Why does it matter if it happened yesterday, a week, a month, a year, or a decade ago? Did it happen? If it did, Angry Al should be held responsible. If it didn't, the false accusers should be held responsible. End of story. That's a responsible and mature response. Why would you want to hide anything about this issue?
The source of the "allegations" are the sore losers from the last election and political opponents of Angry Al. OK. So? Does that make anything that has been said less truthful?
Again with the false $22,000 per student figure. That is the TOTAL school budget divided by the TOTAL number of students. That is not the total taxpayer cost. Grants and other "free" money not paid for by the taxpayers of Morrisville are part of the budget. This is a classic propaganda move. Repeat the lie until it becomes truth. Be a careful and critical reader, especially when "truth" is presented. This is the first step in combating ignorance.
Another classic propaganda move: see how neatly the two issues (Angry Al and John Jordan, and the sore losers regarding school) are neatly bunched together for comparison? If you are against the "sore losers", you're against Jordan and for Radosti. Nicely done, but they do not equate. They are all separate issues. You can be for or against the school, for or against Angry Al, for or against Jordan, and even for or against anything.
You know what? Every adult that spouts off about the failure rate of the students should be required to have their opinion license revoked until THEY take the same tests. Let's see how they do. I'll take the tests anytime. How about you? While we're at it, let's all take this 8th grade test.
Incidentally, take a look at how Washington works to see how ridiculous some of these assertions are. If you're for the investigation du jour, "the American people demand answers and an investigation is needed." If you're against it, "these baseless allegations should be put aside so that we can get back to the work of the American people." It's all useless hypocritical rhetoric on both sides.
Just let the whole truth be told. What are we afraid of...the truth?
Morrisville cannot afford costly school system
Regarding the Courier Times stories about Morrisville school board member Al Radosti and allegations from NAACP President John Jordan that Radosti used a racial slur, apparently, more than two years ago:
The sources for these stories are the disgruntled losers of the last school board election and the political rivals of Al Radosti.
It was more than two years ago when lame duck school director John Jordan defied the town's majority by voting to build a new $30 million school that most did not want or could not afford.
So where was Jordan when over $2 million was squandered on architects, bankers and lawyers on the ill fated school plan? Where was his concern when three out of every four graduates of the Morrisville School District failed at math and reading on their state assessment tests and costs soared to over $22,000 per student?
Morrisville is a beautiful and culturally diverse town that's been free of racial tension but we simply cannot afford the current school system. We don't need Jordan and his allegations stirring the pot.
Ronald Stout
Morrisville
8 comments:
Furthermore, the budget reflects the costs of students who we send to alternative schools in order to meet their special needs. We have had students whose educational costs have been close to $100,000 per year, that is for a single student. We are mandated by law to provide them with whatever services they need, and rightfully so. This simply further shows that out cost per students at our MS/HS is not close to the number they project (not that facts mean anything to them).
Sorry, commenters. I've rejected a surprisingly large number of comments that are a bit over the line regarding this post. Let's stay somewhat factual and objective in our observations.
Since it is pretty much a closed circle - not really interested in diverse opinions while it casts itself as a (moderated=censored) community blog, it is unlikely that this will get through to anyone other than the same censoring moderator.
The characterizations of Radosti ("Angry Al) and others are juvenile and offensive.
Speaking of offensive:
"You know what? Every adult that spouts off about the failure rate of the students should be required to have their opinion license revoked until THEY take the same tests"
Once I watched an obviously less affluent Mother express concern about the test scores to which a rude, arrogant and insensitive Ms Gibson snapped, "I challenge you to take the test and see how well you do!" I was horrified at the nastiness of the board president responding to a caring parent who perhaps wanted a better shot for her child than she had. The way Ms Gibson spoke down to the local people in this town was an outrage--and the sneering expressions and open contempt for the public shared by many memebers of the appointed board was impossible for the camera to hide and actually made the board's case less compelling.
I never could understand Ms Gibson's claim that shiny new schools fostered a better learning environment since the problem wasn't in the deteriorating elementary schools, but the more structurally sound high school.
The censoring moderator has approved your message. In reality, I publish almost all of the comments. The only ones I have stopped were ones that are not suitable for publication.
I do welcome opposing viewpoints, and I do appreciate you taking the time to comment. I believe that the borough councils, school boards, and taxpayers of Morrisville have for years been ignoring the reality of a failing tax base and whistling past the cemetery hoping that it would all go away. Their inaction have led us to where we are today and we have the spilled curdled milk to clean up.
I'm going to pass on the Radosti references. He has to answer to only one place, and it isn't on this board. But he clearly has anger issues to address.
Sandy Gibson had her gifts as well as her limitations, just like both of us. I can't answer to what she said and when she said it. Perhaps things would have been different if she was not elected board president.
Can we get past the idea that Sandy Gibson was flawed and accept that her tenure is over? Even today, the Republibot apologists for the Bush Administration insist on rallying back to "when Bill Clinton was in office." Let's move on. That book is closed and we have a Morrisville of future to develop.
I will stand by the idea that the parents are just as responsible as the teachers, if not MORE responsible, when it comes to their children.
Complain about the test scores all you want, but do it constructively. What's your plan for bringing up the test scores? Let's start small. What's your plan for increasing the test scores of the children sitting around your kitchen table? I do not have all the answers, and my way is not the way for everyone, but my kids do pretty well on the tests. Tell us how you would do it for yours.
I understand that we educate our children to be better, smarter, and stronger than we parents are. Maybe some parents would fail the test themselves, and that is not a complete measure of their worth either, but all the complainers should see what information is required to be learned before reveling in the right to complain just to hear themselves talk. Don't just tell us you're disappointed in the scores.
Why do you mention that the parent Sandy spoke with was "obviously less affluent?" That's just a curious detail to throw in.
The Six Million Dollar Shell certainly is the more structurally sound of the three schools. But what will we find before the marshmallow center is added? Have you read the feasibility study from 2005? The "shiny new school" was the least expensive of the four options listed.
But OK, let's renovate the high school and use all seven million dollars. Estimates for renovation were as high as $14 million. All of the students in K-12 cannot fit in the MHS building. So some of the $7 million needs to be used at an existing elementary school. A million here and a million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money. I'm open: What is your solution?
Having said all this, I really and truly do thank you for commenting and hope that you will visit AND comment again. If you have something to say that's too long, send me an email, and yes, I will publish it.
There is no way that this will be a painless process, and it's going to take fighting and arguing and compromise before we finally all meet somewhere in the middle -- which is where the truth was hiding all along.
Which brings to mind a quote from a Disney movie, The Lion King I believe. "You have to put the Past BEHIND you" IF all we can do is dredge up the past and not look forward to the future we will forever relive the past. What I don't understand is why comments from the past ALWAYS seem to be at the forefront of the discussions. I want to see a better future for my kids and I don't give a hairy hoot on a wart hogs patooey what Ms Gibson snapped in the past.
Get over it and make a difference. Geez
"I never could understand Ms Gibson's claim that shiny new schools fostered a better learning environment since the problem wasn't in the deteriorating elementary schools, but the more structurally sound high school."
There have been studies done by reputable colleges, etc, that make these claims. Likewise, there are studies that say new buildings do not make a difference. I am not sure which to believe. Nevertheless, there are many of us that believe a new building was simply the right long-term financial decision and if we got an academic lift, then that would've been a fantastic bonus.
With that said, we (both sides) need to get past the past and figure out how we're going to move forward. At this point, I am willing to accept no new building and instead advocate for renovating the existing buildings. Unfortunately, I think $6M or 7 isn't going to do more than scratch the surface. I really feel a comprehensive plan needs to be formed, shared with the public for input, budgets set, and action taken.
Anonymous, I too welcome the dialog. I hope you stick around. Balance is a good thing.
Just an FYI...The only person I ever challenged to take the PSSA test was Marlys Mihok. She is not a parent. My offer to her was in response to her verbal attack on the intellect of our students. She declined.
I seem to remember Bill Farrell also being challenged to take the PSSA test.
As a male in my 40's, I believe I have also been encouraged to take this test, to see if my brain is enlarging or something. I can assure you it isn't (as if you needed convincing)!
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