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

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Anderson Brulé Architects Rebrands as ABA Studios

    Anderson Brulé Architects, based in San Jose, Calif., recently announced that it is celebrating 40 years of service by rebranding under a new name, according to a news release. The architectural, interior design, and planning firm will now be known as ABA Studios to refresh its identity underneath a new generation of leadership.

  • 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.

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

Digital Edition