Charter School Proposed For West Easton

Wilson school officials, residents, have numerous questions for Academy of Business and Enterprise supporters.

The backers of a proposed entrepreneurism-themed charter school in West Easton faced thorough questioning from the Wilson Area School Board at a lengthy public hearing Monday night. For more than two hours, board members peppered organizers with detailed queries about how a school that organizers call “pioneering” would function in the district. A handful of concerned residents also leveled criticisms at the proposal. By state law, the backers of the Academy of Business and Enterprise Charter School need the board’s approval to go forward. Everything from curricular to personal safety issues to a perceived lack of involvement by Wilson ASD’s residents – and much more – fell under scrutiny in the nearly three-hour, standing-room-only …

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Keystone Tests Have Wilson Worried

Superintendent says next month's Keystone exams are 'a big unknown' for Wilson.

Pennsylvania’s new system of achievement testing is prompting some anxiety in the Wilson Area School District. At Monday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Doug Wagner acknowledged that the upcoming introduction of the Keystone Exams was taking the district into uncharted academic territory. “It’s a big change -- it’s a big unknown -- that has us concerned,” he said. “The Keystone exams are expected to be considerably more difficult than the PSSA exams.” On Dec. 3 and 4, Wilson Area High School juniors will be the first in the district to take the new exams, which will replace the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) for grades eight and above. One potential stumbling block, according to Wagner, is that during the …

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Wilson Schedules Hurricane Make-Up Days

Wilson Area School District kids will have fewer days off thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

Students in Wilson will have fewer days off this school year, thanks to the unexpected break they received last week from Hurricane Sandy. The Wilson Area School Board voted Monday night to approve five make-up days to help keep this year's class schedule on track. The days are: Superintendent Doug Wagner praised his staff for its response to the storm, and noted that the district saw a high attendance rate Monday following a week without school. "It shows you we have parents who are committed to our education," he said. "Or…they were just DONE.”  

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Wilson Considers Moving Bus Stops, Classrooms

Damage from Sandy could mean new bus stops and temporary school changes in Wilson.

With power back to all of its schools expect Williams Township Elementary, Wilson Area School District hopes to have students back in class by Monday. But there might be a few temporary changes in store for some students in the district, Superintendent Doug Wagner said. "In order to reopen, we may have to establish alternative bus stops due to the road conditions in the township," he wrote on the district Facebook page. "Additionally, we may have to provide classroom space for Williams Township Elementary School students at the Intermediate School." Wagner said the district would provide status updates throughout the weekend. Several streets were still closed in Williams Township Thursday, including parts of major roads such as Morgan Hill…

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No School in Wilson, But You Can Shower There

Classes cancelled for Wilson area students Thursday. Intermediate school gym open for residents to shower.

The Wilson Area School District has cancelled classes for its students Thursday due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy. Only two of the district's schools -- Avona Elementary and the Intermediate School -- have power, Superintendent Doug Wagner said. "Furthermore, numerous roads our buses travel are closed and several areas our children walk may not be safe at this time," Wagner wrote in a message to parents. Wagner added that Wilson's intermediate school gym will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. this evening and again from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday for residents seeking a hot shower. District officials will update parents Thursday afternoon about when schools will reopen. 

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New Plan for Wilson Dixie Cup Plant?

Developer wants Wilson School District to back tax-break plan for Dixie Cup property.

Could Wilson’s famed Dixie Cup soon be a glass half-filled? After decades of false construction starts, shattered condo dreams and a gathering sense of blight, the 6.6-acre former paper cup factory is now the subject of a – according to local officials – freshly promising development plan. Spurred by businessman Joseph Reibman, one of the property’s owners, a coalition of local interests is asking Wilson Area School District to approve a tax-abatement scheme to help jump-start a $50 million to $60 million cleanup and renovation. Reibman appeared before the school board Monday night, along with borough council President Lenny Feinberg and Lehigh Valley development officials to make a case for the proposal. “This is a big project,” Reibman …

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Wilson Community Remembers Mark Werkheiser

Community raises funds for family of Mark Werkeheiser, Williams Township murder victim.

Hundreds of people filled Wilson Area High School's auditorium Monday night to remember Mark Werkheiser, who was shot and killed nearly two weeks ago at his Williams Township home. It was part of a larger, ongoing effort to both honor Werkheiser's memory and reach out to the four children he left behind. "These children are going to need uncles, and big brothers, and big sisters and aunts," Wilson car dealer Tom Ring told the crowd Monday, challenging "every business" owner in the community to help raise money for the Werkheiser kids. "That's the last thing they need to worry about," Ring said. Heidi Markhow, executive director of Wilson's LINCS Family Center, said Ring had pledged to match any donations to the children up to $5,000. So …

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Wilson Area Proposed 1.8 Percent Tax Hike

Wilson Area School Board needs to find $350,000 to avoid tax increase.