WB Area School Board passes final budget, fills vacant seat

Jun. 30—PLAINS TWP. — The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board worked through a long agenda Wednesday that included passing a final budget with no tax increase, appointing a new member, accepting a lawsuit settlement with the prime construction contractor of the new high school, adding a new Early Learning Academy for four-year-olds, inking a five-year sports medicine deal with Geisinger and buying two new reading programs for elementary students.

The final budget sets spending at $145 million and keeps property taxes at 18.4332 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed property value. In a related move, the board approved a resolution setting the amount eligible property owners will get knocked off their taxes through the state Homestead/Farmstead Exemption at $324.

The board vacancy stems from the June 13 death of John Quinn, who had been on the board since 2011. By state law the board can choose a replacement within 30 days a seat becomes available. The district posted a request for applicants on its website and received two: Richard Gazenski of Wilkes-Barre and Warren Faust of Wilkes-Barre Township. The board voted 6-2 for Faust, with Mark Atherton and Beth Ann Harris voting for Gazenski.

Contractor dispute

Although the new high school completed its first year of classes June 10, a dispute with prime contractor Quandel Construction Group, Inc. was working its way through the courts, but may be near a resolution. The board approved a settlement agreement.

In a nutshell, Quandel made claims it was entitled to additional compensation while the district countered that Quandel's work was deficient and demanded the company fix the problems at its own cost. The district retained nearly $1.8 million in payments.

The agreement, if finalized, deems the costs to both sides "minimal" compared to risks and costs of litigation, and removes all claims from both sides. The district agrees to release nearly $1.5 million in payments, with Quandel completing "punch list" items still pending. Then the district will release the rest of the retained payments. Seven days after getting the last payment, Quandel will dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice. Both sides will then release the other from all claims with no admission of liability.

Early Learning Academy

The new school for four-year-olds will be called the Wolfpack Early Learning Academy and will be housed in the old Dodson Elementary school building. The board approved changing the district configuration to open the Academy for the 2022-23 school year. Making the reconfiguration official means the academy will require a new school code number from the state, which in turn makes it eligible to participate in various programs, including the federal free and reduced lunch program.

The new reading programs combined cost just under $1.3 million: The Zaner-Bloser SuperKids program for kindergarten through second grade at a total cost of $829,672, and McGraw Hill Open Court Reading for grades three through five at a cost of $470.134.

The board approved a five-year agreement with Geisinger for extensive sports medicine care, from July 2022 through July 2027, at a total cost of $840,980. But the district will receive a total of $290,000 back, or $58,000 annually in the form of a $50,000 sponsorship, two annual educational scholarships of $1,000 each, 1 educational recognition award of $1,000 and $5,000 for athletic trainer supplies.

Other action

In other action, the board:

—Approved an Act 93 compensation agreement for administrators for two years. Superintendent Brian Costello said the agreement gives a 2% raise each year, with no big changes in benefits.

—Amended the 2022-23 school calendar, which sets the first day for Middle and High school students on Sept. 7 and for elementary students on Sept. 8. The last day for all students is June 9, which is also graduation day for high school seniors.

—Approved an agreement for educational services for 2022-23 from New Story at daily rates from $274 to $510 depending on the service.

—Approved an agreement with Specialized Education of Pennsylvania Inc. at the Graham Academy in Kingston to provide educational services from Aug. 1 through July 31, 2023, at daily rates ranging from $128 to $274 depending on the services.

—Approved two agreements with Children's Service Center of Wyoming Valley, one for the therapeutic education program at $177 per student per day, and one for the partial hospitalization program at $134 per student per day. Both are for the 2022-23 school year and the summer Extended School Year program if eligible.

—Approved a subscription with Newsela, Inc., to provide supplemental educational materials at a cost of $9,985. The materials are in science and social studies.

—Approved an agreement with Functional Connections LLC for behavioral treatment services for students at hourly fees ranging from $15 to $150, depending on the service.

—Approved an agreement with Rosen Real Estate, Inc. for appraisal of the former Russin funeral home property across from the high school on Maffett Street at a fee not to exceed $2,000. The district is planning to convert the property into administrative offices and a one-stop registration service for residents.

—Approved an agreements with Liberty Mutual for builders risk insurance at a cost of $26,968, for the new stadium under construction, and approved a contract with Keystone Sports Construction to design a synthetic turf dual-use field near the stadium at a cost of $4.3 million.

—Approved contracts for student accident/interscholastic sports insurance from Bollinger Specialty Group at $24,085 per year for two years, workers compensation insurance from MEMI Casualty at a cost of $314,949 for one year, and a Commercial Package covering property, liability, auto, data security and violent events insurance from Utica national Insurance Group for a total of $299,572 for one year.

—Awarded a waste disposal contract to Waste Management of Pennsylvania, Inc., for three years at an estimated annual cost of $168,00 for all buildings except the high school.

—Approved two change orders with Keystone Sports Construction for the new stadium. One is a cost reduction of $14,408, while the other increases costs a total of $97,852, much of it related to winter conditions affecting the outdoor work.

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish