From the Inquirer.
Our neighbors to the south are building a new elementary school. It's been in the planning stages for ten tears, but it's been PLANNED! The Philly School District is much, much larger than Morrisville, but look at their planning staff.
Plans are for sissies anyway. We can do it on the say so of the Emperor and the board of selected toadies. That's all we need.
Groundbreaking set for new elementary school
Posted on Thu, Nov. 27, 2008
After years of delays, the Philadelphia School District will break ground on a new Frances E. Willard Elementary school next week.
The new school will include a two-story, 96,000-square-foot building for 850 students. Planned is an industrial-looking exterior with a combination of steel and masonry structures. The new Willard will rise on a former cemetery site, which was most recently used by the city as a recreation center. Human remains buried at the site have been moved.
The Kensington school community has been waiting for a new building since 1998. In the current Willard building, the only student restrooms are in the basement. Also, the school has no cafeteria, so students must eat in their classrooms.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the current school site, 2900 Emerald St. - Kristen A. Graham
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Oops!
From the Inquirer.
Maybe we can learn from this mistake?
Camden school district must return $393,00 in federal funds
By Rita Giordano Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Thu, Nov. 27, 2008
The Camden School District, which often complains to the state that it doesn't have enough money to serve its mostly poor student population, has to return nearly $400,000 in federal aid.
Why? Apparently someone didn't file the necessary request to allow the district to roll over the unused funds from 2004-05 to the following year.
The district routinely asks for federal permission to roll over unused funds from one year to the next, spokesman Bart Leff said. However, for the year in question, he said the request for rollover permission "either wasn't made or it was made late."
The $393,000 was part of nearly $21 million in Title I aid from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-05 school year, according to Leff. The unused money, which is granted to help low-income children, was identified through an audit.
A vote to return the aid was made at Tuesday night's board meeting.
In an interview yesterday, board president Sara Davis said she feels state officials "share some of the blame" for the district losing the money. She said the money would have been used to fund certain math and reading programs, but state officials wanted those programs discontinued.
She also acknowledged that given administrative changes and lack of continuity within the district in recent years, "things happened that shouldn't have happened."
Camden school officials have long said the largely poor district needs more aid than it receives. To balance this school year's budget, the district had to cut staff and programs.
The board also voted to make Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, a school holiday. It gives students an extended holiday since they are already off Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King's Birthday and employees a paid day off.
Maybe we can learn from this mistake?
Camden school district must return $393,00 in federal funds
By Rita Giordano Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Thu, Nov. 27, 2008
The Camden School District, which often complains to the state that it doesn't have enough money to serve its mostly poor student population, has to return nearly $400,000 in federal aid.
Why? Apparently someone didn't file the necessary request to allow the district to roll over the unused funds from 2004-05 to the following year.
The district routinely asks for federal permission to roll over unused funds from one year to the next, spokesman Bart Leff said. However, for the year in question, he said the request for rollover permission "either wasn't made or it was made late."
The $393,000 was part of nearly $21 million in Title I aid from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-05 school year, according to Leff. The unused money, which is granted to help low-income children, was identified through an audit.
A vote to return the aid was made at Tuesday night's board meeting.
In an interview yesterday, board president Sara Davis said she feels state officials "share some of the blame" for the district losing the money. She said the money would have been used to fund certain math and reading programs, but state officials wanted those programs discontinued.
She also acknowledged that given administrative changes and lack of continuity within the district in recent years, "things happened that shouldn't have happened."
Camden school officials have long said the largely poor district needs more aid than it receives. To balance this school year's budget, the district had to cut staff and programs.
The board also voted to make Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, a school holiday. It gives students an extended holiday since they are already off Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King's Birthday and employees a paid day off.
Local Sales Tax for the Schools?
If you remember our friends in the financially-strapped and taken-over-by-the-state Greenland School District in Arkansas, the local city council is proposing a sales tax increase designated for the district only.
A member of the city council is the former president of the final voter elected school board and believes that "If we pass the sales tax, most of the money will be paid by people passing through town..."
That only works if you have a strong commercial base already existing in the town.
"If the school can't stand on its own, we go to Fayetteville and taxes go up forever," Groom said. "The 2 percent tax will last for only two years."
The bottom line, according to Groom: "Even if you don't care one iota about the school, you're better off passing a sales tax for two years and letting people from out of town pay for it."
It's an interesting crossroad. Is it legal in Pennsylvania? I doubt it. Is it worth a try? I doubt that too.
What I do know is that we better start throwing ideas out on the table pretty soon.
Greenland Aldermen Consider Sales Tax To Help Schools
Legislature Changed Law In 1993 To Allow Funding Method
Friday, November 28, 2008 7:50 PM CST in News
A tactic to boost school income using sales taxes that failed 17 years ago in Fayetteville may work in Greenland.
Bill Groom, a member of the Greenland City Council, proposed letting Greenland residents vote on extending a 1 percent sales tax to benefit the financially strapped school district.
Groom, the former president of the Greenland School Board before the State Department of Education dissolved the school board and took over the district, says a sales tax to finance sewer improvements will end next year.
Greenland voters could extend the tax and divert a portion of the money toward bringing school finances back into the black, Groom said.
"Bald Knob has done it," Groom said. "I've talked to them and they've been real helpful. They've sent us a sample ballot and we've talked to a tax attorney in Little Rock, recommended by our City Attorney Danny Wright, about the legal wording."
Bald Knob dedicated 95 percent of its sales tax to the school and 5 percent to the city, Groom said. Bald Knob residents approved the measure last year. It has not been constitutionally challenged.
The Fayetteville School District attempted a similar tactic in 1991, but Springdale attorney John Lisle sued the district.
Back then, Lisle said, the move was judged to be illegal.
"At that time, no sales tax law existed allowing you to use a sales tax for schools," Lisle said. "That made the Fayetteville tax unconstitutional."
Lisle said he'd just moved to Northwest Arkansas from Little Rock and his father had voted for the Fayetteville tax. That alerted Lisle to the problem.
"It took close to four years to get it all done including the appeals," Lisle said. "They'd estimated the tax would raise $130 million. We won. They lost. This is the first I've heard of it since."
However, the state Legislature intervened in 1993, passing a law that makes it legal for cities to share sales taxes with schools.
In part, the law stipulates that a school district does not have the authority to impose a sales tax itself. However, a city or county may designate on the ballot that a portion of a sales tax will be dedicated to a school district.
In that scenario, only voters inside Greenland would vote on the tax. The Greenland school district extends from Prairie Grove on the west to Elkins on the east and from Fayetteville to the north and past Winslow to the south.
Voters outside the Greenland would pay the tax only when purchasing items or services from businesses in Greenland.
Groom said, from his point of view as an alderman, the tax is justified -- even though the city would have to pay $3,500 for a special election.
"We have a 2 percent sales tax with 1 percent dedicated to sewer improvements," Groom said. "The sewer tax is about to end. The sewer allowed us to get the businesses along Interstate 540, which is most of the sales tax coming into the city. Without the 1 percent sales tax, those businesses couldn't have been established."
The school tax would last for two years, bringing in about $100,000 per year, Groom said.
"If we pass the sales tax, most of the money will be paid by people passing through town," Groom said. "There's not a lot of money that Greenland people spend themselves in Greenland. So, we're looking at an outside stream of money versus 8, 9 or 10 mills more than we're paying now if we're annexed into the Fayetteville school district. That would have a great effect on people's budgets."
Groom said he feels Greenland schools are at a crossroad.
"If the school can't stand on its own, we go to Fayetteville and taxes go up forever," Groom said. "The 2 percent tax will last for only two years."
The bottom line, according to Groom: "Even if you don't care one iota about the school, you're better off passing a sales tax for two years and letting people from out of town pay for it."
A member of the city council is the former president of the final voter elected school board and believes that "If we pass the sales tax, most of the money will be paid by people passing through town..."
That only works if you have a strong commercial base already existing in the town.
"If the school can't stand on its own, we go to Fayetteville and taxes go up forever," Groom said. "The 2 percent tax will last for only two years."
The bottom line, according to Groom: "Even if you don't care one iota about the school, you're better off passing a sales tax for two years and letting people from out of town pay for it."
It's an interesting crossroad. Is it legal in Pennsylvania? I doubt it. Is it worth a try? I doubt that too.
What I do know is that we better start throwing ideas out on the table pretty soon.
Greenland Aldermen Consider Sales Tax To Help Schools
Legislature Changed Law In 1993 To Allow Funding Method
Friday, November 28, 2008 7:50 PM CST in News
A tactic to boost school income using sales taxes that failed 17 years ago in Fayetteville may work in Greenland.
Bill Groom, a member of the Greenland City Council, proposed letting Greenland residents vote on extending a 1 percent sales tax to benefit the financially strapped school district.
Groom, the former president of the Greenland School Board before the State Department of Education dissolved the school board and took over the district, says a sales tax to finance sewer improvements will end next year.
Greenland voters could extend the tax and divert a portion of the money toward bringing school finances back into the black, Groom said.
"Bald Knob has done it," Groom said. "I've talked to them and they've been real helpful. They've sent us a sample ballot and we've talked to a tax attorney in Little Rock, recommended by our City Attorney Danny Wright, about the legal wording."
Bald Knob dedicated 95 percent of its sales tax to the school and 5 percent to the city, Groom said. Bald Knob residents approved the measure last year. It has not been constitutionally challenged.
The Fayetteville School District attempted a similar tactic in 1991, but Springdale attorney John Lisle sued the district.
Back then, Lisle said, the move was judged to be illegal.
"At that time, no sales tax law existed allowing you to use a sales tax for schools," Lisle said. "That made the Fayetteville tax unconstitutional."
Lisle said he'd just moved to Northwest Arkansas from Little Rock and his father had voted for the Fayetteville tax. That alerted Lisle to the problem.
"It took close to four years to get it all done including the appeals," Lisle said. "They'd estimated the tax would raise $130 million. We won. They lost. This is the first I've heard of it since."
However, the state Legislature intervened in 1993, passing a law that makes it legal for cities to share sales taxes with schools.
In part, the law stipulates that a school district does not have the authority to impose a sales tax itself. However, a city or county may designate on the ballot that a portion of a sales tax will be dedicated to a school district.
In that scenario, only voters inside Greenland would vote on the tax. The Greenland school district extends from Prairie Grove on the west to Elkins on the east and from Fayetteville to the north and past Winslow to the south.
Voters outside the Greenland would pay the tax only when purchasing items or services from businesses in Greenland.
Groom said, from his point of view as an alderman, the tax is justified -- even though the city would have to pay $3,500 for a special election.
"We have a 2 percent sales tax with 1 percent dedicated to sewer improvements," Groom said. "The sewer tax is about to end. The sewer allowed us to get the businesses along Interstate 540, which is most of the sales tax coming into the city. Without the 1 percent sales tax, those businesses couldn't have been established."
The school tax would last for two years, bringing in about $100,000 per year, Groom said.
"If we pass the sales tax, most of the money will be paid by people passing through town," Groom said. "There's not a lot of money that Greenland people spend themselves in Greenland. So, we're looking at an outside stream of money versus 8, 9 or 10 mills more than we're paying now if we're annexed into the Fayetteville school district. That would have a great effect on people's budgets."
Groom said he feels Greenland schools are at a crossroad.
"If the school can't stand on its own, we go to Fayetteville and taxes go up forever," Groom said. "The 2 percent tax will last for only two years."
The bottom line, according to Groom: "Even if you don't care one iota about the school, you're better off passing a sales tax for two years and letting people from out of town pay for it."
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