So now the other shoe has finally dropped. They ARE sending our kids away. Here come the poor little contract kids from Morrisville. Here's the link.
While cooler heads should prevail while I'm having my morning fit of apoplexy, open question to Tom Kelly, Esq.: How do you recall or impeach a school board member?
16 comments:
This has been the rumor. And when questioned, they never denied it but they would never give a straight answer. Instead it was always, "we're considering all our options." Even now I expect more of the same.
I am glad this was the top headline. Hopefully, NOW all the parents in the district will believe what we've been saying, and get involved in the fight.
I think Bill Hellmann believes he was elected to scrap the school district, not just a school.
Thank you Kate Fratti!!! I just hope people read it.
STS, going back to your post earliier today about "the next 10 words". Farm 'em out, then what? How?
The article says Bristol's board talked about it for 5 mins., and no one was interested.
Pennsbury is "considering" the verbal inquiry, but has repeatedly rejected previous merger attempts. Sounds like he was just being polite and couldn't say no yet.
I went back and looked at your prophetic Oct. 30th post, which contained the Oct. 26th email (see below) from one of the current NSN board members. Everyone can read it for themselves and decide who's pushing LIES LIES AND MORE LIES.
By the way, since the election is over, can we now have the damning "information on the architect, engineering firm and the obnoxious attorney Kaplin that we can't come out with untill after the election"? Or is that yet another LIE?
From: Candidate
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 6:02:26 PM
Subject: Lies
Dear XXXX,
It is not true that we will send students to Bristol Township Schools or cancel art, music or sports. Teachers and administration all have contracts and can not be fired by the Stop The School candidates. These are all lies made up by desperate people who are willingly to say anything to win your vote for the Community candidates.
We intend to give our children the best education that the 24,000 dollars we spend on each student will allow. And that is much more than they are getting now. Please do not believe these lies spread by people who lost in the primary election and dredged up three people to continue their agenda to build this poorly planned, inferior constucted school. They sold bonds for this project at 8 dollars a thousand when the going rate is 3.75. Why? For who's benefit? And this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have information on the architect, engineering firm and the obnoxious attorney Kaplin that we can't come out with untill after the election.
Just think about it. Bristol !? Really !? Why send our kids to the only district with test score lower than ours? Lies, lies and more lies.
XXXXX XXXXX
Now we know the letter writer is candidate Marlys Mihok. Please check with board member Marlys Mihok to see if this was apparently another misquote.
mmihok@mv.org
I'm not suprised that it was Marlys. I don't think asking if she was misquoted would be productive, she would probably just lie again. I was convinced long before the tapes rolled last Wednesday that Marlys is an avid prevaricator. She just happened to get caught this time, in public.
Word has it that Kate Fratti is looking for feedback from the community, have interviewed some in the community, and, I think, even some high school students.
kfratti@phillyburbs.com
215-949-4179
Let's not forget the outrage and the righteous indignation expressed by many NSNs and on the Stop the School candidates' website last Spring about secret stealthy meetings, Sunshine Law violations, etc. over merger discussions with Pennsbury.
http://www.stoptheschool.com/press.html
"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but always it was impossible to say which was which."
I am a parent of 1 elementary student, 1 high school student and 1 preschool student. I am not only pleased but excited to get my children out of this district in their high school years. Now maybe they will get an opportunity for an education they haven't been able to get here. The old school board had their own agenda, to build a new school, it appears the new board wants a better education, thank you new school board for caring about my children's education not your own agenda. Now maybe we won't have to leave the town I grew up in , in search of a good education for my children.
This is not the first time that the district has looked into paying tuition to send our children to other schools. Before the district voted for the new school but after we received the studies, (only about 20 people were attending meetings then, some of you may have been there) Dr. Yonson was asked to speak with the neighboring school districts regarding whether they would consider a tuition based program for our high school students. I still don't know if I'm in favor of it or not. However, contrary to what most stop the school people say, we were interested in looking at all of the alternatives. I was interested in doing a cost analysis: paying tuition for approx. 400 students for 30 years compared to building new. The first step in that analysis was to see if any schools would even consider it.
At that time (approx. 2004ish), no districts were interested. Therefore, Mr. Hellmann is not the great savior who came up with a novel idea. The MSC board did not send any proposals to other district, but via the superintendents, no other districts were interested.
It appears that things may have changed a bit, but I wouldn't hold my breath on Pennsbury.
That being said, I'm not sure that it's a good idea to pay tuition for our kids to go to another school. We need to make sure that the board is looking at the best interest of the children, not the cheapest alternative for the tax payers, when making its decisions. However, I'm not sure that it would be cheaper to send our kids to other districts. What would keep the other districts from raising the tuition? What happens if we send our kids, scrap our buildings, and 5 years from now the other district states that they no longer have room for our kids?
I guess that we would have Bill Hellmann to thank for the new school then.
Why are all the parents that are for farming not giving their last names or commenting under anonymous? IF they are not happy with the current education that their children are getting, why not step into the schools, show your face around, make a difference. Don't sit around waiting for someone else to make the change for you!
Dear Anonymous,
I will state here what I've stated all along. This is a much bigger issue than a new building. The reason it seemed like that was our only agenda was because it was all anyone from the public would discuss at the Board meetings! And if you had been at the Board meetings you know that our focus had always been on what is best for the kids and that includes the safety and comfort of where they spend 1/2 of their waking hours.
Those of us that were in favor of a new building did so because [1] we know the current conditions of the existing facilities, [2] have given reasonable thought to the options, and [3] recognize that the new building is the best, most effective way to deal with the problem. I realize many people either didn't understand how a short term expenditure would create long-term savings, didn't believe it, or simply didn't trust us.
As Cori stated, many other options were considered, including farming out the kids, mergers, build, renovate, and more. In the end, building new was decided to be the best alternative. Besides long-term savings, it was considered to be advantageous to the community as a whole, with an eye toward the future of a revitalized Morrisville.
As for the education itself, test scores are way up (3rd grade PSSA scores were highest in the county!). We have the 2007 Principal of the Year - a national honor. We made Department of Education's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the last 2 years.
So, Anonymous, I am not sure why you are so anxious for your kids to go to another school. Don't kid yourself, the new Board majority clearly has its own agenda and your kids are the farthest thing from it. If public education was so dear to their hearts, why do none of them have, or have had, kids in our schools?
Our first priority should be the quality of all the children’s education. A new building will not level the educational playing field for the children that score below average on their PSSA and the special education students in Morrisville. I looked to the old school board to see how they would address major issues: the high school’s PSSA scores that were below the State standards, school safety concerns, gang presence in the school (http://cbs3.com/topstories/Bucks.County.Patrick.2.311396.html) and the special education services. (see the PSSA scores at the Pennsylvania Report Card for the Morrisville High School: http://www.paayp.com/report_cards/PA/RC07S122097203000001062.PDF) Also, when will they address the middle/high school students that vandalize homes that border the high school property which occurs when the students loitering in front of taxpayers’ homes during school hours.
The only answer I heard at the board meetings was that a new building would improve the education. Many concerned parents asked the old school board and Dr. Yonson about the children who have low PSSA scores. They contributed the below proficient PSSA scores on parents or the fact that the children recently moved into the district. Any questions, please review the previous board meeting tapes.
A new building is secondary to the real education issues in Morrisville.
Dear Anonymous
This is no longer about a new school building. That ship has sailed and sunk. Now we're fighting for the survival of the school district as a viable entity.
And let's think about the vandalism. No excuse here, but kids ARE going to be kids, and things are going to happen. Having said that, imagine if they had a safe place after school (and yet, inside the school!) where they could hang out. That's what got defeated.
I assume you work. Does your cubicle being made out of the newest Steelcase construction impact your work style and productivity positively against when you work at an old door thrown across two sawhorses? I bet it does. But why should it? They're both desks, but I'll let you answer that question.
Part of the dilemma in raising the test scores is that intangible James Brown "I Feel Good" sense when taking the test or even doing your work in your cubicle. Do you work harder and/or better in a nicer setting? Come on...we both know the answer is yes.
But it's not the definitive answer either. The Morrisville school system does not exist in a vacuum. With all due respect to the seniors out there who are demanding relief from the tax situation, WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, AND 1990s TO STOP US FROM GETTING HERE? Did you try to stop the fiscal bleeding as the steel mill closed up, the rubber factory burned, and the pottery closed? Did you go to school board meetings and borough council meetings and be part of the solution back then when the situation was much more easily fixed without all this pain and anguish?
If you didn't isn't it pretty hypocritical of you now to ask the children of Morrisville to pay for your silence?
Anonymous,
Thanks for the info. BTW, the one link to the School Report Card was broken. Here it is again for everyone.
The issues you bring up are difficult ones and there are no easy answers. All neighboring districts, including wealthier areas such as Lower Makefield (and probably all districts everywhere) face the same problems, threats of gangs, etc.
Yes, our H.S. PSSA scores need to be better. No question. But there is some truth to what Dr. Yonson says about transient students bring down our scores. The students that went to our elementary schools consistently perform better on the PSSA's when they get to High School than the students that move into the district and did not go to our schools.
Do new buildings educate? I have read studies that argue both sides. Let's assume for a moment that they do not. Does that mean our crummy buildings should remain crummy? No. The problems are real and have been ignored far too long. To me, this was not a position of, if we build this our kids will do better. I think it would've sent a clear message to them that they matter, but that is not why I, personally, was a proponent of the new building. Instead it was a financial decision that I thought would yield the best results and the best long-term financial return.
But, as STS suggested, this is no longer relevant. What matters is where we go from here and so far it ain't lookin' good.
Peter, as usual you're right on the mark, without all the sarcasm I sometimes bring to the table.
Anonymous, thanks for having the courage to post. Please keep checking in and posting, with or without your name. I know it can be intimidating using your real name - I felt that way about the now-defunct "Todd White" blog.
I think the exchange of ideas, validating or debunking myths, etc. is what's most important.
Sorry the link was broke:
Bucks County Cracks Down On Gang Violence
by Lesley Van Arsdall
MORRISVILLE (CBS 3) ― Bucks County residents are hoping federal funding will help combat the threat of gang violence in the Philadelphia suburb.
Congressman Patrick Murphy announced Wednesday afternoon that Bucks County will receive $250,000 in federal funding to be used in the fight against crime.
"Gang violence has reached the suburbs of Philadelphia here in Bucks County," said Murphy.
Gang related graffiti can be seen all throughout the County and Lower Makefield Police Chief, Ken Coluzzi is heading the initiative to stop it.
"Police officers late at night are stopping cars with verified gang members," said Chief Coluzzi. "What are they doing here? They don't live here. They are up to no good."
Darletta Berry-Johnson is a consultant for the Morrisville School district and she believes that gang members start recruiting at sixth grade level.
"We know kids are signing in the classrooms. We see the colors," said Berry-Johnson.
Authorities believe gangs are making their way over from Trenton to recruit new members.
"Most activity comes from across the river. Just doesn't stop here in Morrisville they continue down to Bensalem," said Chief Jack Jones of Morrisville.
The $250,000 in federal funding will be used to form a special task force to combat gang activity.
"Let this be a clear message to any criminal or gang member that you are not welcome in Bucks County," said Chief Colluzzi.
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