From the BCCT.
Board member mines claims staked by previous board
By GAYLE HAUG
Regarding Marlys Mihok’s May 11 Guest Opinion, “Raising scores, lowering costs”, I find many of Mihok’s comments misleading.
Mihok claims that “over the last 16 months the “Stop the School” board majority has kept the promise of increasing test scores.” Truth is a school board is not responsible for test score performance. The teachers, administration, staff and students are responsible for the results.
A school board is responsible to budget funds so that the district can provide teacher training and create programs that help the students perform better in class and on tests. The improved test scores that Mihok claims responsibility for were actually the result of the previous board’s budget. The current school year budget is the first one from the board on which Mihok serves and funds for budget lines that included teacher training were cut by this board.
PSSA tests were taken a couple of months ago but results have not been posted. The results of this board’s cut will be interesting to say the least.
Mihok leaves out information when stating, “We ... have, in fact, hired four more (para-educators or classroom aides).” The only aides hired by the school board have been state mandated one-on-one aides for children with special needs. There was no choice; the board had to hire them. Aides that provide classroom support have not been replaced as Mihok would like you to believe.
Mihok claims the school board has a plan. If so, it has never been discussed publicly or voted on. She touts their successes: installed smoke alarms, ventilators, new windows and boilers are scheduled to be installed and upgrades to the electrical system are also mentioned. It’s what she left out that the people of Morrisville should be worried about.
All of the upgrades Mihok mentions are for the high school only! No mention of any upgrades to Grandview or the future of M. R. Reiter that sits vacant after the furnace explosion last December. No mention of the modular units currently used by first- and second-graders and the plans for when the insurance money stops paying for them. And no mention of the high school housing the fourth through 12th grade starting next year.
The cost of renovations have been conveniently capped at $7 million, which equals $4 million left from the bond for the new school and $3 million from the capital reserve that leaves nothing left for future repairs or renovations.
The figure of $48 million for a new K-12 school was mentioned at a school board meeting by a gentleman from Vitetta Architects during a presentation on the planned renovations. Board President William Hellmann asked the gentleman, as he was taking his seat, how much the new school would cost. The gentleman had no plans in front of him, no materials lists, no information at all. The $48 million dollar amount was pulled from out of the air and Mihok wants you to believe it is the based on facts.
This year’s proposed budget has been trimmed so much that there is no “wiggle room” for any unforeseen costs. Mihok mentions the “board majority will propose another reduction,” which will only mean cuts into educational and extra-curricular programs, including sports, the same programs Mihok mentioned earlier in her letter that “we have not cut.” The question: Have these programs been cut? The answer: No, not YET!
The most misleading statement made by Mihok is that two of candidates running against those Mihok endorses want to build a new school. The truth is that a new school cannot be built without a voter referendum. That means you, the voter, not the school board, have the final word.
Why doesn’t Mihok mention this in her letter? Why doesn’t she want you to know the law? If she can’t be trusted to inform the public of their rights, how can she be trusted with the statement of “$1,500 a year every year tax increases”?
Morrisville needs to get off this “track” or we will be heading for a “train wreck” in a very short time.
Gayle Haug, Morrisville, is an officer of the Morrisville Opportunity Education Foundation and treasurer of the Morrisville Pride Political Action Committee.
Friday, May 15, 2009
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4 comments:
Nice article, Gayle!
The stay on track candidates don't even have the good judgment to select a spokesperson who isn't a documented fabricator of distortion and misinformation.
If you have to resort to blatant lies to try to win an election, what does that say about you? And doesn't the whole community lose in the end?
Posted for Mother Bear.
Excellent response, Ms. Haug. There is no possible way the sitting board could have effected the test scores as Marlys Mihok suggested. Even if they had implemented positive educational initiatives (which I might add, emphatically- THEY DID NOT AND HAVE NOT), the tests were taken just a few months after that board took their seats, and no action had been taken that would have such immediate impact on the education program. Hopefully, the disaster at MR Reiter and subsequent disruption have not done too much damage to our progress. If that is so it is because of the dedication of teachers, classroom assistants, and administrators in making the best of a very bad situation.
Years ago, when Ms. Mihok and Mr. Buckman were on the school board the first time around, the board's lack of investment in curriculum, supplies, buildings and staff development left our whole system outdated and broken. It took years to overcome that and we are still paying for it.Anyone vowing not to raise taxes will eventually have to cut programs - our budget is bare bones already. Fiscal planning requires a long range view as well as investment for the future, not arbitrary cutting and slashing.
Remember, it is this same group of cronies who cut the music program. We may not see the impact of this board's lack of planning and refusal to even question the impact of their decisions on the education of our children for a while, but do not be deceived.
One need only review the minutes of the past year and a half of board meetings to see clearly that the board majority does not have the education of children as its top priority. Would you hire a banker that doesn't care about money, a doctor who is not concerned with medicine? A vote for Buckman, Worob, DeWilde and Stout is a vote for a board whose top priority is NOT the children. They have said it themselves.
Vote for sensible leaders who will place a priority on the education, safety and well being of Morrisville's children and community. Vote for Jenkins, Stoneburner, Miller and Beck.
Excellent response Gayle!!!
Well done, Gayle.
And Mother Bear, as usual, your comments are right on the mark. Given the upheaval of MRR students, changes in leadership, including the inevitable departure of Dr. Yonson, I am not too confident that the scores will continue to rise. It takes years of consistent, strong leadership to make positive things. That is what has made our scores go up and it is this shakeup, I fear, that will drag them back down.
And that is just the academics. Who knows what the future holds for the arts and sports if the current board majority, and their slate of "Stay on Track" candidates, remains in charge.
Please vote on Tuesday for Beck, Miller, Jenkins, Stonburner.
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