June 15, 2015 Press Release: Save Wilkes-Barre Schools (www.savewbschools.com) is a web site initiative launched recently to help persuade the WB School Board, which we the citizens elected, to reconsider their recent decision to destroy Wilkes-Barre's legacy high schools and the accompanying positive culture created by neighborhood schools. More will be released on the web site soon.
The Board's decision is a bad decision for every community in Wilkes-Barre. Christine Katsock, who now lives in Plains, a part of the District subsumed several years ago, Sean Walker, the only two school board members who saw through the ruse, and took action, deserve our thank-you's for voting for the people. We the people will prevail.
Joe Caffrey, Board VP, a one-time gentleman, who I had always admired ran the show and decided the people in the community did not count. He made the motion to accept the proposal to destroy our high schools and create a mega-school so that the board could also destroy our children's future opportunities to excel in extra-curricular activities. Now we know what Newport and Plymouth and Swoyersville felt like when they lost their schools. Even Kistler School is now an issue as it will house seventh and eighth graders while many parents think that our tender aged children should not even mix with sixth graders, who know way too much about "life."
Joseph A. Caffrey and Board President Louis M. Elmy's desire to create a Wyoming Valley East School District blinded them and the rest of the seven in their supposed quest for the right solution for the people who live here. They literally turned their back on the people who trusted them with their votes to do the right thing.
Caffrey, I know was once a good man, He is now the leader of the gang of seven on this issue and the others are all great followers. They are no longer for the people. Watch them hide from the people for this ignominious act they put upon us. Some say there is a finder's fee as part of the deal. If this is so, will they be brazen enough to collect?
Regardless, all seven School Directors must be relieved of their duties on our School Board. They have abrogated their duties to their own peril. It is not their School Board. It is not their School District. It is not their City. It is ours. We the people must take the action provided for by our founders that permit us to undo a bad government in any capacity when it shows its ugly head and thinks it is OK. It has shown its ugly head. The Board thinks that it has won this war on the people.
It has not won anything. It has, however, lost the respect of the people of Wilkes-Barre, and thus we must take action on our own, and we will. We will find write-in candidates to replace each of the traitorous school board members who voted against the people. Then, we the people will vote our people from the community into office so they can undo the misery the gang of seven wishes to inflict on this City. Next election we will get the rest of them. The lesson is that it is not nice to pull one over on the people who you need to keep your esteemed position. Pack your bags!