Countdown to April 29 to PERMANENTLY close M. R. Reiter. Ask the board to see the 6 point plan.

Friday, June 20, 2008

BUCKMAN!!

To the utter surprise of, well, no one, John "Jack" Buckman, formerly of the Morrisville School Board and formerly of the Borough Council, is once again, a school director.

Vacancy filled by former board member
By ELIZABETH FISHER

The Morrisville school board on Thursday night appointed John Buckman, a former board member and a former councilman, to replace board member Ed Frankenfield, who died May 28.

Board members Alfred Radosti, Bill Hellman, Brenda Worob, Bill Farrell and Marlys Mihok voted for Buckman; Joseph Kemp and Robin Reithmeyer voted no.

Buckman was previously on the school board from 1987 to 1991. At the time, he did not run for a second term. He also served on the Morrisville council for several years.

Four other residents had sent resumes expressing interest in taking, including former borough police Chief Victor Cicero, currently a substitute teacher in the district.

Each candidate underwent 15 minutes of scrutiny, offered a statement and answered questions from board members. Buckman said his main concerns centered on money — an important issue in the cash strapped school district — and quality education.

“I’d like to keep the taxes down as much as possible while inspiring the kids,” he told the board.

Suggestions from the candidates included pressuring Harrisburg to come up with more school funding and adding muscle to their demands by forming coalitions with other local school boards.

Buckman’s appointment didn’t go through without friction. Reithmeyer objected to inclusion of candidates whose resumes were received after the 9 a.m. June 13 deadline.

Buckman’s and Cicero’s resumes were among those that missed the deadline.

“Why do we have deadlines?” asked Reithmeyer. “It’s a bad precedent. In the future, if the deadline is 9 a.m., and if they have to be [turned in] at the school district, we should adhere to the rules.”

Buckman’s and Cicero’s applications were dropped off at Chairman Bill Hellman’s office and did not reach the office until after 10 a.m.

District Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick intervened, saying board members could nominate anyone, even someone who did not submit a letter, up to the time the vote was taken.

Worob, who nominated Buckman, was pleased. “I was persuaded by the fact that Jack had been on the school board in the past and was very productive. He’s a caring person and has a lot of integrity. I feel he is the right person to replace Mr. Frankenfield.,

37 comments:

Peter said...

Buckman? Wow, what a, ummmm, surprise. Yeah, a surprise. "Buckman said his main concerns centered on money." Wow, what a, ummmm, surprise. Yeah, a surprise. Worob, who nominated Buckman, was pleased. Wow, what a, ummmm, surprise. Yeah, a surprise. Buckman's application was dropped off at Hellmann's office instead of the proper location, the district office? Wow, what a, ummmm, surprise. Yeah, a surprise.

Peter said...

While the solicitor is undoubtedly correct that they could take nominations up to the last minute, I gotta agree with Riethmeyer on this one. What's the point of a deadline?

If it were a bid using public funds the deadline would be meaningful (you can't accept a late bid without re-opening the whole bid process) so why not here?

I wish one of their arch nemesis' had also applied late to push the issue -- then they would've had to make a decision whether to allow his/her application or to disqualify Buckman's.

Ah well, I'm sure Jack was just too busy to get the application in on time.

Peter said...

I think I may have a new career as a bookmaker. :-)

Jon said...

DUEY DEFEATS TRUE MAN?

Kevin L said...

Peter: This is the problem of this board all along. They feel that five votes makes anything legal, so they fail to follow the established procedures, precedents, and laws. It's not a matter of if this will bite them in the posterior, but when. Fitzpatrick really has his work cut out for him.

Congratulations to Damon Miller as well on his nomination last night. He would have made an excellent board member.

I posted this morning because Marlys asked me during the questioning last night if this was me. It is. I read this blog, and apparently she does as well.

Save The School said...

Mrs. Mihok and all of the board members are welcome here anytime, especially if they can somehow provide support for some of their antics.

Anonymous said...

Good answers from Kevin, John and Damon to the Marlys grilling. Thanks for putting yourselves out there, guys. And to Greta and Ann, too.

Question authority (sometimes you get answer).

Jon said...

Ann had a minor medical issue that needed addressing last night, so unfortunately she had to withdraw. I'm glad so many good candidates applied, including at least one with more recent board experience than Buckman. It makes the board's choice look all the more like the farcical cronyism those folks, and in particular Marlys Mihok, frequently accused the old board of.

Dang preposition at the end of a sentence again....

What a comedown for Mike Fitzpatrick. He went from US Congressman to babysitting this crew faster than you can say.....Patrick Murphy!

Think maybe he's got big plans to try a social and legal experiment in Morrisville with ......vouchers?

Jon said...

JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN JACK BUCKMAN
BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN BUCK JACKMAN

Sorry. Just felt like doing that.

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that the board chose Buckman over the obviously educated, caring citizens who put in their applications. Mr Buckman's is qualified over these people because he works at a company that prints tests? Does he grade the tests? Does he develop the tests?
When questioned, Mr. Buckman admitted when he last served he would leave meetings early because of "redundancy" at a late hour. Government is nothing but redundancy. If you cannot be there for the entire meeting, why are you there at all?
Dear Board, you are obviously struggling. Why not choose someone outside your circle? Bring some new ideas to the table?

Jon said...

Did a quick look at board minutes since Sept. '07 for Mr. Buckman's public statements, and they're generally not as ignorant and mean-spirited as some others' who thankfully didn't apply, his defense of the quasi-secret quasi-school board meeting and tortured spinning of Hellmann's JUST COOPERATE email to Robin Reithmeyer notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure in a parallel universe of consistency and integrity he would have disqualified himself for his late application, though. There's certainly no excuse now for not finally fleetly fixing the flawed funding formula - if it's actually is a problem and not a .....figment of fickle frenzy.

Stumbled across the gem below from Sharon Hughes from the 10/24/07 meeting too.


4/23/08 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
It is the district’s job to be accountable to the taxpayers and the children. I believe that the meeting that was criticized by the Courier Times met within the law; therefore, I don’t see a problem with it. One of the most important things between board members is cooperation; that doesn’t mean agreement – it means willingness
to cooperate -- that includes administrators too.

3/26/08 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
Would like investigation of funding formula from the state because of the shared zip code which causes us to get less funding. Hire an enumerator for this purpose. Investigate non-resident students; re-register students for next year.

2/27/08 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
I have brought this subject up before. The funding formula is flawed. People who live in a 19067 zip code mark their tax returns Morrisville when they actually live in Lower Makefield and Falls. I believe we should hire an enumerator as the school code allows taking a census and purging these people who do not live in Morrisville. This would bring the average income down which in turn would increase our funding
formula. In addition, the enumerator could check residency of students. It is important that we find a way to get more funding in and students that are not residents out.

10/24/07 Sharon Hughes
I’m right in the middle of the stop the school organization. They never talk about closing down the schools....

Ken said...

“I’d like to keep the taxes down as much as possible while inspiring the kids,”

We know there is a plan to keep taxes down (even though it hasn't been made public yet), and Jack will vote for that. What is the plan for inspiring the kids? Closing schools? Eliminating special needs support? Reducing programs? I'd like to see Jack's plan for inspiring the kids.

The comment I find most offensive is "I feel he is the right person to replace Mr. Frankenfield." - BW

This is neither nice, accurate, nor neccessary.

No one can replace Ed.

In Jack's defense, though, I have to say he is an independant thinker (not that I agree with his thinking at all). But I would take him any day over mindless, rubber-stamping cronies like Marlys and Al.

Jon said...

I remember during the Concerto Fusion liquor license saga a few years ago, councilman George Bolos asked if any council members had been to Man Wong's other restaurant in Lower Makefield (Charming Garden). I believe George was trying to ascertain whether other councilpeople had experienced Mr. Wong's other fine restaurant in the area, the kind that should have been quite welcome here, even if it sold the demon firewater. Council VP Buckman, with more than a touch of indignation, said something like "No, and it would be a conflict of interest if I did", whilst folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. Well, George didn't ask whether he received a free bribery lunch from Charming Garden, just whether anyone had ever eaten there before - and paid for it. I hope Mr. Buckman brings this spirit of over-the-top Uber-integrity to his school board actions. But somehow what's good for the goose usually isn't good for the gander around here.

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never received, nor will I accept, any endorsement money from Man Wong and the Charming Garden/Concerto Fusion Restaurant empire. He, however, has received a decent chunk of my money over the years for both eat-in and takeout orders.

Anonymous said...

mmmm!! Sushi!!! Good!!! Om Nom Nom Nom.

I wonder how many of the School Directors would be able to pass the 6th grade PSSA. I'm willing to wager that at least three of them would fail miserably. Shouldn't there be a minimum literacy standard?

Peter said...

Jon, thanks for digging up the old public comments. It gives me a glimmer of hope that Buckman's are reasoned comments. Time will tell. Let's give the guy a chance to prove us wrong before we crucify him.

"10/24/07 Sharon Hughes
I’m right in the middle of the stop the school organization. They never talk about closing down the schools...."


Gee, that's curious. I wonder what happened since 10/24??? (coincidentally, a week and a half before election day)

Jon said...

Texas Hold 'Em, perhaps?

Anonymous said...

From The PSBA Website - Board Responsibilities. I especially like the last two "prohibited".

Board responsibility
In essence, school boards have three functions: planning, setting policy and evaluating results.

Planning -- Boards are required to engage in strategic planning by regulations of the State Board of Education. Appropriate reports of the results of such planning must be filed with the Department of Education.
Setting policy -- The central responsibility of a board, both in theory and in law, is to be the policy-forming body. Policy means actions of the board that set written goals and objectives for the school.
Evaluating results -- The board must evaluate the results of planning. Evaluation “ completes the loop ” and, in fact, leads inevitably to more planning. Evaluation occurs all the time, both formally and informally. As a group, the board is not an administrative body; neither should it be a “ rubber stamp ” for professional educators. The selection of competent administrators who understand their role is to carry out public policies established by the board is one of the board ' s most important functions.

Some required duties
Adopt courses of study in consultation with the superintendent.
Establish the length of the school term.
Adopt textbooks.
Elect superintendents and hire necessary employees.
Enter into written contracts with professional employees and into collective bargaining agreements.
Adopt the annual budget.
Levy taxes; appoint a tax collector under certain circumstances.
Provide necessary grounds and school buildings.
Prescribe, adopt and enforce reasonable rules and regulations regarding school activities, publications and organizations.
Provide special education for children with mental or physical disabilities.

Some permissive functions
Elect and appoint assistant superintendents.
Appoint a solicitor and other board employees.
Purchase, receive or condemn land for school purposes as determined by the board.
Sell unneeded lands and buildings.
Enter into written agreements with boards, or other districts, for attendance and tuition of pupils in high school. (Note - Private schools not mentioned)
Provide for food or milk for undernourished and poor children.
Create or increase indebtedness within certain limitations.Authorize attendance of board members or of the superintendent or other employees at educational meetings, and pay necessary expenses.
Enter into group insurance contracts. Provide for: insurance on school buildings and property; personal liability insurance for school employees against injury to pupils; accident insurance for pupils against injury in participation, or transportation to, athletic events.
Suspend or expel pupils from school under certain conditions, or cause them to be brought before the juvenile court.

Some prohibited actions
May not authorize construction of schools without prior approval of plans and specifications by the departments of Education and Labor and Industry.
May not hire work to be done, purchase materials or enter into contracts that will cause sums budgeted for specific purposes to be exceeded.
May not hire certain relatives of board members, except by a majority vote of the board excluding the member who is related to the employer or applicant.
Shall not demand, request or accept in any way a gift from a teacher or administrator.
Shall not require religious or political tests of officers or employees.
Shall not engage in illegal discrimination on the basis of race, creed or color.

Anonymous said...

As an outsider whom has not actually moved to Morrisvile but is considering it once again, what's the special plan to keep taxes down? The taxes seem to rise every year and my wife are nervous about buying a house in Morrisville. How will the taxes ever go down when no new business move in and the board chooses to keep the high school open? I'm very curious. Thanks

Anonymous said...

"...what's the special plan to keep taxes down?"

Shhhh... we're not supposed to talk about the secret.. er, uh "special" plan.

I've sworn everybody to secrecy about that.

Anonymous said...

What's the plan to keep taxes down? Anonymous should send this question to the school board, since only they can answer this. It has not been publicly discussed - but there is much speculation from what has leaked out throough the press. You can go to the mv.org website and e-mail the board. Good luck - and let us know if you get an answer!

Anonymous said...

I just emailed the school board. I will post the response when I receive it mother bear. great idea.

Anonymous said...

Keep taxes down!!! They aren't headed down anywhere I know. Every district in Bucks seems to be going up. The biggest problem I seem to recognize with the taxes in Morrisville is that relative to the purchase price for other older homes in the county, the taxes are higher in the Ville. However, relative to the taxes I see on many homes for sale, particularly the newer homes, it's still a bargain.

Jon said...

From Yahoo.....



Meredith F. Small
LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist
LiveScience.com
Fri Jun 20, 9:45 AM ET

Humans are fundamentally social animals. Our social nature means that we interact with each other in positive, friendly ways, and it also means we know how to manipulate others in a very negative way.

Neurophysiologist Katherine Rankin at the University of California, San Francisco, has also recently discovered that sarcasm, which is both positively funny and negatively nasty, plays an important part in human social interaction.

So what? I mean really, who cares? Oh for God's sake. Don't you have anything better to do that read this column?

According to Dr. Rankin, if you didn't get the sarcastic tone of the previous sentences you must have some damage to your parahippocampal gyrus which is located in the right brain. People with dementia, or head injuries in that area, often lose the ability to pick up on sarcasm, and so they don't respond in a socially appropriate ways.

Presumably, this is a pathology, which in turn suggests that sarcasm is part of human nature and probably an evolutionarily good thing.

How might something so, well, sarcastic as sarcasm, be part of the human social toolbox?

Evolutionary biologists claim that sociality is what has made humans such a successful species. We are masters at what anthropologists and others call "social intelligence." We recognize and keep track of hundreds of relationships, and we easily distinguish between enemies and friends.

More important, we run our lives by social calculation. A favor is mentally recorded and paid back, sometimes many years later. Likewise, insults are marked down on the mental score card in indelible ink. And we are constantly bickering and making up, even with people we love.

Sarcasm, then, is a verbal hammer that connects people in both a negative and positive way. We know that sense of humor is important to relationships; if someone doesn't get your jokes, they aren't likely to be your friend (or at least that's my bottom line about friendship). Sarcasm is simply humor's dark side, and it would be just as disconcerting if a friend didn't get your snide remarks.

It's also easy to imagine how sarcasm might be selected over time as evolutionarily crucial. Imagine two ancient humans running across the savannah with a hungry lion in pursuit. One guy says to the other, "Are we having fun yet?" and the other just looks blank and stops to figure out what in the world his pal meant by that remark. End of friendship, end of one guy's contribution to the future of the human gene pool.

Fast forward a few million years and the network of human relationships is wider and more complex, and just as important to survival. The corporate chairman throws out a sarcastic remark and those who "get" it laugh, smile, and gain favor. In the same way, if the chair never makes a remark, sarcastic people are making them behind his or her back, forming a clique by their mutually negative, but funny, comments. Either way, sarcasm plays a role in making and breaking alliances and friendship.

Thanks goodness, because life without out sarcasm would be a dull and way too nice place to be, if you ask me.

Jon said...

5/23/07 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
The majority doesn’t want the school. Two signers of the Constitution lived in this town – it was embarrassing to have taxation without representation signs on our lawns. Stop any further activity concerning this school.

4/11/07 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
Why wasn’t the solicitor here last week? If you are hiring a solicitor your current solicitor should be advising you. I don’t understand why you are hiring a special solicitor. The advertisement is misleading and I feel we should table the motion. I believe that Mr. Kemp was given orders not to spill the beans.

4/5/07 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
Mr. Buckman asked why the board is discussing a possible legal decision to hire another attorney firm without the Solicitor. I don’t know whether he would give you the best advice in the world; I’m not that confident in him. On the other hand, he should be here. You’re violating the Sunshine Law.

9/27/06 Jack Buckman, 617 Rutland
Works 3 jobs to pay taxes. Why were tax bills double than projected? Why was school disaster information put in the minutes?

6/21/06 Jack Buckman, Rutland Ave.
BCCT reports Morrisville population increased by 200 people yet enrollment continues to decrease. People can’t afford new school; wants to see ageing people continue to maintain their homes. Is Mr. Eisengrein moving?

5/24/06 Jack Buckman, Rutland
Nothing the Board has done in the past represents what the community wants. The fact that the majority of this Board has been appointed, not elected, does not make a representative government.

4/26/06 Jack Buckman
Are students with IEP allowed extra time when taking standardized testing? Dr. Yonson replied that all students are if needed. Because of that Mr. Buckman does not think test results are unfair. Taxpayers
Assoc. has not threatened anyone; they are asking for reasonable thinking on tearing down buildings. K-12 campus is unsafe for younger students. You should be thinking of using current structures and maybe tearing
down some of high school.

3/29/06 Jack Buckman, Rutland Rd.
He asked if shuttling is the same thing as busing; and what are the legal ramifications? Problem with funding formula and Earned Income Tax related to 19067 zip code has to be corrected.

2/22/06 Jack Buckman
In the absence of Mrs. Worob this evening, Mr. Buckman read a letter from Mrs. Worob voicing her support
for Mr. Brooks for candidate for the School Board.

Jon said...

enrollment 3/29/06 = 999
enrollment 12/12/07 = 1,052
enrollment 4/17/08 = 1,070

Hmmmmm? Dr. Miller, where are you?

Anonymous said...

Isn't this just a payback from Brenda for Jack's support of Steve in the Gould lawsuit?

Jon said...

J. Buckman - school board to council and back to school board.

E. Dreisbach - school board to council.

S. Worob - school board to council.

A. Radosti - council to school board.

M. Mihok - school board in the 90's, now back on school board.

You gotta love a town with a good recycling program!

Anonymous said...

Now let's hear Jon's impressive Morrisville resume dating back to 1998. - Bloghead to pro new school board candidate trounced in election back to bloghead. WOW!!!!

Jon said...

Moved to Morrisville. Got married. Bought a house. Had a daughter, who's now in Morrisville public school - quite satisfied with her kindergarten experience. Worked. Ate. Slept. Paid my taxes. Discovered there is a cabal of generally nasty and misguided people who rule this town with ham-fisted ruthlessness - specializing in misinformation, smears and fears, lots o'talk, and little action. Reluctantly decided to run for school board because I could see what a damaging disaster most of the opposition would turn out to be. Got my butt handed to me. Never felt so relieved - tough job to do properly and thoughtfully. Contribute to this wonderful blog to rebut and refute some of the krapola folks like you churn out to poison the well and hold onto power and control. Enjoy it - especially if it gets to folks like you. Don't want to hold elected office. Don't claim to have all the answers. Just expect a little more vision and thoughtfulness from those who do. Not sorry if that bothers you.

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work Jon! Sooner or later they will wear out the "landslide" comments. C'mon Anonymous stop riding the Delorean back to the past. Tell us what the future will bring. I know you have to have it in you to see the future! Isn't that what we all strive for..................!

Anonymous said...

Seems it's pretty easy to fly in here anonymously and drop poison bombs like name calling ["I'm not the coward who name calls, chubby cheeks."] and unsupported inferences ["..we remember what you did and I'm going to publish it in my book"] and other general bullying which is a trademark of some certain people in this town.

Just remember buddy, we remember what YOU did and said, it's in the minutes, and in court transactions so we don't have to publish any phantom books.

Anonymous said...

You go Jon!!! I always look forward to reading your comments. They're the best!

Peter said...

"Now let's hear Jon's impressive Morrisville resume dating back to 1998. - Bloghead to pro new school board candidate trounced in election back to bloghead. WOW!!!!"

Jon, it is better to be right than to be popular. Your witty banter is always welcome.

As for our local politicians that read this blog: while our comments may sometimes be acidic, our frustration is very real. I think it is a great thing that this blog exists and you can correspond in real-time with your constituents and we with you. Clearly we do not see eye-to-eye on many (most? all?) topics, but we've got a dialog going and there is some value in that. Hopefully you understand that this blog is a microcosm of our little town and you know what we'd like for our community and from our representatives. That can't be all bad, can it? So, let's stop the mudslinging and get to work on improving things.

Anonymous said...

Since we're reviewing resumes, let's take a look at Steve's:

Long tenured School Director and Councilperson. During this tenure, property values stagnate while they rise astronomically in other towns. New development in the town is squashed. Numerous scandals make the news, but no one is ever found guilty. There is more and more animus within the town. Looks like you're doing a hell of a job as a leader there Steve. Really, who wouldn't be proud of your accomplishments? Wait! Other than accusing everyone else of every possible crime and misdemeanor, you've been making a real difference, right?

Parking your ass in a chair once a month and casting a vote or two isn't leadership. Maybe if you spent a little more energy on making a POSITIVE difference instead of a negative one, you'd be less of a target. But I suppose you'll just reassure yourself in your self-righteousness and continue as you have.

Damon said...

Sorry I wasn't able to get to this earlier but I had a huge work committment this weekend. I just want to thank everyone for the kind words and support posted here and in other ways. I also want to thank Joe and Robin for the nomination.

I didn't get her name, but there was a member of the community that spoke to me and some others after the meeting thanking us for taking an interest in serving and submitting a resume. While I strongly suspected that I would not be appointed when I saw Mr. Buckman present, it was a good feeling hearing those words from a community member I never met.

I can only hope that we as a community can learn from the past, while leaving it behind, and work toward a future that can benefit ALL members of this borough including seniors, students, and parents.

Anonymous said...

... a late addition to Steve's resume:

Appointed, not elected, to the school board. Failed to win an elected seat. Won a seat on council where members are elected by ward (i.e. his own neighbors) instead of at large.

Anonymous said...

However he got into the positions, he hasn't really accomplished anything of note. Not that anyone else has either, but at least with some of the School Directors, they tried. Council doesn't even do that. I'd like to see one council driven initiative to improve the town, just one. Instead we get roadblocks, prevarication, dissembling and Occasionally a grudging acquiescence. It would seem that every effort is driven by someone other than the council. This isn't leadership, it's gatekeeping. I'm also deeply disappointed that George is leaving. He was the best of them, and I really thought he was in it for the long ruin. But I also understand why he would choose to leave. It's frustrating to keep banging into the brick wall of the Worobs, Dreisbacks, Bergers, and the like. Perhaps someone should inform these folks that the 50s are long gone, and it's time to step into the 21st century with the rest of the world.