Charter-school Issues Namey Defends $47,000 Battle Taxpayer Ally Christine Katsock Scolds W-b School Boss, Who Says Opposing Plans For Bear Creek School Saved Money.
By BONNIE ADAMS [email protected]
Wednesday, September 08, 2004 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE – Superintendent Jeff Namey said the $47,000 Wilkes-Barre Area
spent fighting two Bear Creek Community Charter School appeals was worth it.
Namey said it opposed the appeals because the school district’s educational
program is better than what the newly approved charter school will offer. “We
believed the charter school was not in the best interest of the students.”
But Namey said the district also saved between $1.2 million and $1.4
million last school year because the charter school failed to get school board
approval. The district would have paid about $7,200 to the charter school for
each of the 190 district students expected to attend.
Namey has said in the past that losing those students to the charter school
would not necessarily mean lower costs to the district. For example, the same
number of teachers might still be needed if only a few students leave one
grade.
Charter Board of Trustees President Dave Blazejewski has said the district
already pays to educate the very same students who would attend the charter
school. He did not wish to comment further on that specific issue Tuesday. He
said classes at the kindergarten through sixth-grade charter school should
begin by Oct. 4.
Namey said the school district paid $47,187 in legal fees to Lancaster
attorney Jeff Litts, who represented Wilkes-Barre Area in two appeals the
charter school made before the state Charter Appeals Board in Harrisburg.
Wilkes-Barre Taxpayer Association President Christine Katsock said in a
school district that continues to raise taxes, those legal fees should be a
concern.
She said Namey implies there is a $1.2 million surplus from not having to
pay the charter costs last year. Therefore, she said, taxes should not have
been raised. District property owners pay 269 mills in taxes. One mill is a $1
tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
“I don’t think the district should have fought it in the first place,”
Katsock said.
In 2002, the school board closed Mackin Elementary to save about $827,000
and Bear Creek to save $423,000.
A charter school is a public school that operates under a charter granted
by a school district. The school board twice voted down the charter
application, with the state siding with the board in 2003 but voting
unanimously in favor of the charter group on Aug. 31.
An orientation meeting for charter-school parents is planned for 6:30
tonight at the Bear Creek Township municipal building.
Blazejewski said 14 prospective teachers were interviewed last week and
more will be interviewed today from a pool of about 100 applicants. He expects
some candidates will receive job offers later this week. Blazejewski said the
starting salary will be competitive at $28,500.
Namey said 30 students who normally would attend the school district have
not attended classes so far this school year. The charter school is asking
parents to notify the district if they plan to send a child to the Bear Creek
school.
Bonnie Adams, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7241.
