Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

High-School Consolidation Could Force Teacher Furloughs

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/29/21

Construction on the new Wilkes-Barre Area High School in Plains Township, Pa., is nearing completion. According to updates from school officials during a board meeting last week, the work is about 84% done, and the new building is set to be furnished by mid-July. During the meeting, the board approved change orders of roughly $780,000 for the project, which cost $121 million in total.

The district plans to merge its three high schools (Memorial Junior/Senior High School, Elmer L. Meyers Junior/Senior High School, and James M. Coughlin High School) into the new building upon its completion. The consolidation could force as many as 37 teachers to be furloughed as a result, according to a resolution approved by the school board on March 1. The final count will depend on retirements and state funding allocated for the 2021-22 school year.

Seven employees are already set to retire at the end of the year, and four teachers have been recalled from furloughs accordingly, according to Superintendent Brian Costello.

Last week’s school board meeting was closed to the public due to the pandemic. Mike Komorek, teacher and president of the Wilkes-Barre Area Education Association, addressed the board over the phone. “I would like to express deep regrets both in the decisions that led to this furlough and in the message in notifying the teachers that were furloughed or potentially furloughed,” he said. “The emails lacked empathy toward professionals that have dedicated their lives to this district. We have received numerous accounts of the emotional distress felt by our professionals, even those who were recalled or otherwise saved through last-minute changes.”

The new high school is being built on a 77-acre former mining site in Plains Township. The district is considering selling the former Coughlin High School and Meyers High School properties. Memorial Junior/Senior High School, also known as GAR, will be converted into a middle school.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.