Board approves tax resolutions, homestead exclusions, psychologist contract and multiple staff and coach appointments

The Wyoming Area School District Board on June 24 approved multiple formal actions on the agenda including tax resolutions, a homestead/farmstead calculation, intergovernmental service agreements and personnel and extracurricular appointments.

Key votes at the meeting - Final general fund budget for 2025-26 (agenda item 11): Approved. The spending plan totals $47,834,009 and authorizes the secretary to advertise the final budget notice. (See the companion article for discussion and debate.) - Resolution establishing property tax calendar and installment dates (agenda item 12): Approved. The resolution adopts installment dates and collection procedures in accordance with Act 1 of the special session of 2006 and related statutes; it outlines due dates, discount and penalty schedules and eligibility for installment payment. - Resolution implementing Homestead/Farmstead exclusion for 2025-26 (agenda item 13): Approved. The motion set the aggregate amount available for homestead/farmstead reductions at $820,496.35 and calculated per-property exclusion amounts (maximum tax reduction per approved homestead/farmstead stated as $172.99; assessed-value reductions computed for Luzerne and Wyoming County parcels as described in the motion). A subset of directors voted “no” on items 11 and 13; the resolutions carried. - Intergovernmental agreement with LIU 18 for school psychologist services (agenda item 14): Approved. LIU 18 will provide in‑service school psychologist services to the district for a cost of $60,000 covering 108 days for the 2025-26 school year. - Settlement agreement and release for student number 3002140 (agenda item 15): Approved pending final school solicitor review. - General ledger approvals and disbursements (agenda item 16): Approved. The general‑ledger disbursement(s) presented totaled $1,447,856.50 as printed on the agenda.

Personnel, education and activities approvals - Education report: The board approved a slate of instructional and specialist appointments for 2025-26, including special-education teachers, occupational therapist, speech and language pathologist and recommended extracurricular chairpersons and advisors as listed on the agenda. A motion recorded an evaluation of Dr. John Pollard as satisfactory. - Activities report: The board approved a long list of assistant and volunteer coaches for the 2025-26 school year (cheerleading, cross country, soccer, volleyball, field hockey, football, golf and others), stipends adjustments for two coaches, and summer-recreation appointments funded by a Title IV Building Safe and Stronger Communities grant. - Building report: The board approved several paraprofessional and personal-care aide appointments for the 2025-26 school year. - Bids report: No additions; the board accepted the bids report as presented.

Votes and procedure notes - Several agenda items were adopted by roll-call vote. The meeting record shows some directors voted against the budget item and the homestead/farmstead resolution (noted above). On other personnel and activities items the roll-call indicated majority approval with routine consent. - The board approved the motions authorizing the tax-calendar and homestead/farmstead procedures required by state law and directed the Business Office and tax collectors to implement the adopted collection rules.

Why it matters: These approvals put in place the district’s personnel roster, extracurricular staffing and the legal/administrative framework for the district’s 2025-26 tax billing and collections. The LIU psychologist service agreement addresses a statutory special‑education obligation; the settlement vote closed an outstanding student matter (pending solicitor approval).