It was brisk in Wilkes-Barre last week, with temperatures
hovering around the low 40s, but classrooms in several public
school buildings around town still had their windows open.
Third floor windows at Coughlin High School, Meyers High School
and Dodson Elementary - the oldest buildings in the Wilkes-Barre
Area School District - were open last week, some cracked, some
all the way.  "That's ridiculous," said Leonard Przywara,
business manager for the district. "If it's too hot up there
they shouldn't have the heat on."  Przywara said he would
investigate, but John Chiumento, director of buildings, grounds
and maintenance for the district, said the old buildings, which
are steam-heated by boilers, aren't just pumping money out into
the air.  "We do not let the boilers run with all the windows
open," he said. "That does not happen."  In October, the power
bill for Coughlin High School was a little more than $5,000 and
just above $7,000 for Meyers High School.  The boilers at those
schools are automatically acti