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

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Update on Local Comment

Sorry about this, but I read the BCCT online and sometimes do not get to all of the items. Eventually, the BCCT will no longer have these items available, so I like to keep a copy available for future use.

Here are two letters to the editor that were recently published. Kevin Leather from January 29, and William S. Umek from February 3.


Whatever the source, farm-out option is a bad idea

The discussion surrounding the ill-conceived scheme to farm out Morrisville High School students to other districts is simply a product of what school board member Gloria Heater described to me as “brainstorming.”

I was willing to allow for that when she asked why the renovated high school needed air conditioning, expecting that only the administrators needed it, and not the students. I also found the remark she made about selling M.R. Reiter, Grandview, and the A Field to have been rather confusing.

Now I see ... if there are no high school students, why do we need the A field?

She was fond of saying that the school was built for 2,000 students and we're not using it fully, which explains why all of the Stop the School candidates avoided this specific question during the campaign. Over the summer, school board member Marlys Mihok sent me a series of e-mails where she completely denied this farm-out-the-kids scheme. She assured us that board member Bill Farrell, who was apparently the original source of the discussion, was misquoted. But when directly asked to report if it was true, she remained silent.

I did not buy a home in Morrisville only to see my children bused ridiculous distances to a school where they will be outcasts.

I admit that removing high school students from the mix is certainly a novel way to raise the test scores in 11th grade.

Brainstorming is a wonderful tool. It exposes bad ideas rather quickly

I did not vote for any of the Stop the School candidates. However, this is my school board whether I like it or not, and I do not like this.

Kevin Leather
Morrisville

Closing school will set town on irreversible decline

So, the Morrisville school board decides not to build a new high school that would 1) attract home buyers who would invest in the community, and, 2) be an incentive for current residents, who have pride in their community and would support a new facility, from moving to a more desirable community.

The Morrisville school board instead plans to shutter its existing high school and scatter its children around the county, thereby continuing the downward spiral of what is but will no longer be a nice place to live and raise a family.

Who moves to a town where they outsource their kids to be educated?

If it costs $10,000 per child to send them to another school and my current taxes are $4,000 per year, where does the other $6,000 come from? My guess would be taxes. So, couldn't we build a new school and just pay the taxes for it instead of paying the same if not more taxes to ship our kids out?
Click Here!

The majority of Morrisville residents voted for a school board whose only solution to the existing schools issues is to close it. Was this group hired to close the very business they are running? People are typically hired to help businesses prosper, not close!

What kind of leaders are these?

Once the high school is closed it will NEVER re-open and Morrisville will be on a decline from which it will not recover. Closing the school is not the right choice and I am sure it was not what the community wanted when they voted this new school board in.

William S. Umek
Morrisville

Legal Notices

Ah...the section of the newspaper between the obituaries and the comics that almost everyone skips over. Yet some of the best information is available here. Notice how the defeasement amount changed from $24 million on Jan 26 to $22 million on Feb 6? And has anyone examined Appendix A or B yet? And how about the line "The Resolution provides for an effective date of the Resolution and further repeals, rescinds and annuls all inconsistent resolutions of the School District.". Is this standard wording, or is it "Hellmann-proofing" the resolution to cover the Emperor's butt?

Clips below courtesy of mypublicnotices.com

NOTICE FOR SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
NOTICE, it is hereby given that the Morrisville Borough School District Board of School Directors shall hold a special meeting on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the LG1 Room at the School District's Middle/Senior High School, 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the special meeting is to adopt resolutions and take such other actions as may be necessary to defease a portion of the General Obligation Bonds, Capital Project Series 2006 and to amend the scope of the authorized project related thereto.
Marlys Mihok, Secretary

Appeared in: Bucks County Courier Times on Saturday, 01/26/2008



THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE BOROUGH OF MORRISVILLE
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of School Directors (the "Board") of The School District of the Borough of Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (the "School District"), at a special public meeting to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, in the LGI Room at the School District's Middle/Senior High School, located at 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, 19067 will consider the adoption of a resolution (the "Resolution"), which would amend the resolution adopted on November 16, 2005 (the "Bond Resolution"), pursuant to which the School District issued its General Obligation Bonds, Capital Project Series, in the original aggregate principal amount of $28,500,000, and which are currently outstanding in the amount of $28,485,000 (the "Bonds"). The contents of the Resolution to be considered are summarized as follows:
The Resolution states that the School District authorizes the defeasance (the "Defeasance Program") of a portion of the outstanding Bonds in an amount of up to $24,000,000 (the "Defeased Bonds") and authorizes the utilization of Bonds proceeds for the Defeasance Program. The Resolution amends the definition of Capital Project as set forth in the Bond Resolution and authorizes the School District to undertake a project or projects involving the planning, designing, acquiring, constructing and furnishing of renovations and improvements to existing School District buildings (the "Revised Capital Project") and authorizes the expenditure of the remaining proceeds of the Bonds on the Revised Capital Project. The Resolution determines an estimated useful life of the Revised Capital Project. The Resolution appoints a bond counsel, financial advisor, verification agent and escrow agent for the Defeasance Program, and authorizes the preparation of such documents, agreements, and certificates and all actions necessary to proceed with the Defeasance Program. The Resolution authorizes and directs the redemption of the Defeased Bonds. The Resolution authorizes the appropriate officers of the School District to execute and deliver all agreements, certificates and documents and to take all necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the Resolution. The Resolution states the authority for enactment of the Resolution and declares same to be necessary for the public purposes of the School District. The Resolution sets forth a severability clause which states that the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any one provision in the Resolution shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions. The Resolution provides for an effective date of the Resolution and further repeals, rescinds and annuls all inconsistent resolutions of the School District.
The full text of such proposed Resolution may be examined or inspected by any citizen in the office of the Secretary of the Board of School Directors of the School District, at the School District Offices, located at 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, on regular business days between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Amendments may be made with respect to the Resolution prior to or during its final passage. Advertisement related to the final passage of the Resolution, in final form, including amendments, will be made in accordance with requirements of the Local Government Unit Debt Act, 53 Pa.C.S. Chs. 80-82 (the "Act").
This notice is given in accordance with requirements of and in compliance with the Act.
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF
THE BOROUGH
OF MORRISVILLE,
Bucks County,
Pennsylvania
By: Marlys Mihok,
Secretary of the Board of School Directors

Appeared in: Bucks County Courier Times on Saturday, 01/26/2008


THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
OF THE BOROUGH OF MORRISVILLE
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of School Directors (the "Board") of The School District of the Borough of Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (the "School District"), at a special public meeting held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, in the LGI Room at the School District's Middle/Senior High School, located at 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, 19067 adopted a resolution (the "Resolution"), which amended the resolution adopted on November 16, 2005 (the "Bond Resolution"), pursuant to which the School District issued its General Obligation Bonds, Capital Project Series, in the original aggregate principal amount of $28,500,000, and which are currently outstanding in the amount of $28,485,000 (the "Bonds"). The contents of the Resolution as adopted are summarized as follows:
The Resolution states that the School District authorizes the defeasance (the "Defeasance Program") of a portion of the outstanding Bonds in an amount of $22,000,000 (the "Defeased Bonds") and authorizes the utilization of Bonds proceeds for the Defeasance Program. The Resolution amends the definition of Capital Project as set forth in the Bond Resolution and authorizes the School District to undertake a project or projects involving the planning, designing, acquiring, constructing and furnishing of renovations and improvements to existing School District buildings (the "Revised Capital Project") and authorizes the expenditure of the remaining proceeds of the Bonds on the Revised Capital Project. The Resolution determines an estimated useful life of the Revised Capital Project. The Resolution appoints a bond counsel, financial advisor, verification agent and escrow agent for the Defeasance Program, and authorizes the preparation of such documents, agreements, and certificates and all actions necessary to proceed with the Defeasance Program. The Resolution authorizes and directs the redemption of the Defeased Bonds. The Resolution authorizes the appropriate officers of the School District to execute and deliver all agreements, certificates and documents and to take all necessary and appropriate actions to carry out the Resolution. The Resolution states the authority for enactment of the Resolution and declares same to be necessary for the public purposes of the School District. The Resolution sets forth a severability clause which states that the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any one provision in the Resolution shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions. The Resolution provides for an effective date of the Resolution and further repeals, rescinds and annuls all inconsistent resolutions of the School District.
The full text of the Resolution as adopted may be examined or inspected by any citizen in the office of the Secretary of the Board of School Directors of the School District, at the School District Offices, located at 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, on regular business days between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A summary of the Resolution was advertised on January 26, 2008 and the proposed text has been available in the office of the undersigned. During final adoption of the Resolution, the proposed Resolution previously available was amended and completed as follows: 1) The aggregate principal amount of Bonds to be defeased was determined to be $22,000,000; 2) The schedule of Bonds to be defeased was attached as Exhibit A to the Resolution and the schedule of remaining Bonds was attached as Exhibit B to the Resolution.
This notice is given in accordance with requirements of and in compliance with the Local Government Unit Debt Act, 53 Pa.C.S. Chs. 80-82 (the "Act").
SCHOOL DISTRICT
OF THE BOROUGH OF MORRISVILLE,
Bucks County,
Pennsylvania
By: Marlys Mihok,
Secretary of the Board of School Directors

Appeared in: Bucks County Courier Times on Wednesday, 02/06/2008

Comic Relief

More everyday question avoidance tactics.