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KINGSTON — The Wyoming Valley West School Board hired Attorney Richard Goldberg as the new district solicitor on Wednesday, closing a chapter on one of the board’s most widely reported sagas centered on attempts to get parents to pay overdue lunch bills.
Goldberg replaces Charles Coslett, who resigned after the district sent out a letter urging those who owed to pay up or face a possible appearance in court that could end up landing their children in foster care. The story went national, with Coslett defiantly defending the effort to prod payment from people he said had ignored numerous other letters and phone calls.
Even on the day he announced his retirement, Coslett said he felt the issue of parents fulfilling their responsibilities got lost in the outcry echoed by pundits and news reporters from numerous outlets.
Ignored in much of the reporting was the news that the district’s enrollment of low-income students eligible for federal free and reduced meals had grown large enough to make it feasible for the entire district to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Project this fall, a program that provides free meals to all students with the federal government paying.
While that means no one will have to worry about lunch bills, it also means nearly 60 percent of the students are now poor enough to qualify for the program — a threshold that makes the program work without district money. A lower percentage usually means the district must cover some of the meal costs without charging parents.
After the unanimous vote to appoint Goldberg, the attorney stepped onto the stage to applause from the small crowd. Board President Joe Mazur said Goldberg has worked with the district for years on issues that called for outside help.
Goldberg’s retainer is $39,000 a year, Mazur said, $1,000 less than Coslett was getting.
Superintendent Irv DeRemer also announced a new program beginning this fall at State Street Elementary, which he described as a “structured positive feedback system.” The program is design to spur student motivation, organization and respect.
“It’s an excellent initiative,” DeRemer promised.