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Secret Service agent shoots armed man outside White House

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Meyers students participates in Walk for Epilepsy

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Officials remain mum on details, but Wilkes-Barre Area School District teacher union president Jeff Ney confirmed that Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak spent Friday meeting with staff regarding looming program cuts.</p><p>&#8220;Dr. Prevuznak did call in people from different departments to tell them there is a potential for their departments to be dissolved pending board approval,&#8221; Ney said late Friday afternoon.</p><p>Ney declined to give further details, saying he wanted to wait until the board took any official action before offering a union response. Prevuznak did not reply to a phone message and email Friday. Solicitor Ray Wendolowski confirmed Prevuznak will make recommendations on the 2016-17 budget Monday, but also declined to give details.</p><p>Both an internal and external review of district finances showed the district facing a steep deficit &#8212; up to $70 million &#8212; within five years if things don&#8217;t change. At an April 14 meeting, Budget and Finance Committee Chair Christine Katsock presented a &#8220;<a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/530671/w-b-area-school-board-votes-no-on-three-school-consolidation" target="_blank">pathway to the future</a>&#8221; that called for up to $11 million in cuts over the next four years, beginning with $4 million in 2016-17.</p><p>At a special meeting <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/541288/revised-and-expanded-construction-plans-at-wb-area-special-meeting" target="_blank">May 11</a>, Katsock promised the $4 million in cuts will happen, but declined to give any details on what was being considered.</p><p>Katsock has already promised 17 of 21 retirees will not be replaced, which a Times Leader review estimated will save at least $1 million in salaries.</p><p>A Times Leader <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/542393/what-does-a-4-million-cut-in-spending-in-the-wilkes-barre-area-school-district-look-like" target="_blank">review </a>of state data estimated that between 50 and 75 professional staff would have to be furloughed to save $4 million, but that was based on salaries only and did not estimate savings in benefit payments.</p><p>Recurring tips to the Times Leader claim cuts will hit art and music programs hardest. Those subjects are routinely considered first in steep budget cuts for two reasons: They are not mandated by state standards, and state law bars a district from firing teachers solely to save money, requiring that job loss be the result enrollment decline or the elimination of programs.</p><p>The state data for 2014-15 lists 14 art teachers and 19 music teachers in the district. The data lists another nine employees in library sciences and six in family/consumer sciences &#8212; two other programs rumored to be on the chopping block.</p><p>Rough estimates of salaries and benefits based on the 2014-15 data suggest the goal of $4 million in cuts could be reached by not replacing the 17 retirees as Katsock promised and cutting about 34 of the 47 jobs in art, music, family/consumer science and library sciences.</p><p>One group of employees are protected from unlimited cuts: Solicitor Ray Wendolowski noted there is a contractual minimum number of custodians, and that the district is at or near that limit.</p><p>Asked if the union planned any action leading up to Monday&#8217;s meeting, Ney responded: &#8220;I&#8217;m certainly going to encourage anybody who believes in their programs to promote them and to show the district how valuable it is to have a well rounded education.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Prevuznak </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Prevuznak-Bernard20162821123159-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Prevuznak </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>W-B Area budget cuts</p><p><strong>WHAT:</strong> Wilkes-Barre Area School Board is expected to unveil a preliminary budget for 2016-17 that will include up to $4 million in spending cuts.</p><p><strong>WHERE:</strong> GAR Memorial High School, 250 South Grant Street, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>WHEN:</strong> 7 p.m. (The board will hold a committee of the whole meeting at 5:30 p.m.)</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WB Area superintendent warns employees of cuts