Amid concerns regarding the fate of a $5.6 million grant earmarked for the redevelopment authority, council voted 3-2 Wednesday to dissolve the authority.
“This has absolutely no reflection on any individual,” Councilman James Litchkofski said regarding the decision. “This is an opportunity for the city to expedite the downtown project. The time has come for us to move forward.”
Hank Marks, who served on the authority, questioned how the dissolution would affect Luzerne County Community College’s plans to move forward with the development downtown and if the grant would still be available if there was no redevelopment authority.
According to Litchkofski, the dissolution “will not jeopardize” the grant.
Mayor John Bushko, who voted against the dissolution, said he believed U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, would move the grant along, and echoed Marks’ concern regarding the dissolution.
“The grant is made out to the redevelopment authority,” Bushko said. “Without even talking to him (Kanjorski), we’re going to do away with the authority.”
Litchkofski then questioned whether Kanjorski knew the money couldn’t be used to build a parking garage from the beginning. Bushko said he couldn’t speak for the congressman, but if Kanjorski did know, council should have been informed.
“The Federal Highway Administration says (the garage) can qualify only if it is an intermodal garage,” Litchkofski said. “Now that is a crucial piece of the equation. Either the congressman was unaware or he did not share that information with us … and that is one of my concerns.”
Councilman Joseph A. Dougherty, who also voted against the dissolution, said his concern is also about the grant.
“What is going to happen to it?” Dougherty asked.
Former authority member Chet Beggs said a street level parking lot would be a better use of the money.
“Take $600,000, buy some property, pave it, get rid of (the Kanjorski Center), give it to the college, get $5 million and start spending it to fix up the roads,” Beggs said. “I’ve been here for three and a half years and it’s a bunch of crap. If the money is there, spend it.”
Litchkofski said there is a concern that LCCC might get spooked if a parking garage couldn’t be built, but there is no other option to Nanticoke at this time besides building the garage with the city’s own money.
The grant was originally slated to be used for construction of a parking garage to accommodate Luzerne County Community College’s proposed health sciences center in the Kanjorski Center.

5/8/2008
Nanticoke scraps redevelopment board
Council votes to dissolve body in effort to ease LCCC purchase of properties.
slong@timesleader.com

The Nanticoke City Council passed a resolution to dissolve the city’s Redevelopment Authority during Wednesday’s meeting.
Mayor John Bushko and Councilman Joe Dougherty voted against it.
Councilman Jon Metta presented the resolution and along with councilmen Brent Makarczyk and James Litchkofski voted in favor of dissolving the authority board.
Metta, Makarczyk and Litchkofski believe that by dissolving the redevelopment board the city could streamline the process to help Luzerne County Community College move two of its educational programs into downtown.
“We are responsible as the elected officials. This is a big move for Nanticoke and we should take the responsibility for it,” Litchkofski said.
Some people, including Redevelopment Authority board member and former Acting Chairman Hank Marks questioned the need to dissolve the authority.
Marks questioned if the city would receive the $5.6 million federal grant as promised by U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski for downtown parking.
Dougherty is concerned that by dissolving the Redevelopment Authority board the city might have lost the money yet again.
“The grant they were talking about is issued to the Redevelopment Authority, not the city, not the municipal authority. I don’t want to see the city lose the grant because it’s been dissolved.
The grant money was taken away last year when Kanjorski moved the funding for other projects in his district, including the Hotel Sterling restoration. He took the money because he felt the city’s inaction to move forward on a parking garage would result in no projects in Northeastern Pennsylvania being able to use the funds.
Earlier this year Kanjorski promised to restore the money.
Litchkofski disagreed with Dougherty.
As long as the resolution is worded correctly the city should have no problem receiving the money directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Litchkofski said.
“By us dissolving this it will not jeopardize the funding,” he said. “Essentially, the Redevelopment Authority would be disbanded and we (the council) would become the RA (Redevelopment Authority).”
Luzerne County Community College has expressed interest in either purchasing or leasing the Kanjorski Center on Main Street to house its Health Sciences Program. LCCC also wants to move its culinary arts center into the Nanticoke Senior Citizens Center in downtown. But parking is a crucial issue for students and faculty.
The resolution was drafted about two months ago by city Solicitor William Finnegan as he worked in conjunction with the City Administrator Kenneth Johnson.

5/7/2008
Support for 109th troops’ families least we can do
Our Opinion- Times Leader

THE GREATER WYOMING Valley responded with heart and pride during 2004 when hundreds of area residents serving in the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed overseas as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Can that kind of support be rallied here a second time?
It should.
About 100 citizen-soldiers belonging to the 109th Field Artillery will be called to active duty later this year, according to a report in Tuesday’s edition of The Times Leader. These troops, whose mission will be to support an armored combat vehicle unit in Iraq, will train in Mississippi starting in mid-September, then move to the Middle East by February 2009.
They are expected to return home later that year.
The soldiers, who belong to battalions based in Nanticoke and Plymouth, will be making a significant sacrifice, leaving behind families, jobs and other obligations – essentially postponing their lives to protect ours.
Granted, you might think the United States’ prolonged conflict in Iraq has been poorly managed, maybe never should have begun.
You might have grown weary from reading daily headlines that detail Baghdad’s latest roadside bombing. You might even have voted for a presidential hopeful who espouses speedy troop withdrawals.
All politics aside, this editorial is about people – your neighbors who pledged to defend the nation. (Incidentally, they’re many of the same people who respond to help area victims of floods, blizzards and other disasters.)
They deserve respect and, in their absence, their families merit special consideration by the community.
Pledge today to do your part as the battalions’ “family support groups” spring into action. Donate goods or services to these families, many of whom might see their household incomes dip. Provide babysitting services to a strapped parent. Prepare cards and letters for the soldiers, keeping them updated on home-front happenings.
If requested, contribute items to be shipped directly to the soldiers for morale-boosting or other reasons.
There is something almost each of us can, and should, do to show appreciation toward the men and women of the Armed Forces. For a few options, computer users can visit Web sites such as www.americasupportsyou.mil.
Don’t think of it as your duty. Rather, consider it partial payback.
These soldiers, who belong to battalions based in Nanticoke and Plymouth, will be making a significant sacrifice, leaving behind families, jobs and other obligations – essentially postponing their lives to protect ours.

5/5/2008
Teen’s aspiration is priesthood
csheaffer@citizensvoice.com

He is at a loss for words when explaining that feeling, but he says it involved watching his priest perform the ceremony for his first communion and just admiring the way the priest went through the sacred rites.
In fourth grade, he made up his mind to pursue a life in the church after high school and college. While many people might find this surprising, Kotsko, 17, of Nanticoke doesn’t believe it is. Quiet and serious, Kotsko explains his decision to pursue a life in the church by the importance he places in his Catholic faith.
“There is a great shortage of priests in the world,” said Kotsko, a senior at Holy Redeemer High School. “I can see myself becoming a priest.”
Two weeks ago, Kotsko had the opportunity to attend Mass led by Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Describing the event as awe-inspiring, Kotsko said he felt the pope’s message was filled with hope for the faithful in America.
Kotsko’s priest, Rev. Michael Langan, of St. Francis of Assisi in Nanticoke, put Kotsko’s name in a lottery through the Diocese of Scranton, and Kotsko was lucky enough to obtain two tickets for the pope’s Mass. Kotsko took his aunt, Jackie Kotsko, to see the Holy Father during the huge event in New York City.
“When the Holy Father came, he did it not only for me, but for a lot of young people,” Kotsko said. “There was a surge of energy when he arrived .”
Kotsko realizes not many people his age aspire to a religious life, but that hasn’t held him back from his decision. After telling his teachers about his goal, he received a call from the Diocese of Scranton, informing him of a seminar held for those who wish to pursue a religious vocation. He attended this meeting when he was a freshman in high school.
Also, Kotsko spoke with Langan and the Rev. William Culnane at St. Dominic’s Rectory in Wilkes-Barre. They both encouraged him and tried to give him an idea about the path he’ll must take to achieve his goal.
Langan said he has talked with Kotsko about the process of becoming a priest and the years that must be dedicated to study and prayer. This is called a period of discernment and many individuals will go through years of study and still decide against entering the church.
“It is not an automatic thing. It will take some time and spiritual counseling with advisers and the diocese to see if this is really God’s calling for that person,” Langan said.
After high school, Kotsko will need to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, then study pre-theology, and finally go to the seminary to study theology, before he can become a priest. Usually an individual must study for about eight years before he becomes a deacon. After a year as a deacon, he will be ordained as a priest.
In the fall, Kotsko will enroll at Luzerne County Community College, and then he hopes to transfer to King’s College. From Kotsko’s perspective, many other teenagers don’t take religion as seriously as he does. He isn’t sure why this is, but he believes it is unfortunate.
“I go to church because I want to. Other students go because they were forced to go. They don’t go of their own free will,” Kotsko said.
Acknowledging the church faces troubles in the United States, Kotsko said the biggest problems are the child abuse scandals and “moral relativism.” He defines “moral relativism” as the absence of a strict moral code, leaving people free to live their lives according to their own standards rather than the church’s standards.
Kotsko’s parents, Daniel and Margaret, support their only son, and both of them hope he achieves his goal.
If he becomes a priest, Kotsko realizes he will give up certain things, like having his own family. But, as he says, as a priest he would be involved with many family celebrations — marriages, first communions, and funerals. He says the church would become his family, stressing that a sense of togetherness was affirmed for him when he went to New York City to see the pope.
“It certainly changed my perspective that other people go to church. Not many people my age go, and it was surprising they were attentive at Mass,” Kotsko said.

5/3/2008
Local soldiers will head back to Iraq
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

Approximately 90 Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers from the 109th Field Artillery will deploy to Iraq in mid-September, 109th leaders confirmed Friday.
Most of the soldiers will come from Nanticoke-based Bravo Battery, which previously had members serve a one-year stint in Iraq before returning home in February 2005.
Some soldiers from Plymouth-based Alpha Battery, which served in Kuwait, Qatar and parts of Iraq during that same mission, are also being called to serve.
“Clearly, we’re all expected to do our part. We’ve always represented the Wyoming Valley well. The fact the federal government is calling on us is nothing new,” said 109th Capt. Robert Perino. “We’re certainly sending people who are ready to go.”
Members of the 109th will “backfill” open spots in the Carlisle-based 108th Field Artillery and they’ll all serve under the umbrella of the 56th Stryker Brigade out of Philadelphia, 109th officials said.
The last time members of the 109th served during the Iraq war they served as military policemen.
This time they will serve as artillerymen, the job for which they’ve trained all their careers, said Lt. Col. Kevin Miller, the 109th’s commanding officer.
“This is the first time we will deploy as cannon artilleryman since World War II,” Miller said.
An artillery unit provides fire support for ground forces, the colonel said.
Miller said 109th members potentially would fire 155 mm artillery rounds from Howitzer M777 tanks.
“We’re always looking to step forward. This is near and dear to every artilleryman’s heart. This will again be another historic event for the 109th Field Artillery,” Miller said.
The 109th Field Artillery is one of the oldest forces in the United States military. It was formed Oct. 17, 1775.
Lt. Scott Brunnenmeyer of Nuangola will deploy for his second tour in Iraq. The 25-year-old, who will be a platoon leader on the ground, thinks the second deployment will be easier because “the first time I did not know what to expect.”
“Obviously, you have to put your life on hold again. But that’s what we all signed up to do. We want to accomplish our mission,” the 2000 Crestwood High School graduate said. “We want to go over and serve our country well, but we all want to come home safe and sound. We’re going over together and we’re going to come home together.”
During the last mission to Iraq, one 109th soldier didn’t make it home. Sgt. Sherwood Baker of Plymouth, a member of Headquarters Battery, was killed April 26, 2004, in an explosion at a suspected chemical weapons factory in Baghdad, Iraq, while his unit was serving with the Scranton-based 103rd Armor Regiment.
About 120 soldiers from the 109th are serving around the world. About 80 are in Afghanistan and the rest are stationed in the Sinai Peninsula.
The soldiers destined for Iraq will leave in mid-September to begin training in Camp Shelby, Miss. They’ll serve up to one year, Miller said.
When they ship out, the 109th will have about 160 soldiers remaining in the Wyoming Valley. A good recruiting year has placed the battalion in a good position to absorb the dual deployments, Miller said.
In March, the unit announced it had reached full strength for the first time in six years. At 354 soldiers, it was at 100-percent strength. Now, it’s at 101 percent, Miller said.
Miller said he expects his unit to perform at the highest level.
“Across our chain of command, they recognize the superb abilities that our Guardsmen have always had. They know that they could count on the 109th to send forth the very best,” he said.

5/3/2008
Confidential settlement reached in slander/libel case
msisak@citizensvoice.com

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed more than a decade ago by a group of teachers from the Greater Nanticoke Area School District who accused school officials of slander and a Wilkes-Barre newspaper and three of its reporters of libel.
More than 100 teachers filed suit on Dec. 5, 1997, against Anthony Perrone, the district superintendent; Charlie Coslett, the solicitor at the time; the newspaper, The Times Leader, and reporters Sanjay Bhatt, CeCe Todd and Dave Janoski, who wrote a series of stories about teachers taking continuing education classes to increase their salaries.
The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial Monday in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Terms of the agreement were kept confidential, Jeffrey McCarron, an attorney for The Times Leader, said Friday in an e-mail to one defendant. McCarron did not return a telephone message for comment.
The settlement appeared to have been reached after a judge denied a defense motion for dismissal of the case through summary judgment.
The case against the reporters, who have all since left The Times Leader, will be discontinued and they will not be required to pay any of the settlement, McCarron said in the e-mail.
Bhatt writes about education for The Seattle Times. Todd is assistant editor of the East Valley Tribune in Arizona. Janoski is projects editor at The Citizens’ Voice.
Perrone, Coslett, attorney John Freund, who represented the school district through its insurance carrier, the Pennsylvania School Claims Service, and Mary Jo Hynes, the teacher who led the group of plaintiffs, could not be reached by telephone Friday.
The teachers charged Perrone and Coslett each with one count of slander and The Times Leader and the reporters each with one count of libel, according to the lawsuit.
The teachers had sought a jury trial and were seeking in excess of $20,000 each in compensatory damages and more than $20,000 each in punitive damages on every count including charges that they suffered public and professional humiliation, ridicule, vilification and contempt.
The teachers contended Perrone made statements beginning in April 1997 accusing them of illegally and improperly applying for tuition reimbursements and salary enhancements for college courses he described as being audio-visual or correspondence courses.
They accused Coslett of claiming the teachers engaged in criminal conduct amounting to “theft by deception,” by taking the classes despite having prior approval from school district officials.
The teachers claimed The Times Leader and the reporters published articles based on misleading, incorrect and false information leading to “grave and irreparable damage to their reputations and standing in the community.”

5/2/2008
Regional public safety training facility being readied
slong@timesleader.com

Firefighters from as far away as New York City and Washington, D.C., marched with their local comrades into the new Regional Public Safety Training Center at Luzerne County Community College last Friday, as phase one of the total 32-acre project was dedicated.
The state-of-the-art emergency services training facility on Prospect Street will serve a 10-county region, training firefighters, police officers and first responders in the latest public safety techniques.
For the last four decades, local firefighters have wanted a training facility in Luzerne County, and now they have it, said James Wills, president of the Luzerne County Fire and Rescue Training Association.
“We now have someplace where we can actually physically do the things we need to do. A lot of times we have to simulate things. Simulations are a long way away from the real world. This is going to be able to do real world type things,” Wills said.
The entire five-phase project is anticipated to be completed by 2012. Using a combination of federal, state and local funds, this first phase cost about $7 million. Joe Grilli, vice president of training institutes, LCCC, said the project was completed two months early and came in under budget, but he was not exactly sure of the total cost savings.
Firefighters will start training in the 9,000 square-foot, three-bay apparatus building and the five-story tactical structural firefighting tower/burn building within two weeks. Two 1970-era fire trucks purchased by LCCC’s Alumni Association are being housed in the apparatus building.
Although the fully-equipped trucks are 30 years old, firefighters can still learn the basics of connecting hoses and operating the pumps, which according to Karen Flannery, dean of public safety training, is the most important.
The tower is constructed of heavy-duty metal capable of maintaining heat to simulate the intensity of a burning structure. It is also designed with moveable doors to be set up in a variety of ways so no matter how many times firefighters enter the building they can’t memorize the interior.
“Let us be reminded as we pass that burn tower as we are heading out (of a burning structure) they are heading in. Simply to protect us, simply to protect our house, simply to protect our belongings, simply to protect our lives,” said Greg Skrepenak, a LCCC trustee and Luzerne County Commissioner.
The college’s public safety training institute will immediately begin designing the second phase, which will include a driving course, Flannery said.

5/2/2008
Late Nanticoke mayor was community’s ‘jewel,’ friend recalls
hruckno@citizensvoice.com

The city of Nanticoke lost one of its most notable and dedicated residents when former mayor and police chief Wasil Kobela passed away at the age of 79.
Kobela, who died on Tuesday at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, had spent his life serving the people of his hometown. He worked tirelessly to make Nanticoke a better place to live, friends said.
“I never saw him as self-serving or looking out for his own interests,” said retired Nanticoke police Chief Chet Zaremba. “He was not doing this to get that. He always did for somebody else. That’s the way he was.”
Zaremba was police chief when Kobela was mayor. He also worked under Kobela as a police officer, and with him as a state trooper. His community involvement was second to none, he said. Kobela was involved in several police and civic organizations. He was particularly dedicated to the Nanticoke Lions Club and the Greater Nanticoke Area Basketball Booster Club, Zaremba said.
“He was a jewel of the community. He really was,” Zaremba said of his former boss. “I don’t know of anybody right now that is his equal.”
During Kobela’s term as president of the Nanticoke Lions Club, the club raised about $185,000 to purchase defibrillators for the community hospital and the fire department, said friend Jonathan Stegura, who was also active in the club.
The Lions Club did it by giving away a car. The cost of each ticket was $100, and Kobela sold the majority of them, Stegura said.
“Everybody told him he could not sell any. He sold 100,” said Nanticoke Mayor John Bushko, who was elected to council in 1993, the same year Kobela was elected mayor.
Bushko called Kobela a “very close friend” and a “terrific guy” who was always accessible during his term as mayor.
“I would say Wasil’s biggest achievement was that he was in that office every day,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, said Kobela’s commitment to community service was unmatched, both as an elected official and a law enforcement professional.
“When he was police chief, the crime rate in Nanticoke was extremely low,” Kanjorski said. “He had a very responsive police force.”
Long-time friend Joe Simone spent many an afternoon with Kobela at the local coffee shops. He remembered his friend as an honorable man who was deeply devoted to his family, church, community and friends.
“His word was his bond. If he said he was going to do something, he did it,” Simone said.
Kobela always tried to accommodate everyone who asked him for a favor, no matter how large or small, Simone said. If he couldn’t grant the request, he would try to find someone who could.
Kobela is survived by his wife of 51 years, Leona, two children, and a grandson, according to his obituary, which appeared in Wednesday’s edition of The Citizens’ Voice.
His funeral will be held Saturday at 9:30 a.m. from the Stanley S. Stegura Funeral Home Inc., in Nanticoke. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at Holy Transfiguration Church. Friends may call on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Students were evacuated from Greater Nanticoke Area High School on Wednesday as a precautionary measure when a small amount of Freon leaked into the cafeteria.
Employees were servicing a heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit at the end of a lunch period — around 1 p.m. — and accidentally cut into one of the lines, buildings and grounds supervisor Frank Grevera said.
A little bit of the refrigerant liquid leaked out, but students were sent outside as a precaution, he said. The maintenance staff cleared out the cafeteria, power-washed everything and scrubbed the tables, and by 2:30 p.m. everything was fine, he said.

5/1/2008
Kathy’s Kitchen and Catering plans grand opening
Nanticoke Area Notes - Pam Urbanski

It was a dream of Kathy Capie to open a catering business. In December her dream became a reality when, with the help of her husband and son, both named Jim, she opened Kathy’s Kitchen and Catering in Nanticoke. The restaurant features a nice breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, featuring eggs, pancakes or breakfast sandwiches, salads, hoagies, wraps, burger and steaks. The restaurant also makes homemade soups and salads. You might find the senior Capie outside at the barbecue pit preparing chicken, ribs or kielbasa. “Patrons really seem to enjoy the food we prepare on the pit,” Jim said.
The Capies are thrilled Luzerne County Community College will be a new neighbor in downtown Nanticoke. “We are really looking forward to serving the students, faculty and staff. We think business will pick up considerably once the college is downtown.” They are already offering discounts to students who show their LCCC identification.
You can eat in or order takeouts. The restaurant can seat 50 people inside and 15 outside. Parking is available. The facility is non smoking.
“We cater for all occasions and offer foods to fit your needs,” Jim added. “We can come in and set up and then serve or we can just deliver the food.”
Kathy and Jim want to be good neighbors and support their community. They have donated to several groups, including the Drug Task Force, Nanticoke High School, and the Nanticoke softball league.
A grand opening will be held Thursday, May 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be specials throughout the day and Stanky and the Coal Miners will entertain from 2 to 5. The restaurant is located at 175 S. Market St. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are daily specials and discounts for seniors every Thursday.

Mass for cancer sufferers
A Mass in honor of St. Peregrine, patron saint for anyone who has experienced cancer in their life, will be held Friday at 7 p.m. in St. Stanislaus Church.
“As we know cancer has touched the lives of so many in our society and in our parishes. It spreads beyond the individual and touches the entire family. Anyone who has lived with cancer, or any serious disease, and their family members, are invited to the St. Peregrine Mass and the gathering following the Mass,” said Pastor Jim Nash. The Sacrament of the Sick will be administered.

Youth group needs donations

The Youth Group of Holy Child, Holy Trinity, St. Mary’s and St. Stanislaus Parish Community is asking parishioners to help them stock up on some much needed items.
Paper plates, napkins, paper cups, plastic forks, knives and spoons are on their wish list. They are also asking for donations of iced tea and drink mixes. Items can be dropped off at the parish office.

Teen Mass at St. Stanislaus
A Teen Mass will be held at St. Stanislaus on Sunday at 7 p.m. Weather permitting, a cookout will following. Call Bill Borysewicz at 735-4833 if you can bring a food item for the cookout.

St. Francis pastie sale
The Altar and Rosary Society of St. Francis Church is holding its annual pastie sale. Pasties come with gravy and with or with out onions for $7. Orders must be placed by calling Andrea at 735-5381 or the parish office at 735-6903. Pick up will be from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 16, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17.

4/27/2008
LCCC parking project stuck in neutral
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The good news for Nanticoke is U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, has brought back the $5.6 million he once promised to and then took away from the city’s redevelopment authority.
The bad news is the money can’t be used to build a much-needed parking garage for the Kanjorski Center on East Main Street, where Luzerne County Community College plans to open a health sciences center.
And the maybe-things-aren’t-so-bad news is if the U.S. Department of Transportation won’t allow the parking garage, the city can use the money for some necessary improvements to Main and Market streets.
The mix-up started when Kanjorski obtained a $5.6 million grant — requiring 20 percent matching funds — in the 2005 transportation funding bill. When he thought city officials were dragging their feet — they say they were trying to hash out details such as how big to build the garage — Kanjorski reassigned the money to other projects outside the city.
LCCC entered the picture with plans for a health center, and officials hailed the proposal as crucial to revitalizing downtown Nanticoke. They prepared plans for an approximately 300-space parking garage, not knowing the $5.6 million had been withdrawn.
Kanjorski recently agreed to bring the money back to Nanticoke, his hometown. However, at a meeting this week, representatives of state and federal transportation agencies told city and college officials the garage did not qualify for the federal grant.
“We asked federal highway officials if there is a way to use this money; their answer is no, it does not qualify under the law,” said state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke.
Nancy Singer, U.S. Department of Transportation spokeswoman, stated that “parking garages must meet certain federal requirements in order to be eligible for federal-aid funds. Simply put, the parking garage must serve an inter-modal purpose.” In other words, the funds can only be used to build garages if people will be parking in them to carpool or use public transportation.
“It was a definite blow to the city to find out the funding for the parking garage that was administered by the congressman cannot be used for a parking facility, parkade or parking garage …” Nanticoke municipal authority chairman Ron Kamowski said.
He added, “But I hope the Congressman and his redevelopment authority can get the necessary exemptions so the funds can be used for the parking facility, since it will be a very integral part of LCCC coming downtown with its sciences center.”
“I am working closely with Luzerne County Community College to make sure that there is sufficient funding to meet the college’s parking needs,” Kanjorski said in a statement. “I have spoken to the Federal Highway Administration and members of Congress to ensure the intent of Congress in providing $5.6 million for a parking facility in downtown Nanticoke is followed. Working together, I am confident that we can bring LCCC into the downtown for the benefit of both the college and the City of Nanticoke.”
Nanticoke Mayor John Busko said, “I think the Congressman deserves a chance to try to straighten it out, and if he doesn’t, I’m sure we can come up with a way to build a garage for the college. They need the parking. That’s a must.”
Yudichak also hopes there is a way — a loophole or some flexibility in the language — that will allow the parking garage. If not, the financially distressed city will have to re-route money and find other sources of funds to build it.
However, there is a silver lining, Yudichak said. The $5.6 million can be used for street improvements. It could go for new streetlights, sidewalks or a redesign of Main and Market streets and maybe surface parking for downtown businesses, Yudichak said.
But first, there needs to be a comprehensive parking study of Nanticoke’s business district, he believes.
“This is a lot of money, we’re grateful for the money, how do we best use it?” Yudichak said. “Now we have to go through that process.”

4/27/2008
Test scores stress staffs
By Mark Guydishmguydish@timesleader.com

The demotion of Greater Nanticoke Area High School Principal Mary Ann Jarolen may have been the most public consequence of mounting pressure on local public schools to boost state test scores, but it’s far from the only one.
Since the mandates for increasing annual test scores first hit in the 2002-03 school year, districts have revamped what they teach right down to kindergarten level. Students now start next year’s lessons before this year is done.
Tutoring classes are offered throughout the day as well as before and after school. Veteran teachers who have spent a career specializing in one subject, like science, have had to learn to teach completely different lessons, such as reading.
And teachers increasingly leave their jobs years, even a decade or more, before retirement age.
“I think there is pressure on public education teachers like never before,” Greater Nanticoke Area Federal Programs Director Michael Pawlik said. “And I think our teachers are responding by becoming focused like never before.”
Test-score testimony
When Jarolen launched legal action in Luzerne County Court to keep her high school post, Pawlik testified at length about declining high school test scores.
Although the school board did not give a reason for removing Jarolen from the principal position on April 10, during the court proceedings it was shown that the district administration specifically cited test scores as the cause.
Jarolen won an injunction ordering the district to reinstate her, but the district filed an appeal that put that order on hold.
During the injunction hearing April 18, Pawlik conceded that a principal does not teach in the classroom or administer the tests. But he also testified that Superintendent Tony Perrone has said at numerous staff meetings the principal is ultimately responsible for scores.
It was an argument Jarolen’s attorney, Charles Coslett, dismissed as “the worst case of scapegoating I’ve ever seen.”
If so, Greater Nanticoke is not alone in putting a principal’s feet to the fire. Other superintendents said a heavy burden falls on principals as well.
“Every building principal is accountable for the test results, just like the teachers,” Hazleton Area Superintendent Frank Victor said. “Everyone feels that pressure, knowing they have to make those benchmarks.”
Benchmark driven
The “benchmarks” are based on what percentage of students score “proficient” or “advanced” in math and reading tests. The minimum percentage required by law, first implemented in 2002-03, rises annually, ultimately hitting 100 percent by 2014. The state has also increased the number of grades tested.
Locally, as the pressure has increased, more schools have missed the mark. Hazleton Area, the county’s largest district, has had the toughest struggle. Six of nine district schools missed the goals last year, and the high school has missed them five years in a row – the longest streak in the region.
The more consecutive years a school misses goals, the more serious the consequences. After five years, the state has the right to take over a school and start shuffling or replacing staff.
That didn’t happen at Hazleton Area, Victor noted, because as a whole, the high school is doing well. It fell short in what the state calls “subgroups,” which statistically do poorly on standardized tests: Minorities, children from low-income families, and English as Second Language (ESL) and special-education students are all looked at separately from the overall student scores.
Last year, Hazleton Area High School students combined met the goals, but three subgroups did not: Hispanic, economically disadvantaged and low income. The state didn’t come in with a heavy hand, but it did come.
“We were assigned what they call distinguished educators,” said Victor, referring to specialists who look at where the school is failing and monitor efforts to reverse the trend.
“What they said is we were doing what we should be doing,” Victor said.
That included adding services for ESL students to make sure they got the assistance they needed in translation and learning the language, and adding more remedial courses for special education students.
Systemic issues
But Greater Nanticoke’s problem is more systemic, and a little more complex. While the high school met goals overall last year, statistics show that was primarily because, unlike Hazleton Area and some other high schools that start at ninth grade, Nanticoke starts at eighth.
That means two grades (eight and 11) are tested rather than one, and their results are combined by the state.
At Nanticoke, the eighth graders did well enough to not only exceed the state goals, it did well enough to compensate for poor results from 11th graders. Taken alone, the juniors managed only 46 percent in reading and 34 percent in math – the area’s worst 11th-grade scores.
At Jarolen’s court hearing, Pawlik mentioned these scores. He also noted that scores dropped from seventh to eighth grade, suggesting the problem is specific to the high school. And while principals aren’t teachers, he testified that they are responsible for monitoring teacher performance and making sure that district plans are implemented and resources allocated properly.
Those dismal scores prompted new board member Tony Prushinski to run for office; he has frequently blasted the district publicly at board meetings, demanding action be taken.
Pawlik said the district has taken major steps since he took over the effort. It is in the process of revamping curriculum so that students in kindergarten are learning what they need to know to pass the tests by the time they reach third grade. Teachers in every subject have been trained to do “sponge activities,” exercises that impart the lesson in their subject but do so using the type of math or reading skills students need to pass the tests.
“The idea is to squeeze every last drop of learning out of a lesson,” Pawlik said of the name. This has required teachers to give lessons they aren’t really trained for. Science teachers, for example, give reading problems and help students deal with the reading aspect of it, not just the science part.
Textbooks have gone from driving the curriculum as teachers move progressively through the chapters to being driven by it as teachers refer to whatever part of the book fits their needs.
And students are taught more on an “April to April” basis than September to June, because the tests are typically given in April. That means they learn what they need to know for next year’s test beginning right after this year’s test is done.
Tutoring important
And tutoring is offered before school, after school and even during school.
During a recent session, teacher Barbara Warman worked math lessons with six students during what would be their study hall period.
Student Joshua Slosky – one of the juniors who needed to boost those scores – said he preferred the tutoring session to study hall. And having just taken the state tests earlier this month, he also said the tutoring had definitely helped him understand and work the problems better.
These are tactics adopted by other districts as well.
Both Hazleton Area’s Victor and Wyoming Valley West’s Michael Garzella said they have been doing the same or similar things in their schools, though Victor believes all the changes and stress are taking a toll on veteran teachers. There was a time, he noted, when teachers with 40 or more years of experience were still in the classrooms.
Now, “You get more early retirements because of the demands and pressures. I can remember when you would talk with teachers and the comment was they were waiting until they turned 65 (to retire),” Victor said. “Now you don’t have that. You absolutely don’t have that any more.”
Another strategy
Greater Nanticoke has also started giving quarterly tests known as “4-Sights,” designed explicitly to mimic the state tests and show where student weaknesses are so they can be corrected. In fact, Pawlik believes these and other tactics have been so successful that he predicted 11th-grade math results this year could rise from 34 percent proficient or better to something in the 60 percent range.
If that happens, the school will meet the state goals, but the pressure won’t let up. Not only must more students score proficient or better in coming years, the state is also planning to introduce “Graduation Competency Assessments,” or GCAs, in 2014, a battery of 10 tests in four subject areas, with students required to pass at least seven of them during their high school years to graduate.
Local districts also are struggling with a rapidly shifting student body, with a growing number of low-income, special education and minority students. In Greater Nanticoke Area High School, among 11th graders taking the state tests in 2002-03, 9 percent were special-education students. Last year, 21 percent were. In the same time frame, the percent of economically disadvantaged students taking the test rose from 18 percent to 39 percent, though that number is more volatile, having spiked at 42 percent in 2004-05.
And Pawlik said the district is dealing with an increasingly transient enrollment, with kids entering and leaving the district every year. He didn’t have hard numbers, but estimated the turnover is as high as 20 percent annually.
None of which Pawlik and administrators in other districts said should be an excuse for poor test results.
“You can sit back and say, ‘These are our excuses,’ but you really have to say, ‘Where do we go from here?’ There are very explicit strategies you can use to improve scores for each of those types of students.
“We are the only hope many of these kids have.”
“I think there is pressure on public education teachers like never before. And I think our teachers are responding by becoming focused like never before.”
Michael Pawlik
Greater Nanticoke Area Federal Programs Director

4/27/2008
How you measure impacts results
Depending on yardsticks, GNA has county’s worst scores or beats out a few districts.
By mguydish@timesleader.com

Greater Nanticoke Area School Board member Tony Prushinski has complained that the district has the worst state test scores in Luzerne County. Does it? The short answer is no, but …
It depends on how you measure “worst.”
As far as the state is concerned, what matters most is the percentage of students in a school who score “proficient” or “advanced” in math and reading tests. Using that yardstick, in 2006-07 Greater Nanticoke did as well as or better than three other county high schools (Hazleton Area, Wyoming Valley West and Crestwood) in math tests, and better than Wilkes-Barre Area’s GAR High School in reading tests.
Specifically, GNA had 49.6 percent proficient or better in math while Hazleton Area had 49 percent, WVW had 49.2 percent and Crestwood had the same as GNA. In reading, GNA had 57 percent proficient or better and GAR had 55 percent.
But the state measures the percent of students in four different categories: Advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Look at them separately, and the picture keeps changing.
In the advanced category, GNA high school had 27.3 percent, better than five other high schools. In the proficient category, it had 22.3 percent, the lowest in the county.
In the basic category (where a higher number is worse because it means more students are doing poorly) Nanticoke had 16 percent, the second smallest percentage in the county (a good result). In the below basic category, it had 34.4 percent, the highest percentage of students scoring in the lowest category.
Reading results are similar when broken into the four categories. So GNA is worst when measured in some ways, better in others.
But wait, there’s more.
Comparing high schools by using overall test results can be an apples-to-oranges effort.
Different high schools house different grades. Some run from grade seven through 12, while others start at grade nine. That can skew results. How?
The state tests grades three through eight and 11. So the high school that houses grades seven and up tests three grades, while the one that begins at grade nine tests only one grade. Yet the state calculates a school’s overall test results based on the total number of students tested, regardless of the grade they were in.
With rare exceptions, 11th graders post the worst test results of all grades in a district, especially in math (a phenomenon that educators have grappled with for years). By including the higher scores from a lower grade, a high school’s overall results can rise.
Take Greater Nanticoke Area High School, which houses grades eight through 12. That means two grades are tested. If the school only housed grades 9 and up, only the 11th grade results would matter, and those are poor: in math, 33.9 percent scored proficient or better.
Average in eighth grade, where 66.9 percent scored proficient or better, and the school’s overall results climb by nearly 16 percentage points, with 49.6 percent of all high school students tested scoring proficient or better.
Arguably, the best way to decide if GNA high school really has the worst test scores in the county is to compare eighth grade and 11th grade results separately.
In eighth-grade reading, GNA did better than three other local districts. In eighth-grade math, it outdid six other schools.
But in 11th grade, in both reading and math, Greater Nanticoke is at the bottom of the list by wide margins. In math, 33.9 percent of Nanticoke students scored proficient or better, a full 15 percentage points below the next poorest showing in the county, Hazleton Area with 49 percent. In reading Nanticoke had 46.3 percent score proficient or better. The school just above it is GAR, where 53.6 percent scored proficient or better.
The state measures the percent of students in four different categories: Advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Look at them separately, and the picture keeps changing. In the advanced category, GNA high school had 27.3 percent, better than five other high schools. In the proficient category, it had 22.3 percent, the lowest in the county.

4/26/2008
‘We’ve turned a dream into reality’
bjarvis@citizensvoice.com

For James Wills, president of Luzerne County Fire & Rescue Training Association, it was a day almost 50 years in the making.
With hundreds cheering, Luzerne County Community College held a dedication ceremony Friday for its new Regional Public Safety Training Center, and Wills couldn’t help but beam.
“We started fire training in 1960 but never had a permanent facility. Sometimes we would have to go to Dallas High School,” Wills explained. “Since there was no physical training, you could take 80 hours of courses without ever seeing an actual fire. This is a great opportunity for emergency services in our region.”
Ground was broken for the 32-acre facility, situated at the corner of Prospect Street and Middle Road, across from LCCC’s main campus, in March 2007.
“As the largest college in Northeast Pennsylvania, we’re perfectly suited to develop this unique training center for those who dedicate their lives to protecting us and keeping us safe,” LCCC President Thomas Leary said.
With phase one of construction complete and four phases to go, the training center will provide state-of-the-art equipment not only for firefighters but also police officers, emergency medical technicians and students at LCCC, said Karen Flannery, dean of Public Safety Training and Special Initiatives.
“We’ve turned a dream into reality. As we continue to build, what will the message be? Today the message is thank you. To all first responders, we honor you.”
At a cost of about $32 million, which was funded largely through grants and contributions, the training center is expected to be complete by 2012. Facilities will include a heliport, burn tower, indoor shooting range, rescue and hazardous materials props, and an emergency vehicle operations course.
“We’re proud of the work we’ve done together as public servants. Now our men and women in blue will get the best training possible to help them save lives and get themselves home safely,” said state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, who helped secure funding through the state legislature and Gov. Ed Rendell. “We’re turning this region back into a vibrant and prosperous community.”
Following a procession by the Scranton Firefighters Honor Guard and the Ceol Mor Pipe & Drum Band — not to mention representatives of first responders throughout the region from Nanticoke to Berwick — Leary cut the ribbon along with Yudichak and Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak.
“Who would have ever thought we would have this? It’s beyond inspiring and I’m ever so humbled to be a part of it,” Skrepenak said. “This is a monument to our first responders, and let us be reminded that as we run from a fire, they run to the fire to protect our belongings and our lives.”

4/26/2008
Regional training facility at LCCC is under way
Completion of the entire five-phase project is expected by 2012.
slong@timesleader.com

Firefighters from as far away as New York City and Washington, D.C., marched with their local comrades into the new Regional Public Safety Training Center at Luzerne County Community College Friday afternoon, as phase one of the total 32-acre project was dedicated.
The state-of-the-art emergency services training facility on Prospect Street will serve a 10-county region, training firefighters, police officers and first responders in the latest public safety techniques.
For the last four decades, local firefighters have wanted a training facility in Luzerne County, and now they have it, said James Wills, president of the Luzerne County Fire and Rescue Training Association.
“We now have someplace where we can actually physically do the things we need to do. A lot of times we have to simulate things. Simulations are a long way away from the real world. This is going to be able to do real world type things,” Wills said.
The entire five-phase project is anticipated to be completed by 2012. Using a combination of federal, state and local funds, this first phase cost about $7 million. Joe Grilli, vice president of training institutes, LCCC, said the project was completed two months early and came in under budget, but he was not exactly sure of the total cost savings.
Firefighters will start training in the 9,000 square-foot, three-bay apparatus building and the five-story tactical structural firefighting tower/burn building within two weeks. Two 1970-era fire trucks purchased by LCCC’s Alumni Association are being housed in the apparatus building.
Although the fully-equipped trucks are 30 years old, firefighters can still learn the basics of connecting hoses and operating the pumps, which according to Karen Flannery, dean of public safety training, is the most important.
The tower is constructed of heavy-duty metal capable of maintaining heat to simulate the intensity of a burning structure. It is also designed with moveable doors to be set up in a variety of ways so no matter how many times firefighters enter the building they can’t memorize the interior.
“Let us be reminded as we pass that burn tower as we are heading out (of a burning structure) they are heading in. Simply to protect us, simply to protect our house, simply to protect our belongings, simply to protect our lives,” said Greg Skrepenak, a LCCC trustee and Luzerne County Commissioner.
The college’s public safety training institute will immediately begin designing the second phase, which will include a driving course, Flannery said.

4/24/2008
Rumors of fight, weapon bring authorities to Nanticoke school
dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

About 20 law enforcement officers and an FBI gang task force arrived at Greater Nanticoke Area High School early Wednesday in response to rumors about a pending fight and a weapon at the school.
Nothing happened, but police responded as a precautionary measure, said Superintendent Anthony Perrone and Nanticoke Detective William Shultz.
“This started last week as a fight between a boy and a girl and that’s what caused the whole incident. For the last two days, they have been bickering back and forth. They called each other derogatory racial names,” Perrone said. “There was no riot. Nobody brought a gun. There is no lockdown in any of the schools.”
The FBI joined Nanticoke, Newport Township, Hanover Township and state police, Luzerne County sheriffs and two constables at the school. They brought metal detectors but did not use them, Shultz said.
Nanticoke police fielded 50 to 100 calls Tuesday from concerned parents and law enforcement officials about rumors of a gang fight or weapon at school, Shultz said. A rumor was posted on MySpace that “something” was going to happen Wednesday and told students not to come to school, he said.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time when this is publicized, nothing is going to happen,” Shultz said. “We just wanted to assist the school and make things as safe as possible. Some parents are very concerned as they should be, but unfortunately this was a situation where the rumor mill got the best of everything.”
Several students did not attend school or left early Wednesday. Perrone could not say how many students were absent.
Nanticoke senior Ryan Berndt said a “mass amount” of students left school after the rumors spread.
“Kids were getting scared,” Berndt said. “Kids were crying.”
There was no threat between the boy and girl, but other people got involved, Perrone said. He said he also fielded several calls from concerned parents Tuesday night, and he said he “tried to explain to them exactly what happened.”
School resource officer Mike Wisniewski joined other law enforcement authorities in patrolling the high school throughout the day Wednesday. Nanticoke Sgt. Mike Roke remained at the school all day.

4/24/2008
Health trust approves new rates for settled contracts
bjarvis@citizensvoice.com

The Northeast Pennsylvania School Districts Health Trust on Wednesday approved the adoption of revised health insurance rates for three school districts that either recently settled or approved key components of teacher contracts.
As of July 1, Wyoming Valley West and Greater Nanticoke Area will each receive 17 percent reductions, while Tunkhannock Area will receive a 7-percent reduction.
Health trust Executive Director Andy Marko said the rates decreased because the new contracts included higher co-pays and deductibles on behalf of the teachers.
“Every one of the districts in our trust is showing a minus sign. The trust has to be doing something right,” Marko said.
Wyoming Valley West and Tunkhannock Area settled their teacher contracts last year.
While Greater Nanticoke Area has not officially settled its teachers contract, the school board voted last week to approve and implement the contract’s salary and health care components. School and union officials are hopeful the contract will be ratified at the board’s next meeting.
In other business, Marko encouraged district representatives to promote wellness programs among school staff, including walking and running teams, tobacco cessation, and health and nutrition fairs.
Marko said many of the programs, offered by Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, are free and would help tremendously.
“We encourage you to take a look,” Marko said. “And being a self-funded group, we only pay Blue Cross to administer the plan. So if teachers are healthy (and less claims are filed), the less you pay.”

4/23/2008
5:30 PM
Health Trust: Nanticoke, Valley West premiums to drop 17%
Mark Guydish - Times Leader

Insurance changes negotiated into new teacher contracts at Wyoming Valley West and Greater Nanticoke Area School Districts will result in premium reductions of about 17 percent, North East Pennsylvania School Health Trust officials said today.
The Trust, a consortium of local districts formed in 1999, has been able to lower costs for all participating districts in recent years, but Executive Director Andrew Marko said Nanticoke and Valley West had negotiated new contracts with increases in co-payments and deductibles that would more than triple their savings beginning in July. Marko said most districts will see decreases closer to 4 percent below this year's rates.
The savings come by having teachers pay more for their health care. For example, Marko noted the usual deductible is around $100 to $300 depending on type of coverage, but the two districts have negotiated deductibles ranging as high as $750. They've also increase the amount teachers will pay for doctor office and emergency room visits, and for prescription drugs.
"Teachers realize that costs are going up and they are trying to do their part," Marko said.
In both districts, the changes in insurance coverage helped resolve contract disputes. The school boards had been pushing to have teachers pay part of their premiums - a move the unions oppose rigorously. But that demand was dropped in exchange for the increases in co-pays and deductibles, which can end up saving the district more money than premium sharing.
Lake-Lehman School District, for example, dropped premium sharing from it's latest contract offer in exchange for insurance changes similar to those accepted at Wyoming Valley West, Superintendent James McGovern said. The board had asked for a 5 percent premium sharing, but found the insurance changes would actually lower premiums overall by a minimum of 6 percent and probably more.
Marko said Tunkhannock Area had also negotiated new coverage that would increase savings, but the reduction was substantially smaller than the other two districts: 7 percent. The trust board of directors approved all three rate changes at its meeting this afternoon.

4/22/2008
GNA files court appeal to send principal back to elementary school
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The attorney for Greater Nanticoke Area School District has filed an appeal to send the high school principal back to the elementary school where she was transferred by the school board.
On Friday, Judge Ann Lokuta granted an injunction to return Mary Ann Jarolen as high school principal until a hearing on the transfer is held.
District Solicitor Vito DeLuca, who is representing the administration, filed the appeal in county court Monday. It means Jarolen has to stay principal of K.M. Smith Elementary, where the school board voted 6-1 to transfer her at its April 10 meeting. The board moved Jarolen, who was high school principal since 2005, on the request of the administration, DeLuca said.
“They have a right to file the appeal, but we’ll see how events unfold,” said Jarolen’s attorney Charles Coslett.
He said he has contacted DeLuca via e-mail.
“I indicated the mere filing of an appeal does not give them carte blanche to act as if no injunction was issued,” Coslett said.
The case now proceeds to Commonwealth Court, to determine whether Lokuta’s ruling was correct.
“It could take quite a while. It could take a number of months,” DeLuca said, adding, “I’m very confident we will prevail.”
Jarolen has not had a required administrative hearing in front of the school board. Two hearings — on Feb. 8 and March 17 — were postponed, one due to a scheduling conflict and one because Jarolen, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, could not attend for medical reasons.
The board offered to have the hearing during the day, evening, weekend, or give her a paid day off, DeLuca said.
“We made every effort to accommodate Mrs. Jarolen to schedule a hearing,” he said. “For some reason she was able to attend school on a regular basis and educate our 950 children.”
DeLuca expects the administrative hearing will be held when Jarolen gets clearance from her doctor.
DeLuca said the board is alleging during Jarolen’s principalship, there has been a “serious and drastic decline” in test scores at Nanticoke High School. He presented evidence in court Friday.
“The statistics are compelling and striking,” DeLuca said. “We can’t take a risk of letting this remain status quo any longer.”
Principals are responsible for test scores in their schools, he said. They sign the tests, make a certification to the Department of Education, ensure all educators in their charge are performing as they should and, in Jarolen’s case, to make sure they are participating in her plan to improve test scores, DeLuca said.

4/19/2008
Principal wins injuction against Nanticoke Area
msisak@citizensvoice.com

Mary Ann Jarolen, the recently reassigned principal of Greater Nanticoke Area High School, won an injunction Friday in Luzerne County Court prohibiting a transfer to an elementary position until a required administrative hearing is held.
Jarolen sued the school district and requested the injunction Tuesday after administrators moved ahead with the transfer despite the postponement twice of scheduled administrative hearings.
The school board approved the move in a 6-1 vote at its April 10 meeting.
“In denying (Jarolen) her procedural due process safeguards, the actions of the defendant were arbitrary and capricious,” Court of Common Pleas Judge Ann Lokuta said in her ruling.
Vito DeLuca, the school district solicitor, said he would file an immediate appeal and would look into having the injunction order stayed.
“(The board) and the administration have to be responsible to the children of the school district to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed in adulthood,” DeLuca said. “This is a case where the school district’s hands have been tied.”
Lokuta issued the injunction following a two-hour hearing that included testimony from Jarolen and Michael Pawlik, the school district administrator who serves as its director of federal programs.
An administrative hearing was scheduled and postponed twice — Feb. 8 because of a scheduling conflict and March 17 because Jarolen, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, had been precluded by her medical condition from participating.
School board member Tony Prushinski said he could not understand how Jarolen was able to attend the Friday hearing but not medically cleared to participate in the district’s administrative hearing.
“I find it confusing that we can’t have a hearing in Nanticoke, but today for a few hours she was able to attend the hearing at the Luzerne County Courthouse,” Prushinski said. “Why could she appear at a hearing at the courthouse but not at the school?”
DeLuca argued Jarolen’s demotion was precipitated by low test scores at the high school and that the delayed hearings were postponing the inevitability of her transfer.
Pawlik said math and reading scores at the high school have dropped since Jarolen took over as principal and that the school has slipped three notches in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment ratings, from a “warning” level in 2005 to “School Improvement II” in 2007.
“I believe that shows a sincere interest of the students in the district that the captain of the ship, the principal in this case, be moved,” DeLuca said.
Charles Coslett, Jarolen’s attorney, said Jarolen was being blamed for test scores she had no direct influence over. A principal manages the school, Coslett said, but the more than 140 educators in the district actually impart to students the knowledge required for testing.
“I’ve never seen such scapegoating in my life,” Coslett said. “One person is being made the scapegoat. It’s so irrational and arbitrary.”
Jarolen told Lokuta she tried to work through the treatments but would easily become fatigued because of the toll they took on her body. Jarolen said she recently finished a round of chemotherapy and would need a month or two to “start feeling normal again.”
In her order, Lokuta said a hearing should be held no later than July 7.

4/19/2008
Principal reinstated at GNA
Judge agrees demotion cannot occur without hearing, except when financial constraints.
By Mark Guydishmguydish@timesleader.com

Luzerne County Judge Ann Lokuta Friday ordered the Greater Nanticoke Area School District to reinstate Mary Ann Jarolen as high school principal, pending a district hearing.
The ruling came after a court hearing that pitted details of Jarolen’s battle with cancer against lengthy analyses of school test scores.
On Jan. 25, Jarolen was notified of the plan to reassign her, and on April 10 the school board voted to do so. Jarolen sought a court order reinstating her, contending she was legally entitled to a hearing in front of the school board. Lokuta heard both sides in that request Friday morning.
Jarolen testified that she was diagnosed last year with stage 3 advanced localized breast cancer that had spread into her lymph nodes, and that chemotherapy and radiation had caused severe burns and long bouts of fatigue. She conceded her attendance record has been “the worst in my 35 years in education” and gave the dates of some 50 days she took off as a result of the treatments.
Her attorney, Charles Coslett, used the testimony to justify the two times Jarolen postponed scheduled hearings on her demotion in February and March. Jarolen said she believes she would be well enough to handle a hearing in one or two months.
Coslett argued that court precedent is clear: such demotions cannot occur without a hearing except when a district is facing financial constraints.
District solicitor Vito DeLuca tried to show Jarolen has a habit of taking off when she “faces tasks that are uncomfortable,” including when she was to attend two-day anger management training after an incident with a teacher. Jarolen said a doctor told her she should not attend it during chemotherapy.
District Director of Federal Programs Michael Pawlik testified in detail about declining test scores in the high school, showing that, measured multiple ways, scores had dropped sharply since 2005. In the Jan. 25 notice of plans to reassign Jarolen, the district said declining scores prompted the move.
Deluca said the district faces serious consequences because it is failing to meet federal and state mandates, and that Jarolen did not face irreparable harm through the demotion, a prerequisite for granting the injunction.
Pawlik also testified that, while the principal doesn’t teach or administer tests, all district principals were told by Superintendent Tony Perrone that they are responsible for test results, and part of their job is to monitor teacher performance.
Coslett said about 140 teachers and Perrone himself were responsible for scores.
“In my 31 years of practicing school law I have never seen such a case of scapegoating,” he said.

4/18/2008
Nanticoke Area solicitor says e-mail led to reassignment
msisak@citizensvoice.com

A late e-mail led to the reassignment of Greater Nanticoke Area High School principal Mary Ann Jarolen prior to a required administrative hearing, school district solicitor Vito DeLuca said in a court filing Wednesday.
The school board voted at its April 10 meeting to reassign Jarolen, the high school principal since 2005, to a position as the principal of an elementary school in the district. Jarolen sued the district Tuesday in Luzerne County Court and requested an injunction to return her to the high school until a hearing can be held.
Judge Ann Lokuta will hear the case today at 11 a.m.
Jarolen said she first learned of the transfer in a Jan. 25 letter from Superintendent Anthony P. Perrone. A hearing was scheduled and postponed twice — Feb. 8 because of a scheduling conflict and March 17 because Jarolen, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, had been precluded by her medical condition from participating.
In the school district’s response to the lawsuit, DeLuca said he sent an e-mail to the school board solicitor and hearing officer, Ellis Katz, on March 18 requesting Jarolen’s reassignment “be implemented immediately,” and a due process hearing be held after she was medically cleared to participate.
DeLuca said the district offered Jarolen a paid leave of absence so she could meet with her attorney, prepare for the hearing and attend the hearing. The district also offered the option of scheduling the hearing during the day or on a weekend day, DeLuca said.
At the close of his March 18 e-mail, DeLuca submitted a motion requesting the board be allowed to consider the demotion prior to a hearing.
Later that day, Katz sent an e-mail to Jarolen’s attorney, Charles Coslett, setting a March 28 deadline for his response.
Coslett did not respond until April 2, DeLuca said.
“That is absolutely not true,” Coslett said. “I asked for a one-week extension within which to respond to Mr. DeLuca’s argument and that was granted by Mr. Katz.”
In the lawsuit, Coslett argued Jarolen’s reassignment was “indisputably a demotion.”
DeLuca countered in the district’s response, saying Jarolen, “will receive no reduction in compensation as a result of the reassignment.”
DeLuca also argued against an injunction.

4/18/2008
Former Nanticoke administrator alleges age discrimination in suit against city
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A former Nanticoke administrator is suing the city and several members of its council, alleging age discrimination and politics were behind his firing.
Greg Gulick named Mayor John Bushko, councilmen Jim Litchkofski and Brent Makarczyk, and former councilman Bill O’Malley in the suit, filed in federal court this week.
Gulick, 61, is seeking to be reinstated as administrator along with back pay, compensatory damages, attorney fees and court costs.
He also wants the court to issue a permanent injunction against the city to prevent it from “taking adverse employment actions on account of political affiliation” and from discriminating against employees based on age.
The suit states Gulick “performed his work as City Administrator … in a good, professional and competent manner.” After he was terminated by council, his job was performed by Tony Margelewicz, who the suit notes is younger than Gulick, but does not state his age.
Gulick also claims his firing was retaliation because he did not belong to the same political faction as Bushko, Litchkofski, Makarczyk and O’Malley, and because he actively supported a rival of Bushko in the 2005 election.
Bushko said he knew Gulick intended to file the suit.
“He’s filing against us for age discrimination … I’m older than him, so that doesn’t make any sense,” said Bushko, who is 63.
Margelewicz was 57 when he was hired to replace Gulick, and the city’s current administrator, Kenneth Johnson, is 61, Bushko said.
“There was no age discrimination. That’s silly,” he said.
As for the alleged political reasons, Bushko said it was news to him Gulick was supporting an opponent of his in the 2005 mayoral race, which featured five candidates.
“I could care less. If I was going to get mad at the people who supported my opponent in the election, there would be two-thirds of the town I didn’t like,” Bushko said. “I don’t stay mad at people anyway.”
Gulick was hired as city administrator in February 2003, and council terminated him April 16, 2006. About that time, council hired Margelewicz for a newly defined but similar position, that of financial administrator, according to The Citizens’ Voice archives.

4/17/2008
Nanticoke to vote on contract segments
School board will decide on salary and health insurance for teachers and other district professionals.
slong@timesleader.com

Greater Nanticoke Area School District board members will meet tonight in the board meeting room to vote on the salary and health insurance segments of the teachers union contract.
The entire contract could be approved as early as next month, district team lead negotiator Bob Raineri said.
The last contract expired nearly three years ago.
While it is unusual to approve an employment contract in portions, the union decided to break it into two parts at the request of the district, according to Greater Nanticoke Area Education Association lead negotiator Jane Brubaker.
By voting on these two segments of the contract, the district can submit the paperwork to reduce its monthly insurance fees.
“We can get an early discount on the insurance if the salary and health insurance is approved,” Raineri said.
When asked about further details of the contract, Brubaker declined until after tonight’s meeting, but he did say it was affordable and should not cause the district to raise taxes.
“It was a long negotiation, but I think we came to an agreement that was fair to our members and fair to the community,” Brubaker said.
The new contract is effective through Aug. 31, 2010, and will be retroactive to Sept. 1, 2005, the day after the former contract expired.
The Education Association union represents 134 teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and school nurses within the district, Brubaker said.
If you go
What: Greater Nanticoke Area School District Board meeting
When: 6 tonight
Where: School board meeting room at the high school

4/17/2008
Principal’s demotion proper, GNA says
Mary Ann Jarolen was transferred to an elementary school from the high school.
Times Leader Staff

The Greater Nanticoke Area School District said its demotion of a high school principal was not illegal and should stand.
The district’s solicitor, Vito DeLuca, made the claim Wednesday in response to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Mary Ann Jarolen. Jarolen last week was transferred from the high school to an elementary school.
Her attorney, Charles Coslett, said the move was illegal because Jarolen was not provided a hearing on the transfer. A post-demotion hearing could not be done unless it was for budgetary reasons, Coslett said.
But the district cited low test scores in its decision to transfer her, he said. Coslett wants a judge to rescind Jarolen’s transfer pending a hearing on it.
DeLuca on Wednesday said Coslett’s request should be denied. The transfer was not illegal, he said, and explained how the low test scores could create problems for the district.
“The high school’s state rankings in reading and math have drastically declined to the point where the district would be subject to severe sanctions by the Department of Education if the situation does not improve,” he wrote.
A hearing is set for Friday before Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Ann Lokuta.

4/17/2008
Nanticoke police officers to be held accountable for uniform purchases
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Council voted on a new contract addition Wednesday that will make the police department accountable for its own uniform purchases.
The contract calls for a uniform allowance of $700 for 2008. Under the new contract stipulation, they will be given a check for it at the beginning of the year, city Administrator Kenneth Johnson said.
Officers must maintain records of uniform expenses, to be kept in a department repository. They can’t borrow from the next year’s allowance, as they did in the past.
The agreement, which Johnson said had been discussed for a year, was mutual between city officials and police, Chief James Cheshinski said.
“It just became too hard to distinguish what was and what wasn’t part of a uniform,” he said.
Officers no longer need purchases approved by fiscal manager Holly Quinn under the system created by former councilman William O’Malley in 2007. All purchases went through the city finance office to ensure funds were handled properly, and that the money was being spent appropriately.
O’Malley had been concerned about some uses of the uniform allowance. From 1997 until 2007, 10 officers bought a total of 25 guns — including Remington 870 pump-action shotguns and Bushmaster assault rifles — for a combined cost of more than $16,500, according to city records.
Cheshinski said the new policy would eliminate past problems, such as buying inappropriate items.
Officers have to maintain proper uniforms according to Cheshinski’s standards. And officers will be answerable to the Internal Revenue Service, Johnson said.
The IRS allows law enforcement officers to claim deductions for work clothing and its upkeep, but they must be worn as a condition of employment, and they can’t be used as everyday wear.
Mayor John Bushko and resident Theresa Sowa questioned why the city was spending so much on a Philadelphia lawyer — Joel Barras of Reed Smith LLP — and asked why the city didn’t hire a local labor attorney. The city has paid $2,984 since January on its labor lawyer, and has $50,000 budgeted for the year.
Councilman Jon Metta said the city needed the labor specialist to deal with grievances and contractual issues,
“We’re paying for past practices. Things were not done properly,” Metta said. “If we had spent the money five years ago, we wouldn’t have to spend it now.”
In other business:
Council agreed to provide a police and fire escort for the Greater Nanticoke Area Drug Task Force’s second annual two-mile Walk for Awareness. It will be held May 17 at 10 a.m. Sign-up sheets will be available that day in Patriot Park, said Brett and Brandon Schenck, president and vice president of the task force.
Resident Thomas Allen complained about tractor-trailers from Leggett and Platt driving fast on West Union Street and creating divots in his yard. Bushko said Johnson would look into it.
Resident Ann Marie Kemsel told council lights from the parking lot at Anthony’s Auto Barn on Middle Road are shining directly into her house, “illuminating it like daytime.” The city has an ordinance requiring lights to be pointed away from adjacent properties, and Bushko said city officials will try to get something done about the problem.

4/17/2008
Mill Memorial Library offering great events for National Library Week
Nanticoke Area Notes - Pam Urbanski

The Mill Memorial Library is celebrating National Library Week with some great events Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Children Who Read Succeed” is a program for children 12 and under and their parents. “We want to capture the attention of our smallest visitors to let them know the library has a lot to offer and is a fun place to be,” said Cindy Higgins, director of children’s programs at the library.
Higgins also has lined up people from throughout the community for the day.
Members of the Nanticoke Fire Department will be on hand to read stories and show off their fire-fighting equipment, including fire trucks. Not to be outdone, Nanticoke police officers are searching for the perfect story to read. Newport Township’s emergency medical technicians also will be guest readers and will have their emergency response unit for children to check out.
Additionally, Red, the mascot from Red Robin Restaurant, will be available for pictures with children. And parents always are hearing about Internet safety. In line with this, senior supervisory Special Agent Mary Pat McCoy from the Attorney General’s office, will present the program “Operation Safe Surf,” designed especially for children pre-school to 12 years of age.
“From what I am hearing, the presentation is well done, complete with a cartoon that our youngest children can relate to,” said Higgins.
Cathy Sabulski the Northeast Regional coordinator for Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention, will have a car seat safety display and will be on hand to answer questions.
Sanitary Bakery and Weis Markets will provide refreshments. Larry’s Pizza, Red Robin and Friends of the Library will provide door prizes.
And anyone who checks out a book you will be entered into a special drawing for prizes. Girl Scout Troop 2377 will be face painting and helping children to make bookmarks.
Friends of the Mill Memorial Library also will do their part to recognize National Library Week as they sponsor a book and bake sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations are welcome and appreciated and they will be collected from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The Friends also will raffle baskets stuffed with great gifts for kids. An outdoor game also will be raffled.
All in all, it’s a great day to visit the Mill!
Wrestling boosters to meet
The Nanticoke Area High School Wrestling Booster Club will hold its annual awards and recognition banquet for the varsity, junior high and elementary programs Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Alden Manor. Cost $20 for adults, $12 for children 10 and under and free for children under 3. For more information, call 735-1434 or e-mail gnawrestling@hotmail.com.
Bingo at the fire company
Honey Pot Fire Company will host its monthly bingo Saturday at 7 p.m. at the fire hall. Refreshments will be served.
St. Mary’s pastie sale
St. Mary’s Catholic Women’s Council will hold a pastie sale Tuesday and Wednesday. Cost is $6. Orders may be placed with Helen at 735-4668, Barbara at 735-4209 or Johanna at 735-1798. Orders must be placed by Monday. Pickup is from 2 to 4 p.m. each day at the church on Hanover Street.
Holy Trinity hoagie sale
Holy Trinity Women’s Catholic Council is holding a hoagie sale Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27. To place an order, call Gloria Eget at 735-8490.
Tax rebate period ends
Nanticoke City Treasurer Albert J. Wytoshek announced the rebate period for city property taxes has ended and are now in face value.
Property owners are reminded the 2008 county tax bills are payable at the Luzerne County Courthouse treasurer’s office and cannot be accepted at the Nanticoke tax office.
It is the property owner’s responsibility to forward tax statements to the mortgage company.
Anyone needing assistance or an appointment should call 735-2800.

4/16/2008
Reassigned GNA principal asks for injunction
By msisak@citizensvoice.com and eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

The recently reassigned principal of Greater Nanticoke Area High School is suing the school district, claiming officials demoted her to an elementary position without a required administrative hearing.
Mary Ann Jarolen, principal of the high school since 2005, asked a Luzerne County judge to issue an injunction to return her to the high school until an appropriate hearing can be held.
The suit was filed Tuesday by Jarolen’s attorney, Charles R. Coslett, who did not return calls for comment.
The school board voted 6-1 at its meeting last Thursday to reassign Jarolen to an elementary school in the district. Board members Ken James and Robert Raineri were absent.
“What we read at the meeting, that was a motion from our attorney. The decision came from the administration. We voted on the administration’s recommendation,” board President Jeff Kozlofski said. “We can’t go in there like gangbusters and say, ‘You’re not working today.’ We set policy, that’s all. The superintendent runs the school district.”
Board member Frank Vandermark said he cast the lone dissenting vote when the board considered Jarolen’s reassignment because he felt the district should have followed through with an administrative hearing, as mandated by Section 1151 of the state’s Public School Code.
“She has every right to do this, as well she should have. Procedures should have been followed. A hearing should have happened first, and the board should have acted after the hearing,” Vandermark said when told of the legal action. “This is just going to cost extra taxpayer money that we should not be spending right now.”
The suit states Jarolen was advised in a Jan. 25 letter that Superintendent Anthony P. Perrone was recommending the transfer and that she had a right to a hearing. Jarolen’s attorney argued the reassignment was “indisputably a demotion,” and scheduled a hearing for Feb. 8. It was postponed until March 17 due to scheduling conflicts with the attorneys for Jarolen and the school district.
The March 17 meeting was delayed because Jarolen, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, had been precluded by her medical condition from participating in her defense or attending the meeting, the lawsuit said.
Perrone said Tuesday he was unaware of Jarolen’s lawsuit and could not comment on her reassignment because it is classified as a confidential personnel matter. The suit states the district “represented that its demotion of (Jarolen) is resultant from ‘declining test scores,’ not budgetary necessity.”
District solicitor Vito DeLuca declined comment because he is representing the district administration. Attorney Elliot Katz is representing the school board. He could not be reached.
The district has until Thursday to file a brief in response to the lawsuit. A hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday before county Judge Ann Lokuta.
Assistant high school principal Brian McCarthy is temporarily filling in for Jarolen, who is at K.M. Smith Elementary school, Kozlofski said. He noted the pay is the same for high school and elementary principals.
The district promoted Jarolen to high school principal from assistant principal in 2005 in a similar switch, which moved Thomas Kubasek from the head position at the high school to principal of the K.M. Smith and John F. Kennedy elementary schools.

4/16/2008
Principal files suit over transfer
Greater Nanticoke Area’s Mary Ann Jarolen claims district’s action was illegal.
By dweiss@timesleader.com

Reassigned Greater Nanticoke Area Principal Mary Ann Jarolen says her transfer from the high school to an elementary school was illegal.
She filed suit Tuesday in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas against the district claiming the transfer was contrary to state law because she was not given a hearing on the demotion.
Her attorney, Charles R. Coslett, wants the district to rescind the transfer until Jarolen is given a hearing on the move.
A court hearing on the request is set for Friday.
According to Jarolen’s suit:
On Jan. 25, she received notice the superintendent recommended she be reassigned. The letter advised her of her rights to a hearing under the Public School Code.
Jarolen invoked her right to that hearing. She also claimed the move was a demotion.
The district agreed.
The initial hearing date was postponed because of scheduling conflicts and rescheduled for March 17.
But it was postponed again because two of Jarolen’s doctors said a medical condition would prevent her from attending and participating in the hearing.
On March 18, the district solicitor said the district could bring about the transfer before the hearing.
Not so, Coslett said.
His suit said the district could only have a post-demotion hearing if the demotion is of budgetary necessity or if a prior hearing would be fiscally impossible.
But the district still transferred Jarolen, without hearing, on April 10.
Coslett’s suit said the district, in demoting Jarolen, cited “declining test scores.”
Coslett wants a judge to rescind the transfer and prevent the district from conducting a hearing on the demotion until Jarolen’s doctors give her clearance.
District solicitor Vito DeLuca said he felt it would be inappropriate to comment on the suit because it relates to an employment matter pending before a judge.

4/16/2008
Regional police effort to continue despite departure
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A proposed regional police effort will continue, despite Hanover Township commissioners’ withdrawal from its board, officials in Nanticoke and Newport Township say.
On Monday, the commissioners voted 5-1 to drop out of the South Valley Regional Police commission, which was tasked with putting together logistics of a combined department, such as how many officers it would have and where coverage zones would be.
The news surprised Newport Township and Nanticoke officials, in light of the fact that the police commission has only had one meeting and during it, Hanover Township was given extra representation.
“I’m still optimistic we can continue on,” Newport Township Commissioner John Zyla said. “I still feel that was the right way to go.”
Nanticoke Councilman Jon Metta said remaining members would consider options at the next commission meeting, to be held April 24 at 6 p.m. in Newport Township.
“It might work with the two of us only, Newport Township and Nanticoke. I don’t know,” Metta said. “My hope is we can continue on and find other municipalities to join us.”
A study by Bryan D. Ross, former chief of Berks-Lehigh Regional Police, suggested a combined department would work. The three municipalities opted to take the next step and form the commission.
Hanover Township Commissioner Robert Burns, the “no” vote, said he was disappointed his fellow commissioners decided to drop out so soon.
“I just wish we had continued the process to see where it was going to end, and unfortunately, we didn’t get that far,” he said.
Burns wanted to see what benefits regionalization might have had for Hanover Township, and, if it turned out not to have any, he would have voted against forming the actual department, he said.
“We’ll continue to move forward with the remaining members, and see where the commission wishes to go,” said Joe Boyle of the Pennsylvania Economy League, which was assisting the commission. “I’m disappointed Hanover would not see it through. They put in a lot of work.”

4/14/2008
Eleven-year-old Nanticoke boy writes book about life with Tourette syndrome
By csheaffer@citizensvoice.com

Joseph Nutaitis is an active, friendly 11-year-old kid, who likes playing football and digging holes in his yard.
Joseph’s father, John Nutaitis, lovingly compares “Joey” — as his friends and family call him, though he prefers Joseph — to the character P.J. in the cartoon “The Family Circus.” Joseph is always wandering around, finding the least direct route to wherever he is going.
But, as of late, whenever Joseph is in public with his family, it seems as though Joseph is one of the rudest people on the planet. He’ll make noises by blowing his lips together. Sometimes he suddenly jerks his head or hands. Other times, the sound he makes is a slight clearing of the throat.
Since he was 7, Joseph has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder that is characterized by sudden vocal outbursts or physical movements, known as tics. Joseph’s family — including his brother John, 13, and his sister Johanna, 14 — are used to the problem, and mostly ignore his tics. The family even gave each of the tics a pet-name.
But, when the family is in public, people get angry at Joseph for making sounds he cannot control. At the movies, a man and a woman yelled at Joseph for making a noise during the film. At a restaurant, a woman announced loudly that she wouldn’t be able to finish her meal if Joseph didn’t stop his tics.
The Nutaitis family finished watching the movie, and finished their meal, but Joseph left both public outings filled with shame and anger because of his disability. His parents worry that if people continue this behavior, Joseph will become afraid of going in public. As Joseph says, “I can’t help it.”
“We can understand initially when people get mad, but we have no