for personnel purposes.</p><p><em>Times Leader staff writer Melanie Mizenko contributed to this report.</em></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">McGarry </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_McGarry.jpg</photo0><caption0>McGarry </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Camille Fioti for Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pittston Area board fires teacher accused of inappropriate relationship with student