Editorial from the BCCT
PSSAs and graduation: Empty diplomas?
School districts argue that state assessment tests are of little value and so students who flunk them get diplomas anyway.
When folks are embarrassed about something, they tend not to want to talk about it. Pressed on the issue, they’ll change the subject, talk their way around it or rationalize — sometimes all three.
Public school officials did a lot of each when our reporter tried to talk to them about state assessment tests and whether they ought to factor into the graduation formula. The response of Barry Desko, Council Rock’s director of secondary education, was typical: “The PSSAs [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests) are broad brush strokes of understanding.” Essentially, Desko says the assessments don’t paint an accurate picture of students’ abilities.
Really? Seems to us that kids who don’t pass the assessment tests haven’t learned the least they need to know to function effectively in the real world. Yet Desko disputes the tests’ value, arguing that students know more than the tests say they know.
Desko’s tortured logic is typical of the justifications school district officials offer for giving diplomas to kids who, according the PSSAs, don’t meet minimal requirements for core subjects.
How many?
We mostly don’t know — not district by district — because district officials wouldn’t tell us. We asked and they refused. Palisades in Upper Bucks was the lone exception.
We wanted the information because the state Department of Education raised the issue a few months ago, when it reported that 56,000 Pennsylvania high school students flunked state math and reading tests — but graduated anyway.
State officials characterized this as giving students “empty diplomas.” At Gov. Rendell’s urgings, the department pushed the idea of making students pass a battery of graduation tests before giving them a diploma.
We thought it was a pretty good idea — better than passing kids onto college or sending them into the work place without having competency in math and reading.
We’re not talking mastery; just minimum ability.
Yet school officials lined up pretty solidly against the proposal.
New Hope-Solebury High School Principal Steve Young is one of them. He said some students “simply do not test well.”
Be that as it may, Palisades gave us the information we requested. Here it is: 14 percent of students graduated with a less-than-proficient score in reading; 22 percent of graduates did not pass the math PSAA; and 4.6 percent didn’t meet the writing requirement.
If you want to know how many students in your district received diplomas without scoring passing grades on the PSSAs, call your district and ask. Folks in Neshaminy might be told, as we were, that the district doesn’t actually track how many graduates passed the PSSAs.
That might not come as a surprise considering Neshaminy is the only district in our area that failed to meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
We know it’s convenient not to track PSSA results as they correlate to the graduation rate, especially when nosey reporters start asking questions. But how is Neshaminy benefiting from its head-in-the-sand strategy?
More to the point: How are students benefiting?
Showing posts with label BCCT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BCCT. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Would you like to take a survey?
From the BCCT
Board may survey public about schools
The public opinion survey will ask about the quality of the district’s education as well as contract negotiations.
By MANASEE WAGH
In the coming school year, Pennsbury residents’ opinions may shape the district’s future when it comes to teachers’ contracts.
The school board is toying with the idea of doing a public opinion survey about upcoming contract negotiations, said Gregory Lucidi, the school board president.
“We haven’t formulated the questions yet, but we want to get a feel for where the community stands as far as thoughts and ideas. We’re also planning on working with the Pennsbury Education Association in developing this survey,” he said.
What residents think would give the district a direction and an idea of what the community thinks it can afford. It would also inform the district’s goals for contract negotiations, added Lucidi.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsbury had the fourth highest teacher salaries for 2006-07 among 727 public school districts, charter schools and vocational- districts, charter schools and vocational-technical schools.
The district employs about 800 teachers. At the start of the upcoming school year, their salaries will start at $45,176 for the least experienced teachers and rise to $98,222 for the most experienced teachers with the most education, said Lucidi.
The upcoming negotiation is the first since the volatile 2005 contract negotiation, which initiated a strike that shut down Pennsbury schools for 21 days.
Since then, Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, the father of three children in the district, has roused grassroots activity to make teacher strikes illegal in this state. A bill that would make Pennsylvania the 38th state in which teacher strikes are illegal is awaiting action in the Legislature.
Both Campbell and Lucidi said the Seneca Valley School District had a strike in October 2007. To get a better idea of what taxpayers were thinking, the district surveyed them.
“I suggested that Pennsbury consider it [a survey] months ago. I think it’s an outstanding idea and makes residents and taxpayers feel involved. It’s a great way to give taxpayers a voice in the process. Otherwise they’re shut out of the whole thing,” he said.
Preliminary plans for the survey are still being worked out. The board expects to hire a polling company at tonight’s board meeting.
The questionnaire should include other matters besides the teachers’ contract, Lucidi said. For instance, it may ask residents to rate Pennsbury’s educational quality and its teachers. He said the district hopes the survey will be done in October and the results will be ready in November.
“It’s looking at the district as a whole and where we want to go in the future,” he said.
The Pennsbury teachers contract expires June 30, 2009. By state law, the district has to start negotiations in January 2009.
“Having the community chip in is something the board wanted to do in advance of the negotiation. Then we thought we’d take it one step further and look at other things in the district,”
Board may survey public about schools
The public opinion survey will ask about the quality of the district’s education as well as contract negotiations.
By MANASEE WAGH
In the coming school year, Pennsbury residents’ opinions may shape the district’s future when it comes to teachers’ contracts.
The school board is toying with the idea of doing a public opinion survey about upcoming contract negotiations, said Gregory Lucidi, the school board president.
“We haven’t formulated the questions yet, but we want to get a feel for where the community stands as far as thoughts and ideas. We’re also planning on working with the Pennsbury Education Association in developing this survey,” he said.
What residents think would give the district a direction and an idea of what the community thinks it can afford. It would also inform the district’s goals for contract negotiations, added Lucidi.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsbury had the fourth highest teacher salaries for 2006-07 among 727 public school districts, charter schools and vocational- districts, charter schools and vocational-technical schools.
The district employs about 800 teachers. At the start of the upcoming school year, their salaries will start at $45,176 for the least experienced teachers and rise to $98,222 for the most experienced teachers with the most education, said Lucidi.
The upcoming negotiation is the first since the volatile 2005 contract negotiation, which initiated a strike that shut down Pennsbury schools for 21 days.
Since then, Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, the father of three children in the district, has roused grassroots activity to make teacher strikes illegal in this state. A bill that would make Pennsylvania the 38th state in which teacher strikes are illegal is awaiting action in the Legislature.
Both Campbell and Lucidi said the Seneca Valley School District had a strike in October 2007. To get a better idea of what taxpayers were thinking, the district surveyed them.
“I suggested that Pennsbury consider it [a survey] months ago. I think it’s an outstanding idea and makes residents and taxpayers feel involved. It’s a great way to give taxpayers a voice in the process. Otherwise they’re shut out of the whole thing,” he said.
Preliminary plans for the survey are still being worked out. The board expects to hire a polling company at tonight’s board meeting.
The questionnaire should include other matters besides the teachers’ contract, Lucidi said. For instance, it may ask residents to rate Pennsbury’s educational quality and its teachers. He said the district hopes the survey will be done in October and the results will be ready in November.
“It’s looking at the district as a whole and where we want to go in the future,” he said.
The Pennsbury teachers contract expires June 30, 2009. By state law, the district has to start negotiations in January 2009.
“Having the community chip in is something the board wanted to do in advance of the negotiation. Then we thought we’d take it one step further and look at other things in the district,”
Study questions grading system
From the BCCT. This is an uncomfortable stance to take. If you can't score, change the way the scoring is counted. We'll only count "impact" now.
No need to know if the student knows the answer to the equation 2+2. All we need to measure is that the child can say, "That's an addition problem."
It's a tricky balancing act to draw that line between success and failure. Set the bar too low and the illusion of success covers the fact that no real learning is gained. Set it too high and the mass failure and frustration inhibit learning.
Here's the time honored formula for setting the benchmarks of success:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Study questions grading system
By RACHEL CANELLI
Without hacking into a computer or handing in extra-credit work, failing grades could be turned into passing grades — just by using a different grading system.
A new Ohio State University study recently found three-quarters of U.S. schools deemed to be failing by federal mandates based on state standardized test scores would receive passing grades by measuring the impact the schools have on learning instead.
While local experts agreed with some aspects of the study, they also said it’s flawed and raises questions.
The researchers said they developed a new method to measure school quality based on the impact districts have on learning and how much faster students learn during the school year than over the summer.
Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a national U.S. Department of Education survey, the analysis focused on more than 4,200 children in almost 300 schools across the nation, officials said.
It measured the kids’ math and reading scores at the beginning and end of the kindergarten school year, and the beginning and end of the first grade, administrators said.
“Our impact-measure more accurately gauges what is going on in the classroom, which is the way schools really should be evaluated if we’re trying to determine their effectiveness,” said Douglas Downey, study co-author and a sociology professor at Ohio State University.
Although some students scored low on achievement exams, the study found through its own testing before and after each school year that the kids were learning at a reasonable rate — and faster during the year than over summer vacation. Some area educators called the finding obvious because, during the school year, children are being taught by professionals whose job is to help them learn.
“It’s flawed and just leaves a lot more questions,” said Pennsylvania distinguished educator Karen Hessel. Working in Bristol Township for the past two years, she’s one of more than 40 consultants in the state trying to help turn around struggling schools.
“We can’t change students, and the standards remain the same. It takes some kids longer to master information than others. But if you give them time, and they’re taught well, they will learn,” Hessel said. “Let’s put the excuses aside and get about the business of doing our work.”
Research statistician Paul von Hippel, though, called most states’ current ranking system distorted because they compare children of different, and sometimes disadvantaged, backgrounds.
“[This new study] suggests that many schools serving disadvantaged kids are doing a good job with children who face a lot of challenges,” Downey said.
Holy Family University educators and administrators said there’s already an even better way to judge a student’s progress — the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System, which many school districts already use to compare a child’s growth from one year to another.
Still, Len Soroka, dean of Holy Family’s School of Education, and Grace O’Neill, associate professor of education, both agreed with the study’s suggestion that schools with the highest test scores aren’t necessarily where the most learning is taking place.
No need to know if the student knows the answer to the equation 2+2. All we need to measure is that the child can say, "That's an addition problem."
It's a tricky balancing act to draw that line between success and failure. Set the bar too low and the illusion of success covers the fact that no real learning is gained. Set it too high and the mass failure and frustration inhibit learning.
Here's the time honored formula for setting the benchmarks of success:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Study questions grading system
By RACHEL CANELLI
Without hacking into a computer or handing in extra-credit work, failing grades could be turned into passing grades — just by using a different grading system.
A new Ohio State University study recently found three-quarters of U.S. schools deemed to be failing by federal mandates based on state standardized test scores would receive passing grades by measuring the impact the schools have on learning instead.
While local experts agreed with some aspects of the study, they also said it’s flawed and raises questions.
The researchers said they developed a new method to measure school quality based on the impact districts have on learning and how much faster students learn during the school year than over the summer.
Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a national U.S. Department of Education survey, the analysis focused on more than 4,200 children in almost 300 schools across the nation, officials said.
It measured the kids’ math and reading scores at the beginning and end of the kindergarten school year, and the beginning and end of the first grade, administrators said.
“Our impact-measure more accurately gauges what is going on in the classroom, which is the way schools really should be evaluated if we’re trying to determine their effectiveness,” said Douglas Downey, study co-author and a sociology professor at Ohio State University.
Although some students scored low on achievement exams, the study found through its own testing before and after each school year that the kids were learning at a reasonable rate — and faster during the year than over summer vacation. Some area educators called the finding obvious because, during the school year, children are being taught by professionals whose job is to help them learn.
“It’s flawed and just leaves a lot more questions,” said Pennsylvania distinguished educator Karen Hessel. Working in Bristol Township for the past two years, she’s one of more than 40 consultants in the state trying to help turn around struggling schools.
“We can’t change students, and the standards remain the same. It takes some kids longer to master information than others. But if you give them time, and they’re taught well, they will learn,” Hessel said. “Let’s put the excuses aside and get about the business of doing our work.”
Research statistician Paul von Hippel, though, called most states’ current ranking system distorted because they compare children of different, and sometimes disadvantaged, backgrounds.
“[This new study] suggests that many schools serving disadvantaged kids are doing a good job with children who face a lot of challenges,” Downey said.
Holy Family University educators and administrators said there’s already an even better way to judge a student’s progress — the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System, which many school districts already use to compare a child’s growth from one year to another.
Still, Len Soroka, dean of Holy Family’s School of Education, and Grace O’Neill, associate professor of education, both agreed with the study’s suggestion that schools with the highest test scores aren’t necessarily where the most learning is taking place.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
“This is ridiculous.”
Here's a background article on Wednesday night's meeting from the BCCT this morning.
Raucous? That's mild understatement. It started in the past with an extremely hostile audience led by those same people who now grace the dais. Soda cans and food packages made their start here too, provided back then by the stop the school side as a disruption for the pro school board members. The change in board majority ensured that the practice would eventually shift over to the other side now.
The food thing is a little over the top from BOTH sides. A quiet drink or small snack might be in order. After all, these are four or five hours marathons, but the practice THEN and the practice NOW of using these snacks as disruptive tools is childish at best.
The identification of the Hellmann-Radosti-Mihok voting axis is accurate but is missing a few members. Brenda Worob and Bill Farrell talk a big game about "independence" and "self-directed thought", but in the end come down on the short-sighted side far more often than a true "independent" would.
Jack Buckman has had an issue with late night meetings through his borough council days, so this is not a new position for him. I would like to know how he had enough information about the budget to be able to cast a vote approving it. Was he aware that he can be held PERSONALLY liable for civil damages as a result of his vote?
Until this school board remembers that they are NOT the local board of taxation, but the SCHOOL board, we're in for more late night meeting follies. The irony is that the Emperor and his accomplices themselves have created the firestorm they find themselves enmeshed in. When they were in the audience, they discarded reasoned discourse and discussion in favor of shouting, screaming, and outright mis-characterization of facts to make their points. Now that they are in charge, the wheel of karma has spun and they are now reaping what they have sowed in terms of audience behavior.
I'd like to say that the anti-board audience is wrong (and in the real world they are!), but it's also the only language these yahoos on the dais understand. Confrontation, maximum disruption, and agitation are their signatures. IRONY ALERT: We've elected a board largely made up of the village idiots to control the schools where we educate our young. And we did it only because we wanted to save a few bucks.
They also never, ever, even to this day, thought about a long term plan and released it to the public. "Stop the school" was all they had. They did it. Now what? I've been asking that question for almost a year now and silence is still the only response. Has it occurred to the Emperor and the board of accomplices that if they dialed back the angry rhetoric a bit and actually opened their mouths to EXPLAIN, that the results would be better?
"Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, 'This is ridiculous.' ” Oh, no, Dr. Yonson. Ridiculous is still a few miles down this pothole riddled highway. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...
Raucous atmosphere at school board meeting
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville meetings are known for their raucous mud-slinging. But Wednesday's meeting was one for the books.
From the shortening of Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson's contract from five to three years to the board president's proposal of across-the-board hiring freezes in the district, diehards on both sides of the issues stuck it out to watch events unfold past midnight.
One spectator started singing “It's the end of the school as we know it,” to the tune of rock band REM's “It's the End of the World as We Know It.”
At least eight people stood at the microphone to protest the board majority's decision to cut Yonson's five-year contract. Some said it was “a slap in the face” and “an insult.”
The routine replacement of aides and teachers who leave the district became fuel for a debate that raged for more than an hour.
Board President William Hellmann got worked up over hiring new staff. To save money, he suggested a hiring freeze, which elicited gaping mouths and stares of disbelief from administrators and boos from audience members.
Yonson explained that the employees are necessary, that they fulfilled vital educational functions, helping to make significant academic gains in the last couple of years.
For example, elementary math performances have risen in the past couple of years. This year's raw unofficial PSSA data shows considerable improvement in 11th-grade scores, from 11 percent proficiency to 55 percent proficiency, said Yonson.
“Do not expect to have the same results if we reduce staff,” she said.
Hellmann's determination to freeze hirings stems from the district's teachers contract, which stipulates a roughly 12:1 student to staff ratio.
Though most general classes are more than 20 students in size, according to Yonson, some kids who need particular help have more aides or teachers.
The bottom line for some board members was the ratio, though.
“It's too much. It's a problem,” was Hellmann's constant refrain about the number of staff needed to teach fewer than 1,000 students and run the district at an annual cost of $19.88 million.
“Our budget's way too high,” he said repeatedly.
Residents who didn't like what Hellmann had to say settled back with containers of goodies, opening them loudly and rumpling them during Hellmann's remarks.
The approximately 75 spectators filling the meeting room in Morrisville's high school during the five-hour meeting seemed as if they were a sporting event.
They booed and cheered repeatedly depending on who was talking.
Some demanded that Hellmann be heard. Others talked over him.
In the end, at least some of the votes did swing toward staff replacements, though Hellmann and board members Marlys Mihok and Alfred Radosti tended to vote against them. Their practice of siding together on just about every vote prompted a resident to demand that the board not “follow the leader.”
Throughout the noisy meeting, Hellmann and opposing board member Robin Reithmeyer drowned each other out, and Hellmann seemed to turn a deaf ear to Yonson's explanations of how the school system works.
Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, “This is ridiculous.”
John Buckman, who replaced the late Edward Frankenfield on the board last week, thought the meeting dragged on too long.
“It was way too long, that's crazy. If I was getting paid and paid by the hour, maybe I wouldn't care,” he said Friday, chuckling. “We've got to find a way to cut the time.”
Buckman, a former school director and borough councilman, said taking so much time is unfair to board members and the public. But he noted asking questions and airing grievances is good. He believes it's valuable to be up-front and communicate.
However, the board and the administration seem to clash frequently.
“In politics, forget it. It's just that way,” said Buckman. “They talk the subject over and over and over. You're not going to get away from it totally.”
Raucous? That's mild understatement. It started in the past with an extremely hostile audience led by those same people who now grace the dais. Soda cans and food packages made their start here too, provided back then by the stop the school side as a disruption for the pro school board members. The change in board majority ensured that the practice would eventually shift over to the other side now.
The food thing is a little over the top from BOTH sides. A quiet drink or small snack might be in order. After all, these are four or five hours marathons, but the practice THEN and the practice NOW of using these snacks as disruptive tools is childish at best.
The identification of the Hellmann-Radosti-Mihok voting axis is accurate but is missing a few members. Brenda Worob and Bill Farrell talk a big game about "independence" and "self-directed thought", but in the end come down on the short-sighted side far more often than a true "independent" would.
Jack Buckman has had an issue with late night meetings through his borough council days, so this is not a new position for him. I would like to know how he had enough information about the budget to be able to cast a vote approving it. Was he aware that he can be held PERSONALLY liable for civil damages as a result of his vote?
Until this school board remembers that they are NOT the local board of taxation, but the SCHOOL board, we're in for more late night meeting follies. The irony is that the Emperor and his accomplices themselves have created the firestorm they find themselves enmeshed in. When they were in the audience, they discarded reasoned discourse and discussion in favor of shouting, screaming, and outright mis-characterization of facts to make their points. Now that they are in charge, the wheel of karma has spun and they are now reaping what they have sowed in terms of audience behavior.
I'd like to say that the anti-board audience is wrong (and in the real world they are!), but it's also the only language these yahoos on the dais understand. Confrontation, maximum disruption, and agitation are their signatures. IRONY ALERT: We've elected a board largely made up of the village idiots to control the schools where we educate our young. And we did it only because we wanted to save a few bucks.
They also never, ever, even to this day, thought about a long term plan and released it to the public. "Stop the school" was all they had. They did it. Now what? I've been asking that question for almost a year now and silence is still the only response. Has it occurred to the Emperor and the board of accomplices that if they dialed back the angry rhetoric a bit and actually opened their mouths to EXPLAIN, that the results would be better?
"Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, 'This is ridiculous.' ” Oh, no, Dr. Yonson. Ridiculous is still a few miles down this pothole riddled highway. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...
Raucous atmosphere at school board meeting
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville meetings are known for their raucous mud-slinging. But Wednesday's meeting was one for the books.
From the shortening of Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson's contract from five to three years to the board president's proposal of across-the-board hiring freezes in the district, diehards on both sides of the issues stuck it out to watch events unfold past midnight.
One spectator started singing “It's the end of the school as we know it,” to the tune of rock band REM's “It's the End of the World as We Know It.”
At least eight people stood at the microphone to protest the board majority's decision to cut Yonson's five-year contract. Some said it was “a slap in the face” and “an insult.”
The routine replacement of aides and teachers who leave the district became fuel for a debate that raged for more than an hour.
Board President William Hellmann got worked up over hiring new staff. To save money, he suggested a hiring freeze, which elicited gaping mouths and stares of disbelief from administrators and boos from audience members.
Yonson explained that the employees are necessary, that they fulfilled vital educational functions, helping to make significant academic gains in the last couple of years.
For example, elementary math performances have risen in the past couple of years. This year's raw unofficial PSSA data shows considerable improvement in 11th-grade scores, from 11 percent proficiency to 55 percent proficiency, said Yonson.
“Do not expect to have the same results if we reduce staff,” she said.
Hellmann's determination to freeze hirings stems from the district's teachers contract, which stipulates a roughly 12:1 student to staff ratio.
Though most general classes are more than 20 students in size, according to Yonson, some kids who need particular help have more aides or teachers.
The bottom line for some board members was the ratio, though.
“It's too much. It's a problem,” was Hellmann's constant refrain about the number of staff needed to teach fewer than 1,000 students and run the district at an annual cost of $19.88 million.
“Our budget's way too high,” he said repeatedly.
Residents who didn't like what Hellmann had to say settled back with containers of goodies, opening them loudly and rumpling them during Hellmann's remarks.
The approximately 75 spectators filling the meeting room in Morrisville's high school during the five-hour meeting seemed as if they were a sporting event.
They booed and cheered repeatedly depending on who was talking.
Some demanded that Hellmann be heard. Others talked over him.
In the end, at least some of the votes did swing toward staff replacements, though Hellmann and board members Marlys Mihok and Alfred Radosti tended to vote against them. Their practice of siding together on just about every vote prompted a resident to demand that the board not “follow the leader.”
Throughout the noisy meeting, Hellmann and opposing board member Robin Reithmeyer drowned each other out, and Hellmann seemed to turn a deaf ear to Yonson's explanations of how the school system works.
Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, “This is ridiculous.”
John Buckman, who replaced the late Edward Frankenfield on the board last week, thought the meeting dragged on too long.
“It was way too long, that's crazy. If I was getting paid and paid by the hour, maybe I wouldn't care,” he said Friday, chuckling. “We've got to find a way to cut the time.”
Buckman, a former school director and borough councilman, said taking so much time is unfair to board members and the public. But he noted asking questions and airing grievances is good. He believes it's valuable to be up-front and communicate.
However, the board and the administration seem to clash frequently.
“In politics, forget it. It's just that way,” said Buckman. “They talk the subject over and over and over. You're not going to get away from it totally.”
Friday, June 27, 2008
couriertimesnow.com
Kudos to the new Courier Times website. There's three separate stories posted here about Wednesday night's Morrisville school board meeting.
The first story is member Joe Kemp urging the board majority to do their homework before making changes. The story is sad in that Joe Kemp needs to use BCCT columnist Kate Fratti as his means of communication because the Emperor and his blindly subservient accomplices are unapproachable and indifferent. If you're not pleased with the way the current Stop the School majority is acting, drop them a line at SchoolBoard@mv.org. If you copy savethemorrisvilleschool@yahoo.com, I'll print it as well.
In the second story, the board's shameful treatment of Dr. Elizabeth Yonson is chronicled. Memo to the Emperor and accomplices: You're lucky that Morrisville has this talented administrator at all. If she doesn't sue the ever living crap out of you, it's because she's a better human being alone than you could ever collectively aspire to be. Go. Have the common decency to be ashamed. Especially those board members who keep talking the big talk about being independent, but when the Emperor commands, you keep on running to his beck and call. You may talk the talk, but the audience can clearly see the walk, and it doesn't match the talk.
The third story mentions the dilemma of economics. How do you pay for what you need? Parents are well versed in that daily struggle. Are average taxpayers? Yes, they are. But do some of them really understand the definition of a "community"? Let's also note that the reporter neglected to mention why the millage is lower. Answer: The penny-wise and pound-foolish bond defeasement.
MV school director pleads his case
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 3:01 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Morrisville School Board member Joe Kemp today in an email urged the board majority, yet again, to do its homework before committing the troubled district to big change. Kemp, a minority member, worries the board leadership’s serious interest in a plan to tuition out high-school students to save money isn’t being aired in open.”The board should have [Solicitor] Mike Fitzpatrick draft formal letters to any and all school districts or private schools that we may wish to consider for a tuition program. He should also give us his opinion about the legality of such a plan,” he said.
“Talks should be held between a committee of the board and the teachers’ union with legal representation on both sides to see if there is any way to tuition students that will be acceptable by the union.
“We should find out if privatizing our high school means that all private school students would have their tuitions paid by the district. We should consider hiring an architectural firm that works with school districts to tell us the costs of converting our MHS to either a grade school or a K-12.
“We should find out the costs regarding busing as a factor in sending high school students out of the district and would that then make the district a busing district.
Superintendent contract shortened
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Morrisville’s school board majority approved shortening Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson’s contract at Wednesday night’s meeting. The contract was revised to three years instead of five.Yonson has been with the district for at least three years. The previous board renewed her contract for five years, from July 1 this year to June 30, 2013.
Under her leadership, Morrisville schools made several gains, including high performance levels in elementary school math.
Board President William Hellmann did not provide a concrete reason for shortening her contract. He thanked Yonson for doing an exemplary job and said a shorter contract was a better choice.
Yonson herself said it was an irregular course of action. After their first contract expires, most Bucks superintendents who get their contracts renewed do receive five-year contracts, she said.
Fewer taxes = fewer educational services?
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Residents in Morrisville can expect to pay $321 less in taxes next year.
The school board approved a $19.88 million budget Wednesday.
Taxes will lessen to $3,371 for a homeowner with the borough’s average assessed property of $18,000.
Those who were eligible for the homestead/farmstead exclusion will see a further decline of $218.
But there will be consequences, warned administrators. The new budget doesn’t account for all of the $2.2 million needed for special education services and additional money needed for alternative and charter schools.
The district will find a way to pay for all of those uncontrollable costs, but cuts may need to be made in other areas, said administrators. The state mandates that special education and charter and alternative schools must be paid for fully.
The first story is member Joe Kemp urging the board majority to do their homework before making changes. The story is sad in that Joe Kemp needs to use BCCT columnist Kate Fratti as his means of communication because the Emperor and his blindly subservient accomplices are unapproachable and indifferent. If you're not pleased with the way the current Stop the School majority is acting, drop them a line at SchoolBoard@mv.org. If you copy savethemorrisvilleschool@yahoo.com, I'll print it as well.
In the second story, the board's shameful treatment of Dr. Elizabeth Yonson is chronicled. Memo to the Emperor and accomplices: You're lucky that Morrisville has this talented administrator at all. If she doesn't sue the ever living crap out of you, it's because she's a better human being alone than you could ever collectively aspire to be. Go. Have the common decency to be ashamed. Especially those board members who keep talking the big talk about being independent, but when the Emperor commands, you keep on running to his beck and call. You may talk the talk, but the audience can clearly see the walk, and it doesn't match the talk.
The third story mentions the dilemma of economics. How do you pay for what you need? Parents are well versed in that daily struggle. Are average taxpayers? Yes, they are. But do some of them really understand the definition of a "community"? Let's also note that the reporter neglected to mention why the millage is lower. Answer: The penny-wise and pound-foolish bond defeasement.
MV school director pleads his case
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 3:01 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Morrisville School Board member Joe Kemp today in an email urged the board majority, yet again, to do its homework before committing the troubled district to big change. Kemp, a minority member, worries the board leadership’s serious interest in a plan to tuition out high-school students to save money isn’t being aired in open.”The board should have [Solicitor] Mike Fitzpatrick draft formal letters to any and all school districts or private schools that we may wish to consider for a tuition program. He should also give us his opinion about the legality of such a plan,” he said.
“Talks should be held between a committee of the board and the teachers’ union with legal representation on both sides to see if there is any way to tuition students that will be acceptable by the union.
“We should find out if privatizing our high school means that all private school students would have their tuitions paid by the district. We should consider hiring an architectural firm that works with school districts to tell us the costs of converting our MHS to either a grade school or a K-12.
“We should find out the costs regarding busing as a factor in sending high school students out of the district and would that then make the district a busing district.
Superintendent contract shortened
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Morrisville’s school board majority approved shortening Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson’s contract at Wednesday night’s meeting. The contract was revised to three years instead of five.Yonson has been with the district for at least three years. The previous board renewed her contract for five years, from July 1 this year to June 30, 2013.
Under her leadership, Morrisville schools made several gains, including high performance levels in elementary school math.
Board President William Hellmann did not provide a concrete reason for shortening her contract. He thanked Yonson for doing an exemplary job and said a shorter contract was a better choice.
Yonson herself said it was an irregular course of action. After their first contract expires, most Bucks superintendents who get their contracts renewed do receive five-year contracts, she said.
Fewer taxes = fewer educational services?
Posted in News on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Residents in Morrisville can expect to pay $321 less in taxes next year.
The school board approved a $19.88 million budget Wednesday.
Taxes will lessen to $3,371 for a homeowner with the borough’s average assessed property of $18,000.
Those who were eligible for the homestead/farmstead exclusion will see a further decline of $218.
But there will be consequences, warned administrators. The new budget doesn’t account for all of the $2.2 million needed for special education services and additional money needed for alternative and charter schools.
The district will find a way to pay for all of those uncontrollable costs, but cuts may need to be made in other areas, said administrators. The state mandates that special education and charter and alternative schools must be paid for fully.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Quakertown Alive!
According to the BCCT this morning, it looks like the town elders in Quakertown are doing their best to revitalize their downtown area. As always, nothing is done in great leaps. Baby steps, one after another, are the key to success. It's great to see Quakertown Alive! and the rest of the town working together, a key element that need to be more acutely developed here in Morrisville.
What a wistful quote is used to end the story: “Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope.”
There's another plus for us. We don't need to be New Hope any more than Quakertown does. We need to be Morrisville. And a river runs through it.
Businesses coming — and going — on Broad Street
As some stores close in downtown Quakertown, others are opening up.
By HILARY BENTMAN
There are signs of new life in downtown Quakertown these days, as a handful of stores have recently opened.
But there are also the telltale markers of a down economy, including at least five vacant stores along Broad Street in the shopping district.
Downtown revitalization in Quakertown has been going on for at least a decade. Efforts have been made to pull people away from the national chain stores that line the strip malls of Route 309 in favor of the mom and pops along the main street of the Upper Bucks burg.
Success has been mixed, but business owners and officials say they are beginning to see a positive shift.
“It’s baby steps,” said Jim Wilson, president of Quakertown Alive!, a nonprofit revitalization group. “The downtown is better than it was a few years ago. We’re at the tipping point.”
In the past few months, Quakertown has seen some significant turnover in businesses.
Ava’s Glass Gallery, on the 300 block of Broad Street, closed earlier this year after being open just a short time. The business has relocated to a home studio outside of the borough.
Some say the store was too specialized, pricey, and did not keep convenient hours.
In its place, Blue Moon, a children’s consignment store, has opened.
A few doors away, the Broad Street Gallery shut down in April after 17 years. Owner Steve Swann blamed the lack of downtown foot traffic for the demise. He has a second location in the Quakertown Farmer’s Market, known as Swann Art and Frame, and has consolidated operations there.
Already the Broad Street Gallery space has been claimed. All Things Bridal and Cindy Landis Photography Studio, both owned by Cindy Landis, will move in next month, relocating from Route 309 in Colmar.
“It’s the nature of retail to have businesses come and go,” said Wilson, noting that people are inquiring about available space. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything drastically [different].”
The current economic slump is certainly playing a part in the empty storefronts, some argue.
“I’m sure it has an effect on it. People aren’t able to start up a business and there’s the price of fuel,” said Rich Scott, manager of Moyer’s Shoes, a mainstay on Broad Street for over half a century. He says Moyer’s secret is catering to people with special shoe needs.
Parking is also a problem, say some shop owners. Meters line the streets and there is limited parking in the center of the shopping area.
On the dining end, Quakertown has gotten a boost of late. The relatively new Front Street Café, across from the Quakertown Train Station, is attracting crowds with its more upscale fare.
And Broadway Café is now open on the 200 block of Broad Street, next to Miss Cindy’s School of Dance. Jay Johnston has owned the building since 1992, and recently decided to open up the restaurant, a cross between a 1950s retro diner and a shrine to New York City’s theatre district.
“People gotta eat,” said Johnston in his southern drawl. The restaurant has proven a convenient place for students at the nearby Miss Cindy’s School of Dance, his wife’s business, to grab a bite to eat and for their parents to wait.
“[Quakertown] has great potential and I do see some progress,” Johnston said. “It’s an all-American, small town atmosphere, friendly people. It’s a great little town here.”
Next door is the Katie Stauffer Memorial Arts Center, which recently took over the former Cohen’s card shop space when it outgrew its old location in Richlandtown.
“We decided we would do better if we moved into Quakertown, more visibility,” said president and founder Linda Stauffer.
From pottery to bead weaving, young and old can take art classes at the center, which also works with homeschooled children and will soon partner with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to offer classes for special education students.
The Stauffer center has even started a First Friday event, which brings in local artists and live music. A few surrounding businesses are starting to join in.
“We’re just trying to get things going down there,” said Stauffer.
Although already open for business, the center will have its official grand opening June 24, a special date for Stauffer, as it would have marked her daughter Katie’s 25th birthday. Katie, a 2001 Quakertown High School grad and standout student, artist and swimmer, was killed in a car accident in March 2003.
“I read Katie’s journal [after she died] and she said she hoped to make a difference. I have to continue that for her,” said Linda, a retired art teacher.
Wilson is hoping the combination of the art center, Broadway Café and a nearby pretzel shop will help draw more kids to the downtown. “There is nothing like youth to bring energy to a block,” he said.
In the end, Quakertown’s economy depends on promoting the town’s uniqueness, he said. Although there have been successful models to follow in other towns in the region, Wilson said Quakertown must stay true to itself.
“Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope,” he said.
What a wistful quote is used to end the story: “Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope.”
There's another plus for us. We don't need to be New Hope any more than Quakertown does. We need to be Morrisville. And a river runs through it.
Businesses coming — and going — on Broad Street
As some stores close in downtown Quakertown, others are opening up.
By HILARY BENTMAN
There are signs of new life in downtown Quakertown these days, as a handful of stores have recently opened.
But there are also the telltale markers of a down economy, including at least five vacant stores along Broad Street in the shopping district.
Downtown revitalization in Quakertown has been going on for at least a decade. Efforts have been made to pull people away from the national chain stores that line the strip malls of Route 309 in favor of the mom and pops along the main street of the Upper Bucks burg.
Success has been mixed, but business owners and officials say they are beginning to see a positive shift.
“It’s baby steps,” said Jim Wilson, president of Quakertown Alive!, a nonprofit revitalization group. “The downtown is better than it was a few years ago. We’re at the tipping point.”
In the past few months, Quakertown has seen some significant turnover in businesses.
Ava’s Glass Gallery, on the 300 block of Broad Street, closed earlier this year after being open just a short time. The business has relocated to a home studio outside of the borough.
Some say the store was too specialized, pricey, and did not keep convenient hours.
In its place, Blue Moon, a children’s consignment store, has opened.
A few doors away, the Broad Street Gallery shut down in April after 17 years. Owner Steve Swann blamed the lack of downtown foot traffic for the demise. He has a second location in the Quakertown Farmer’s Market, known as Swann Art and Frame, and has consolidated operations there.
Already the Broad Street Gallery space has been claimed. All Things Bridal and Cindy Landis Photography Studio, both owned by Cindy Landis, will move in next month, relocating from Route 309 in Colmar.
“It’s the nature of retail to have businesses come and go,” said Wilson, noting that people are inquiring about available space. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything drastically [different].”
The current economic slump is certainly playing a part in the empty storefronts, some argue.
“I’m sure it has an effect on it. People aren’t able to start up a business and there’s the price of fuel,” said Rich Scott, manager of Moyer’s Shoes, a mainstay on Broad Street for over half a century. He says Moyer’s secret is catering to people with special shoe needs.
Parking is also a problem, say some shop owners. Meters line the streets and there is limited parking in the center of the shopping area.
On the dining end, Quakertown has gotten a boost of late. The relatively new Front Street Café, across from the Quakertown Train Station, is attracting crowds with its more upscale fare.
And Broadway Café is now open on the 200 block of Broad Street, next to Miss Cindy’s School of Dance. Jay Johnston has owned the building since 1992, and recently decided to open up the restaurant, a cross between a 1950s retro diner and a shrine to New York City’s theatre district.
“People gotta eat,” said Johnston in his southern drawl. The restaurant has proven a convenient place for students at the nearby Miss Cindy’s School of Dance, his wife’s business, to grab a bite to eat and for their parents to wait.
“[Quakertown] has great potential and I do see some progress,” Johnston said. “It’s an all-American, small town atmosphere, friendly people. It’s a great little town here.”
Next door is the Katie Stauffer Memorial Arts Center, which recently took over the former Cohen’s card shop space when it outgrew its old location in Richlandtown.
“We decided we would do better if we moved into Quakertown, more visibility,” said president and founder Linda Stauffer.
From pottery to bead weaving, young and old can take art classes at the center, which also works with homeschooled children and will soon partner with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to offer classes for special education students.
The Stauffer center has even started a First Friday event, which brings in local artists and live music. A few surrounding businesses are starting to join in.
“We’re just trying to get things going down there,” said Stauffer.
Although already open for business, the center will have its official grand opening June 24, a special date for Stauffer, as it would have marked her daughter Katie’s 25th birthday. Katie, a 2001 Quakertown High School grad and standout student, artist and swimmer, was killed in a car accident in March 2003.
“I read Katie’s journal [after she died] and she said she hoped to make a difference. I have to continue that for her,” said Linda, a retired art teacher.
Wilson is hoping the combination of the art center, Broadway Café and a nearby pretzel shop will help draw more kids to the downtown. “There is nothing like youth to bring energy to a block,” he said.
In the end, Quakertown’s economy depends on promoting the town’s uniqueness, he said. Although there have been successful models to follow in other towns in the region, Wilson said Quakertown must stay true to itself.
“Unless you put a river here, we’re never going to be New Hope,” he said.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Orange and Black Uniforms?
It looks like Pennsbury may be the next district to go for school uniforms. Maybe orange and black aren't the best combination...Can you imagine celebrating Halloween year round?
District mulls uniform policy
By MANASEE WAGH
Fretting over what to wear to school could become a thing of the past for Pennsbury High School students starting in fall 2009. That is, if a budding idea for a mandatory uniform policy bears fruit by the end of the coming school year.
A few board members and parents expressed an interest in having students wear some kind of uniform, said Gregory Lucidi, school board president.
“Mainly it’s the idea of dress appropriateness in schools. In high school, there are many instances of inappropriate dress,” he said, adding that a generic dress code for all students would also eliminate any gang-related dress.
Quickly identifying people who don’t belong in the schools is another benefit, said Lucidi, who’s been thinking about a dress policy for some time but hadn’t brought it up earlier because the board had been busy with more pressing items, like the budget.
Over the summer, the administration is going to look at creating a committee to study the issue, said Lucidi. “We’d like it to be mostly parents. That would be our first focus,” he said.
Having student representatives on the committee might be a possibility as well.
If the board approves forming the committee in September, it would give the members three to four months to come up with recommendations.
Lucidi said he’s discussed the issue with some parents, all of whom love the idea. On the other hand, students with whom he’s broached the subject aren’t too keen on wearing the same thing to school day after day.
Lucidi said he has nothing specific in mind that he believes students should wear.
“I’d like to see something generic they could purchase anywhere. It’s less expensive to dress in uniform every day than to buy children the clothes they want to wear to school.”
Khakis and a golf shirt for boys, with flexibility in garment colors, for example.
Other districts have instituted uniform policies in the past year. School Lane Charter School in Bensalem started a policy in 2007, while Bristol’s board implemented a procedure for Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School students to wear uniforms, though it’s not an official policy.
A voluntary uniform policy for Bristol Township students will start in its nine elementary schools in September, and Morrisville is also considering a school uniform policy to begin in the fall.
Lucidi believes students would be better off if they stay away from risqué and unsuitable outfits. “It would also help with esteem issues. This way everybody’s equal.”
District mulls uniform policy
By MANASEE WAGH
Fretting over what to wear to school could become a thing of the past for Pennsbury High School students starting in fall 2009. That is, if a budding idea for a mandatory uniform policy bears fruit by the end of the coming school year.
A few board members and parents expressed an interest in having students wear some kind of uniform, said Gregory Lucidi, school board president.
“Mainly it’s the idea of dress appropriateness in schools. In high school, there are many instances of inappropriate dress,” he said, adding that a generic dress code for all students would also eliminate any gang-related dress.
Quickly identifying people who don’t belong in the schools is another benefit, said Lucidi, who’s been thinking about a dress policy for some time but hadn’t brought it up earlier because the board had been busy with more pressing items, like the budget.
Over the summer, the administration is going to look at creating a committee to study the issue, said Lucidi. “We’d like it to be mostly parents. That would be our first focus,” he said.
Having student representatives on the committee might be a possibility as well.
If the board approves forming the committee in September, it would give the members three to four months to come up with recommendations.
Lucidi said he’s discussed the issue with some parents, all of whom love the idea. On the other hand, students with whom he’s broached the subject aren’t too keen on wearing the same thing to school day after day.
Lucidi said he has nothing specific in mind that he believes students should wear.
“I’d like to see something generic they could purchase anywhere. It’s less expensive to dress in uniform every day than to buy children the clothes they want to wear to school.”
Khakis and a golf shirt for boys, with flexibility in garment colors, for example.
Other districts have instituted uniform policies in the past year. School Lane Charter School in Bensalem started a policy in 2007, while Bristol’s board implemented a procedure for Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School students to wear uniforms, though it’s not an official policy.
A voluntary uniform policy for Bristol Township students will start in its nine elementary schools in September, and Morrisville is also considering a school uniform policy to begin in the fall.
Lucidi believes students would be better off if they stay away from risqué and unsuitable outfits. “It would also help with esteem issues. This way everybody’s equal.”
Friday, June 20, 2008
BUCKMAN!!
To the utter surprise of, well, no one, John "Jack" Buckman, formerly of the Morrisville School Board and formerly of the Borough Council, is once again, a school director.
Vacancy filled by former board member
By ELIZABETH FISHER
The Morrisville school board on Thursday night appointed John Buckman, a former board member and a former councilman, to replace board member Ed Frankenfield, who died May 28.
Board members Alfred Radosti, Bill Hellman, Brenda Worob, Bill Farrell and Marlys Mihok voted for Buckman; Joseph Kemp and Robin Reithmeyer voted no.
Buckman was previously on the school board from 1987 to 1991. At the time, he did not run for a second term. He also served on the Morrisville council for several years.
Four other residents had sent resumes expressing interest in taking, including former borough police Chief Victor Cicero, currently a substitute teacher in the district.
Each candidate underwent 15 minutes of scrutiny, offered a statement and answered questions from board members. Buckman said his main concerns centered on money — an important issue in the cash strapped school district — and quality education.
“I’d like to keep the taxes down as much as possible while inspiring the kids,” he told the board.
Suggestions from the candidates included pressuring Harrisburg to come up with more school funding and adding muscle to their demands by forming coalitions with other local school boards.
Buckman’s appointment didn’t go through without friction. Reithmeyer objected to inclusion of candidates whose resumes were received after the 9 a.m. June 13 deadline.
Buckman’s and Cicero’s resumes were among those that missed the deadline.
“Why do we have deadlines?” asked Reithmeyer. “It’s a bad precedent. In the future, if the deadline is 9 a.m., and if they have to be [turned in] at the school district, we should adhere to the rules.”
Buckman’s and Cicero’s applications were dropped off at Chairman Bill Hellman’s office and did not reach the office until after 10 a.m.
District Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick intervened, saying board members could nominate anyone, even someone who did not submit a letter, up to the time the vote was taken.
Worob, who nominated Buckman, was pleased. “I was persuaded by the fact that Jack had been on the school board in the past and was very productive. He’s a caring person and has a lot of integrity. I feel he is the right person to replace Mr. Frankenfield.,
Vacancy filled by former board member
By ELIZABETH FISHER
The Morrisville school board on Thursday night appointed John Buckman, a former board member and a former councilman, to replace board member Ed Frankenfield, who died May 28.
Board members Alfred Radosti, Bill Hellman, Brenda Worob, Bill Farrell and Marlys Mihok voted for Buckman; Joseph Kemp and Robin Reithmeyer voted no.
Buckman was previously on the school board from 1987 to 1991. At the time, he did not run for a second term. He also served on the Morrisville council for several years.
Four other residents had sent resumes expressing interest in taking, including former borough police Chief Victor Cicero, currently a substitute teacher in the district.
Each candidate underwent 15 minutes of scrutiny, offered a statement and answered questions from board members. Buckman said his main concerns centered on money — an important issue in the cash strapped school district — and quality education.
“I’d like to keep the taxes down as much as possible while inspiring the kids,” he told the board.
Suggestions from the candidates included pressuring Harrisburg to come up with more school funding and adding muscle to their demands by forming coalitions with other local school boards.
Buckman’s appointment didn’t go through without friction. Reithmeyer objected to inclusion of candidates whose resumes were received after the 9 a.m. June 13 deadline.
Buckman’s and Cicero’s resumes were among those that missed the deadline.
“Why do we have deadlines?” asked Reithmeyer. “It’s a bad precedent. In the future, if the deadline is 9 a.m., and if they have to be [turned in] at the school district, we should adhere to the rules.”
Buckman’s and Cicero’s applications were dropped off at Chairman Bill Hellman’s office and did not reach the office until after 10 a.m.
District Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick intervened, saying board members could nominate anyone, even someone who did not submit a letter, up to the time the vote was taken.
Worob, who nominated Buckman, was pleased. “I was persuaded by the fact that Jack had been on the school board in the past and was very productive. He’s a caring person and has a lot of integrity. I feel he is the right person to replace Mr. Frankenfield.,
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The 110th and Next to Last Graduating Class
Last night the next to last (penultimate, for those sesquipedalians out there) graduating class from Morrisville High School was presented with their diplomas. Apparently the class of 2009 will be receiving walking papers.
Kudos to Superintendent Yonson and the institution of the Edward H. Frankenfield Memorial Award. A good man like that deserves to be remembered by the measure of a student's service to others. It's too bad that his memory is being trampled upon by the likes of the Emperor and Angry Al as they seek to dismantle the community they claim to be protecting.
Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2008.
Take a look at the statistics from these young women and men. Why is this school board trying to push them away? Why aren't their achievements and successes being celebrated?
Taking lessons into the future
“As we leave here, we should remember the lessons we learned and use them to the best of our ability,” one speaker said.
By MANASEE WAGH
While Morrisville High School’s graduating class was small, its seniors truly enjoyed the close-knit community they formed.
That was the consensus of many of the 73 graduates at Wednesday evening’s commencement ceremony on the high school grounds.
“It’s nice. You get to talk to everyone and you know everyone,” said graduate Ashley Woodhouse.
This year marked the 110th commencement of a high school in which teachers could connect with a small student body on a more personal level, said several students. Salutatorian Lauren Ramos, who’s planning a career in forensics, thanked several of her teachers for guiding her through the trials of four years of high school and for making learning fun.
“As we leave here, we should remember the lessons we learned and use them to the best of our ability,” she told her classmates.
The speaker giving the commencement address this year, sportscaster Don Tollefson, garnered much applause from listeners for his words of inspiration.
“Never let a single human being tell you there’s something you cannot do,” he told students. Tollefson brought up the Democratic election as an example of how minorities Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama bucked tradition to run for the White House.
He also advised them that failure is “a stepping stone,” and that they should never give up.
As a tribute to the graduates’ community involvement, Morrisville Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson introduced an award in honor of recently deceased school board member, Edward Frankenfield.
“He contributed to the community in so many ways,” said Yonson. With Frankenfield’s wife and son, she presented graduate Sarah O’Connor with the honorary Edward H. Frankenfield Memorial Award for many hours of volunteer service with a variety of community services and organizations.
Presenting one graduate with the award plaque and a monetary gift will become an annual tradition, said Yonson.
This year’s class earned nearly 6,000 hours of community service altogether.
Senior class President Justin Howell said that the community and the schools are closely connected in Morrisville.
“I’ll always feel I’m part of the community here,” he said. “We can move on with the knowledge that we can be proud of our hometown and we have a hometown that’s proud of us.”
Morrisville High School
Graduates: 73
National Honor Society members: 3
Valedictorian: Matthew Miller
Salutatorian: Lauren Ramos
Student speakers: Justin Howell (President of Class), Brittany Caldwell (Vice President), Christina Doan (Secretary), Andrew Brake (Treasury)
Percent going on to higher education: 81
Percent going into the military: 1
Percent going to the workforce: 18
Amount of scholarship money offered (to entire class; not just the amount accepted; this is the total amount offered) $257,734
Number of community service hours (by the entire class of "08): 5,933 hours
Noteworthy accomplishments of the graduating class: The seniors organized a charity Powder Puff Football Game for a local family whose daughter had cancer; Bicentennial Athletic League Championships in softball and baseball; 31 seniors earned 197 dual enrollment college credits.
Student Farming Plan Back on the Agenda
It looks like last night's Morrisville High School class of 2008 is shaping up to be the next to last MHS class.
What is it with these two and what do they have against the Morrisville school system? Here's two bitter and angry men out for destruction. Remember the January board meeting where the Emperor even conceded that "he got it" and the community did not want the high school students tuitioned out?
Private Morrisville High?
Posted in News on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 3:57 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Continuing their investigation into privatizing Morrisville High School, school board directors Bill Hellmann and Al Radosti met with a Delaware Valley High School representative Tuesday afternoon.They seem to have given up hope of any merger with neighboring Pennsbury. So, by September 2009, some board members hope to have closed at least one grade school, maybe two, and consolidated all grades in the middle/senior high school building. That is unless, by then they’ve been able to tuition high-schoolers out to another district or to Delaware Valley High School at substantial reductions in cost per student. In that case, the current high school building would hold just K-8.
DVH is best known for educating at-risk kids, but President Dave Shulick has said it is accredited and experienced in regular education that could be provided in or near Morrisville.
What is it with these two and what do they have against the Morrisville school system? Here's two bitter and angry men out for destruction. Remember the January board meeting where the Emperor even conceded that "he got it" and the community did not want the high school students tuitioned out?
Private Morrisville High?
Posted in News on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 3:57 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Continuing their investigation into privatizing Morrisville High School, school board directors Bill Hellmann and Al Radosti met with a Delaware Valley High School representative Tuesday afternoon.They seem to have given up hope of any merger with neighboring Pennsbury. So, by September 2009, some board members hope to have closed at least one grade school, maybe two, and consolidated all grades in the middle/senior high school building. That is unless, by then they’ve been able to tuition high-schoolers out to another district or to Delaware Valley High School at substantial reductions in cost per student. In that case, the current high school building would hold just K-8.
DVH is best known for educating at-risk kids, but President Dave Shulick has said it is accredited and experienced in regular education that could be provided in or near Morrisville.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
BCCT Citizen Scholars
Congratulations to all of the Lower Bucks citizen scholars from the class of 2008, but special congratulations to Morrisville's own Matt Miller and Michael Tribbey.
Matthew Miller
Morrisville Middle/Senior High
Class rank: 1 of 69
Achievements: National Honor Society; Rotary Club Student of the Month; perfect attendance award; student government; class officer; 21st Century Interact Club; Ski Club; baseball; football; soccer; student forum; Future Business Leaders of America; chemistry award.
Community service: Nominated for Teen Volunteer of the Year; Earth Day delegate; organized a Powder Puff football fundraiser; organized Love Ashley fundraiser; Dr. Seuss reading program volunteer; Winterfest volunteer; Senior Citizen service; Martin Luther King reading presentation.
Counselor’s comments: Matthew is very active in school and his community. He has taken leadership roles on service projects and athletics.
Michael Tribbey: Morrisville Middle/Senior High Class rank: 6 of 69 Achievements: National Honor Society; student representative to the school board; chorus, Chamber Choir; Drama Club; soccer; bowling. Reading Olympics; 21st Century Learning Club. Counselor’s comments: Michael is very creative.
Matthew MillerMorrisville Middle/Senior High
Class rank: 1 of 69
Achievements: National Honor Society; Rotary Club Student of the Month; perfect attendance award; student government; class officer; 21st Century Interact Club; Ski Club; baseball; football; soccer; student forum; Future Business Leaders of America; chemistry award.
Community service: Nominated for Teen Volunteer of the Year; Earth Day delegate; organized a Powder Puff football fundraiser; organized Love Ashley fundraiser; Dr. Seuss reading program volunteer; Winterfest volunteer; Senior Citizen service; Martin Luther King reading presentation.
Counselor’s comments: Matthew is very active in school and his community. He has taken leadership roles on service projects and athletics.
Michael Tribbey: Morrisville Middle/Senior High Class rank: 6 of 69 Achievements: National Honor Society; student representative to the school board; chorus, Chamber Choir; Drama Club; soccer; bowling. Reading Olympics; 21st Century Learning Club. Counselor’s comments: Michael is very creative.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
We Didn't Know How Much We DIDN'T Know
From the BCCT this morning. First is a guest opinion on how destroying the school system will only destroy the community. This is something that the people here on this blog have been saying for months now.
Next is a "Thumbs up" from the BCCT on the Tech High School budget mess. I'm not sure I agree completely. Yes, it's great that the logjam was broken, but why does it take international class brinksmanship and public histrionics to force others to the negotiating table simply to do the right thing for the kids AND the taxpayers? There's also praise for the Pennsbury citizens commission and praise for the state House Education Committee's approval of the new school funding formula. If you have not clicked on the green link to the left and registered your displeasure with your elected officials, why are you waiting?
Lastly, there is an article on the Tech School graduates themselves. Here's the heart of the "why" when people ask "why do we have a school system?" Answer: It's an investment in the future.
Destroying our schools will only destroy our community
By WILLIAM S. UMEK
Current Morrisville school board members were elected based on a platform of not raising taxes and doing away with a plan to build a new school, which would have resulted in many more positive results than negative ones for the community.
Now, they are in a position whereby they cannot meet the promise of not increasing taxes without having to tax us double next year (time to start saving money, so they can save face) and they are on the edge of getting Morrisville sued by the state. We went from a board that wanted to improve the borough and the education
we provide our children to one that wants to deteriorate (the borough) to the point that the state would have to step in.
How did we end up here? New schools create a sense of pride, induce homebuyers to move in and generally raise the bar for the community. They also cost money, which is what people generally use to invest in their future.
Morrisville residents have voted to stagnate and deteriorate; the opposite of improving. What pride is there in a rundown school and a community that votes against improving them? Who wants to move into a community that does not invest in the future of their children?
I have seen dozens of nice homes that are still for sale from over a year ago. As for raising the bar and investing in our future, how much more money do I want to invest in my home or would the right move be to get out before it is too late?
If current board members have to eat their words and raise taxes, so be it. I can’t fathom that any one would ever believe that undeliverable promise in this day and age. I am sure that being sued by the state and defending the half-witted decision to not fund education will cost more than the amount our taxes increase. This is not grade school where you get elected to class president by convincing people you will have soda coming out of the water fountains.
At that level there are not any repercussions for this inability to think a plan and a promise through to a feasible conclusion. However, there are repercussions when you are running a school board and while it may not turn out well for the board members, the real issue is the long-term effects this will have on Morrisville Borough, its students and future residents.
We need to find a way to remedy this. Unfortunately, one way has been missed by the board not voting to take advantage of state exceptions to raising taxes. It would be nice to believe and one would expect that the new school board members would know how to do their job. Apparently they do not, hence the situation we are in (unless they planned on creating this mess).
It does seem that there are many experienced, smart and bright people in the district who can guide the board in making timely and informed decisions. Reba Dunford is one such person who has presented a sensible option. But was this suggested before or after the board’s decision in January? If it was after, I wish she could have made it before. And while she is not to blame for the position the board has put us in, it would be a great idea for the people of this community like her, who have the knowledge and understand how a school board should operate, to pitch in and make suggestions in line with improving our school situation. It is not a matter of being paid or not. It is a matter of improving OUR community.
My plea to the residents of Morrisville is that we come together as a community to fix this. We need to offer our experience, regardless of party and preference to the current board.
My plea to the board is to seek out the help they need to make accurate and timely decisions and to be open to the suggestions of those with more experience than themselves. We can come together, show what a great sense of community we have and put ourselves on the right track — or we can begin the process of decline into a borough that the state labels financially distressed.
I would prefer that Morrisville be labeled as a great place to live and to raise a family.
William S. Umek has lived in Morrisville for 10 years and has three boys who attend school in the district.
------------------------------------
Thumbs Up
To the Bensalem school board for finally voting last week to end the logjam that kept the Bucks County Technical High School from implementing its $21.7 million budget for the 2008-09 school year. The board voted unanimously for the budget only after the tech school’s joint board committee agreed to tackle a controversial funding formula this summer.
The agreement to approve the budget means that each sending district’s share of the cost of running the comprehensive tech school will increase 4.4 percent.
The Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts send students to the tech school for training in about three dozen trades, along with academics. Bristol Township, Bensalem and Morrisville have complained about the cost-sharing arrangement with the other districts.
We hope that representatives of all the districts on the joint board committee will come up with a proper cost-sharing arrangement this summer to avoid this thorny issue in the future.
To the Pennsbury school board’s citizens advisory budget committee and board member Gene Dolnick, who suggested forming the panel.
The idea was to get residents involved in the budget process beyond just commenting (read complaining) after a budget’s been proposed. The goal, in addition to smoothing public reaction to almost inevitable tax hikes, is to take advantage of expertise in the community and, perhaps, forestall a tax increase.
The committee attempted to do that by recommending ways to cut costs and generate revenue. We encourage the board to give the panel’s recommendations serious consideration. And we encourage other school boards to follow Pennsbury’s lead and form their own citizen budget panels.
To the State House Education Committee, which voted in favor of a new school funding formula.
The new formula for supplemental state funding, if approved by the Legislature, would take into consideration enrollment, the number of low-income students and English-language learners, district size and regional cost differences.
This would help ensure that the needs of every district are adequately addressed, thus creating the opportunity for each district to provide every student with a quality education.
We encourage the full House to likewise pass the measure and the Senate to adopt a similar bill.
------------------------------------
Students plotting out their futures
Graduates of the tech school’s civil engineering class, one of just a handful in the U.S., can walk into jobs that pay between $13 and $15 per hour.
By JOAN HELLYER
Sean Gosner said he has been mistaken for a space traveler while working on a project at Bucks County Technical High School.
“One guy said, ‘Hey, that’s a cool jetpack,’” Sean, 17, a tech school junior, said of the global positioning system he carries on his back while collecting data for the civil engineering project.
But don’t think that Sean minds the onlooker confusion. “I like using the GPS unit for receiving information and walking around to get the shots,” the Bristol Township resident said.
Students in Bob Hale’s civil engineering class have fanned out across the approximate 45-acre campus off Wistar Road in Bristol Township for the past several weeks to record data about the property.
The high school juniors use global positioning systems linked to six satellites and data collectors to record information that they bring back into the school and download on their computers. Information collected during the course of three marking periods will be used to create maps of the school property, Hale said.
The GPS instrument provides the students with coordinates and data on the tech school complex including the building and its surrounding driveways, vegetation and boundary lines, students said.
“Come 50 toward us, in a straight line,” BCTHS junior Anthony Schaffer, 17, said Thursday afternoon to project partner Lady Venegas, as they prepared to record elevation information in a corner of the school’s main courtyard.
Anthony, a Middletown resident, said he’s learned some valuable lessons while doing the project at the comprehensive technical high school, which serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts.
“I’m smarter than I thought I was. We didn’t know how much we know,” Anthony said.
The GPS instruments and data collectors were secured through grants and donations from local engineers, Hale said. The students said they use that equipment and other skills including measurements, geometric equations, field notes and research skills they have developed during the last three years to do their work.
The project is designed to help students understand how to make sure the original project was done according to plan, Hale said. Their completed work will be referred to an “as built plan” if it proves the school complex was built according to plan, he said.
The exercise helps students see what they would actually do if they were land surveyors, Hale said.
The tech school’s civil engineering class is one of just a handful of civil engineering classes across the United States, the teacher said.
Students who graduate from the civil engineering class generally are able to secure land surveying-type jobs that pay between $13 and $15 per hour, Hale said. They can also pursue various careers in civil engineering, land surveying, architecture and environmental protection with additional schooling, the tech school teacher said.
If students earn a two-year degree in any of those backgrounds, they’ll likely be able to secure a $30,000 annual salary, he said. A four-year degree will provide an extra $10,000 in annual income, Hale estimated.
An advanced degree will bring home a $65,000 annual salary, and civil engineers who are licensed can make a six-figure salary, he said.
“We’re beyond high school students,” BCTHS junior Dan Quinn, 17, said. “The kids who have already graduated said it has done wonders for them and they already know what they’re doing when they get to college.”
Next is a "Thumbs up" from the BCCT on the Tech High School budget mess. I'm not sure I agree completely. Yes, it's great that the logjam was broken, but why does it take international class brinksmanship and public histrionics to force others to the negotiating table simply to do the right thing for the kids AND the taxpayers? There's also praise for the Pennsbury citizens commission and praise for the state House Education Committee's approval of the new school funding formula. If you have not clicked on the green link to the left and registered your displeasure with your elected officials, why are you waiting?
Lastly, there is an article on the Tech School graduates themselves. Here's the heart of the "why" when people ask "why do we have a school system?" Answer: It's an investment in the future.
Destroying our schools will only destroy our community
By WILLIAM S. UMEK
Current Morrisville school board members were elected based on a platform of not raising taxes and doing away with a plan to build a new school, which would have resulted in many more positive results than negative ones for the community.
Now, they are in a position whereby they cannot meet the promise of not increasing taxes without having to tax us double next year (time to start saving money, so they can save face) and they are on the edge of getting Morrisville sued by the state. We went from a board that wanted to improve the borough and the education
we provide our children to one that wants to deteriorate (the borough) to the point that the state would have to step in.
How did we end up here? New schools create a sense of pride, induce homebuyers to move in and generally raise the bar for the community. They also cost money, which is what people generally use to invest in their future.
Morrisville residents have voted to stagnate and deteriorate; the opposite of improving. What pride is there in a rundown school and a community that votes against improving them? Who wants to move into a community that does not invest in the future of their children?
I have seen dozens of nice homes that are still for sale from over a year ago. As for raising the bar and investing in our future, how much more money do I want to invest in my home or would the right move be to get out before it is too late?
If current board members have to eat their words and raise taxes, so be it. I can’t fathom that any one would ever believe that undeliverable promise in this day and age. I am sure that being sued by the state and defending the half-witted decision to not fund education will cost more than the amount our taxes increase. This is not grade school where you get elected to class president by convincing people you will have soda coming out of the water fountains.
At that level there are not any repercussions for this inability to think a plan and a promise through to a feasible conclusion. However, there are repercussions when you are running a school board and while it may not turn out well for the board members, the real issue is the long-term effects this will have on Morrisville Borough, its students and future residents.
We need to find a way to remedy this. Unfortunately, one way has been missed by the board not voting to take advantage of state exceptions to raising taxes. It would be nice to believe and one would expect that the new school board members would know how to do their job. Apparently they do not, hence the situation we are in (unless they planned on creating this mess).
It does seem that there are many experienced, smart and bright people in the district who can guide the board in making timely and informed decisions. Reba Dunford is one such person who has presented a sensible option. But was this suggested before or after the board’s decision in January? If it was after, I wish she could have made it before. And while she is not to blame for the position the board has put us in, it would be a great idea for the people of this community like her, who have the knowledge and understand how a school board should operate, to pitch in and make suggestions in line with improving our school situation. It is not a matter of being paid or not. It is a matter of improving OUR community.
My plea to the residents of Morrisville is that we come together as a community to fix this. We need to offer our experience, regardless of party and preference to the current board.
My plea to the board is to seek out the help they need to make accurate and timely decisions and to be open to the suggestions of those with more experience than themselves. We can come together, show what a great sense of community we have and put ourselves on the right track — or we can begin the process of decline into a borough that the state labels financially distressed.
I would prefer that Morrisville be labeled as a great place to live and to raise a family.
William S. Umek has lived in Morrisville for 10 years and has three boys who attend school in the district.
------------------------------------
Thumbs Up
To the Bensalem school board for finally voting last week to end the logjam that kept the Bucks County Technical High School from implementing its $21.7 million budget for the 2008-09 school year. The board voted unanimously for the budget only after the tech school’s joint board committee agreed to tackle a controversial funding formula this summer.
The agreement to approve the budget means that each sending district’s share of the cost of running the comprehensive tech school will increase 4.4 percent.
The Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts send students to the tech school for training in about three dozen trades, along with academics. Bristol Township, Bensalem and Morrisville have complained about the cost-sharing arrangement with the other districts.
We hope that representatives of all the districts on the joint board committee will come up with a proper cost-sharing arrangement this summer to avoid this thorny issue in the future.
To the Pennsbury school board’s citizens advisory budget committee and board member Gene Dolnick, who suggested forming the panel.
The idea was to get residents involved in the budget process beyond just commenting (read complaining) after a budget’s been proposed. The goal, in addition to smoothing public reaction to almost inevitable tax hikes, is to take advantage of expertise in the community and, perhaps, forestall a tax increase.
The committee attempted to do that by recommending ways to cut costs and generate revenue. We encourage the board to give the panel’s recommendations serious consideration. And we encourage other school boards to follow Pennsbury’s lead and form their own citizen budget panels.
To the State House Education Committee, which voted in favor of a new school funding formula.
The new formula for supplemental state funding, if approved by the Legislature, would take into consideration enrollment, the number of low-income students and English-language learners, district size and regional cost differences.
This would help ensure that the needs of every district are adequately addressed, thus creating the opportunity for each district to provide every student with a quality education.
We encourage the full House to likewise pass the measure and the Senate to adopt a similar bill.
------------------------------------
Students plotting out their futures
Graduates of the tech school’s civil engineering class, one of just a handful in the U.S., can walk into jobs that pay between $13 and $15 per hour.
By JOAN HELLYER
Sean Gosner said he has been mistaken for a space traveler while working on a project at Bucks County Technical High School.
“One guy said, ‘Hey, that’s a cool jetpack,’” Sean, 17, a tech school junior, said of the global positioning system he carries on his back while collecting data for the civil engineering project.
But don’t think that Sean minds the onlooker confusion. “I like using the GPS unit for receiving information and walking around to get the shots,” the Bristol Township resident said.
Students in Bob Hale’s civil engineering class have fanned out across the approximate 45-acre campus off Wistar Road in Bristol Township for the past several weeks to record data about the property.
The high school juniors use global positioning systems linked to six satellites and data collectors to record information that they bring back into the school and download on their computers. Information collected during the course of three marking periods will be used to create maps of the school property, Hale said.
The GPS instrument provides the students with coordinates and data on the tech school complex including the building and its surrounding driveways, vegetation and boundary lines, students said.
“Come 50 toward us, in a straight line,” BCTHS junior Anthony Schaffer, 17, said Thursday afternoon to project partner Lady Venegas, as they prepared to record elevation information in a corner of the school’s main courtyard.
Anthony, a Middletown resident, said he’s learned some valuable lessons while doing the project at the comprehensive technical high school, which serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts.
“I’m smarter than I thought I was. We didn’t know how much we know,” Anthony said.
The GPS instruments and data collectors were secured through grants and donations from local engineers, Hale said. The students said they use that equipment and other skills including measurements, geometric equations, field notes and research skills they have developed during the last three years to do their work.
The project is designed to help students understand how to make sure the original project was done according to plan, Hale said. Their completed work will be referred to an “as built plan” if it proves the school complex was built according to plan, he said.
The exercise helps students see what they would actually do if they were land surveyors, Hale said.
The tech school’s civil engineering class is one of just a handful of civil engineering classes across the United States, the teacher said.
Students who graduate from the civil engineering class generally are able to secure land surveying-type jobs that pay between $13 and $15 per hour, Hale said. They can also pursue various careers in civil engineering, land surveying, architecture and environmental protection with additional schooling, the tech school teacher said.
If students earn a two-year degree in any of those backgrounds, they’ll likely be able to secure a $30,000 annual salary, he said. A four-year degree will provide an extra $10,000 in annual income, Hale estimated.
An advanced degree will bring home a $65,000 annual salary, and civil engineers who are licensed can make a six-figure salary, he said.
“We’re beyond high school students,” BCTHS junior Dan Quinn, 17, said. “The kids who have already graduated said it has done wonders for them and they already know what they’re doing when they get to college.”
Friday, June 6, 2008
Not a Tony Winning Performance
The BCCT today again recognized that the Emperor is running a one man show. Unlike the folksy Mark Twain of Hal Holbrook, or the spot on Ebenezer Scrooge by Patrick Stewart, the world of William Hellmann, CPA, Emperor of Education, is far less entertaining. It is a dark and sinister place. His penchant for sharp and divisive activity, especially where none was needed, has been played out time after time.
"Let's speed this up." "Vote now." "I'm tired of all this." "Let's move on." "Your time is up." The schools director who is for the taxpayer. Isn't that a rather ironic slice of life? All through literature, we find the story of the guy on the wrong side of things. Through experiences, they find the right side, move over, and there's a happy ending. Not so here.
I do take issue with the use of the word virtuoso in the editorial below. The connotation of that word is rather exemplary, defining someone with exceptional and unique talents. We're all unique. It's what we do that is a moral issue. It is often an innocent progression, which leads unexpectedly to other, possible nasty, uses.
There's still a way out. A reader already suggested a way that the board members themselves can begin to clean up the mess quickly, quietly, and without a monetary cost.
I can't **RECALL** another way to handle this myself...
While I do not think that the Emperor is capital "E" Evil personified (think Hitler and Stalin), his obvious inability to work and play well with others is a small "e" evil that does need to be addressed.
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Evil is nourished and grows by concealment." - Virgil
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner
"Of two evils, choose neither." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
One-man band
Multiple heads are better than one.
Morrisville school board President William Hellman is very smart and very capable. He thinks big and has lots of ideas.
Problem is he’s a one-man band. Nobody else on the board gets to play along. At least that’s the way it appears.
Thus, a stunning and divisive proposal to simply dissolve the high school and pay for students to be educated in other districts shows up as a formal proposal. No public debate by board members. No input from citizens.
Maybe Hellmann’s plan is the best thing for the struggling district, its overburdened taxpayers and, most importantly, the students. And maybe shutting the borough’s two elementary schools and uniting them at a renovated high school is a great solution, too — another of Hellman’s big ideas.
It’s just that other board members, as elected representatives of the people, and the people themselves, ought to be part of the planning process.
We strongly urge the borough’s virtuoso board president to share the spotlight.
"Let's speed this up." "Vote now." "I'm tired of all this." "Let's move on." "Your time is up." The schools director who is for the taxpayer. Isn't that a rather ironic slice of life? All through literature, we find the story of the guy on the wrong side of things. Through experiences, they find the right side, move over, and there's a happy ending. Not so here.
I do take issue with the use of the word virtuoso in the editorial below. The connotation of that word is rather exemplary, defining someone with exceptional and unique talents. We're all unique. It's what we do that is a moral issue. It is often an innocent progression, which leads unexpectedly to other, possible nasty, uses.
There's still a way out. A reader already suggested a way that the board members themselves can begin to clean up the mess quickly, quietly, and without a monetary cost.
I can't **RECALL** another way to handle this myself...
While I do not think that the Emperor is capital "E" Evil personified (think Hitler and Stalin), his obvious inability to work and play well with others is a small "e" evil that does need to be addressed.
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Evil is nourished and grows by concealment." - Virgil
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner
"Of two evils, choose neither." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
One-man band
Multiple heads are better than one.
Morrisville school board President William Hellman is very smart and very capable. He thinks big and has lots of ideas.
Problem is he’s a one-man band. Nobody else on the board gets to play along. At least that’s the way it appears.
Thus, a stunning and divisive proposal to simply dissolve the high school and pay for students to be educated in other districts shows up as a formal proposal. No public debate by board members. No input from citizens.
Maybe Hellmann’s plan is the best thing for the struggling district, its overburdened taxpayers and, most importantly, the students. And maybe shutting the borough’s two elementary schools and uniting them at a renovated high school is a great solution, too — another of Hellman’s big ideas.
It’s just that other board members, as elected representatives of the people, and the people themselves, ought to be part of the planning process.
We strongly urge the borough’s virtuoso board president to share the spotlight.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Neshaminy Teacher Negotiations Update
Here's some more information from the BCCT regarding the Neshaminy teachers negotiations.
Be sure to check out the comments to the news story as well.
Get the details
To view the fact-finder's report, visit www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=136&Q=248097. The Neshaminy school board has also created a Web site to keep residents informed about negotiations with the NFT: http://docs.google.com/view?docid=dd9qgb9z_9hk929bhg.
How the sides compare
NESHAMINY SCHOOL BOARD
* Increase salaries 1 percent annually
* Union to pay 10, 11 and 12 percent toward healthcare premiums over next three years
* Increase K-5 class size ranges from 22-29 students to 27-33 students
* Eliminate $27,500 cash payment on retirement, plus full benefits coverage until 65
* Increase step schedule from 11 to 15 steps by 2010-2011
* Eliminate longevity pay
* Eliminate long-term sub pool
* Increase work days from 188.5 to 190.5
* Increase work hours from 7 to 7.5
* Eliminate recognition of master's degree equivalency
* Change six excused absences to three personal days
* Institute mandatory drug-testing for staff
NESHAMINY FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
* Increase salaries 4 percent annually
* No change in health insurance; currently no payment for premiums
* Reduce class sizes from 29 to 27 students in fourth grade, 29 to 28 students in fifth grade, and 35 to 30 students in the middle and high schools
* Increase retirement incentive from $27,500 to $30,000
* Assign no more than three consecutive teaching periods
* Eliminate sister-schooling at the elementary level
* Increase prep periods from five to seven per week
* Allow 12 days per year, or 15 periods per marking period, for individual education plans for special ed teachers
* Cap special ed students at one to every three “regular” students in regular education classes
* Implement required technology education at elementary level
* Implement full-day kindergarten
* Limit case loads to 250 for guidance counselors, 750 for school nurses, 250 for social workers and 1,000 for psychologists
The demands aren't necessarily comparable by category between the union and the board.
Source: Neshaminy School District.
Be sure to check out the comments to the news story as well.
Get the details
To view the fact-finder's report, visit www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=136&Q=248097. The Neshaminy school board has also created a Web site to keep residents informed about negotiations with the NFT: http://docs.google.com/view?docid=dd9qgb9z_9hk929bhg.
How the sides compare
NESHAMINY SCHOOL BOARD
* Increase salaries 1 percent annually
* Union to pay 10, 11 and 12 percent toward healthcare premiums over next three years
* Increase K-5 class size ranges from 22-29 students to 27-33 students
* Eliminate $27,500 cash payment on retirement, plus full benefits coverage until 65
* Increase step schedule from 11 to 15 steps by 2010-2011
* Eliminate longevity pay
* Eliminate long-term sub pool
* Increase work days from 188.5 to 190.5
* Increase work hours from 7 to 7.5
* Eliminate recognition of master's degree equivalency
* Change six excused absences to three personal days
* Institute mandatory drug-testing for staff
NESHAMINY FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
* Increase salaries 4 percent annually
* No change in health insurance; currently no payment for premiums
* Reduce class sizes from 29 to 27 students in fourth grade, 29 to 28 students in fifth grade, and 35 to 30 students in the middle and high schools
* Increase retirement incentive from $27,500 to $30,000
* Assign no more than three consecutive teaching periods
* Eliminate sister-schooling at the elementary level
* Increase prep periods from five to seven per week
* Allow 12 days per year, or 15 periods per marking period, for individual education plans for special ed teachers
* Cap special ed students at one to every three “regular” students in regular education classes
* Implement required technology education at elementary level
* Implement full-day kindergarten
* Limit case loads to 250 for guidance counselors, 750 for school nurses, 250 for social workers and 1,000 for psychologists
The demands aren't necessarily comparable by category between the union and the board.
Source: Neshaminy School District.
Neshaminy Teachers Negotiations
From the BCCT this morning
NESHAMINY
Teachers, school board resume talks
The state fact-finder proposes a 3-percent increase in pay and no charge to the teachers for health care premiums.
By RACHEL CANELLI
Back to the table.
Since neither side has formally accepted a fact-finder’s recommended teacher labor contract, the Neshaminy school board and the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers will resume negotiations. Meanwhile, the report of state-appointed fact-finder John Skonier was made public Monday.
The three-year proposed deal calls for a 3 percent salary increase but no change to the health care package, under which the union does not contribute to its health care premiums, officials said.
Skonier’s report also suggests a 3 percent increase for the co-curricular salary schedule and leaving the excused absence policy and the teachers’ assignment schedules as is.
While the administration has rejected the proposal, the teachers have not accepted or rejected it. That counts as a rejection, according to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
To have a new agreement, both sides would have to accept everything Skonier recommended. They can’t pick and choose pieces of his suggestion.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching school board President Richard Eccles for further comment.
But on a Web site created by the board to keep residents posted on contract talks, members claim they said no to the proposal for the following reasons: health care, and a lack of addressing the step schedule, the retirement incentive package, the length and number of workdays and automatic salary credit for graduate level courses that are not part of a formal master’s degree program. The step schedule is a pay raise process teachers use based on experience and education.
“We look forward to good faith bargaining with the union in order to reach agreement on a contract that is fair and equitable to all, including staff, Neshaminy taxpayers and students,” a note on the site said.
The newspaper was also unsuccessful in reaching NFT President Louise Boyd for comment.
Both sides have another five to 10 days to accept Skonier’s findings, according to the board’s lawyer, Charles Sweet. He also spoke for Pennsbury in 2005 when that district’s teachers struck for 21 days. Tom Jennings is representing the union, administrators said.
The school board and the union are expected to resume talks under the supervision of state-appointed mediator Jill Leeds-Rivera, who was also involved in the Pennsbury bargaining.
If an agreement isn’t reached when the contract expires at the end of this month, the teachers will continue working under the old deal.
Under that pact, the average teacher salary is more than $81,000. But since at least 50 teachers at the higher end of the 11-step pay scale are retiring this year with another 20 leaving in January, that figure is expected to decrease. The average starting teacher salary is $51,976, when combined with experience and education, according to the district’s human resources department.
The top salary, which requires a master’s degree plus 30 credits, is approximately $95,923.
Although the teachers do not pay any percent of their health care premiums, they do pay $15 for co-pays and $5 and $20 for generic and brand-name drugs, respectively, through Personal Choice, as reported by the district’s human resources department.
NESHAMINY
Teachers, school board resume talks
The state fact-finder proposes a 3-percent increase in pay and no charge to the teachers for health care premiums.
By RACHEL CANELLI
Back to the table.
Since neither side has formally accepted a fact-finder’s recommended teacher labor contract, the Neshaminy school board and the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers will resume negotiations. Meanwhile, the report of state-appointed fact-finder John Skonier was made public Monday.
The three-year proposed deal calls for a 3 percent salary increase but no change to the health care package, under which the union does not contribute to its health care premiums, officials said.
Skonier’s report also suggests a 3 percent increase for the co-curricular salary schedule and leaving the excused absence policy and the teachers’ assignment schedules as is.
While the administration has rejected the proposal, the teachers have not accepted or rejected it. That counts as a rejection, according to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
To have a new agreement, both sides would have to accept everything Skonier recommended. They can’t pick and choose pieces of his suggestion.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching school board President Richard Eccles for further comment.
But on a Web site created by the board to keep residents posted on contract talks, members claim they said no to the proposal for the following reasons: health care, and a lack of addressing the step schedule, the retirement incentive package, the length and number of workdays and automatic salary credit for graduate level courses that are not part of a formal master’s degree program. The step schedule is a pay raise process teachers use based on experience and education.
“We look forward to good faith bargaining with the union in order to reach agreement on a contract that is fair and equitable to all, including staff, Neshaminy taxpayers and students,” a note on the site said.
The newspaper was also unsuccessful in reaching NFT President Louise Boyd for comment.
Both sides have another five to 10 days to accept Skonier’s findings, according to the board’s lawyer, Charles Sweet. He also spoke for Pennsbury in 2005 when that district’s teachers struck for 21 days. Tom Jennings is representing the union, administrators said.
The school board and the union are expected to resume talks under the supervision of state-appointed mediator Jill Leeds-Rivera, who was also involved in the Pennsbury bargaining.
If an agreement isn’t reached when the contract expires at the end of this month, the teachers will continue working under the old deal.
Under that pact, the average teacher salary is more than $81,000. But since at least 50 teachers at the higher end of the 11-step pay scale are retiring this year with another 20 leaving in January, that figure is expected to decrease. The average starting teacher salary is $51,976, when combined with experience and education, according to the district’s human resources department.
The top salary, which requires a master’s degree plus 30 credits, is approximately $95,923.
Although the teachers do not pay any percent of their health care premiums, they do pay $15 for co-pays and $5 and $20 for generic and brand-name drugs, respectively, through Personal Choice, as reported by the district’s human resources department.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Fight for your child
From the BCCT this morning. Here's a letter about the Emperor's attempts to illegally obtain special education student information.
Has anyone ever asked the Emperor why he needs to be so confrontational and divisive? Whenever there's an easier way out, he seems to instinctively choose the course of action that requires the most work, the most angst, and the greatest amount of scorched earth. These are not highly prized qualities.
A second article reports on a merger between two Beaver County districts.
The last article is about a one-man campaign to stop teacher strikes. There's one line from the article that is very revealing" "School board President Gregory Lucidi said that Campbell’s approach can be forceful, but effective."
Imagine what could be accomplished in Morrisville if YOU got involved.
Fight for your child
The Morrisville school board wants to cut spending on special education. This
certainly caught my attention.
I have a special needs child in the district. I have been hearing about how the school board president wanted to get the names, addresses and amount of money spent on each child in the district. I heard that he was told at a school board meeting how he cannot take away programs to help our children. This is the law.
Now he wants to cut spending. Exactly where does this put the needs of the child?
I have spoken to many parents from other districts who have horror stories about their children’s education. I have always been proud to say that Morrisville has given my son the resources he needs and because of this he has made amazing progress.
To all parents of special needs children: Get out the booklet that you get at your IEP meetings and this will show you the legal rights of your child. Then if the board tries to take away our children’s rights to be educated, this booklet will give us the information to fight for our children.
Board President Hellmann is a CPA but does he understand anything about educating the special needs child? Obviously not.
Debra Hutchinson Morrisville
------------------------------------------------------------
Ed. secretary: Districts’ merger should be model
MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak says he hopes the looming merger of two struggling Beaver County school districts will lead to similar deals between other districts.
The Center Area School Board is scheduled to vote June 12 on a resolution that would seal the district’s merger with the neighboring Monaca School District.
“It’s historic,” Zahorchak said. “School districts all around the state are talking about this. There are probably eight or 10 different pairs in the talking stages.”
Center and Monaca decided to merge because their shrinking student populations had led to concerns about wasted building space and the inability to offer anything more than basic programs. Specialized courses are harder to justify when few students are available to take them.
The districts expect to save $1.5 million annually and have been promised $500,000 from the state to cover one-time costs associated with the merger.
The real benefits, however, may be reaped by other districts that should consider merging for the same reasons, but have been putting it off, said Zahorchak and Tom Gentzel, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
“Parents and taxpayers need real, specific examples and answers as to how things will work,” Gentzel said. “If we get one or two of these that work well, it will certainly make it easier for others.”
Pennsylvania has 501 school districts and 211 have fewer than 2,000 students.
------------------------------------------------------------
Strikebuster
Dad declares war on teachers union
Lower Makefield’s Simon Campbell models himself after Margaret Thatcher and is leading the drive to ban teacher strikes in Pennsylvania.
By MANASEE WAGH
In 1950s England, Simon Campbell’s electrician grandfather publicly ripped up his union card. In the same decade, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dissolved the power of trade unions in the United Kingdom. Campbell, who grew up in northwest England and is now a resident of Lower Makefield, said his grandfather was making a public statement against strikes. “He wanted to go to work and provide for his family. When the strike happened, he was one of the few to cross the picket line,’’ Campbell said. Now Campbell, 40, is taking a page from his grandfather’s book and going one step further: Over the past three years, he’s raised a grassroots movement to pass legislation making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania. As a father of three elementary school children in Pennsbury, he said he was appalled by the 21-day teacher strike in 2005 and blamed “the power of the union” for disrupting the school year.
Three years after Campbell started protesting union rules and teacher strikes in Pennsbury, he has become a controversial figure in the local community.
In early April, Campbell linked to a list of teacher salaries on StopTeacherStrikes.org, the volunteer organization he started after the 2005 strike. Pennsbury teachers union leaders downplayed the publicity he generated, saying that the information already was publicly available.
Campbell is guardedly optimistic about Senate interest in the future, and as for interest from Gov. Ed Rendell, Campbell thinks it could go either way.
“You never know with Rendell. He’s made some noises on the issue. Of course he’s taken a truckload of money from teachers unions. But you never know.”
While Campbell was not the first to make salaries public or claim that teachers are paid too much, he did stir up the issue.
“We are doing this to galvanize the public,” he said.
He hopes the public will eventually pressure the state Legislature into passing the Strike-Free Education Act, House Bill 1369. It would make Pennsylvania the 38th state to make teacher strikes illegal. Campbell contributed ideas for the bill, which chief sponsor and author state Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin, unveiled in early June 2007.
Rep. Dave Steil, R-31, who supports the bill, said Campbell is the only one “on the forefront” of the push for anti-strike legislation.
“He’s had the temerity to follow through. It’s a real uphill battle in this state,” said Steil. “Ultimately legislation passes when there is a massive groundswell of public support.”
In February, Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of the state school boards association, said he thought it would take at least five more years for public pressure to mount high enough to change state law.
The bill is under consideration in the House labor relations committee and has 28 co-sponsors. Still, Campbell doesn’t anticipate a vote anytime soon — he believes that Robert Belfanti, the committee chairman, would be antagonistic to the bill because his campaigns have been funded in part by union money.
CARRYING THE MESSAGE
Campbell travels two to three times a month to connect with others about StopTeacherStrikes.
“I get invited to speak to other groups, and I network with other taxpayer groups. Activity happens through networking and talking to others,” he said.
Juggling his work, his volunteer activities with StopTeacherStrikes.com and being a parent of three young children, doesn’t leave him much time for hobbies, said Campbell.
“Mostly when I get down time, I like to read, travel and spend time with family and friends. I used to play a lot of squash but hurt my back so I can’t anymore.”
In the mornings, he’s an independent futures trader who works out of his simply appointed home office, with its sunny yellow walls, beige curtains and cream and wood furniture. The rest of the day he usually devotes to his cause and taking care of his three daughters, who attend Quarry Hill Elementary. He met his American wife at the University of Hull when she attended a year of college in England. She is an executive search consultant.
When the strike happened, Campbell said his family was “horrified.” Prior to settling in the U.S., the family had lived in Switzerland, where his eldest had attended two years of public school in a system that didn’t allow teachers to strike.
“The contrast was quite stark,” he said. “It is unconscionable and immoral to me that innocent children can be pushed out of school.”
But what pressed Campbell to action was what happened on the final day of the strike.
“As sure as I stand here, the war is not over, but the battle is done,” Nyla Houser, then union president, told about 600 striking teachers that day. At the time, some teachers believed that she was trying to keep up their spirits and stand in solidarity with them.
For Campbell, her words comparing the situation to a “battle” incensed him and were the trigger for rousing public opposition to teacher strikes and union rules, he said. It pushed him over the line from angry parent to activist.
“Had she not said those words, I might not have been inspired to StopTeacherStrikes,” said Campbell.
Whenever Campbell talks about his mission, his speech gets more heightened as he gets wound up. The volume increases, the eyes frown and the nostrils flare in a tidal wave of fervor for his cause. If there is one thing Simon Campbell is not, it is hesitant. And he’s not afraid to voice his opinions, even if it means being politically incorrect.
As an invited speaker at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in April, Campbell described unions as “Teletubbies” and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association as “Pretty Silly Blindingly Awful.” Later, Campbell explained the analogy.
“Teletubbies are kids’ characters, strange creatures that jump up and down making incoherent noises. But I’m being flippant. My sense of humor is an acquired taste.”
He went on to say at StopTeacherStrikes, “we don’t care about political correctness; we just cause a lot of trouble for the teachers union.”
Campbell tends to stir up emotions among those who agree and disagree with him. Many community members say they enjoy what he stands for but privately dislike his aggressive style.
House Bill 1369 co-sponsor Steil can appreciate Campbell’s confrontational methods.
“He once said to me confrontation works. We disagreed somewhat and we probably still do,” said Steil. But he added that Campbell’s brand of strong action keeps public attention focused on the issues.
In his children’s own school district, Campbell’s work to keep the public’s attention includes speaking up during the public comment portion of Pennsbury school board meetings.
School board President Gregory Lucidi said that Campbell’s approach can be forceful, but effective.
“He is doing a good job raising public awareness about teacher strikes and is getting a very positive response from members of the public. He has a very aggressive style, maybe too aggressive for some people’s taste, but he is effective,” said Lucidi, who has worked with Campbell to promote House Bill 1369. He believes Campbell’s input on the bill has garnered statewide attention.
‘I’LL DESTROY YOU’
Some local critics say that Campbell goes beyond strongly preaching his views.
Ronald Smith, a Lower Makefield supervisor and criminal defense lawyer, said he dislikes his behavior.
“I’m of the opinion that he’s nothing but a cancer. Although some of his positions may be laudable, he attempts to present his position by confrontation, intimidation and disparaging remarks to all those who may disagree with him,” Smith said. “They’re afraid to say this but I’m not afraid. If you don’t agree with Campbell, you are his archenemy. His position is — if you don’t agree with me, I’ll destroy you.”
Smith has accused Campbell of creating a rift between teachers and the school board. As a result, Smith says he’s worried that Pennsbury teacher contract renegotiations next year will be more difficult.
Campbell is quick to point out that he’s not against teachers.
“We’re anti-strike, not antiteacher. All my kids’ teachers are great.” He blames the unions for a number of ills in the district and state.
What vexes Campbell about unions, he said, is that non-union members have to pay a union fee in Pennsbury.
“There’s a difference between what a union member pays and what a non-union member pays, but why should they be forced to pay anything? It’s coercion. They’re like captive passengers.”
George Miller, president of Pennsbury’s teachers union, countered that the fees contribute to the cost of collective bargaining and contract management.
“No one is forced to join the union under any circumstances,” he said. However, he did not return phone calls and e-mails asking for further explanation.
Campbell also blames unions for contributing dues money toward political action.
“They shouldn’t be collecting money for private organizations to give for political actions. This money can pay for lobbying, political action committees, and be used to directly influence elections.”
Union leaders said that the money is used for more innocuous reasons. It goes toward petitioning for political actions that would benefit students, like paying representatives to petition for reforms on its behalf. Because teachers can’t go to Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., said a union leader, political leaders have to take action for them on concerns like No Child Left Behind.
As far as strikes go, Wythe Keever, spokesman for the state education association, said they evolved out of a feeling of helplessness in the late ’60s. At that time, Keever said, teacher salaries were low and public employees didn’t have collective bargaining rights.
He said growing advocacy at the state level led to the use of strikes as a bargaining chip.
“Striking is the only leverage that teachers have when bargaining fails to produce what they consider to be fair settlement. The general feeling is that strikes should be a last resort, but a legal last resort.”
WHERE DO LEGISLATORS STAND?
Campbell recently put a survey for state representatives on his StopTeacherStrikes Web site.
It asks whether they support strike-free legislation and union practices like taking a fee from all teachers, whether they are part of the union or not.
Campbell said he wants the public to know where legislators stand. He said StopTeacherStrikes is “all about educating the public, trying to get people to look at the big picture.”
He looks to his grandfather’s example when confronted with opposition.
“It wasn’t that he was teaching me to be anti-union but that I should stand up for what I believe in.”
Campbell said his role model is the former prime minister of the United Kingdom,
“In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher liberated the UK from the stranglehold of corrupting union power and socialism. She was a conviction politician. People either loved her or they hated her. I loved her.”
Has anyone ever asked the Emperor why he needs to be so confrontational and divisive? Whenever there's an easier way out, he seems to instinctively choose the course of action that requires the most work, the most angst, and the greatest amount of scorched earth. These are not highly prized qualities.
A second article reports on a merger between two Beaver County districts.
The last article is about a one-man campaign to stop teacher strikes. There's one line from the article that is very revealing" "School board President Gregory Lucidi said that Campbell’s approach can be forceful, but effective."
Imagine what could be accomplished in Morrisville if YOU got involved.
Fight for your child
The Morrisville school board wants to cut spending on special education. This
certainly caught my attention.
I have a special needs child in the district. I have been hearing about how the school board president wanted to get the names, addresses and amount of money spent on each child in the district. I heard that he was told at a school board meeting how he cannot take away programs to help our children. This is the law.
Now he wants to cut spending. Exactly where does this put the needs of the child?
I have spoken to many parents from other districts who have horror stories about their children’s education. I have always been proud to say that Morrisville has given my son the resources he needs and because of this he has made amazing progress.
To all parents of special needs children: Get out the booklet that you get at your IEP meetings and this will show you the legal rights of your child. Then if the board tries to take away our children’s rights to be educated, this booklet will give us the information to fight for our children.
Board President Hellmann is a CPA but does he understand anything about educating the special needs child? Obviously not.
Debra Hutchinson Morrisville
------------------------------------------------------------
Ed. secretary: Districts’ merger should be model
MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak says he hopes the looming merger of two struggling Beaver County school districts will lead to similar deals between other districts.
The Center Area School Board is scheduled to vote June 12 on a resolution that would seal the district’s merger with the neighboring Monaca School District.
“It’s historic,” Zahorchak said. “School districts all around the state are talking about this. There are probably eight or 10 different pairs in the talking stages.”
Center and Monaca decided to merge because their shrinking student populations had led to concerns about wasted building space and the inability to offer anything more than basic programs. Specialized courses are harder to justify when few students are available to take them.
The districts expect to save $1.5 million annually and have been promised $500,000 from the state to cover one-time costs associated with the merger.
The real benefits, however, may be reaped by other districts that should consider merging for the same reasons, but have been putting it off, said Zahorchak and Tom Gentzel, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
“Parents and taxpayers need real, specific examples and answers as to how things will work,” Gentzel said. “If we get one or two of these that work well, it will certainly make it easier for others.”
Pennsylvania has 501 school districts and 211 have fewer than 2,000 students.
------------------------------------------------------------
Strikebuster
Dad declares war on teachers union
Lower Makefield’s Simon Campbell models himself after Margaret Thatcher and is leading the drive to ban teacher strikes in Pennsylvania.
By MANASEE WAGH
In 1950s England, Simon Campbell’s electrician grandfather publicly ripped up his union card. In the same decade, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dissolved the power of trade unions in the United Kingdom. Campbell, who grew up in northwest England and is now a resident of Lower Makefield, said his grandfather was making a public statement against strikes. “He wanted to go to work and provide for his family. When the strike happened, he was one of the few to cross the picket line,’’ Campbell said. Now Campbell, 40, is taking a page from his grandfather’s book and going one step further: Over the past three years, he’s raised a grassroots movement to pass legislation making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania. As a father of three elementary school children in Pennsbury, he said he was appalled by the 21-day teacher strike in 2005 and blamed “the power of the union” for disrupting the school year.
Three years after Campbell started protesting union rules and teacher strikes in Pennsbury, he has become a controversial figure in the local community.
In early April, Campbell linked to a list of teacher salaries on StopTeacherStrikes.org, the volunteer organization he started after the 2005 strike. Pennsbury teachers union leaders downplayed the publicity he generated, saying that the information already was publicly available.
Campbell is guardedly optimistic about Senate interest in the future, and as for interest from Gov. Ed Rendell, Campbell thinks it could go either way.
“You never know with Rendell. He’s made some noises on the issue. Of course he’s taken a truckload of money from teachers unions. But you never know.”
While Campbell was not the first to make salaries public or claim that teachers are paid too much, he did stir up the issue.
“We are doing this to galvanize the public,” he said.
He hopes the public will eventually pressure the state Legislature into passing the Strike-Free Education Act, House Bill 1369. It would make Pennsylvania the 38th state to make teacher strikes illegal. Campbell contributed ideas for the bill, which chief sponsor and author state Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin, unveiled in early June 2007.
Rep. Dave Steil, R-31, who supports the bill, said Campbell is the only one “on the forefront” of the push for anti-strike legislation.
“He’s had the temerity to follow through. It’s a real uphill battle in this state,” said Steil. “Ultimately legislation passes when there is a massive groundswell of public support.”
In February, Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of the state school boards association, said he thought it would take at least five more years for public pressure to mount high enough to change state law.
The bill is under consideration in the House labor relations committee and has 28 co-sponsors. Still, Campbell doesn’t anticipate a vote anytime soon — he believes that Robert Belfanti, the committee chairman, would be antagonistic to the bill because his campaigns have been funded in part by union money.
CARRYING THE MESSAGE
Campbell travels two to three times a month to connect with others about StopTeacherStrikes.
“I get invited to speak to other groups, and I network with other taxpayer groups. Activity happens through networking and talking to others,” he said.
Juggling his work, his volunteer activities with StopTeacherStrikes.com and being a parent of three young children, doesn’t leave him much time for hobbies, said Campbell.
“Mostly when I get down time, I like to read, travel and spend time with family and friends. I used to play a lot of squash but hurt my back so I can’t anymore.”
In the mornings, he’s an independent futures trader who works out of his simply appointed home office, with its sunny yellow walls, beige curtains and cream and wood furniture. The rest of the day he usually devotes to his cause and taking care of his three daughters, who attend Quarry Hill Elementary. He met his American wife at the University of Hull when she attended a year of college in England. She is an executive search consultant.
When the strike happened, Campbell said his family was “horrified.” Prior to settling in the U.S., the family had lived in Switzerland, where his eldest had attended two years of public school in a system that didn’t allow teachers to strike.
“The contrast was quite stark,” he said. “It is unconscionable and immoral to me that innocent children can be pushed out of school.”
But what pressed Campbell to action was what happened on the final day of the strike.
“As sure as I stand here, the war is not over, but the battle is done,” Nyla Houser, then union president, told about 600 striking teachers that day. At the time, some teachers believed that she was trying to keep up their spirits and stand in solidarity with them.
For Campbell, her words comparing the situation to a “battle” incensed him and were the trigger for rousing public opposition to teacher strikes and union rules, he said. It pushed him over the line from angry parent to activist.
“Had she not said those words, I might not have been inspired to StopTeacherStrikes,” said Campbell.
Whenever Campbell talks about his mission, his speech gets more heightened as he gets wound up. The volume increases, the eyes frown and the nostrils flare in a tidal wave of fervor for his cause. If there is one thing Simon Campbell is not, it is hesitant. And he’s not afraid to voice his opinions, even if it means being politically incorrect.
As an invited speaker at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in April, Campbell described unions as “Teletubbies” and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association as “Pretty Silly Blindingly Awful.” Later, Campbell explained the analogy.
“Teletubbies are kids’ characters, strange creatures that jump up and down making incoherent noises. But I’m being flippant. My sense of humor is an acquired taste.”
He went on to say at StopTeacherStrikes, “we don’t care about political correctness; we just cause a lot of trouble for the teachers union.”
Campbell tends to stir up emotions among those who agree and disagree with him. Many community members say they enjoy what he stands for but privately dislike his aggressive style.
House Bill 1369 co-sponsor Steil can appreciate Campbell’s confrontational methods.
“He once said to me confrontation works. We disagreed somewhat and we probably still do,” said Steil. But he added that Campbell’s brand of strong action keeps public attention focused on the issues.
In his children’s own school district, Campbell’s work to keep the public’s attention includes speaking up during the public comment portion of Pennsbury school board meetings.
School board President Gregory Lucidi said that Campbell’s approach can be forceful, but effective.
“He is doing a good job raising public awareness about teacher strikes and is getting a very positive response from members of the public. He has a very aggressive style, maybe too aggressive for some people’s taste, but he is effective,” said Lucidi, who has worked with Campbell to promote House Bill 1369. He believes Campbell’s input on the bill has garnered statewide attention.
‘I’LL DESTROY YOU’
Some local critics say that Campbell goes beyond strongly preaching his views.
Ronald Smith, a Lower Makefield supervisor and criminal defense lawyer, said he dislikes his behavior.
“I’m of the opinion that he’s nothing but a cancer. Although some of his positions may be laudable, he attempts to present his position by confrontation, intimidation and disparaging remarks to all those who may disagree with him,” Smith said. “They’re afraid to say this but I’m not afraid. If you don’t agree with Campbell, you are his archenemy. His position is — if you don’t agree with me, I’ll destroy you.”
Smith has accused Campbell of creating a rift between teachers and the school board. As a result, Smith says he’s worried that Pennsbury teacher contract renegotiations next year will be more difficult.
Campbell is quick to point out that he’s not against teachers.
“We’re anti-strike, not antiteacher. All my kids’ teachers are great.” He blames the unions for a number of ills in the district and state.
What vexes Campbell about unions, he said, is that non-union members have to pay a union fee in Pennsbury.
“There’s a difference between what a union member pays and what a non-union member pays, but why should they be forced to pay anything? It’s coercion. They’re like captive passengers.”
George Miller, president of Pennsbury’s teachers union, countered that the fees contribute to the cost of collective bargaining and contract management.
“No one is forced to join the union under any circumstances,” he said. However, he did not return phone calls and e-mails asking for further explanation.
Campbell also blames unions for contributing dues money toward political action.
“They shouldn’t be collecting money for private organizations to give for political actions. This money can pay for lobbying, political action committees, and be used to directly influence elections.”
Union leaders said that the money is used for more innocuous reasons. It goes toward petitioning for political actions that would benefit students, like paying representatives to petition for reforms on its behalf. Because teachers can’t go to Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., said a union leader, political leaders have to take action for them on concerns like No Child Left Behind.
As far as strikes go, Wythe Keever, spokesman for the state education association, said they evolved out of a feeling of helplessness in the late ’60s. At that time, Keever said, teacher salaries were low and public employees didn’t have collective bargaining rights.
He said growing advocacy at the state level led to the use of strikes as a bargaining chip.
“Striking is the only leverage that teachers have when bargaining fails to produce what they consider to be fair settlement. The general feeling is that strikes should be a last resort, but a legal last resort.”
WHERE DO LEGISLATORS STAND?
Campbell recently put a survey for state representatives on his StopTeacherStrikes Web site.
It asks whether they support strike-free legislation and union practices like taking a fee from all teachers, whether they are part of the union or not.
Campbell said he wants the public to know where legislators stand. He said StopTeacherStrikes is “all about educating the public, trying to get people to look at the big picture.”
He looks to his grandfather’s example when confronted with opposition.
“It wasn’t that he was teaching me to be anti-union but that I should stand up for what I believe in.”
Campbell said his role model is the former prime minister of the United Kingdom,
“In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher liberated the UK from the stranglehold of corrupting union power and socialism. She was a conviction politician. People either loved her or they hated her. I loved her.”
Friday, May 30, 2008
More small district woes
School taxes could jump 14 percent
By CHRISTOPHER RUVO
The Intelligencer
Riegelsville taxpayers would pay 14.3 percent more in school property taxes under next year's proposed budget from the Easton Area School District.
The borough at the northeastern tip of Bucks County sends students across the county line to the school district in Northampton County, a situation some in the riverside enclave would like to change because of what they feel are high school taxes.
Under Easton's proposed $121.8 million 2008-09 budget, property owners in Riegelsville, which has 68 students in Easton schools, would pay a millage rate of 159.46 — a nearly 20 mill increase. That would result in a property tax bill of $3,827 for a home assessed at $24,000, up $479.
Homeowners approved to receive a property tax rebate through the state's gambling revenues would have $233 knocked off the 2008-09 bill, bringing the average bill down to $3,594.
A mill is a tax of $1 on every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
If the same $24,000 Riegelsville home were in Palisades, the Upper Bucks school district that abuts Riegelsville, the owner would pay $2,400 under a proposed 2008-09 budget.
Qualified homeowners here would receive a rebate of $233 thanks to casino monies, knocking down the average bill to $2,167.
That's a big reason why the Riegelsville Tax and Education Coalition is pursuing transferring the borough's students to Palisades, despite two rulings that denied the move and opposition from some borough residents who wish to remain in Easton.
“The tax inequity issue is very critical,” said William Casey, a Doylestown lawyer representing the coalition as it pursues its case for secession from Easton before the Commonwealth Court.
Although a state school spending law, Act 1, caps Easton's allowed tax increase at 5.6 percent, the district has qualified for exceptions that allow the rate to jump well beyond that, said Jeffrey Bader, Easton's business manager.
Bader cautioned that the budget is preliminary and could be whittled down.
“We're always looking at getting down costs,” said Bader, who noted that everything from fixed expenses like salaries and fuel to rising special education costs is driving up spending.
Still, the Riegelsville coalition wants to become Palisades Pirates.
The group has argued that Riegelsville, which is surrounded by country townships, fits in better in the rural 2,100-student Palisades school district than the 9,000-student, urbanized Easton.
The town is contiguous with Palisades, but not with Easton, and has ties to the Upper Bucks communities that make up Palisades through the library, local sports leagues and emergency services.
Easton's final budget will have to be approved before June 30. It could be voted on at a special meeting scheduled for May 29.
High school students from Riegelsville have been attending Easton since 1932, when a school building in Durham became overcrowded. By 1965, the state consolidated school districts and all Riegelsville residents were attending Easton schools.
“It was a good thing for a long time. But now that Palisades is really going, it's time for the kids to go there,” said Casey.
By CHRISTOPHER RUVO
The Intelligencer
Riegelsville taxpayers would pay 14.3 percent more in school property taxes under next year's proposed budget from the Easton Area School District.
The borough at the northeastern tip of Bucks County sends students across the county line to the school district in Northampton County, a situation some in the riverside enclave would like to change because of what they feel are high school taxes.
Under Easton's proposed $121.8 million 2008-09 budget, property owners in Riegelsville, which has 68 students in Easton schools, would pay a millage rate of 159.46 — a nearly 20 mill increase. That would result in a property tax bill of $3,827 for a home assessed at $24,000, up $479.
Homeowners approved to receive a property tax rebate through the state's gambling revenues would have $233 knocked off the 2008-09 bill, bringing the average bill down to $3,594.
A mill is a tax of $1 on every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
If the same $24,000 Riegelsville home were in Palisades, the Upper Bucks school district that abuts Riegelsville, the owner would pay $2,400 under a proposed 2008-09 budget.
Qualified homeowners here would receive a rebate of $233 thanks to casino monies, knocking down the average bill to $2,167.
That's a big reason why the Riegelsville Tax and Education Coalition is pursuing transferring the borough's students to Palisades, despite two rulings that denied the move and opposition from some borough residents who wish to remain in Easton.
“The tax inequity issue is very critical,” said William Casey, a Doylestown lawyer representing the coalition as it pursues its case for secession from Easton before the Commonwealth Court.
Although a state school spending law, Act 1, caps Easton's allowed tax increase at 5.6 percent, the district has qualified for exceptions that allow the rate to jump well beyond that, said Jeffrey Bader, Easton's business manager.
Bader cautioned that the budget is preliminary and could be whittled down.
“We're always looking at getting down costs,” said Bader, who noted that everything from fixed expenses like salaries and fuel to rising special education costs is driving up spending.
Still, the Riegelsville coalition wants to become Palisades Pirates.
The group has argued that Riegelsville, which is surrounded by country townships, fits in better in the rural 2,100-student Palisades school district than the 9,000-student, urbanized Easton.
The town is contiguous with Palisades, but not with Easton, and has ties to the Upper Bucks communities that make up Palisades through the library, local sports leagues and emergency services.
Easton's final budget will have to be approved before June 30. It could be voted on at a special meeting scheduled for May 29.
High school students from Riegelsville have been attending Easton since 1932, when a school building in Durham became overcrowded. By 1965, the state consolidated school districts and all Riegelsville residents were attending Easton schools.
“It was a good thing for a long time. But now that Palisades is really going, it's time for the kids to go there,” said Casey.
Hellmann Schools Death Plan
Here's the BCCT article on the Hellmann death plan for the schools.
For all of his deficiencies as a human being in general (supreme arrogance being the most glaring) the Emperor is not stupid. He can do this. Yes, I take back what I said yesterday after having some time to think about it. He has three solid puppet accomplices who would vote for anything as long as Hellmann wished it: Al Radosti, Marlys Mihok, and Brenda Worob. (Did you notice that is now the "leadership" on the board?) That's a 4-4 tie vote at best. The the fifth vote comes over the dead body of committed schools champion Ed Frankenfield. A reliable new toady will be appointed and the fait is truly accompli. Forget about (no direct disrespect to any of these four people, but it's the truth) the unsteady waffling of Bill Farrell and Gloria Heater. They are as irrelevant as Joe Kemp and Robin Reithmeyer, and if they happen to support the plan, that's just another vote in favor.
The teachers union negotiations will ultimately result in concessions of one sort or another that will begin to pave the road. Financing will appear. So will the buses to Pennsbury, Bristol, Council Rock, or even DVHS at the deep, deep discount Joe Kemp mentioned earlier.
It's only money. That's the only thing driving this latter day Scrooge-like board. There's no happy ending for Tiny Tim here. His special ed is being cut too. Paging the three ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future: Your table is ready. The Emperor is already seated.
The Emperor's vision for Morrisville was conceived during his long, long period of isolation as a rusting Tin Man longing for a heart. The difference here is that instead of journeying to see the Wizard and obtaining that heart, (or remixing my metaphors, being visited by the ghosts), he realized that rusting away in the field was his highest ambition, and he wants Oz-like Morrisville to rust right alongside him.
Give the Emperor his kudos. He's played his hand well and the public has played their role to perfection: They stayed home and did nothing. It's just about too late and we're watching the end of MHS. We're gathered at the bedside of the dying patient and we're waiting for five votes to pull the plug.
Beep....beep......beep..........beep.........................beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
Board president presents school consolidation plan
By MANASEE WAGH
The three public schools in the Morrisville School District could shrink to just one in the future.
School board President William Hellmann announced a three-pronged plan of how he would do that at Wednesday’s board meeting:
Grades nine through 12 would be absorbed by other districts
Renovate the existing high school
Transfer remaining grades — kindergarten through eighth now at two elementary schools — to the high school building.
“My overall theme is consolidation,” he said Thursday. “Instead of keeping three buildings, we consolidate into one.”
Hellmann unveiled his plan to much outcry from diehard community members who remained planted in their chairs past midnight.
Hellmann stressed that the idea was just a plan, and that it was up to the entire board to make a decision.
“I know some people don’t like the idea but tough choices have to be made,” he said Thursday. “These are my thoughts. I’m not telling everyone what to do. These are my recommendations.”
The former school board wanted to create a new $30 million consolidated school for the district’s approximately 1,000 students, a plan that would have raised taxes for several years. However, the current board nixed the idea on the promise to keep taxes low. It elected to return most of the remaining bond money the previous board had obtained for its merged schools plan.
Hellmann said his plan would use $7 million from capital reserve funds to renovate the high school.
“I want to center renovations on the high school. But it’s a very solid building. That building will be there after I’m gone. I cannot see knocking that down,” he said.
The new school board has been trying to figure out how to accomplish school renovations since the beginning of the year. There is no fixed plan in place, but the board accepted an engineering firm’s proposal Wednesday to provide bid specifications for electrical safety issues at the high school.
There are 273 students who attend ninth through 12th grade in the high school building this year. That’s not counting those who attend services outside the high school building.
Hellmann did not explain how sending students to other districts would work, adding he’s not sure how to implement all parts of his plan at the moment.
“Our No. 1 problem is teacher contracts. No. 2 is special education costs,” he said.
Teacher contracts are binding and can’t be altered without union approval.
“The only way is to bargain with them, but we’re not at that point yet. The problem is, the prior board approved contracts in February 2007. It was a very expensive contract. Prior board members didn’t anticipate the cost over the next several years. That’s the biggest problem,” Hellmann said.
An average teacher salary in Morrisville is about $70,000, according to the state Department of Education.
Next year’s budget calls for about $10 million in employee salaries and benefits.
Hellmann said rising special education costs are a problem, too, but the state mandates that districts pay for any necessary services. Hellmann didn’t describe his plan to reduce next year’s cost increase by about 30 percent. He said the board would stay within legal territory.
“This board is not going to do anything illegally. That’s guaranteed. That’s why we have a solicitor.”
The department of education said it would not comment on any district’s situation unless the board approves such changes.
On May 21, the board voted to consider a $19.7 million budget that’s about $250,000 short of the budget the administration recommended.
The lower budget would reduce necessary funds for incoming special education students, as well as money for students expected to attend charter and alternative schools.
Based on the number of students anticipated and their educational needs, the district is looking at a $2.1 million bill for special education services next year. The administration doesn’t have a choice in how much to pay for special education, said Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson at Wednesday’s meeting.
“Since December we’ve been looking at ways to cut costs without infringing on the needs of our children,” Yonson said Thursday.
Hellmann’s proposed cuts to the increase in special education expenses are about 30 percent. It would have been 40 percent, but the price for administrative services is lower than earlier thought, Yonson said.
Still, Kimberly Myers, supervisor of pupil personnel services, said she doesn’t see how the reduced budget could cover projected needs for special education requirements.
Hellmann thinks there’s a way to do it.
“My goal from the beginning was to provide an education for children that the town can afford. I’m trying to be reasonable. That’s it,” he said.
According to Yonson and Myers, the only way might be to reduce other expenditures.
“At this point, we’re hoping to convince the board not to do this. We are giving them a barebones budget,” Yonson said.
For all of his deficiencies as a human being in general (supreme arrogance being the most glaring) the Emperor is not stupid. He can do this. Yes, I take back what I said yesterday after having some time to think about it. He has three solid puppet accomplices who would vote for anything as long as Hellmann wished it: Al Radosti, Marlys Mihok, and Brenda Worob. (Did you notice that is now the "leadership" on the board?) That's a 4-4 tie vote at best. The the fifth vote comes over the dead body of committed schools champion Ed Frankenfield. A reliable new toady will be appointed and the fait is truly accompli. Forget about (no direct disrespect to any of these four people, but it's the truth) the unsteady waffling of Bill Farrell and Gloria Heater. They are as irrelevant as Joe Kemp and Robin Reithmeyer, and if they happen to support the plan, that's just another vote in favor.
The teachers union negotiations will ultimately result in concessions of one sort or another that will begin to pave the road. Financing will appear. So will the buses to Pennsbury, Bristol, Council Rock, or even DVHS at the deep, deep discount Joe Kemp mentioned earlier.
It's only money. That's the only thing driving this latter day Scrooge-like board. There's no happy ending for Tiny Tim here. His special ed is being cut too. Paging the three ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future: Your table is ready. The Emperor is already seated.
The Emperor's vision for Morrisville was conceived during his long, long period of isolation as a rusting Tin Man longing for a heart. The difference here is that instead of journeying to see the Wizard and obtaining that heart, (or remixing my metaphors, being visited by the ghosts), he realized that rusting away in the field was his highest ambition, and he wants Oz-like Morrisville to rust right alongside him.
Give the Emperor his kudos. He's played his hand well and the public has played their role to perfection: They stayed home and did nothing. It's just about too late and we're watching the end of MHS. We're gathered at the bedside of the dying patient and we're waiting for five votes to pull the plug.
Beep....beep......beep..........beep.........................beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
Board president presents school consolidation plan
By MANASEE WAGH
The three public schools in the Morrisville School District could shrink to just one in the future.
School board President William Hellmann announced a three-pronged plan of how he would do that at Wednesday’s board meeting:
Grades nine through 12 would be absorbed by other districts
Renovate the existing high school
Transfer remaining grades — kindergarten through eighth now at two elementary schools — to the high school building.
“My overall theme is consolidation,” he said Thursday. “Instead of keeping three buildings, we consolidate into one.”
Hellmann unveiled his plan to much outcry from diehard community members who remained planted in their chairs past midnight.
Hellmann stressed that the idea was just a plan, and that it was up to the entire board to make a decision.
“I know some people don’t like the idea but tough choices have to be made,” he said Thursday. “These are my thoughts. I’m not telling everyone what to do. These are my recommendations.”
The former school board wanted to create a new $30 million consolidated school for the district’s approximately 1,000 students, a plan that would have raised taxes for several years. However, the current board nixed the idea on the promise to keep taxes low. It elected to return most of the remaining bond money the previous board had obtained for its merged schools plan.
Hellmann said his plan would use $7 million from capital reserve funds to renovate the high school.
“I want to center renovations on the high school. But it’s a very solid building. That building will be there after I’m gone. I cannot see knocking that down,” he said.
The new school board has been trying to figure out how to accomplish school renovations since the beginning of the year. There is no fixed plan in place, but the board accepted an engineering firm’s proposal Wednesday to provide bid specifications for electrical safety issues at the high school.
There are 273 students who attend ninth through 12th grade in the high school building this year. That’s not counting those who attend services outside the high school building.
Hellmann did not explain how sending students to other districts would work, adding he’s not sure how to implement all parts of his plan at the moment.
“Our No. 1 problem is teacher contracts. No. 2 is special education costs,” he said.
Teacher contracts are binding and can’t be altered without union approval.
“The only way is to bargain with them, but we’re not at that point yet. The problem is, the prior board approved contracts in February 2007. It was a very expensive contract. Prior board members didn’t anticipate the cost over the next several years. That’s the biggest problem,” Hellmann said.
An average teacher salary in Morrisville is about $70,000, according to the state Department of Education.
Next year’s budget calls for about $10 million in employee salaries and benefits.
Hellmann said rising special education costs are a problem, too, but the state mandates that districts pay for any necessary services. Hellmann didn’t describe his plan to reduce next year’s cost increase by about 30 percent. He said the board would stay within legal territory.
“This board is not going to do anything illegally. That’s guaranteed. That’s why we have a solicitor.”
The department of education said it would not comment on any district’s situation unless the board approves such changes.
On May 21, the board voted to consider a $19.7 million budget that’s about $250,000 short of the budget the administration recommended.
The lower budget would reduce necessary funds for incoming special education students, as well as money for students expected to attend charter and alternative schools.
Based on the number of students anticipated and their educational needs, the district is looking at a $2.1 million bill for special education services next year. The administration doesn’t have a choice in how much to pay for special education, said Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson at Wednesday’s meeting.
“Since December we’ve been looking at ways to cut costs without infringing on the needs of our children,” Yonson said Thursday.
Hellmann’s proposed cuts to the increase in special education expenses are about 30 percent. It would have been 40 percent, but the price for administrative services is lower than earlier thought, Yonson said.
Still, Kimberly Myers, supervisor of pupil personnel services, said she doesn’t see how the reduced budget could cover projected needs for special education requirements.
Hellmann thinks there’s a way to do it.
“My goal from the beginning was to provide an education for children that the town can afford. I’m trying to be reasonable. That’s it,” he said.
According to Yonson and Myers, the only way might be to reduce other expenditures.
“At this point, we’re hoping to convince the board not to do this. We are giving them a barebones budget,” Yonson said.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pennsylvania School Standards
Here's an editorial from the BCCT this morning calling for better state education standards. Our school board, and many others in the area, have passed resolutions opposing many of the proposals.
What do you think?
Empty diplomas Raising the bar
School districts shouldn’t be allowed to graduate students who can’t read, write or do math.
If you’re not familiar with the term “empty diploma,” it refers to the shameful and destructive practice of graduating kids who lack basic skills. This is a big problem in Pennsylvania.
According to the state Department of Education, more than 56,000 high school seniors graduated from Pennsylvania high schools last year even though they failed state math and reading tests. This happened because the state PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) tests aren’t the final word on who gets diplomas and who doesn’t.
School districts have final say via so-called local graduation assessments. And so the PSSAs, which are Pennsylvania’s No Child Left Behind tests, can be and routinely are summarily dismissed as a graduation requirement.
How it helps graduates to enter the work force or go on to college while lacking basic math and language skills is a mystery to us — and a disservice to the ill equipped graduates. It’s why the Education Department, at Gov. Rendell’s urgings, has developed a battery of graduation tests in 10 core subjects. Sensibly, the tests would be administered at the completion of each course as opposed to combining the subject areas into a single comprehensive test in students’ senior year.
That would be less troubling for students. And with remediation provided along the way, it would be a more effective way to help students learn the basic skills they need to succeed in today’s world. Besides, we have to do something.
State Education officials can’t allow watered-down graduation standards to remain in place. It’s impractical if not ruinous from a national perspective; it also violates the state’s legal and moral obligation to provide students with an education.
Unfortunately, the proposal is getting panned by school districts and teacher unions. They warn against burdening already test weary students and fret that more students will drop out if standards are raised. Additionally, they claim that districts are the best judges of whether students are qualified to graduate.
Seems to us local standards are much too weak if students who can’t pass basic skills tests are getting diplomas anyway.
What’s worrisome is that lawmakers are joining the opposition. And so we encourage citizens to chime in. Public comment on the proposal to standardize graduation requirements will be accepted through June 16.
Stand up for real graduation standards and against handing out diplomas just for showing up.
What do you think?
Empty diplomas Raising the bar
School districts shouldn’t be allowed to graduate students who can’t read, write or do math.
If you’re not familiar with the term “empty diploma,” it refers to the shameful and destructive practice of graduating kids who lack basic skills. This is a big problem in Pennsylvania.
According to the state Department of Education, more than 56,000 high school seniors graduated from Pennsylvania high schools last year even though they failed state math and reading tests. This happened because the state PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) tests aren’t the final word on who gets diplomas and who doesn’t.
School districts have final say via so-called local graduation assessments. And so the PSSAs, which are Pennsylvania’s No Child Left Behind tests, can be and routinely are summarily dismissed as a graduation requirement.
How it helps graduates to enter the work force or go on to college while lacking basic math and language skills is a mystery to us — and a disservice to the ill equipped graduates. It’s why the Education Department, at Gov. Rendell’s urgings, has developed a battery of graduation tests in 10 core subjects. Sensibly, the tests would be administered at the completion of each course as opposed to combining the subject areas into a single comprehensive test in students’ senior year.
That would be less troubling for students. And with remediation provided along the way, it would be a more effective way to help students learn the basic skills they need to succeed in today’s world. Besides, we have to do something.
State Education officials can’t allow watered-down graduation standards to remain in place. It’s impractical if not ruinous from a national perspective; it also violates the state’s legal and moral obligation to provide students with an education.
Unfortunately, the proposal is getting panned by school districts and teacher unions. They warn against burdening already test weary students and fret that more students will drop out if standards are raised. Additionally, they claim that districts are the best judges of whether students are qualified to graduate.
Seems to us local standards are much too weak if students who can’t pass basic skills tests are getting diplomas anyway.
What’s worrisome is that lawmakers are joining the opposition. And so we encourage citizens to chime in. Public comment on the proposal to standardize graduation requirements will be accepted through June 16.
Stand up for real graduation standards and against handing out diplomas just for showing up.
The Emperor Speaks!
Thanks to the tipster regarding Kate Fratti's blog.
I couldn't find the BCCT editorial and Greta's guest opinion on line to see if any comments were posted. In fact most dates from the holiday weekend are not there. I think it's a CONSPIRACY!!!
Maybe conspiracy is a little over the top. Maybe. Who knows?
And Kate--can you get the editorial and Greta's guest opinion posted to phillyburbs.com?
I’m all ears
Today, I heard from Morrisville School Board President Bill Hellmann who invited me to sit down with him soon to talk about the challenges facing Morrisville and the board majority’s efforts to deal with them. Hellmann is a man of very few words, often decling comment even at public school board meetings. I’d asked him to simply explain his rationale for calling for serious cuts to spending on special education and alternative schooling. He’s proposed not funding nearly half of the increase in costs. Says the district has to draw a line somewhere. Some argue that what he’s proposing will never pass legal muster. I’ll let you know when we’re scheduled to talk.
I couldn't find the BCCT editorial and Greta's guest opinion on line to see if any comments were posted. In fact most dates from the holiday weekend are not there. I think it's a CONSPIRACY!!!
Maybe conspiracy is a little over the top. Maybe. Who knows?
And Kate--can you get the editorial and Greta's guest opinion posted to phillyburbs.com?
I’m all ears
Today, I heard from Morrisville School Board President Bill Hellmann who invited me to sit down with him soon to talk about the challenges facing Morrisville and the board majority’s efforts to deal with them. Hellmann is a man of very few words, often decling comment even at public school board meetings. I’d asked him to simply explain his rationale for calling for serious cuts to spending on special education and alternative schooling. He’s proposed not funding nearly half of the increase in costs. Says the district has to draw a line somewhere. Some argue that what he’s proposing will never pass legal muster. I’ll let you know when we’re scheduled to talk.
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