Wilkes-Barre, PAAt the recent informational meeting held by Wilkes-Barre Area School Board on four days notice, the district revealed that its current plan is to maintain Meyers as a school for seventh- and eighth-graders.
This established once and for all that the district’s previous rationale for consolidation, that Meyers could not be maintained, was baseless.
There has never been any educational basis for consolidation, and it is now clear there has never been any financial basis for it, either.
However, not only is the district’s consolidation plan too expensive and bad for educational generally, it is an expenditure to be made for only some, to the exclusion of the most racially and ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged part of the district.
Board members took offense at the arguments made by the citizens that the exclusion of GAR from the district’s plan was segregation and discriminatory.
Board member Joe Caffrey said the criticism was “irresponsible” and board member Denise Thomas said it was “disgusting and outrageous.”
What is irresponsible, disgusting and outrageous is having no plan to make capital improvements at GAR.
So is providing a 12,000-volume library for the new school after closing GAR’s.
So is providing new laboratory, technology, music and art facilities to the most privileged in the community, while denying them to the least.
Caffrey complained that opponents of consolidation “spend a lot of time trying to get GAR kids out of their building.” He is wrong. All students should be taught in their neighborhood high schools.
The fact that the GAR community, and its board members, fight so hard for their neighborhood school is proof of the inherent value of neighborhood schools.
Consolidation is not beneficial and taxpayer funds should serve all, not some.
GAR should prevail. So should Coughlin. So should Meyers.
Ruth S. Borland
Kimberly D. Borland
Wilkes-Barre
