Wyoming Valley West School Board tables Schuyler sale due to late offer

KINGSTON — At the regular monthly meeting Wednesday the Wyoming Valley West School Board tabled a motion to sell the former Schuyler Avenue school building, but it wasn’t for a lack of offers.

On the contrary, Board President Charles Kamus said after the meeting that the motion was tabled because of a fourth offer received Wednesday.

Kamus said those who expressed interest have talked about converting it to apartments, a storage facility, and a private school. The number of offers has also created a bit of a bidding war, he added, with all four offers at or above $500,000.

The board also tabled a motion to award a contract for a Guaranteed Energy Savings Program Contract, which typically means installing new systems for lighting and heating controls with a guarantee it will produce savings equal to or greater than the cost over a set number of years. Kamus said the board will schedule a special meeting March 17 at 10 a.m. to vote on the contract.

Superintendent Dave Tosh announced a new policy for student registration. The district will now require a current lease or utility bill in addition to a driver’s license.

In response to audience questions, Tosh and Kamus gave an update on district efforts to launch an Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth (AEDY) program. It would fill a void created when Luzerne County’s two Alternative Learning Centers closed around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, though that may have been prompted as much by changes in regulations regarding such programs.

Several board members and district staff are planning a visit to Scranton on March 16 to see the AEDY program there. And the district has interviewed three consultants to help figure out the details of launching such a program, following a suggestion made by Vice President Paul Keating at last week’s work session.

School board members have grappled with an increase in disruptive actions through the school year, hiring more security staff, adopting policies intended to reduce the problems, and recently ordering new high-tech security scanners, two of which are set to be delivered Thursday.

At last week’s work session, Kamus provided numbers of incidents in February: 12 at the Middle School and 22 at the High School.

The sale of Schuyler has changed plans put in motion before the decision to close it at the start of this year. At the work session the board was told the district had entered into a contract totaling $26,930 for replacement and updating of parts. The district has spent about $7,000 in labor preparing for the replacements and several thousand more in parts. But the building is being sold “as is,” and after the meeting Tosh said the company doing the work has agreed to halt the project and take the parts back, saving the district the money.

And Board Member Brian Dubaskas gave an update on research into possibly starting an online esports program, something growing in popularity from colleges down to high schools. He said the initial estimate is a cost of about $50,000 to launch a program, but that major concerns have risen about security of the district’s computer system. He said district officials are figuring out ways to protect district servers and confidential information.

The board also:

• Accepted the retirements of Kimberly Ann McHenry, Marie Wisniewski and Denise Lushefski. Tosh praised Lushefski for 32 years as a cleaner and lead cleaner.

• Accepted the resignations of computer aides Aliyah Becker and Alysha Harvey, and cleaners Michael Palchanis, Joshua Simon and Isabella Parsons.

• Approved a settlement agreement in an unfair labor practice charge filed by a support staff worker identified only by employee number, at a cost of $11,326.

• Approved a state-mandated “Chapter 339 Comprehensive K-12 School Counseling Plan.” Tosh has noted that the responsibilities of counselors and teachers have expanded significantly.

• Approved an agreement with Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit 19 to provide special education services for the current school year. The costs depend on the services the district requests.

• Approved an addendum to an agreement with consultant Kimberly Walck for additional services in using federal COVID-19 grant money. The board has been dealing with delays in both supplies and workers in spending some of the money. The money was awarded with varying deadlines for spending it.

• Added Makenzie Pega to the substitute teacher list.

• Approved long-term status for substitute teachers Ashley Nicholson and Caroline Novrocki

• Appointed Eduarda Ramos deBonilla and Tyler Pierson as cleaners at $12 per hour each.