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

  • T&T Construction Management Group Completes Pasco High School Expansion

    Pasco High School in Dade City, Fla., recently announced that it has completed an expansion project in partnership with T&T Construction Management Group, Inc., Harvard Jolly Architecture, and Williams Company.

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

    The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.