For those of you going to enjoy the Philadelphia Flower Show or just enjoying those little green sprouts in the garden that signal spring coming, your spring fever may be put on hold for a few days.
Will it or won't it? I'll tell you my prediction Tuesday morning. For now, join your neighbors at the Acme for the milk, bread, and eggs sellathon.
ALERT 1 - Winter Storm Warning
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST MONDAY
UNTIL 5:00PM EST
Urgent - Winter Weather Message National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ 530 AM EST Sun Mar 1 2009
Morris-Hunterdon-Somerset-Middlesex-Western Monmouth- Eastern Monmouth-Mercer-Gloucester-Camden-Northwestern Burlington- Ocean-Coastal Ocean-Southeastern Burlington-Chester-Montgomery- Bucks-Delaware-Philadelphia- Including The Cities Of... Morristown... Flemington... Somerville... New Brunswick... Freehold... Sandy Hook... Trenton... Glassboro... Camden... Cherry Hill... Moorestown... Mount Holly... Jackson... Long Beach Island... Wharton State Forest... West Chester... Norristown... Doylestown... Media... Philadelphia
... Winter Storm Warning Remains In Effect From 6 PM This Evening To 4 PM EST Monday...
A Winter Storm Warning Remains In Effect From 600 PM This Evening Until 400 PM On Monday.
More Snow Is Expected To Spread Up Into Our Region From The South This Evening. The Snow May Mix With A Little Sleet At The Onset. The Snow Will Continue Through Tonight And Into Monday, And It Will Become Heavy At Times.
Based On The Latest Forecast Track Of The Storm, It Appears As Though 8 To 14 Inches Of Snow Will Fall In The Pennsylvania Counties Of Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware And Philadelphia. The Same Amounts Are Expected For The New Jersey Counties Of Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden And Gloucester. Slightly Lower Amounts Are Anticipated Along The Immediate Coast, However, Even There Totals Should Range From 6 To 12 Inches.
The Steady Snow Is Expected To Taper To Snow Showers On Monday Afternoon.
Travel Will Be Difficult In The Region From This Evening Into Monday.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
PSBA calls to reduce 'unfunded mandates'
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
School boards group calls to reduce 'unfunded mandates'
Thursday, February 26, 2009
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is pursuing nearly 20 legislative proposals and action plans aimed at relieving school districts from "state-imposed unfunded and underfunded mandates."
"It is our way of saying to the governor and legislators, if you really want to help school districts, you can ease the burden of state mandates that are driving up the cost of education but not doing anything to improve the quality of instruction," said Thomas J. Gentzel, PSBA executive director.
The package, which was announced yesterday, is called FREE for Focusing Resources in Educational Expenses. The PSBA for years has made efforts to reduce so-called unfunded mandates.
One proposal calls for school districts to be able to lay off teachers for economic reasons. Currently, the number of teachers can be reduced if enrollment declines or if programs are cut, but not for economic necessity.
"School districts, like other employers, should have the ability and flexibility to make changes to the personnel complement when such changes are necessary," a PSBA statement noted.
Wythe Keever, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said, "The reason they're not currently allowed to do that is because of the negative educational impact. We think that reason is still valid."
The PSBA also is calling for a two-year moratorium on the prevailing wage law to coincide with the completion of projects funded by the federal stimulus package.
A PSBA statement calls prevailing wage "one of the most costly mandates on school construction in Pennsylvania," with the prevailing wage double that of the occupational wage in some counties.
The statement said suspending the prevailing wage would help achieve the "maximum use" of the federal dollars and "give districts the opportunity to evaluate the effect of this mandate on construction projects."
Mr. Keever said, "Prevailing wage makes sure that you have quality construction on public projects, and, in light of all the number of reports that have come out about so-called sick building syndrome, that's especially important for any building associated with public schools."
Some of the other PSBA proposals are:
• Provide disincentives for school employee strikes.
• Remove mandated benefit levels -- such as sick, bereavement and sabbatical leave -- and make them subject to local bargaining.
• Remove the requirement for school nurses to have special school certification.
• Increase the dollar threshold on maintenance and construction projects that can be done by school personnel.
• Take steps to reduce the cost of busing non-public students.
• Increase bid limits.
• Increase state funding for special education by at least 3 percent.
Education writer Eleanor Chute can be reached at echute@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1955.
First published on February 26, 2009 at 12:00 am
School boards group calls to reduce 'unfunded mandates'
Thursday, February 26, 2009
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is pursuing nearly 20 legislative proposals and action plans aimed at relieving school districts from "state-imposed unfunded and underfunded mandates."
"It is our way of saying to the governor and legislators, if you really want to help school districts, you can ease the burden of state mandates that are driving up the cost of education but not doing anything to improve the quality of instruction," said Thomas J. Gentzel, PSBA executive director.
The package, which was announced yesterday, is called FREE for Focusing Resources in Educational Expenses. The PSBA for years has made efforts to reduce so-called unfunded mandates.
One proposal calls for school districts to be able to lay off teachers for economic reasons. Currently, the number of teachers can be reduced if enrollment declines or if programs are cut, but not for economic necessity.
"School districts, like other employers, should have the ability and flexibility to make changes to the personnel complement when such changes are necessary," a PSBA statement noted.
Wythe Keever, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said, "The reason they're not currently allowed to do that is because of the negative educational impact. We think that reason is still valid."
The PSBA also is calling for a two-year moratorium on the prevailing wage law to coincide with the completion of projects funded by the federal stimulus package.
A PSBA statement calls prevailing wage "one of the most costly mandates on school construction in Pennsylvania," with the prevailing wage double that of the occupational wage in some counties.
The statement said suspending the prevailing wage would help achieve the "maximum use" of the federal dollars and "give districts the opportunity to evaluate the effect of this mandate on construction projects."
Mr. Keever said, "Prevailing wage makes sure that you have quality construction on public projects, and, in light of all the number of reports that have come out about so-called sick building syndrome, that's especially important for any building associated with public schools."
Some of the other PSBA proposals are:
• Provide disincentives for school employee strikes.
• Remove mandated benefit levels -- such as sick, bereavement and sabbatical leave -- and make them subject to local bargaining.
• Remove the requirement for school nurses to have special school certification.
• Increase the dollar threshold on maintenance and construction projects that can be done by school personnel.
• Take steps to reduce the cost of busing non-public students.
• Increase bid limits.
• Increase state funding for special education by at least 3 percent.
Education writer Eleanor Chute can be reached at echute@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1955.
First published on February 26, 2009 at 12:00 am
Neshaminy Fireworks
From the BCCT.
It’s not ‘about the kids’ — it’s about greed
Were the leaders of the Neshaminy Education Association out getting venti mocha lattes when President Obama spoke about making sacrifices in difficult times? Does NEA president Louise Boyd’s stated unwillingness to communicate through the papers extend to simply not reading the papers?
In case this happens to catch Ms. Boyd’s eye, here’s what’s going on in today’s economy. People are losing jobs, losing investment valuation, even losing their homes. Those who still have work are forgoing raises or even accepting pay cuts, but ultimately are simply grateful to be employed.
For the NEA to be holding fast to demands for 6 percent pay raises and the archaic notion of ZERO contributions to health care is not just unrealistic. It is an absolute insult to all the taxpayers in the district who are pinching pennies wherever they can to make it through the current crisis, and paying for healthcare out of their own pockets.
It would seem that when the NEA says their action “is about the kids,” what they mean is that it is about THEIR kids. There seems to be little concern for the youngsters in the district whose families might be forced to make difficult financial sacrifices, or even move, because they can’t afford the higher taxes that would be mandated by the NEA proposal.
Congratulations to the Neshaminy school board for sticking to its guns. The sound financial discipline the board has shown on this issue is needed by taxpayers now, more than ever.
Paul Schneider Langhorne
------------------------------------------------------
Let them go on strike
Neshaminy teachers — you have to hand it to them. At least that’s what they want us to do. They are not lacking in intestinal fortitude, are they? Six percent (raises) a year and no medical insurance premiums?
At a time when many people are having their salaries frozen and medical insurance is going through the roof? Maybe it’s time to have them work a full year like the rest of us (they’re getting paid to do it) or it’s time to replace all 700. I am sure there are plenty of qualified applicants who would kill for those jobs.
Maybe these teachers have been out of the real world for so long that they have no grip on reality. When is the last time you had a 6 percent raise or didn’t have your medical insurance cost go up?
The country is in a financial mess and the teachers union is in a rush to put us over the edge. Could it be because as the salary for teachers increases the union dues go up?
The union leadership should wear masks when they negotiate and the school board needs to stick to its guns. Make them hit the bricks! People are fed up.
At a time when companies are laying off, freezing salaries and in some cases cutting salaries, maybe it’s time for the taxpayers to do the same.
Jim Anderson Middletown
It’s not ‘about the kids’ — it’s about greed
Were the leaders of the Neshaminy Education Association out getting venti mocha lattes when President Obama spoke about making sacrifices in difficult times? Does NEA president Louise Boyd’s stated unwillingness to communicate through the papers extend to simply not reading the papers?
In case this happens to catch Ms. Boyd’s eye, here’s what’s going on in today’s economy. People are losing jobs, losing investment valuation, even losing their homes. Those who still have work are forgoing raises or even accepting pay cuts, but ultimately are simply grateful to be employed.
For the NEA to be holding fast to demands for 6 percent pay raises and the archaic notion of ZERO contributions to health care is not just unrealistic. It is an absolute insult to all the taxpayers in the district who are pinching pennies wherever they can to make it through the current crisis, and paying for healthcare out of their own pockets.
It would seem that when the NEA says their action “is about the kids,” what they mean is that it is about THEIR kids. There seems to be little concern for the youngsters in the district whose families might be forced to make difficult financial sacrifices, or even move, because they can’t afford the higher taxes that would be mandated by the NEA proposal.
Congratulations to the Neshaminy school board for sticking to its guns. The sound financial discipline the board has shown on this issue is needed by taxpayers now, more than ever.
Paul Schneider Langhorne
------------------------------------------------------
Let them go on strike
Neshaminy teachers — you have to hand it to them. At least that’s what they want us to do. They are not lacking in intestinal fortitude, are they? Six percent (raises) a year and no medical insurance premiums?
At a time when many people are having their salaries frozen and medical insurance is going through the roof? Maybe it’s time to have them work a full year like the rest of us (they’re getting paid to do it) or it’s time to replace all 700. I am sure there are plenty of qualified applicants who would kill for those jobs.
Maybe these teachers have been out of the real world for so long that they have no grip on reality. When is the last time you had a 6 percent raise or didn’t have your medical insurance cost go up?
The country is in a financial mess and the teachers union is in a rush to put us over the edge. Could it be because as the salary for teachers increases the union dues go up?
The union leadership should wear masks when they negotiate and the school board needs to stick to its guns. Make them hit the bricks! People are fed up.
At a time when companies are laying off, freezing salaries and in some cases cutting salaries, maybe it’s time for the taxpayers to do the same.
Jim Anderson Middletown
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