Wilkes-Barre Area passes final budget with no tax increase

Mark Guydish, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·4 min read

Jun. 27—PLAINS TWP. — At Tuesday's monthly meeting with a packed agenda, the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board passed a final budget with no tax increase that spending at $159.6 million. Property taxes remain at 18.4332 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Superintendent Brian Costello noted this is the fourth year in a row the district has not raised taxes.

Among some big-ticket items, the board approved a contract with Stell Enterprises for extensive paving projects at Dodson, Dan Flood, GAR, Heights, Kistler and Solomon at a total cost of nearly $1.55 million.

Another big expense, annual insurance coverage, was approved for the 2023-24 school year at a total cost of $704,727: Property and liability, commercial automobile, school leader's liability, data security and excess/umbrella and violent event active shooter coverage are through Assured Partners and Utica National Insurance Group at $355,794, and workers compensation insurance through MEMIC Casualty Company at $348,933.

Heights, Flood, Solomon and the middle schools will get new projectors installed by Visual Sound, Inc. at a total cost of $170,424.

The board also:

—Approved an agreement with New Story to provide educational services for the coming school year at daily rates ranging from $282 to $515, depending on acuity level of the student.

—Approved agreements with Northern Region Educational Services Commission of Wayne, NJ, for home school instructions services at $60 per hour through June 30, and at $70 per hour from July 1 through June 30, 2024.

—Approved an agreement with Learn Well for educational services at $44 per hour.

—Approved agreements with Children's Service Center of Wyoming Valley for the Therapeutic Educational Program at $181 per student per day through the 2023-24 school year, and for the partial hospitalization program at $137 per student per day for the coming school year.

—Approved an agreement with FUNctional Connections LLC to provide Applied Behavioral Analysis-based services to student from July 1 this year through June 30, 2024. Rates range from $15 to $150 per hour, depending on the service provided.

—Approved agreements with United Therapy, LLC, to provide speech and language services from August this year to August 2025 at $90 per hour, and to provide occupational therapy services for the same time frame at $80 per hour.

—Approved an agreement with Pediatria HealthCare, LLC, doing business as AVEANNA Healthcare, for healthcare serves to students at hourly rates ranging from $30 to $185 per hour depending on service.

—Approved an agreement with the Luzerne Intermediate Unit for mental health services for the coming school year at an annual cost of $82,000.

—Approved an agreement with Bayada Home Health Care, Inc., of Wilkes-Barre to provide basic nursing care for students from Sept. 1 of this year through June, 2024 at $52 per hour.

—Approved a change order for Keystone Sports Construction, Inc. for a custom weighted track crossing mat at a cost of $738.

—Accepted the Builders Risk Insurance proposal from Liberty Mutual to insure the construction of the new synthetic turf baseball field and 6 tennis courts, from August this year through Aug. 1 next year at an annual premium of $9,855.

—Approved four change orders related to sport field work by Keystone Sports Construction at a total cost not to exceed $33,817.

—Approved a proposal from Kleen Air Systems for kitchen grease exhaust cleaning at six schools at a total cost of $3,710.

—Approved an agreement with Jack Devine Gymnasium Floor Restoration to clean and recoat gym floors at GAR, Solomon and Dodson@Mackin at a total cost of $7,825, and to clean and recoat the high school gym floors at $7,450.

—Approved a proposal from Kelley Bros, LLC to replace gym doors at the high school and front door hardware at a total cost of $12,165.

—Appointed Melissa Myers as director of middle school education; Shelby Ohotnicky as school psychologist for summer testing not to exceed 55 hours; Paula Muhutsky as music teacher; Molly McAndrew, Alison Sturdevant and Janet Castrignano as special education teachers; and Arthur Mitchell as English as Second Language teacher.

—Appointed elementary teachers Courtney O'Meara, Cassandra Walkowiak, Matthew Kotulak, Mary Claire Corcoran, Carianna Makowski, Amy Rosengrant-Rau, Jennifer Hunter, Kathie Miles, Taylor Ashton, Karissa Wondoloski, Sydney Hendrick and Bridget Galle.

—Accepted the retirement of Larissa Goldstein.

—Appointed elementary long-term substitute teachers Jessica Allbritain, Ashton Ashby and Kendra Krolick.

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