Wyoming Area Board of Education approved a final budget for the 2025-2026 school year, including a 3.5% property tax hike, at its regular session on Tuesday.

The budget was passed with a vote of 5-4. Board members Michael Kachmarsky, Mara Valenti, Kirby Kunkle, Erica Gazda, and Joseph Kopko voted yes.

Board members Michael Supey, David Alberigi, Peter Butera, and Phil Campenni voted no.

The 3.5% increase is lower than the 5.5% increase that was proposed back in May.

The tax hike represents a millage of 108.6909 for Wyoming County and 21.789 for Luzerne County.

A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The budget itself called for expenditures of $47,834,09 against revenue of $46,825,741 resulting in a shortfall of a little over $1 million, which will be covered by the fund balance.

The school board previously approved a 6.5% increase last year and a 5.5% increase the year before.

Also at the meeting, Butera made a motion to amend the agenda to add an item that would create a committee to explore the possibility of Wyoming Area merging with another school district.

That motion to amend failed to pass, with five board members voting no and four voting yes.

However, multiple board members who voted against it did say they would be open to the idea for forming a committee at a different time and with more information.

Dallas

At the June school board meeting, Dallas Superintendent Thomas J. Duffy, offered a list of education updates:

• Student activities: In the context of a model of continuous improvement, Duffy said action planning is being completed and enacted related to the district athletic department. The plan of action includes increased coach training, a revision coach evaluation instrument and process, revised internal timelines and processes, updated supervision plan, implementation of new district owned communication application, revised parent/student/coach meeting format, and increased communication within and from the athletic department.

The fall season coach meeting is planned for July 16 and a parent-student athlete event is planned for July 30.

• Property updates: A district partnership with the Luzerne County Conservation District led by John Levitsky, Watershed Specialist, is underway. The project will seek to plant native species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to campus stormwater basins.

Funding is being provided via an Environmental Education grant and Countywide Action Plan (CAP) funding.

• Comprehensive Plan 2022-2025: The Comprehensive Plan governs a three-year cycle officially beginning in July 2022. The District submitted and communicated the plan goals in March 2022.

Corresponding annual goals are listed following each comprehensive plan:

— To develop and enhance a K-12 learning environment that increases support of students’ well-being and provides increased self-awareness, development of interpersonal skills, emotional and tiered mental health supports for pro-social growth and development.

— Establish and enhance a district system that ensures consistent implementation of differentiated, dynamic, student-centered learning experiences with programming designed to provide effective specially designed instruction, remediation, enrichment, extension, acceleration and transition in order to meet the individual needs of all students.

— Establish and enact a system of curriculum and assessment archiving, sharing, evaluating and revising with a focus on K-12 alignment and collaboration, academic standards, graduation requirements and opportunities for all students.

— Develop district practices that foster increased community relationships and partnerships. In particular, develop systems to increase effective communication modes and collaboration within and among the school community, that embraces diversity, evaluates and provides equity in opportunities for students, and fosters kindness among all district stakeholders. Within these practices, further develop student support systems, opportunities, and service learning.

Crestwood

Crestwood’s school board approved their Final General Financial Budget for the 2025-2026 school year, though not without changes from the board’s previous meeting and some hearty discussion amongst its members.

Richard Nardone, the chair of the school board’s financial planning committee, offered an amendment to the budget’s previously stated tax millage rate and expenditures. The millage rate was changed from 2.5% to 2.2% — a .3% decrease — and the expenditures were increased from $49,674,470 to $49,727,593 — a $53,123 increase.

The increases on the expense side accounted for a new administrator to be hired by the district halfway through the upcoming school year, as well as raises for two Act 93 employees who are already working for the district.

Upon being questioned on the shift in the budget’s numbers by board President John Macri, Nardone explained the district’s need for more employees on the administrative level beyond what was built into the originally conceived budget.

“From the standpoint of the taxpayer money, we have a tremendous need of staff in this organization,” said Nardone. “We run skinny. We need more administrators.”

Eventually, after further discussion, Macri and every other board member in attendance, save for Lauren McCurdy, approved the budget with Nardone’s recommended changes in place.

In addition to the budget discussion, the board also approved the hiring of multiple new employees, though their compensation was not listed on the publicly distributed meeting agenda due to ongoing contract negotiations, according to Superintendent Natasha Milazzo.

The new hires include Alexann Abramcheck, math teacher; Allison Button, biology teacher; Melanie Kobela, french/spanish teacher; Taylor Stair, English teacher; Ryan Arcangeli, history and gifted teacher; Renee Jones, English teacher; and Amanda Butch, Kelly Leicht, Amanda Menghini, Noelle Nicholas, Lauren Trinisewski-Greeley, and Alex Covelens as elementary teachers.

Wyoming Valley West

The school board approved the final budget for the 2025-2026 school year with no tax increase for the second year in a row during a special meeting on June 20.

The property tax rate will remain at 18.4807 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

For example, a homeowner with a $100,000 property in the district would pay about $1,848 in annual taxes.

According to the budget documents provided, $32.25 million in revenue will come from property taxes.

As a whole, the budget calls for expenditures of $100.17 million against $100.25 million in revenue.

The full budget is available on the district’s website.

Also at the meeting, the board approved Superintendent David Tosh, who officially retires on June 30, to assist in the transition of the new superintendent, Charles Suppon Jr., who will step into the role July 1.

According to the agenda, Tosh will be paid $100 per hour required.

The school board also approved a number of new hires including:

• Hali Storm, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Janelle Krisulevicz, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Bianka Melendez, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Jamie Lasecki, fifth grade teacher, $69,000 annually.

Melissa Robinson, middle school special education teacher, learning support, salary TBD.

Kyrstyn Kobusky, special education teacher, State Street, emotional support, $46,500 annually.

Ann Malo, special education teacher, Third Avenue, autistic support, $46,500 annually.

Janine Kravitsky, special education teacher, Dana Street, life skills, $61,000 annually.

The next Wyoming Valley West School Board work session will take place at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6, followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 13. Both will take place at 201 Chester St., Kingston, in the middle school auditorium.

The meeting will also stream live on Zoom.

Hazleton Area

According to a posting on the district’s website, the next meeting of the Hazleton Area Board of Education is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at the Hazleton Area Career Center, Large Group Instruction Room, Administration Building Entrance, 1515 W. 23rd Street, Hazle Township.

According to the website, in the event of inclement weather or any other situation that would prevent the board from physically attending a scheduled meeting, the board may hold scheduled meetings virtually. In that case, the meeting link and agenda will be available at hasdk12.org/sbagenda. Anyone wishing to make public comment on agenda items should email Superintendent Uplinger at [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Northwest Area

According to the district’s website, the next school board meeting will take place at 6:45 p.m. July 17 in the Northwest Area Library, unless a different location is posted on the front door of the Northwest Area High School, 243 Thorne Hill Road, Shickshinny.

Pittston Area

The next meeting of the Pittston Area school board will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, at the high school. Should that meeting time change, a press release will be issued by the district.

Lake-Lehman

According to the district’s website, the next school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 21 in the auditorium of the junior-senior high school, at 1128 Old Rte 115, Lehman.

Hanover Area

The Hanover Area school board does not have a meeting scheduled in July. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the high school.

Greater Nanticoke Area

The next meeting of the Greater Nanticoke school board will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, at the high school.

Wilkes-Barre Area

The board will not meet in July. The next meeting will be held in August at a date to be announced.