Here's an article from the BCCT highlighting the North Penn School District and their first ever community-wide survey.
"...Only great organizations critically review performance on an ongoing basis." I wonder where the Morrisville School District falls on that organizational spectrum.
I also noted the board president's webpage: "As the current School Board President I find it important to defend the school district’s reputation when it is being unfairly or unduly criticized." Hmmm...other board presidents give out diplomas and defend their district. Thankfully the Emperor would not stoop to such mundane and irrelevant tasks.
From the school website: "The North Penn School District recently took its commitment to continuous improvement to another level through its extensive survey of all stakeholders, including students, staff, parents and community members. The Board of School Directors knows that every organization has areas for improvement, but only great organizations critically review performance on an ongoing basis. This survey was part of North Penn’s quality improvement work.
Conducted in March 2008, questionnaires were mailed to more than 40,000 community members, including parents. Concurrently, all students in 5th through 12th grade and all district employees were given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire as well. In all, more than 13,000 questionnaires were completed and analyzed.
Surveys were carefully developed and validated through the involvement of stakeholders, including focus groups, to help design the survey questions and other various opportunities for input. Working with outside consultants, NPSD used a completely secure online or hardcopy administration of the survey, which was scored independent of any district personnel."
School district receives positive response
By AUBREY WHELAN
The Intelligencer
More than 13,000 residents, teachers, parents and students in the North Penn School District applauded the district's teachers, curriculum and safety, participating in the most comprehensive survey the district has ever conducted.
But those same people also expressed concerns on issues like school lunches, internal communication and transitioning students from one grade level to another.
The district is using the results of the survey, which were recently posted on the district's Web site, npenn.org, to develop goals for its six-year strategic plan.
Surveys were mailed to more than 40,000 community members in March. “We mailed it to all community residents, and that included all our parents, staff members and students in fifth grade through 12th grade,” said Christine Liberaski, the district's coordinator of school and community services. The district has conducted surveys in the past, but none as comprehensive as this one, she added.
Liberaski said questions were geared toward the various demographics surveyed.
“We asked whether families thought they were getting communication from the school district ... whether students showed respect for each other, whether staff showed respect for students. Did they feel that the schools are providing a quality education?” she said.
Areas the school has set goals to improve include the quality and variety of school lunches, Liberaski said. Respondents also raised concerns about the fairness of school rules and how students transition from elementary school to middle school to high school.
District Superintendent Bob Hassler said while such concerns are typical, they help district officials pinpoint areas for improvement.
“For example, at the high school, you have five different assistant principals,” he said, addressing some respondents' concerns about the fairness of school rules. “It's something that I think will always be there, just because of the human factor.” But, he said, the strength of the district lies in gathering feedback from its stakeholders, the people who pay taxes and send children to the schools and the students themselves.
“What I'm happy about is we're the type of organization that wants to find out how we can improve,” he said. “The more people we can get involved, the more suggestions, the better it's going to be for our students.”
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Guest Opinion: Financial and Moral Responsibility
Here's a guest opinion that was posted as a comment to the Budget Approval Due Tonight posting.
Well done, Peter. Well done.
Peter has left a new comment on your post "Budget Approval Due Tonight":
Before I respond, Anonymous, let's start with the definition of mandate:
Main Entry: man·date
Pronunciation: \ˈman-ˌdāt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French & Latin; Middle French mandat, from Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregular from manus hand + -dere to put — more at manual, do
Date: 1501
1: an authoritative command; especially : a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one
2: an authorization to act given to a representative (accepted the mandate of the people)
3 a: an order or commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation for the establishment of a responsible government over a former German colony or other conquered territory b: a mandated territory
OK, with that out of the way, lets look at this two ways, financial and moral.
FINANCIAL
Financially, this town is at odds on how to improve things. There are the progressives (how I would classify most the of contributors to this blog, myself included) and the depressives (how I would classify the Board and Council majorities. A.K.A. NSN's on this blog). The progressives believe that by improving the town now, which, yes, does cost some money up front, we will save, even collect dividends, in the future. It is an investment for the future. That is the core of why most of us believed in a new school. A motto for this group might be, a stitch in time saves nine.
The depressives on the other hand believe that we need to keep taxes down at all costs. A motto on for this group might be, a penny saved is a penny earned.
I don't think we'll ever see eye-to-eye. These are deep, philosophical differences that are hard to overcome.
Now, financially, to answer your question, "how many more years do you believe we can afford to PROPERLY fund mandates with double digit annual increases?" I can't answer this for anyone other than for my family, however, I challenge the notion of double-digit increases. The state mandates (there's that word again) a max increase. Oh, but what about the exceptions, you ask. Yes, there are exceptions for things outside of our control, such as increased costs of special needs kids. Which leads to...
MORAL
We have a moral obligation to our community to educate our kids. It is our civic duty. At what costs? Well, at whatever the cost is to give our kids an appropriate education, to give them a chance at a future. This is a tenet of the progressives. Notice I am not asking for gold covered text books and marble-floored buildings. Yes, I think a new school was going to help build our community AND save money, but we never asked for a Taj Majal, no matter how you may have tried to spin it, Anonymous. Now, at this point, we are hoping to just keep our failing buildings and simply educate the kids, and so far it's not looking too promising that even that will happen.
I will say it again. We have a moral obligation to educate our kids. The current budget underfunds this mission, even at the pleas of the community and the real professionals, the administration.
So, you say, "Sooner or later, something has to give." Given the current budget, and Dr. Yonson's statement the other night that they will somehow figure out a way to appropriately deal with special education, etc, that means that, yes, something has to give. Sadly it will be education. Education will have to give and our kids will lose. We will give our kids a second rate education because YOU want lower goddamn taxes!
We have a moral obligation to our community to educate our kids.
Well done, Peter. Well done.
Peter has left a new comment on your post "Budget Approval Due Tonight":
Before I respond, Anonymous, let's start with the definition of mandate:
Main Entry: man·date
Pronunciation: \ˈman-ˌdāt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French & Latin; Middle French mandat, from Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregular from manus hand + -dere to put — more at manual, do
Date: 1501
1: an authoritative command; especially : a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one
2: an authorization to act given to a representative (accepted the mandate of the people)
3 a: an order or commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation for the establishment of a responsible government over a former German colony or other conquered territory b: a mandated territory
OK, with that out of the way, lets look at this two ways, financial and moral.
FINANCIAL
Financially, this town is at odds on how to improve things. There are the progressives (how I would classify most the of contributors to this blog, myself included) and the depressives (how I would classify the Board and Council majorities. A.K.A. NSN's on this blog). The progressives believe that by improving the town now, which, yes, does cost some money up front, we will save, even collect dividends, in the future. It is an investment for the future. That is the core of why most of us believed in a new school. A motto for this group might be, a stitch in time saves nine.
The depressives on the other hand believe that we need to keep taxes down at all costs. A motto on for this group might be, a penny saved is a penny earned.
I don't think we'll ever see eye-to-eye. These are deep, philosophical differences that are hard to overcome.
Now, financially, to answer your question, "how many more years do you believe we can afford to PROPERLY fund mandates with double digit annual increases?" I can't answer this for anyone other than for my family, however, I challenge the notion of double-digit increases. The state mandates (there's that word again) a max increase. Oh, but what about the exceptions, you ask. Yes, there are exceptions for things outside of our control, such as increased costs of special needs kids. Which leads to...
MORAL
We have a moral obligation to our community to educate our kids. It is our civic duty. At what costs? Well, at whatever the cost is to give our kids an appropriate education, to give them a chance at a future. This is a tenet of the progressives. Notice I am not asking for gold covered text books and marble-floored buildings. Yes, I think a new school was going to help build our community AND save money, but we never asked for a Taj Majal, no matter how you may have tried to spin it, Anonymous. Now, at this point, we are hoping to just keep our failing buildings and simply educate the kids, and so far it's not looking too promising that even that will happen.
I will say it again. We have a moral obligation to educate our kids. The current budget underfunds this mission, even at the pleas of the community and the real professionals, the administration.
So, you say, "Sooner or later, something has to give." Given the current budget, and Dr. Yonson's statement the other night that they will somehow figure out a way to appropriately deal with special education, etc, that means that, yes, something has to give. Sadly it will be education. Education will have to give and our kids will lose. We will give our kids a second rate education because YOU want lower goddamn taxes!
We have a moral obligation to our community to educate our kids.
Area School Budget Roundup
The BCCT this morning compares the area school budgets and finds that Morrisville is the lone exception in producing lower taxes. The budget reporting is again not mentioning the "d" word: "defeasement." The savings in Morrisville comes at the cost of not investing in the future. Don't be fooled that this board is a tax cutting machine and that this will be a luxury-pared budget. The budget was bare bones before, and now even the skeleton is feeling the pain.
Some taxpayers smile; others frown
By THERESA HEGEL
The Intelligencer
Many homeowners in Bucks and Montgomery counties will see dips in next year's property bill — thanks to money skimmed from state gambling slots — with residents in several districts emerging as the clear winners.
Expected gaming credits will save eligible property owners in Lower Bucks anywhere from $166 in Centennial to just more than $290 in Bristol Township, according to state estimates.
In most cases, the gaming funds will help offset tax increases and allow qualified property owners to realize at least some savings on their tax bills.
But in Morrisville, where the school board is looking at ways to cut costs in the cash-strapped district, the $218 gaming credit will be assessed to eligible tax bills in addition to an average $321 reduction in taxes.
Morrisville's tax reduction is the exception in the area, with most other districts experiencing some sort of tax increase. However, residents with homestead exclusions will reap the benefits of state casino revenue. Such homeowners — and there are about 350,000 of them in Bucks and Montgomery counties — could see savings ranging from $25 to almost $200. For the rest, the annual tax bill will increase.
Two area school districts— New Hope-Solebury and Upper Moreland — budgeted higher than the property tax relief they were allotted. New Hope-Solebury residents essentially will break even, with only a $4 difference between the district's average tax hike and the $266 to be distributed to each homeowner with an exemption.
“It's a wash,” board President William Behre said at an April meeting. “That's fine with me.”
The majority of Upper Moreland's increase is slated to pay off a $34.5 million high school renovation project. Excluding that keeps the district's tax increase solidly under the 4.4 percent cap mandated by the state's Act 1.
The law is an attempt to keep school spending closer in line with taxpayers' wages. Increases higher than 4.4 percent must be approved by district voters, though districts can apply for larger rate caps to offset debt payments, as Upper Moreland did.
Centennial, New Hope-Solebury and Palisades also applied for exceptions, allowing them to raise taxes beyond 4.4 percent. Though North Penn qualified for an exception as well, the district did not push taxes past the state cap.
Because property values and incomes are lower in Quakertown, the district would have been permitted to raise taxes up to 5.1 percent without having to apply to the state. Instead, the school board approved a budget raising taxes by 4.5 percent, just a sliver above the general cap.
In addition to the usual suspects of salary and benefits, many districts credited rapidly increasing fuel and heating oil costs for inflating their budgets.
Palisades, for example, had to tack about $350,000 onto its final budget once heating bids and fuel estimates were taken into account. The lowest bid the district received for heating was more than twice its current rate.
Education reporters Joan Hellyer, Rachel Canelli and Manasee Wagh contributed to this article.
Theresa Hegel can be reached at 215-538-6381 or thegel@phillyBurbs.com
Some taxpayers smile; others frown
By THERESA HEGEL
The Intelligencer
Many homeowners in Bucks and Montgomery counties will see dips in next year's property bill — thanks to money skimmed from state gambling slots — with residents in several districts emerging as the clear winners.
Expected gaming credits will save eligible property owners in Lower Bucks anywhere from $166 in Centennial to just more than $290 in Bristol Township, according to state estimates.
In most cases, the gaming funds will help offset tax increases and allow qualified property owners to realize at least some savings on their tax bills.
But in Morrisville, where the school board is looking at ways to cut costs in the cash-strapped district, the $218 gaming credit will be assessed to eligible tax bills in addition to an average $321 reduction in taxes.
Morrisville's tax reduction is the exception in the area, with most other districts experiencing some sort of tax increase. However, residents with homestead exclusions will reap the benefits of state casino revenue. Such homeowners — and there are about 350,000 of them in Bucks and Montgomery counties — could see savings ranging from $25 to almost $200. For the rest, the annual tax bill will increase.
Two area school districts— New Hope-Solebury and Upper Moreland — budgeted higher than the property tax relief they were allotted. New Hope-Solebury residents essentially will break even, with only a $4 difference between the district's average tax hike and the $266 to be distributed to each homeowner with an exemption.
“It's a wash,” board President William Behre said at an April meeting. “That's fine with me.”
The majority of Upper Moreland's increase is slated to pay off a $34.5 million high school renovation project. Excluding that keeps the district's tax increase solidly under the 4.4 percent cap mandated by the state's Act 1.
The law is an attempt to keep school spending closer in line with taxpayers' wages. Increases higher than 4.4 percent must be approved by district voters, though districts can apply for larger rate caps to offset debt payments, as Upper Moreland did.
Centennial, New Hope-Solebury and Palisades also applied for exceptions, allowing them to raise taxes beyond 4.4 percent. Though North Penn qualified for an exception as well, the district did not push taxes past the state cap.
Because property values and incomes are lower in Quakertown, the district would have been permitted to raise taxes up to 5.1 percent without having to apply to the state. Instead, the school board approved a budget raising taxes by 4.5 percent, just a sliver above the general cap.
In addition to the usual suspects of salary and benefits, many districts credited rapidly increasing fuel and heating oil costs for inflating their budgets.
Palisades, for example, had to tack about $350,000 onto its final budget once heating bids and fuel estimates were taken into account. The lowest bid the district received for heating was more than twice its current rate.
Education reporters Joan Hellyer, Rachel Canelli and Manasee Wagh contributed to this article.
Theresa Hegel can be reached at 215-538-6381 or thegel@phillyBurbs.com
Arena Football, Anyone?
Congrats to MHS alum Chris Jackson, now playing for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. As a gesture of thanks for Morrisville's support of the Soul's 13-3 season, the Soul is handing out free tickets to all township residents who show up Tuesday, July 1, from 4-7 p.m. at Williamson Park for "Chris Jackson Day."
Soul Morrisville Playoff Promotion Gain National Attention
PHILADELPHIA, June 27 -- The Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League is offering free tickets for its July 5 playoff game to all 10,096 residents of the team's star wide receiver's hometown in a holiday weekend promotion that CNBC has suggested might be the "best ever."
Star player Chris Jackson, a candidate for the Arena League Offensive Player of the Year, grew up in Morrisville, a Bucks County town just outside of Philadelphia, before heading to the west coast and developing into an elite athlete who is now on the verge of the league's all-time receiving records. The Soul, owned in part by rock star Jon Bon Jovi, acquired Jackson in free agency before the 2008 season, bringing him home and filling a talent need on the field.
As a gesture of thanks for the town's support of the Soul's 13-3 season, the Soul is handing out free tickets to all township residents who show up Tuesday, July 1, from 4-7 p.m. at Williamson Park for "Chris Jackson Day."
It is unusual for such large numbers of tickets to be available for the team that leads the league in attendance, but the Wachovia Center game landed on Saturday, July 5, at 7 p.m. That date and time has been locked in because of live television commitments and it is smack in the middle of the Independence Day weekend, when thousands of Soul fans will be on pre-arranged holiday at the Jersey Shore, planning to watch the game on ESPN.
"We're a close-knit, sports-oriented town. People have been wearing Chris Jackson jerseys all season, so this is great for us," said Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock. "Here in Morrisville, we know who our neighbors are and we support them. We're thrilled to count Chris Jackson and his family as our own."
CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell's Friday blog headline reads: AFL's Philadelphia Soul: Offering the Best Sports Promotion Ever? with Rovell commenting, "How crazy is that? Talk about a cheering section."
"We just don't do things halfway," said team General Manager Rich Lisk. "So, the Philadelphia Soul is all in for Morrisville, in honor of Chris Jackson."
By virtue of its successful regular season, the Soul is the first seed in the playoffs with the July 5 opponent to be determined during this weekend's games. If the team wins July 5, it hosts the National Conference Championship Game the following weekend. The Arena Bowl is scheduled for July 29 in New Orleans.
Soul Morrisville Playoff Promotion Gain National Attention
PHILADELPHIA, June 27 -- The Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League is offering free tickets for its July 5 playoff game to all 10,096 residents of the team's star wide receiver's hometown in a holiday weekend promotion that CNBC has suggested might be the "best ever."
Star player Chris Jackson, a candidate for the Arena League Offensive Player of the Year, grew up in Morrisville, a Bucks County town just outside of Philadelphia, before heading to the west coast and developing into an elite athlete who is now on the verge of the league's all-time receiving records. The Soul, owned in part by rock star Jon Bon Jovi, acquired Jackson in free agency before the 2008 season, bringing him home and filling a talent need on the field.
As a gesture of thanks for the town's support of the Soul's 13-3 season, the Soul is handing out free tickets to all township residents who show up Tuesday, July 1, from 4-7 p.m. at Williamson Park for "Chris Jackson Day."
It is unusual for such large numbers of tickets to be available for the team that leads the league in attendance, but the Wachovia Center game landed on Saturday, July 5, at 7 p.m. That date and time has been locked in because of live television commitments and it is smack in the middle of the Independence Day weekend, when thousands of Soul fans will be on pre-arranged holiday at the Jersey Shore, planning to watch the game on ESPN.
"We're a close-knit, sports-oriented town. People have been wearing Chris Jackson jerseys all season, so this is great for us," said Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock. "Here in Morrisville, we know who our neighbors are and we support them. We're thrilled to count Chris Jackson and his family as our own."
CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell's Friday blog headline reads: AFL's Philadelphia Soul: Offering the Best Sports Promotion Ever? with Rovell commenting, "How crazy is that? Talk about a cheering section."
"We just don't do things halfway," said team General Manager Rich Lisk. "So, the Philadelphia Soul is all in for Morrisville, in honor of Chris Jackson."
By virtue of its successful regular season, the Soul is the first seed in the playoffs with the July 5 opponent to be determined during this weekend's games. If the team wins July 5, it hosts the National Conference Championship Game the following weekend. The Arena Bowl is scheduled for July 29 in New Orleans.
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