Well, we finally have the first fruits of the Secret Meeting at the Worob's house, courtesy of the BCCT. I could not resist shouting at the monitor as I read this essay. My thoughts appear in italics. Anyone else want to rant at Steve?
People of Morrisville: Glad you’re finally paying attention
By STEPHEN WOROB
I’m glad that so many Morrisville residents now want to express their views about the future of our school district. My question though is where you have been! [As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Steve here. Where have you been? You elected a slate of angry small minded people to run the education system and we're now reaping the benefits.]
Now marks the tenth anniversary of the malicious dismantling of our once-decent school district. [What happened ten years ago? Who dismantled it and why? This is an accusation without substance to back it up.] For years, self servers [Glass House Alert: Be careful on your use of words.] have plagued this district with mismanagement, greed and corruption. Where have you people been? Like it or not, the Morrisville school district has become a big cow that is getting milked to death. [My tin foil hat is firmly on my head. Tell me more. And let me know where the line for milk starts.]
Since 1998, over $7 million has been appropriated toward physical improvements to our aging school buildings. This money was wasted; [You are alleging that seven million dollars has been wasted. What does "wasted" mean? And weren't you a part of that as a board member and officer?] now we have boilers that are said to be so bad that they may explode. [That's because they're 40 years old. Did you as a school board member ever appropriate money to replace the boilers?] Where have you people been?
Not even soaring taxes and horrible test scores could get most of you off your bottoms to demand changes, [true] but you tout the high paid administrators who continually pat themselves on the back for sub-mediocrity. Hence, self promoting [Glass House Alert 2] /substance-less things like domestic and international awards still attract your attention. [Since you brought the subject of attention up, your academic skills aren't well displayed here either. You're making accusations all around the place and not offering a shred of evidence. If you have something that is actionable, take it to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, you're grandstanding just to hear the sound of your own voice. I know several Morrisville teachers who would grade these unsupported statements rather harshly. I know of one judge who did already.]
Now, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 76 percent of our recently graduated students failed math and reading on their state assessment tests (worst in the county). [True. Sadly true. Why though? Test scores are dropping all over the country. What is your plan to fix it? Today, you are representing a group who has refused time after time to reveal a plan. SHAME ON YOU!! You personally harangued a sick man in public, shouting repeatedly at him, to the point of him being taken to the hospital and yet you sit there smugly, hurling accusation after accusation WITHOUT A PLAN OF YOUR OWN! That's called attention whoring and only adds to the problem. It fixes nothing but your pathetic need for attention.] If costs over the next 13 years could somehow stay the same and nothing else changes, each kindergartner entering this district will cost taxpayers more than a quarter of a million dollars and 76 percent of them will fail at math and reading. [That's a tortured twist to logic. I agree that throwing money at a problem does not solve it, and Morrisville is paying an extremely large amount to educate its students. We've talked about the math of per student costs. Diving the budget by the number of students yields a high number. Once you subtract the "free" money, the grants and gifts, the real per student cost is much lower. Ask your CPA buddy to explain it. Then, you use the worst score available to make your point. You learned that from the Emperor who keeps screaming that the interest rates are dropping and the old board was wrong in not defeasing earlier because the rates were dropping. What if the rates had actually risen? The argument fails. Same if this year's 11th graders do better in their test scores. Your logic fails.] Despite such dismal results, our prior lame duck school board locked the superintendent and teachers into lucrative long-term contracts. [That's a great use of code words. "Lucrative" in this context connotes luxury or overpayment and "lame-duck" reminding us that term expiring members actually did something. If you think Dr. Yonson or the teachers are overpaid, that's fine as far as your personal opinion, but the salaries are quite within the norm for Bucks County, the state of Pennsylvania, and the East Coast. Secondly, if you're so concerned about lame ducks sitting around while their term is expiring, put your money where your mouth is. On the morning after Election Day when your successor has been elected, I expect your resignation from Borough Council effective immediately. Otherwise, you're just attention whoring again.]
Where have you people been?
When it comes to education, if you expect that our state representatives who are in bed with entities such as the teachers unions and the superintendent’s association, are going to initiate needed changes, you better think again. [While this may be accurate, what does little Morrisville have to do with this? This needs to be attacked on the state level, and no amount of pain or anguish that you inflict upon the children of Morrisville will change this. The Emperor and his Court of Toadies regularly repeat this mealy mouthed drivel. You need to make changes to this at the state level. Stop posturing uselessly in board and council meetings, and use your elected office to make the changes needed.]
In a recent Courier Times article about outsourcing our high school students, teachers would not comment for concerns of crossing the state teachers union [Well, DUH! If there was a teacher who honestly supported a plan to do away with their own job, either they are an uncommon altruist, or silly enough that I would not want them to be teaching my children anyway. If your fight is with the state teachers union, Morrisville, again, is not the place to be holding this fight. Stop posturing uselessly on the local level and use your elected office at the state level where the fight belongs.] but parents and students rightfully expressed their concerns. Drastic changes can be upsetting but when this board of directors tells you that a major restructuring is necessary, you better believe them. [Ah. Believe. As in the statement "I trust the board to do what is right?" I believe this board to be bereft of common sense and ethically challenged. If they told me today was Saturday, I would want independent confirmation.]
At $22,000 per student and dismal test scores in the high school, this district would have gone bankrupt long ago in the real world. [Yes. Absolutely. There's a reason why the education system does not function in a 100% business style model, along with hospitals, and even government itself. They provides services that are of an incalculable future value at a large present cost and a zero immediate financial return. Can schools, hospitals, or governments function as complete profit making institutions? Of course, but what would be the resulting services?] With public education spiraling out of control, our careless lawmakers (whom are in the business of getting reelected) [Does anyone else see the irony of a career elected official spouting about being in the business of being re-elected?] don’t address the root of the problem but rather promote tax shifts and schemes that just pump more money on top of a failing institution. [Talk to the state and federal officials who put this into place. But we would be remiss if we did not take advantage of every break the state and federal governments offered, wouldn't we?]
Who of sound mind really believes that Act 1 legislation to cap and control runaway school spending is worth the paper it was written on? With its 10 exceptions that protect a bloated incumbent bureaucracy, Act 1 law is nothing more than pathetic smoke and mirror legislation. [Your fight is not in Morrisville. Shut up here, and go and fix it. In Harrisburg.]
Now in Morrisville we have a new and somewhat [somewhat?] novice school board that recognizes that status quo is unacceptable and drastic changes are necessary. Let the changes begin here in Morrisville. First we must stop taxing people out of their homes. [I'll agree with this, but who repealed the natural processes of inflation and declining purchasing power? Read Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Read about the inflations that beset the dying British Empire. Read about the "Great Depression." It was rather a big news item a few decades ago. But that's only a partial piece of the puzzle. Did these same people financially plan for their futures? I'm not immune to financial disasters and neither is anyone else by the simple virtue of being a homeowner.] Does anyone really believe that test scores will improve if we go from $22,000 per student to $30,000? I don’t think so. The more we feed the monster, the bigger it will get. [This is just ridiculous. Who is advocating raising the money we taxpayers send to the district?]
My point is not to say I told you so but rather we must all work together just to survive. And perhaps, if we all stick together,[I think you meant to say, "Just Cooperate!"] maybe we’ll gain the attention of our (don’t rock the boat) lawmakers.
Stephen Worob, Morrisville, is a former school board member and a current councilman in Morrisville.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
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15 comments:
There's not much to add, you've covered it pretty well.
I do agree with Mr. Worob. Where has everyone been? I am glad that the public participation is considerably greater now than just a couple years ago.
"Now marks the tenth anniversary of the malicious dismantling of our once-decent school district." Let's see... who was on the board ten years ago when this so-called dismantling occurred? Who could it be? Was it...
Here's the thing about this opinion article. While it may seem timely, it is the same rhetoric of "impropriety and deception" that Mr. Worob has been shouting for years, even pre-Gibson era, and as such it is hard to take it as anything other than crying wolf.
Who is the bigger Socialist? He who says that we should all contribute to the education of our children, or he who says that we must stop taxing homeowners our of their houses?
You have done a pretty excellent job of analyzing Steve's rant. I could only hope that one or more people respond with letters to the BCCT.
Steve Worob, the self proclaimed "King of All Morrisville", has, like many other self appointed rulers, created a personal reality about Morrisville that does not coincide with the real world. But also like deluded monarchs, he only accepts his own view and derides others for theirs. His is a "My Way or the Highway" mentality that sees things as black and white: "Either yer wi' me or yer agin' me."
This empirical viewpoint is further supported by the condescending tone he takes in his letter. Looking down from his ivory tower he says, "People of Morrisville: Glad your finally paying attention" "Where have you people been?" and magnanimously (I imagine him dressed in white robes, with his arms outstretched) he kindly says, "My point [dear subjects] is not to say I told you so but rather we must all work together just to survive."
As if he were not one of "you people" but something better, something elevated. In his own mind, of course.
We all agree with Steve that people in Morrisville would much rather gripe privately than work publicly to solve a problem. But most of that sentiment is due to his bulldog tactics which have beaten down so many good and valuable contributors to our Boro. Where have they been? They've been here all along, trying not to get bitten by Steve's infectious meanness.
In Steve's alternate reality, the ten year anniversary is that of a ficticious, trumped up charge that set him off on his feverish rampage. Ten years of anger. Ten years of bullying. Ten long years and what has HE accomplished in that time except to polute Morrisville with the foulest of poisons, that of mis-trust, name-calling and a town wide loss of collaboration.
Ten years of unfounded claims of mismanagement and corruption, and not one investigation, not one authoritative body, not one media publisher will agree with or stand by these claims. Steve's alternate reality has boiled down to a horrific hallucination that he consistently tries to coax the people of Morrisville to believe, like a drug pusher hanging around a school-yard.
Steve hypocritically condems the "wasted" monies spent on renovation in the district, monies he himself voted to expend as a school board member. And, while criticising things like patchwork approach to maintenance, he shot down a proposals left and right, like one to replace the doors to the school with low maintenance - high security doors. Instead he and a "friend" toured the school, proclaimed the doors sound, and "fixed" them himself, only to have those doors fail later at a higher expense to the district.
As pointed out here, Steve picks and chooses his factoids to suit his own rhetoric, much like a street corner Bible-banger chooses random verses to condem the sinful. The figures have no meaning out of context, and are only instructive when looked at in a systemic solution to Morrisville's problems.
And if you have any doubt as to his carefully crafted reality, which suits his own purposes, consider these two quotes from his own writings:
"...our careless lawmakers (whom are in the business of getting re-elected) don't address the root of the problem" Of course, this applies to everyone else but himself, who is, infact, an elected lawmaker who is doing nothing to address the root of the problem.
"...when this board of directors tells you [something] is neccessary, you had better believe them." But you don't have to believe the previous board when they tell you something is neccessary, or the board before them... In fact, you only have to believe the board that agrees with Mr. Worob, because "If ye ain't wi' me, yer agin' me."
borows,
You could probably send this with very little editing to the BCCT. Maybe Ron Stout will sign it - apparently he's signed other ghostwritten letters to the BCCT before.
Much better than my attempt to clock in on this one. Mine had references to Ted Kaczynski, Herman Munster, and World Federation Colonies on Nebulon-4. Some may attempt to malign STS, but I know firsthand that he (or she) is merciful!
Jon,
Your note wouldn't get past the Sarcasm/High-brow humour/Political Cartoon/Snide Remarks sensor.
Borrows, please list the names of all the good and valuable contriutors to the borough whom have been beaten down by "bulldog tactic" mentality. I don't no how long you've lived in Morrisville, but go back as far as you can. Please give a brief mention of the good that these individuals were doing before being beat down. This is an excellent place to start a discussion towards better understanding each other. So please, lets see that list.
Posted for Borows
Steve,
It's "Borows" with one 'r'. But you never were very good with spelling. Still, I would think you could get this one...
If this was a legit request from a regular contributing member of this blog, I would be certain that "Anonymous" wasn't looking for a 'hit list' from which to launch a scathing smear campaign.
A request like "list the names of all the good and valuable contriutors to the borough" sounds suspiciously like "list the names and addresses of all special educations students, along with the services they receive and the individual cost for each child".
Or maybe: "I have here in my hand, a list of 205 names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department."
While I am working on that list, and it goes back quite a ways, maybe someone would care to advise on this request. What do you think? Am I falling into a trap here?
STS Says: Here's my answer.
One only has to look at the many fine and well-intentioned people of Morrisville who have volunteered their time to good causes, only to be insulted threatened and demeaned for their efforts. Whether they be on counsel, the school board, an advisory board, the historic society, the M200 committees, or even just helping to clean up a part of town. Whatever action anyone takes to effect change, there will be the inevitable throng of naysayers who immediately resort to their most base selves, accusing the doers of all sorts of perfidy, shameless self-interest, and a desire to destroy the town. There is rarely any well-reasoned discourse, rarely any amicable compromise. If you are brave enough to raise your head, expect someone to paint a target on it and vilify you. It's as if no one can ever give an opposing viewpoint any merit, and regardless of which side is arguing, the issues get lost in the bile that inexorably gorges forth. Why would anyone stand for a position in the public eye? There's nothing to be personally gained by any of these individuals, yet we treat them with scorn for their attempts at trying to make a difference and do what they believe to be the right thing. Unfortunately, the end result is that little or nothing ever gets done, and the situation just deteriorates further, dragging down sprits and fanning the flames of discontent. In the words of Geddy Lee, “We’ve turned our gaze from the castles in the distance, eyes cast down on the path of least resistance. Can we finds the minds that made us strong? Can we find the minds to lead us closer to the heart.”
I don't know who is on Borow's list, but I have four nominations, two men and two women.
Ed Nelson - 12 year veteran Board member and past President of the Board. Ed stood up for the folks in Manor Park when their school was shut down, he did an outstanding job representing Morrisville at the Tech school as it became comprehensive, and he was a strong supporter of the arts, particularly the music program, where he personally provided scholarship money each year. He was a cancer survivor, but not a survivor of nasty politics.
Tina Fitzpatrick - Community organizer, Girl Scout leader and Board member, Tina worked well with the administration and staff solving problems in curriculum and programming. Tina saw the writing on the wall and chose family when it became apparent that politics would adversely affect them.
Ron Shomo - Ron had his heart in the right place, but came under almost immediate attack when he took a seat on the Board. Still, he took the lead in re-establishing an instrumental music program in the High School after it had been dismantled by a previous board. Without his fine work Morrisville would likely not have a band today. Ron put up with many publicly hurled insults, including some aimed at his family.
Tricia Coscia - Bringing Quaker values of cooperation and consensus to the Board Tricia worked as a mediator between opposing factors. Many fine educational programs were pioneered or championed by Tricia, and she hung in there as long as she could.
If I understand what is being talked about here, these four people are prime examples of dedicated community members whose contributions may have been taken for granted.
This is not a true blog whereas the blogmaster is clearly biased towards his own agenda. He is selective in his publications and it's ok to publish if the criticizm points to the other side. Like it or not, he should publish both sides. If he wants to have a real blog, he should get real.
Of course I'm biased. I do not have to be fair and balanced. But if you want to put together a defense for the secret meeting, be my guest. I'll post it.
For the record, no one has posted a defense of the school board actions. I post almost everything that is sent. There have been a few really vicious personal attacks that I have deleted. Other than that, what you see is what I see.
Besides which, a blog is a personal web log, not a democratic bulletin board for any and every flame that comes along. I suggest that if "anonymous" cares to rant on his own terms, that he create his own blog.
Or just go to a school board meeting and take up valuable time during the public comment portion. That, at least, will get shown on cable TV.
and why is it assumed that Save is a he!
Geeeezzz
is he?
I don't know, but there was no assumption made on my part, just laziness in typing. I should have written:
"...if "anonymous" cares to rant on his/her own terms, that he/she create his/her own blog."
etc...
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