From the BCCT. Here's a quick definition of 501(c)3 courtesy of Wikipedia and the IRS.
This is a great idea. Morrisville certainly does need to seek out alternative streams of funding.
This is not a replacement for the funding required by the state and borough. There are defined limits on the purposes this money can be spent on. The taxpayers of Morrisville need to continue to fund the schools.
This is not a replacement for funding from the business-unfriendly borough council either. They need to get back to the hard work of attracting new business to Morrisville and expanding the commercial tax base, rather than chasing it away.
Residents building nonprofit education foundation
The steering committee is looking for members and donors who want to help improve the district.
By MANASEE WAGH
Several months ago, Morrisville resident Mark Coassolo implored his school district to start a nonprofit organization to take some of the burden off taxpayers.
He said former board members should have explored other funding sources when they pushed last year to replace the district’s three existing buildings — a secondary school and two elementary schools — with a new, combined $30-million structure.
The town was divided on the issue, and the new board canceled the plan.
“When they were trying to build a school, they didn’t try to do it by finding funding outside the tax base, through partnerships with corporations or something like that,” said Coassolo. “This is not a wealthy borough. It would have been a hardship for a lot of people.”
Now, Coassolo’s part of a steering committee whose members have begun constructing an education foundation that already has interested donors. The goal of the fledgling foundation is to get businesses and individuals to financially help the district improve its infrastructure and education programs.
Coassolo hopes that corporate sponsorship will assist the Morrisville School District and its nearly 1,000 students. “We’re looking for people who are doers, people who can find funding and put together funding opportunities,” he said.
Six or seven people are on the steering committee, including Coassolo and school board secretary Marlys Mihok. They said they want to find more members so the project can move forward quickly.
“We’re looking for corporate members to be part of the steering committee. We’re also going to be looking for people in education to join,” said Coassolo.
The group wants an education consortium to put the process on the right track. Someone is guiding the committee on the legal and practical aspects of forming the foundation, which the administration supports.
The rising cost of education in Morrisville has long been a thorny issue. Some taxpayers complain that teachers’ salaries and special education costs, coupled with the cost of renovating the old school buildings, form an overwhelming challenge, especially for the district’s large population of retired homeowners.
The average cost of educating a high school student in Morrisville is $14,214, as compared to $10,866 in Bristol, another small district, and $11,711 in the larger district of Bristol Township.
Area school districts already have similar foundations and business partnerships, including Pennsbury, Centennial, Neshaminy, Bristol, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Bensalem.
Coassolo said the group hopes to see the fruits of its first donations in about a year.
“We already have several people that have shown interest in donating. Hopefully it will lead to more help for the district,” Coassolo said.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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8 comments:
It sounds good in concept, but I gotta be honest that the 2 people mentioned in the article as steering committee members don't inspire a lot of confidence and trust in me, and will probably keep me from donating. Good luck with it, though.
Jon, your thoughts echo mine, and I'm sure many others as well. The idea of corporate sponsorship is a good one, but the number of exposures in such a small district is so miniscule, I don't see a lot of big dollars stepping up.
"The goal of the fledgling foundation is to get businesses and individuals to financially help the district..."
Why would any business invest in the Morrisville School District when the most prominent CPA in town says "I would not reccommend investment in Morrisville to any of my corporate clients", when council is opposed to new corporate projects, and when the former president of the council sends out a message that out of towners should "mind their own business"?
Why would any individuals contribute (except, maybe the parents of students) when they are already complaining about being overburdened by taxes, or are not confident in the plans of those who would spend their tax dollars?
As for parents who might contribute, isn't that double taxing for civil services that the State is required to provide? That ends up being one step away from "Pay-to-play".
I find this foundation's mission, as noble as the idea seems, to be a red herring.
Unfortunately the BCCT makes it seem that the 501(c) 3 was Coassolo's idea for Morrisville.
From the comforts of my living room watching the board meetings, I believe I heard this topic come up during the tenure of the former board. I also heard Dr. Yonson mention that this was part of the Strategic Plan. Even when told month after month by the administration that progress was being made in the formation of the 501(c)3, Coassolo would question about the district starting one. He obviously doesn't pay attention and only wants to hear what he wants to hear.
In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, Coassolo didn't show up for the board meetings until he complained to the former board about not being utilized as a substitute teacher anymore. This appears to be a "Personnel Issue" as said by the board and I guess was handled in an executive session since I don't recall anything mentioned publicly. Coassolo claimed at the meetings it isn't. Coassolo then got on the "Stop the School" bandwagon and became a loud critic of the former board at the meetings which in turn, I'm sure, made him friends with Mihok.
I have heard him state many times that the 501(c)3 can be used for things it can't be used for (again time after time he needed correction) and quite frankly I don't trust him. Maybe his intentions are in the right place but there's a feeling I can't quite shake. Add Marlys on top of that, and my feelings are even more shaky.
While I understand these two are part of the steering committee, I believe there will be a board of directors formed that will determine how the money is used. Then and only then will I consider any amount of donation to this fund.
You blogheads complain about everything. Your the ones that cant be trusted.
Dear Anonymous,
Why can't I complain? Isn't that what the newly elected current board majority and their supporters did ad nauseum?
Also, please don't tell me that you are writing to corporations for support for the 501(c)3 with the below proficient use of grammar as exhibited in your last sentence.
But we use proper grammar and usage when posting. (Your = Possessive; You're = You Are) And you still never explained the cost over-runs for your (See, possessive) colleagues on the Borough Council traveling to their conference.
You blogheads complain about everything.
And you are .....Mr. Sunshine?
Your the ones that cant be trusted.
Grammar aside, I'm interested in hearing your perspective on the trustworthiness of Mark Coassolo and Marlys Mihok. Because as Morris noted above, I've been at several of the same board meetings where Mr. Coassolo emphatically insisted that the 501(c)3 can be used for things that people who work with 501(c)3's for a living say it can't be used for. And Marlys seems to have a history of being economical with the truth. I'd take my chances on a random bloghead than these 2 any day.
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