MHS Under New Management?

This may come as a shock to the administration, faculty, and staff, but it looks like the farm program may be taking a left turn into privatization.

According to Kate Fratti this morning, DVHS Head Honcho David Shulick will be pitching the idea of a "privatized" MHS to the board sometime in the next month.

Having been in the private sector all my life and witnessing such outsourcing of jobs to contractors in the past, I'm cautiously waiting to hear the plan before I say anything. Busing the kids outside of the district is a non-starter with me, and there's still the issue of the condition of the buildings too.

Fratti quite properly notes the current contracts with the teachers and staff would be a more than minor problem (but I know the Emperor handles minor issues well) and then comes the question of why "only" the high school and not the "district."

Just a note: The Emperor was unavailable for comment...AGAIN!

A 'privately managed' plan?

David Shulick, a Center City lawyer and president of the board of the for-profit Delaware Valley High School on Philly's Bustleton Avenue, says Morrisville school board representatives will meet with him in the next 30 days so he can pitch the idea of a “privately managed” Morrisville high school.

He'll propose keeping the school in or near the borough, and said he'd be open to using an existing school building if it's offered.

Shulick declined to name which school board members he's spoken with. Sources inside the district said a follow-up e-mail from Shulick to board members and administrators indicates he had a cell phone conversation with school board President Bill Hellmann. Efforts to reach Hellmann were unsuccessful.

School board leaders have explored the possibility of dissolving the high school program and sending kids to neighboring districts on a tuition basis. The goal is cost-cutting. Part of the challenge for the district is that all three of its school buildings are aging and in need of renovations.

Lots of public school systems use tax dollars to pay private firms to manage part of the works — busing and food service come to mind. Could Morrisville hire a private company to manage teaching and learning, too — and save piles of money doing it?

Shulick proposes charging just $6,000 a student, $7,000 for kids with special needs. Today, Morrisville spends closer to $20,000 per student, and tens of thousands more for those bused to life-skills programs in other districts. (That's $12,000 in local tax dollars and the rest in grants and subsidies.)

Shulick says he can do more for less because he uses a private business model based on merit and accountability. He also points to a student-management software program now used at Delaware Valley High to improve efficiency — fewer staff hours needed to develop rosters or track student attendance and performance.

Morrisville already contracts to send up to five students to the Bustleton site. Delaware Valley High serves kids who can't cope in a regular school setting because of behavioral problems.

Shulick estimates 100 Bucks kids attend Delaware Valley High, a licensed and accredited secondary school. They're referred by their school districts or enrolled by their parents.

This month, he also expects to announce a Bucks branch for the alternative school. He declined to name the location.

Shulick stressed he is suggesting something entirely separate from the alternative school for Morrisville.

Incorporated in 1980, Unique Educational Experiences owns Delaware Valley High School. It's a privately held company, and Shulick declined to disclose the principal partners, saying the information wasn't relevant.

Morrisville taxpayers might feel differently, but Shulick said they should be most concerned with whether Morrisville kids can be educated well for a reasonable price. He believes they can.

Parents are likely to have the most pressing questions. Can the company accommodate students with autism, mental retardation and speech and language disabilities with teachers who meet state standards?

What's the quality of the regular education Shulick proposes, and would a privately managed Morrisville High offer sports and other extra-curricular programs?

Then there is the not-so-little matter of Morrisville's teacher contract and a clause stipulating there can be no staff furloughs or reductions in student-teacher ratios until the contract ends in 2012. How would that figure into Shulick's plan?

There are lots of questions. Here's hoping they'll eventually be asked and answered in public.

Kate Fratti's column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.