Wow--pretty amazing.
I guess the tyranny of the Emperor today is not good enough. We need to relive the past again. GET OVER IT!
If the racist remark was made, it should be addressed. Are you suggesting otherwise? Why would a statute of limitations apply?
Who ever said that contacting Pennsbury was a bad thing? The old board did contact Pennsbury and again Pennsbury declined. That was for a MERGER, not for a contract farming scheme. There is a difference. A merger would mean some sort of representation on the Pennsbury school board, even if it was only one seat. Under a contact farm out plan, community representation would be nothing.
The catastrophe is yet to come. Stay tuned.
NOTE ADDED: I apologize to the readers for providing the time and space to reprint this from the BCCT. When you search on the writer's name, there is a veritable cornucopia of opinions and rebuttals printed. The words "outrageous" and "convoluted" and similar words appear often. I will not provide her the space again.
Heroic and wise
Thumbs down to the Courier Times for its subversion of the miracle of democracy that happened in Morrisville when its residents, following the true meaning of Summerseat, the Revolutionary-era mansion in the center of town, rose up against a tyrannical school board president who treated our people like dirt!
And now, this same person claims from “exile” that she overheard an opponent of her agenda make a racist remark over a year ago.
Last year, under her leadership, the old Morrisville school board sent out feelers to Pennsbury about taking our students. This was reported in the Courier. Now the paper screams foul that the new board has contacted other school districts.
What would Morrisville's home and business owners do now if that unnecessary new school had been approved and taxes thus rose astronomically while the present mortgage/economic crisis happening?
We should applaud the heroism and common sense wisdom of Morrisville and its new school board for saving our town from complete catastrophe!
Gloria del Vecchio
Morrisville
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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She also conveniently forgets that the Courier Times also gave the then-Board a few lashings for the so-called "stealth" Pennsbury merger discussions (see link below). I'll have a heaping helping of hypocrisy, served with a dash of compartmentalized thinking, please!
If a child learns to say one thing but do the opposite.....
http://www.stoptheschool.com/press.html
Exile? Really? Is there a Gulag in town that I am not aware of?
jamartinjr, 30 days in the cooler!!! Schnell!!!
First, the meetings were illegal, plain and simple. Whatever excuses people use to justify the meeting are just that, excuses.
Second, I am still waiting to hear what Morrisville has to offer Pennsbury in return? The statement that it would benefit Morrisville is absolutely true but it is a one sided deal. Pennsbury schools don't need the payoff. My kids classes are over crowded to begin with.
If you don't like the school district where you live do what I did, sacrifice for the sake of your children's education and MOVE!
I like the thinking of the second anonymous commenter. "Whatever excuses people use...are just that, excuses." Ditto for Angry Al apologists.
Pennsbury does not want Morrisville students. Their classes are already overcrowded and taking the Morrisville students does NOT have a positive payoff for them. That's a big reason why they do not want us. Physician, heal thyself, perhaps?
Second, I am still waiting to hear what Morrisville has to offer Pennsbury in return? ............................................
In answer, an increased tax base to help offset the cost of the new schools and renovations, three properties in Morrisville, and a minor impact on the number of additional students. Other possible incentives include increased state aid and incentives for agreeing to do this, becoming a model district with regard to the welfare of ALL children, not just those whose "demographics" certain school directors deem a good fit. Finally, there is increasing support for more consolidation of school districts across the state. With 501 separate entities, PA has a fractured educational system that perpetuates and increases a widening class gap. This same scenario is played out in other districts around the state. Sooner or later, the state will mandate mergers in the interest of cost savings. Why not be on the leading edge of that? After all, the Morrisville District is completely surrounded by Pennsbury. Consolidation is only natural.
Regarding the answer from anonymous on what Morrisville has to offer Pennsbury, that is an excellent answer ONLY if there is a merger, not a farm out tuition program.
There is a difference.
Dear Moderator, Yes, as I had noted in other threads under the anonymous tag, the only consolidation solution that makes any sense is a merger. The tuitioning plan is short-sighted and fraught with greater potential for disaster and abuse. Plus we would still need to maintain the administrative structure of the district. My response was simply addressing the question asked by the Pennsbury anonymous in #4, "What's in it for us?" I wonder where he/she was educated, as his/her use of punctuation is interesting.
Thanks for the clarification, anonymous. From this side of the monitor, it is hard to tell one anonymous from another. :)
"an increased tax base to help offset the cost of the new schools and renovations"
You mean an increase in rateables. Remember, Falls and Lower Makefield already have the rateables from all of the businesses along West Trenton Avenue. If the rateables brought in enough tax dollars to support the education of these students, then why not use this money in Morrisville rather than send our tax dollars over to Fallsington? But hold this thought for one minute.
"three properties in Morrisville"
Which, regardless of which side you are on, everyone agrees they need major renovations, so this is really a liability, not an asset. In order for Pennsbury to make use of any of these facilities they must put money into them. Plus, in order to keep them open staff must be kept, most likely at about the same level as there is now.
On the other hand, if the properties were to be liquidated the current population must be absorbed into the existing schools. Probably not significant at the HS level, but considering recent shufflings in the district this would have an impact on the elementary populations. And considering the current realestate climate and the history of trying to sell Manor Park school, the return would probably be relatively low.
"a minor impact on the number of additional students."
As stated above, at the HS level not a problem, but potentially a problem at the elementary level.
Plus, considering all of the above factors together rather than separately, depending on the cost to educate each student, minus state subsidies, minus the Morrisville tax revenues, plus the cost of bussing, plus the cost of building renovation (or minus the property sale revenues plus the cost of integrating the population into the elementary schools) (plus or minus the stafgfing costs)...
It probably comes out to close to a wash. Which is to say that the benefits equal the costs, and therefore there is no big incentive to merge.
Then, of course, there are the trouble-makers of Morrisville. If I was on the Pennsbury school board, and saw that everything might be close to a wash, and considered gaining constituents like Worob, Radosti, Hellmann, Heater, etc. I know what my choice would be.
"Other possible incentives include increased state aid"
Which is mostly tied to special needs, therefore aid increases when costs increase. It's not like we're getting big bucks for our brilliant cadre of students from the state.
"incentives for agreeing to do this, becoming a model district with regard to the welfare of ALL children, not just those whose "demographics" certain school directors deem a good fit."
Now there is a soft benefit that is a positive, but highly unlikely that ANY school director would step up to. I mean, admit it, wouldn't it be better for the Morrisville School Board to step up to that challenge and become a model magnet school, if there really were some kind of moral incentive to doing this?
"Finally, there is increasing support for more consolidation of school districts across the state..."
Agreed, but the PA Education department, while espousing this desireable outcome, has taken a decidedly hands-off approach. Many different factions across the state are opposed to consolidation, and without absolute consent from all parties it is almost impossible to merge districts.
I have a car. It's all paid off, but frequently needs repair work. I need to use it to get to work, and to the grocery store. However, I really think that my next door neighbor should take over my car. It would be a good idea for him to do this because it would be a neighborly thing to do. I'll pay him for gas. I'll pay him for the up-keep. I'll even pay the insurance and registration. I just don't want the hassle of owning the car.
Oh, and by the way, in doing this I expect him to drive me to work and to the grocery store, because I still need a car for that.
If he opts to sell the car, then that's fine with me. He can pocket the profits. He still needs to drive me to work. (I'd be just as happy to ride to work in his Lexus as in my Ford Focus.)
Also, if he wants to use the car (when he's not driving me to work) to drive himself to work, or his kids to their baseball games, then that's alright with me.
If he is not inclined to pursue this offer, I am considering calling up my congressman and convincing him to force my neighbor to do this. The congressman is my friend and a big fan of carpooling. But I am sure that my neighbor will see how advantageous to him this idea is, and certainly he'll find it in his heart to do the ethical thing.
To equate personal choices and public education is disingenuous at best. Care to try again?
al·le·go·ry n. 1. a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.
"I have a car."
'I' = Morrisville School Board
'car' = Morrisville School District
"I need to use it to get to work..."
'get to work' = educate the Morrisville students
"...my next door neighbor should take over my car..."
'next door neighbor' = Pennsbury School District
'take over my car' = merge
The rest I leave to the reader's interpretation.
dis·in·gen·u·ous adj. 1.lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity.
Allegory, by its very nature, lacks candor on its surface, but requires deeper understanding to see that it is a frank and sincere representation of the author's beliefs.
The sad fact is that choices made by a school board without allowing input, dialogue and debate, are exactly "personal choice".
The analogy was not between "personal choices" and "public education" but rather between "personal choices" and "school board choices".
There is no need to "try again" just because the metaphor is uncomfortably close to the truth.
OK, so to follow your logic: I see my neighbor's child get hit by a car. He's bleeding and unconscious, lying in the street. He's not my child, so why should I call help or call 911? Let his parent's call for help.
Yes, and sadly that seems to be a prevailing attitude throughout Morrisville.
"I don't have kids in the school so let the parents pay for their education"
"If you don't wan't your kids farmed out, then move to another district."
This does seem to be the prevailing attitude, and sadly, it is made by people who themselves benefitted from public education. I doubt they minded that others whose kids were grown, or never had kids, were funding their education. Furthermore, I doubt they cared that others funded their own childrens' educations when they were young. However, now that they are beyond school age, and they are too short-sighted to see that a well educated generation benefits everyone, they want to wash their hands of the system.
Nimby, while I can't outright disagree with your statement about the prevailing attitude in town,the absurdity that anyone would adopt an attitude such as I have described is beyond belief. People like comparing their homes or cars to the public education system as if this somehow validates their perspective. I contend it does not. I guess it's just another case of the disfunctional folks of Morrisville.
What's in it for Pennsbury? During the last discussions of a merger the State had made it clear that they would really like to see this happen. They also said they would help make it financially worth their while. There were no specifics to this, of course, because it never made it to that stage of discussion before Pennsbury gave a big fat NO.
So, would this have been a windfall for Pennsbury? Probably not. But the State also made it clear that a merger may someday be forced and at that time Pennsbury probably won't see the same incentives.
Time will tell.
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