Re-registration update

An update on the re-registration campaign from BucksLocalNews.com

Does anyone know how many were found and "purged" this time around?

Board wants Trenton kids out of schools
By Petra Chesner Schlatter Posted on Wed, Sep 3, 2008

The crackdown to find youths from outside the Morrisville school district, who attend school here, started in early August.

Morrisville School Board Member Jack Buckman said the school district has been conducting a re-registration program to try to find those students. The results of re-registration are not in yet.

"They're looking for anybody who doesn't belong there," Buckman said.

"We believe there is a problem," he said. "People are leaving students off in Morrisville with out-of-state plates I've witnessed it Cars leave students off at the bus stop."

Buckman said, "If they catch them, there is a tuition fee. They have to pay $12,500."

The re-registration is being done for elementary, middle and high school levels. Every student in the entire district has to re-register.

"It's important to the people in Morrisville," Buckman said. Taxpayers don't want to pay for a student's tuition if they do not live in Morrisville, he noted.

Buckman said re-registration, which is not done every year, should be conducted every three years.

Volunteers have been manning the re-registration tables at the Middle/Senior High School. A school district staffer taught a class to volunteers about the re-registration process. Staff members have been overseeing the re-registration.

PROVING RESIDENCY

The bottom line is residency must be proven in order to attend Morrisville schools.

Dr. Beth Yonson, superintendent of Morrisville school district, sent a letter to parents and posted the letter on the Web site.

All students, who will attend school in the district in the fall and were in kindergarten to 11th grade during the 2007-2008 school years, were required to re-register. New students were not included in the re-registration.

Class schedules and assignments will not be sent until students are re-registered, Yonson said.

Parents were required to bring identification in the form of a PA state-issued I.D. card or a valid PA driver's license, passport or military I.D.

Four proofs of residency had to be shown and had to have the same address information. One of the following items was required: a moving permit, deed, 2008 tax bill, mortgage payment bill/booklet, or lease.

Accepted for proof of residency were: a deed or agreement of sale, per capita tax bill or paid receipt, moving permit, bank statement, automobile registration, lease-verified by apartment superintendent, welfare identification, current cable or other utility statement, property tax bill or paid tax receipt, W-2 state-ment/IRS statement or tax return, automobile/tenant insurance statement.

Parents were required to provide the name of each of the children, the grade they would enter in September 2008 and the school they would be attending.

PREVIOUSLY PURGED

School Board Member Buckman said re-registration was previously done in the school district. "Ten years back, they did one and purged a lot of students," he said.

Three years ago, another re-registration took place, but the school district "didn't purge many," according to Buckman.

"You have to state you're supporting a child in your household if you are out of state," Buckman noted.

In the past, some parents were not able to prove residency after the tax season.

Last year, Morrisville school district employees found students who did not have the right paperwork. "They're always looking at residency records and requirements," Buckman noted.

Morrisville school district does not conduct re-registration every year.

There are an estimated 950 students who attend Morrisville schools. Buck-man said Morrisville has to deal with a small number compared to a school district like Pennsbury.

Buckman said Bensalem Township and Pennsbury school districts have had problems with students, who do not live in the school district.

He noted he has seen people driving cars with New Jersey license plates dropping off students at the Park 'N Ride near I-95 in Lower Makefield Township.

"It could be a case of joint custody. They could be company cars - you don't know," Buckman said.

Superintendent Yonson said, "When someone moves, they may start showing up late for school on a consistent basis. That gives us a red flag. There were three students last year."

If the school district finds out someone has moved, that person has to register in their own school district.

"If we find out that parents are sending children to our district, we tell them they have to leave," she said. "We will send them a bill. We're basically saying you have to take your child out."

Yonson said she does not expect too many students will be found to be non-residents.

"I know the last time we did this, we really didn't find anyone who didn't belong here," she said. "There really was not much of a difference."

Yonson said, "There's a big controversy" about the re-registration. A lot of parents are very angry about this. A number of them have lived here a long time."

Yonson said the "rationale of the board is they're trying to listen to the people. "It is quite costly to educate students," she said. "If we're educating them, they should be the children of Morrisville and not from somewhere else."

For more information, call the Morrisville school district at 215-736-5930 or visit www.mv.org.

Souderton Strike Update

From the Inquirer

Souderton teachers, board to talk Friday
By Dan Hardy
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Posted on Thu, Sep. 4, 2008

Striking teachers and the Souderton Area School Board will hold their first negotiating session tomorrow since the teachers started walking picket lines Tuesday, the first day of school.

The two sides are far apart; the main issues in the 5,900-student district are wages and healthcare benefits.

The 512-member union's latest proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.4 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third, and 6.9 percent in the fourth. The school board is proposing a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year. The school board is seeking to eliminate its highest-tier health plan and wants higher premium contributions and more copays for the remaining two. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants to add improvements to the plan.

Even if no settlement is reached, the teachers must return to work on Sept. 24, state education officials have told the union and the district.

Under Pennsylvania law, the teachers must go back in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15 of next year. The Sept. 24 date would allow that, counting in state-set holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and including five district-designated holidays.

If the strike lasts until Sept. 24, the two sides would enter a state-mandated final best-offer arbitration process that could take several months. A three-member panel would issue recommendation after holding hearings. If either of the two sides reject the proposed settlement, the teachers could strike again, but would have to return to work in time for students to receive 180 days of classes by June 30.

The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia suburbs this fall, but yesterday teachers in Delaware County's Springfield school district authorized their leadership authorization to call a strike if necessary. No deadline has been set; bargaining is scheduled for tonight.

Sharing the Road with School Buses

Some back to school reminders on how to share the road with school buses from the Pottstown Mercury.

PennDOT reminds drivers of school bus laws
09/05/2008

With school now back in session, state officials are reminding motorists to obey laws related to school buses.

Pennsylvania's school bus stopping laws require motorists approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended to stop at least 10 feet from the bus. Motorists approaching from all directions are required to stop, unless they are stopping on the opposite side of a divided highway (separated by concrete barriers or grassy medians).

Motorists convicted of violating Pennsylvania's school bus stopping law face a $250 fine, a loss of five points from their driving record and a 60-day license suspension.

In school zones, vehicles are required to drive at 15 mph or less. Failure to comply will result in a fine and three points off the driver's record.

PennDOT also reminds motorists to be cautious of walkers and bicyclists on or near roadways.

Said agency Secretary Allen Biehler, P.E., "Back to school is an exciting time for students, and we want to ensure everyone reaches their destination without incident. Motorists need to take the added precaution of watching for students boarding and exiting buses, respecting school crossing guards and obeying traffic laws regarding school buses and school zones."