WILKES-BARRE -- A heated discussion took place in Wilkes-Barre Monday night between school board members, teachers, parents, and students.
It's all centered around $4 million in cuts for the coming school year. The cuts include furloughing teachers and eliminating programs like art and technology education.
“We are here to fight for our jobs!” Industrial arts teacher Keith Eberts said at the meeting Monday night.
Eberts is just one of the 60 teachers, parents, and students who voiced their concerns at the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting.
“It hurts. It hurts bad that they have the audacity to cut my legs out from under me and cut this program, the industrial arts program, which is the base for the STEM program.”
In the end, the school board voted 8-1 in favor of more than $4 million in cuts for next school year, including suspending library services, family and consumer science services, technology education, and art programs at the elementary and secondary levels.
The expected plan also involves millions more in cuts before the 2019 school year, which would allow the district to have a budget surplus. It’s right in line for when the new consolidated Coughlin and Meyers High School is completed. That consolidation was approved last June.
Kelsey Flores is in 10th grade and at the point where she's looking at colleges and possible careers.
“We know how important it is to be a well-rounded student and how important it is to have these programs for our future,” she said.
She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be without the classes that are helping her find her passion.
“Especially if you want to go into a field you know nothing about but you’re interested, having these classes you get a real feel of what it’s like to be out in the real world.”
Parent Earl Maskowski believes it’s about time that more money be put into education, not just in Wilkes-Barre, but across the country.
“They need to put money back into the schools and education,” he said.
At the meeting, school board members announced they would not comment on the pending cuts due to potential litigation.
