In an earlier post just over a year ago, I had vowed never to again give this person any sort of space on this blog. I have no choice but to do the fast politician flip-flop and present this, as it appeared today in the BCCT.
The first reason is the deluge of emails I have received to tell me about this. The second reason is the comments that were left on the BCCT website. I have posted some of them below.
Commenters: Anything you want to add? I've been eating too many sour grapes lately.
Pennsbury preaches, but fails to practice
By GLORIA DEL VECCHIO
Bucks County Courier Times
Recently, a Courier Times editorial seemed to side with the sour-grapes minority in Morrisville who were turned down overwhelmingly in their bid for building a new high school.
Is the editorial board aware of how many more families would be losing their homes and businesses in Morrisville if those school taxes had been astronomically increased - if that school had been approved now that the country is in a deep recession? That we are now also burdened with a large rise in municipal taxes would push the town into some type of failed state.
This newspaper has reported that our school board is reaching out with a creative idea of paying to send our 250 high school students to neighboring Pennsbury - and to other school districts south of Route 1.
Our family, before the Delaware River flooded, lived in Yardley and my four children went through the Pennsbury schools. It was, even then, known universally by the school kids, themselves and their parents, that there is a social-economic split within the Pennsbury system itself in which Route 1 is the dividing point.
Every time Morrisville approaches Pennsbury to take some of our students, the latter has some new excuse.
Pennsbury officials claim publicly their concern for social justice, teaching students the necessity and value of compassion, concern for others and community service, etc. We are always reading stories in the Courier about classes collecting money for some family in trouble or for service-people in Iraq; yet, hypocritically and shamefully, Pennsbury will not take in Morrisville students because of cruel snobbery and selfish pretentiousness.
They certainly aren't teaching by example!
However, at this point, let us return to the Courier's editorial, which criticized the school board for failing to follow though on building a K-12 school and abandoning the borough's high school-age children. Sure, I can see the value of having children nurtured near home; but, high school students do not need to be so sheltered and limited. Their possibilities, interests and horizons should be opened up just as at puberty their minds blossom out to a greater world.
Last year, I was invited to a band concert at one of the Pennsbury intermediate schools, where I was blown away by how great those kids were - the quality of the music and the near-professionalism of the players. After that concert, in the lobby of that school, there was such joy and happiness in the crowd of kids, parents, grandparents and teachers. Everyone was so proud!
Sometime afterward, I watched the Morrisville High School graduation ceremony on TV. Our high school band performed and I felt so sorry for those kids and for our town. The band was playing a simple, traditional melody and it was very much out of tune and disconnected. In fact, it sounded like a second- or third-grade music ensemble!
All parents want the best future for their children and should realize they need the better secondary education (and at a lower price) that a larger school district can offer. The Morrisville School District is just too small and the community's financial resources too limited to prepare our high school students for the 21st century.
February 23, 2009 02:10 AM
Comments
MHS student, 02-23-09, 11:46 am | Rate: Flag -2 Flag | Flag Report
Students at Pennsbury play music. They are told "play this, this and that." Morrisville students can READ music, and know what, when and how to play. Students at Morrisville are proud of their ability to play music. Last year one student qualified for the District Band and performed. Even just a few weeks ago, the Marching Band was asked by the Trenton Devils to play the National Anthem. Yeah you're right, those kids must really be a disgrace to their town. Gloria, nice try. As to Pennsbury accepting the Morrisville kids, why are you calling us a charity case? The only reason why Morrisville is not the best, is because we have no business revenue to be put into the schools. Otherwise, Morrisville would contest with "the top" as it once did. It is a shame because by now the new school would be built, and there would be no maintenance issues at the schools. Morrisville kids don't want to go to Pennsbury, we want to stay here; that is where we belong. Period.
jmcdelaware94, 02-23-09, 8:40 am | Rate: Flag -3 Flag | Flag Report
yes, you see that southies. you are just as bad as us north of route 1 people.
Michelle12, 02-23-09, 8:45 am | Rate: Flag -3 Flag | Flag Report
The voters of Morrisville by majority elected a School Board that has destroyed the educational system in your district. They only had only one concern in mind and that was stopping the construction of the new building before examining and evaluating the where they want to be in the future or even caring about the children. They created it through their lack of being responsible to the parents of children who deserve a good educational environment. Their one-sided balancing act will have economic implications for every resident. Morrisville property values will decrease along side with the fact that families with children will not want to move into your neighbors.
As to your comment in your editorial about Pennsbury will not take in Morrisville students because of “cruel snobbery and selfish pretentiousness .” The fact is that Lower Makefield residents contribute approximately 60% of our property taxes towards the Pennsbury School District budget. If Morrisville taxpayers feel that they can ride the” gravy train free” or have LMT taxpayers increase their share of taxes, you are wrong!
Go elect officials who know how to be financially responsible and balance the education of your future children with the current tax base. You asked for this when you elected them – and you deserve what you have.
Rebecca100, 02-23-09, 8:45 am | Rate: Flag -3 Flag | Flag Report
Whose side are you on Gloria? What "cruel snobbery" to publicly and so viciously criticize the children in the Morrisville band. What purpose is served to broadcast your opinion if Pennsbury is truly just being snobby. Why would they want this caliber of musical student in their midst?
I would like to see both districts look into options and financials of a cooperative arrangement but preferably if there is a merger to build new schools as so many in the Pennsbury District are aging too with no plans to my knowledge anytime soon to replace them. Other districts have combined resources and everyone has benefited.
omega1, 02-23-09, 9:29 am | Rate: Flag 0 Flag | Flag Report
Golria, I feel your shame.
Such self loathing.
Indicitive of your generation, you've never seen a cause that you couldn't embrace to loath.
xxxx, 02-23-09, 10:04 am | Rate: Flag -2 Flag | Flag Report
First, the Pennsbury band is more than twice the size of Morrisville. Second, you are comparing a graduation ceremony (THAT YOU WATCHED ON TV!,nice) to an actual concert. Why don't you try to attend a Morrisville concert. The kids and parents also have a great time at Morrisville concerts. Every kid gets an opportunity to play and the pride they feel of actually accomplishing something can be felt by everyone in the audience. But I guess you wouldn't get the same feeling from watching TV. You have to care about the kids and actually show up and support the student. Not just sit by and watch(TV) then ask for another district to support your kids. Try being there then maybe your comment won't make you look like such an ignorant snob. Don't trash the few good things that students feel proud of, that is a sign of a true bully. This district could be a real gem if people but the time into building up the school instead of trying to destroy it.
Gabriel, 02-23-09, 12:39 pm | Rate: Flag -2 Flag | Flag Report
Michelle12 hit the nail on the head. Morrisville was at a crossroad with what kind of school district they wanted to be. They are in a tough financial position as we all are, and they had a choice to either reinvest in their education or just cut every expense. They chose the latter. Now they expect Pennsbury to take the students they won't support? Sounds just like when someone proposes building a new prison. It's a nice idea but not in my back yard.
DaveH, 02-23-09, 12:45 pm | Rate: Flag -2 Flag | Flag Report
Gloria: You did it again. You opened your mouth and every time you do that you make a fool of yourself. Don't you ever get tired of being foolish?
MHS Student: Most Pennsbury students who continue through the music program CAN read music. The ones that can't are getting a chance at playing music and an exposure to it for appreciation and interest. Go to a Pennsbury High School Jazz band concert and you will see some of the finest musicians from Pennsbury perform at a professional level difficult to achieve by even larger schools (or some professionals). That's because Pennsbury has a long standing music program and tradition that has been honed over many years. Those students rehearse almost every day and do whatever it takes to keep the tradition and excellence alive. That attitude has filtered down from the high school to the middle schools and it gives Pennsbury a nationally recognized music program.
jmcdelaware94, 02-23-09, 1:19 pm | Rate: Flag 0 Flag | Flag Report
and a nationally recognized jazz quartet known simply as the 'butterscotch krumpets'. although they did screw up the national anthem at one basketball game.
TylerDurden, 02-23-09, 2:17 pm | Rate: Flag 0 Flag | Flag Report
Here we go again.
Instead of the measuring contest on who has the better band let us instead look at the fact that these problems have been facing Morrisville for years and they have done nothing over time. Now when they are faced with having to do something there answer is to attempt to bride another district into taking their students so they can once again do nothing.
This has nothing to do with cultural or social issues it has to do with the simple fact that Pennsbury is already overcrowded and should not take on out of district students. Add in the fact that the students in Morrisville do not want to be pawned off then what you have a situation that requires some thought and ideas, which apparently the current and previous boards in Morrisville woefully lack.
Monday, February 23, 2009
School board behaves like children
From the Pottstown Mercury.
No, it's not about Morrisville.
School board behaves like children, but fails to lead on their behalf
Sunday, February 22, 2009 6:18 AM EST
The motives of Pottstown parents, community advocates and the school board are said to be "for the children," but this town's behavior, though childish, has little to do with what's best for kids.
In what can only be described as a three-ring circus, the Pottstown School Board on Thursday reversed course for the third time, rescinding with a 5-4 vote its November decision to consolidate elementary education into three buildings and return to the concept of keeping all five elementary schools.
The vote came near the end of a four-hour meeting in the auditorium of Pottstown Middle School, attended by about 200 people and featuring emotional pleas from parents and community leaders on the plan to close two of the borough's five elementary schools and convert a third into an early learning center.
It was the proposed — and already approved — conversion of Edgewood from a K-5 neighborhood school to an early learning center housing 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten programs that attracted the greatest outcry.
The early learning center would mesh with Pottstown's PEAK program, a network of public-private partnerships that has achieved a national reputation for its success as an established early education initiative.
The Edgewood parents, donned in red T-shirts, pleaded with the board to keep their school open in its current form — "for the children." They argued that it is a good school which should not be closed, that the board was ignoring the importance of stability in their children's lives, and that this disruption would be detrimental to their education.
But, others pointed out that schools are not closed because they are bad schools — they are closed because the town can not financially support maintaining five elementary buildings, several of which are in dire need of renovation or rebuilding.
As one speaker pointed out, the former Jefferson School closed some years ago — a blow to that neighborhood just like any other — and children adapted. Their lives were not ruined; their education not destroyed.
Just as passionate as the parents about keeping schools open were several former school board and economic advisory board members who said with vehemence and conviction that the town's finances can not support five elementary buildings.
Lost in the accusatory rhetoric of the speakers was a "clear sense of purpose and vision," as noted by Wendy David, who spoke representing United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
David, whose organization just announced a grant in excess of $200,000 for the district's early education program, warned the board against constantly reversing itself: "If the district wants to reap the benefits of outside investors, it needs to pick a clear vision and stick with it."
David is not the only private funder who has cautioned the school board and borough council in Pottstown on the dangers of following a path of constant detour and disjointed leadership.
Her words and those of others continue to go unheeded. Even for this town with its recent years of discord, Thursday night's exhibition was embarrassing. Board members, community leaders, parents, educators — all took personal shots at others, leaving little about their opinions to the imagination.
When the time came for the board members to speak, it was impossible to miss the sniping tone and veiled accusations that preceded their vote — a vote that went backward and undid a positive step they had taken in November.
No matter what this school board decides, someone will be unhappy. They may be parents loyal to their neighborhood school. They may be working homeowners fretting over costs. Or, educators eager to pursue their notion of better learning.
Regardless, the school board — as individuals charged with the goal of reaching a consensus of leadership —bear the burden of dealing with those who are unhappy and making the hard decisions anyway.
Giving sway to the Edgewood parents and neighborhood schools proponents may feel like a victory for some today. But what happens when the costs of keeping open all the schools further drives up the tax burden?
Newstell Marable, president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP, made the point Thursday that children are flexible. "They can adapt; it's adults who don't like change," he said.
The Pottstown community, and this school board, demonstrated Thursday that they can behave like children. But, when it comes to making a decision, they react like stubborn adults who cannot agree or take a higher road.
This process of deciding to rescind a decision and go back to a plan that was never a plan is not "for the children." It's just childish.
No, it's not about Morrisville.
School board behaves like children, but fails to lead on their behalf
Sunday, February 22, 2009 6:18 AM EST
The motives of Pottstown parents, community advocates and the school board are said to be "for the children," but this town's behavior, though childish, has little to do with what's best for kids.
In what can only be described as a three-ring circus, the Pottstown School Board on Thursday reversed course for the third time, rescinding with a 5-4 vote its November decision to consolidate elementary education into three buildings and return to the concept of keeping all five elementary schools.
The vote came near the end of a four-hour meeting in the auditorium of Pottstown Middle School, attended by about 200 people and featuring emotional pleas from parents and community leaders on the plan to close two of the borough's five elementary schools and convert a third into an early learning center.
It was the proposed — and already approved — conversion of Edgewood from a K-5 neighborhood school to an early learning center housing 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten programs that attracted the greatest outcry.
The early learning center would mesh with Pottstown's PEAK program, a network of public-private partnerships that has achieved a national reputation for its success as an established early education initiative.
The Edgewood parents, donned in red T-shirts, pleaded with the board to keep their school open in its current form — "for the children." They argued that it is a good school which should not be closed, that the board was ignoring the importance of stability in their children's lives, and that this disruption would be detrimental to their education.
But, others pointed out that schools are not closed because they are bad schools — they are closed because the town can not financially support maintaining five elementary buildings, several of which are in dire need of renovation or rebuilding.
As one speaker pointed out, the former Jefferson School closed some years ago — a blow to that neighborhood just like any other — and children adapted. Their lives were not ruined; their education not destroyed.
Just as passionate as the parents about keeping schools open were several former school board and economic advisory board members who said with vehemence and conviction that the town's finances can not support five elementary buildings.
Lost in the accusatory rhetoric of the speakers was a "clear sense of purpose and vision," as noted by Wendy David, who spoke representing United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
David, whose organization just announced a grant in excess of $200,000 for the district's early education program, warned the board against constantly reversing itself: "If the district wants to reap the benefits of outside investors, it needs to pick a clear vision and stick with it."
David is not the only private funder who has cautioned the school board and borough council in Pottstown on the dangers of following a path of constant detour and disjointed leadership.
Her words and those of others continue to go unheeded. Even for this town with its recent years of discord, Thursday night's exhibition was embarrassing. Board members, community leaders, parents, educators — all took personal shots at others, leaving little about their opinions to the imagination.
When the time came for the board members to speak, it was impossible to miss the sniping tone and veiled accusations that preceded their vote — a vote that went backward and undid a positive step they had taken in November.
No matter what this school board decides, someone will be unhappy. They may be parents loyal to their neighborhood school. They may be working homeowners fretting over costs. Or, educators eager to pursue their notion of better learning.
Regardless, the school board — as individuals charged with the goal of reaching a consensus of leadership —bear the burden of dealing with those who are unhappy and making the hard decisions anyway.
Giving sway to the Edgewood parents and neighborhood schools proponents may feel like a victory for some today. But what happens when the costs of keeping open all the schools further drives up the tax burden?
Newstell Marable, president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP, made the point Thursday that children are flexible. "They can adapt; it's adults who don't like change," he said.
The Pottstown community, and this school board, demonstrated Thursday that they can behave like children. But, when it comes to making a decision, they react like stubborn adults who cannot agree or take a higher road.
This process of deciding to rescind a decision and go back to a plan that was never a plan is not "for the children." It's just childish.
Pennsbury Contract Extension
From the Inquirer.
Pennsbury teachers ratify contract extension
By Dan Hardy Posted on Sat, Feb. 21, 2009
The school board and teachers in Bucks County's Pennsbury School District, acting to cut costs as the economy struggles, have ratified a one-year contract extension that gives teachers no across-the-board raises.
The extension agreement is the only one of its kind so far in Pennsylvania, said David Davare, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. It reflects a broader effort to keep expenses and tax increases down because of the economic downturn, he said.
The board approved the measure by a 6-2 vote Thursday night; the 835 members of the Pennsbury Education Association had voted "overwhelmingly" for the agreement earlier this month, union president George Miller said.
"While we wait to see how the economic situation proceeds, we hope this will give some relief to the community," Miller said.
The agreement allows teachers to receive raises due them because of advances from one level to the next on the existing seniority-based salary scale, and if they obtain advanced education degrees. About 56 percent of the teachers will get no raise, Gregory Lucidi, the school board president, told the audience at the meeting.
The agreement will cost the district about $1.1 million, taking into account anticipated retirements, district officials said. This year's budget for the 11,000-student district is $174 million.
"I believe this is a good deal for Pennsbury," Lucidi said. "It will help with our goal of a zero percent increase" in taxes.
School board members Gene Dolnick and Wayne DeBlasio voted against the agreement, saying they wanted the teachers to give up all increases. Board member Richard Johnson was absent.
DeBlasio said yesterday: "I think it's a good deal. I just think we should have done better. . . . I feel very strongly that as a whole, Pennsbury's staff should be saying, 'With the economy as bad as it is this year, we're glad we have a job; we'll take nothing this year.' "
DeBlasio said the school board was looking at cuts in administration expenses, could reduce its pre-kindergarten offerings, and might cut staff though attrition and reduce high school course offerings. "Our revenue is down. . . . We're going to have to cut expenses," he said.
Davare said that most school districts say revenue is holding up fairly well but that there has been slippage in real estate transfer taxes, paid when a property is sold. As a result of economic worries, he said, fewer districts are proposing new academic programs for next year.
"Boards don't ever raise taxes just for the sake of raising taxes," he added. "But I do think they are paying more attention to the local economic situation, seeing if they can go for another year with a low impact" by keeping expenses down.
Teacher contracts will expire in 11 other school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties before school starts this fall. Negotiations have started in all those districts.
Robert Broderick, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said that in the initial stages, "there are all different kinds of offers on the table, from one end of the spectrum to the other - from freezes and givebacks to acting as if the economy does not affect them very much. . . . All negotiations are local and reflect the circumstances in that community."
Three contracts that expired last year - Neshaminy; Springfield, Delaware County; and Souderton - are not settled.
Pennsbury teachers ratify contract extension
By Dan Hardy Posted on Sat, Feb. 21, 2009
The school board and teachers in Bucks County's Pennsbury School District, acting to cut costs as the economy struggles, have ratified a one-year contract extension that gives teachers no across-the-board raises.
The extension agreement is the only one of its kind so far in Pennsylvania, said David Davare, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. It reflects a broader effort to keep expenses and tax increases down because of the economic downturn, he said.
The board approved the measure by a 6-2 vote Thursday night; the 835 members of the Pennsbury Education Association had voted "overwhelmingly" for the agreement earlier this month, union president George Miller said.
"While we wait to see how the economic situation proceeds, we hope this will give some relief to the community," Miller said.
The agreement allows teachers to receive raises due them because of advances from one level to the next on the existing seniority-based salary scale, and if they obtain advanced education degrees. About 56 percent of the teachers will get no raise, Gregory Lucidi, the school board president, told the audience at the meeting.
The agreement will cost the district about $1.1 million, taking into account anticipated retirements, district officials said. This year's budget for the 11,000-student district is $174 million.
"I believe this is a good deal for Pennsbury," Lucidi said. "It will help with our goal of a zero percent increase" in taxes.
School board members Gene Dolnick and Wayne DeBlasio voted against the agreement, saying they wanted the teachers to give up all increases. Board member Richard Johnson was absent.
DeBlasio said yesterday: "I think it's a good deal. I just think we should have done better. . . . I feel very strongly that as a whole, Pennsbury's staff should be saying, 'With the economy as bad as it is this year, we're glad we have a job; we'll take nothing this year.' "
DeBlasio said the school board was looking at cuts in administration expenses, could reduce its pre-kindergarten offerings, and might cut staff though attrition and reduce high school course offerings. "Our revenue is down. . . . We're going to have to cut expenses," he said.
Davare said that most school districts say revenue is holding up fairly well but that there has been slippage in real estate transfer taxes, paid when a property is sold. As a result of economic worries, he said, fewer districts are proposing new academic programs for next year.
"Boards don't ever raise taxes just for the sake of raising taxes," he added. "But I do think they are paying more attention to the local economic situation, seeing if they can go for another year with a low impact" by keeping expenses down.
Teacher contracts will expire in 11 other school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties before school starts this fall. Negotiations have started in all those districts.
Robert Broderick, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said that in the initial stages, "there are all different kinds of offers on the table, from one end of the spectrum to the other - from freezes and givebacks to acting as if the economy does not affect them very much. . . . All negotiations are local and reflect the circumstances in that community."
Three contracts that expired last year - Neshaminy; Springfield, Delaware County; and Souderton - are not settled.
The Devil is in the Details
From the BCCT. Morrisville can use $441,000. No one disputes that. The question is *how* or *where* to spend the money.
SCHOOL STIMULUS MONEY
Devil of package is in details
School districts won’t know the regulations for spending the money until June.
By HILARY BENTMAN and JOAN HELLYER
Area school districts will get a slice of the president’s $787 billion stimulus package, but just how much, under what conditions, and for how long remains unclear.
It has left local school administrators scratching their heads and waiting for answers to questions that mount daily.
“It’s complicated,” said Eileen Kelliher, spokeswoman for the Bristol Township School District, which is scheduled to receive almost $3 million over two years to educate low income and special education students.
“In June, we will get the administrative regulations that tell us what we can use it for and then we will be able to plan,” Kelliher said.
The devil, they say, is in the details, agreed Dave Matyas, business administrator for the Central Bucks School District. “We don’t know the details and you never know for sure what strings come attached,” he said.
Under new estimates recently released, Central Bucks could see $3.4 million from the federal bill to be used over a two-year period.
The stimulus package is providing school districts with Title I and IDEA money.
Title I helps districts that have high concentrations of students from low-income families. Most area schools use their allotment for remediation. But only eight area districts are eligible for the additional money under the stimulus package.
IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, funding is often used for special education, an area of school budgets that continues to increase. The money is given to the state and redistributed to the districts.
Both Title I and IDEA grants can be used to fund existing programs, said Melissa Salmanowitz, spokeswoman for the House Education and Labor Committee, which released the estimates.
“They can use the money however they see fit, as long as it’s in accordance with the law,” she said.
But just how much of an impact the money will have on local districts is hazy.
Pennsbury, which could receive almost $2.5 million for special education expenses, isn’t making any plans for the money until district officials find out from the state how the money can be spent, spokeswoman Ann Langtry said.
Bob Reichert, business manager in Hatboro-Horsham, expects his district won’t see much in the way of increased state revenue this year, so new federal funding may only “help sustain what we received in the past.”
“A lot of it is going to be onetime funds, a shot in the arm,” he added. Hatboro-Horsham is estimated to receive about $1.1 million over two years.
Additionally, estimates show Pennsylvania will get about $1.9 billion in fiscal stabilization money, which can be used for school construction, renovations and to help districts make ends meet.
Those funds will be distributed by the state Department of Education, where officials are working on the parameters for allocation, said spokesman Michael Race.
The education department told the state’s 501 school districts last month to compile wish-lists of shovel-ready projects in preparation for the stimulus package. Shovel-ready projects are those that can begin in six months and immediately put people to work.
Bensalem is putting together its wish list, Superintendent James Lombardo told school board members last week, with hopes that some of the money could be used to cover renovations in the coming school year.
Palisades School District officials already compiled their list. It includes new roofs for a couple of schools and relocating the varsity baseball and softball fields.
How quickly some of those projects can be funded and whether the stimulus will help reduce the property tax burden in the coming school year is unclear as the state waits for the money to roll in.
SCHOOL STIMULUS MONEY
Devil of package is in details
School districts won’t know the regulations for spending the money until June.
By HILARY BENTMAN and JOAN HELLYER
Area school districts will get a slice of the president’s $787 billion stimulus package, but just how much, under what conditions, and for how long remains unclear.
It has left local school administrators scratching their heads and waiting for answers to questions that mount daily.
“It’s complicated,” said Eileen Kelliher, spokeswoman for the Bristol Township School District, which is scheduled to receive almost $3 million over two years to educate low income and special education students.
“In June, we will get the administrative regulations that tell us what we can use it for and then we will be able to plan,” Kelliher said.
The devil, they say, is in the details, agreed Dave Matyas, business administrator for the Central Bucks School District. “We don’t know the details and you never know for sure what strings come attached,” he said.
Under new estimates recently released, Central Bucks could see $3.4 million from the federal bill to be used over a two-year period.The stimulus package is providing school districts with Title I and IDEA money.
Title I helps districts that have high concentrations of students from low-income families. Most area schools use their allotment for remediation. But only eight area districts are eligible for the additional money under the stimulus package.
IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, funding is often used for special education, an area of school budgets that continues to increase. The money is given to the state and redistributed to the districts.
Both Title I and IDEA grants can be used to fund existing programs, said Melissa Salmanowitz, spokeswoman for the House Education and Labor Committee, which released the estimates.
“They can use the money however they see fit, as long as it’s in accordance with the law,” she said.
But just how much of an impact the money will have on local districts is hazy.
Pennsbury, which could receive almost $2.5 million for special education expenses, isn’t making any plans for the money until district officials find out from the state how the money can be spent, spokeswoman Ann Langtry said.
Bob Reichert, business manager in Hatboro-Horsham, expects his district won’t see much in the way of increased state revenue this year, so new federal funding may only “help sustain what we received in the past.”
“A lot of it is going to be onetime funds, a shot in the arm,” he added. Hatboro-Horsham is estimated to receive about $1.1 million over two years.
Additionally, estimates show Pennsylvania will get about $1.9 billion in fiscal stabilization money, which can be used for school construction, renovations and to help districts make ends meet.
Those funds will be distributed by the state Department of Education, where officials are working on the parameters for allocation, said spokesman Michael Race.
The education department told the state’s 501 school districts last month to compile wish-lists of shovel-ready projects in preparation for the stimulus package. Shovel-ready projects are those that can begin in six months and immediately put people to work.
Bensalem is putting together its wish list, Superintendent James Lombardo told school board members last week, with hopes that some of the money could be used to cover renovations in the coming school year.
Palisades School District officials already compiled their list. It includes new roofs for a couple of schools and relocating the varsity baseball and softball fields.
How quickly some of those projects can be funded and whether the stimulus will help reduce the property tax burden in the coming school year is unclear as the state waits for the money to roll in.
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