Steve, pick up the needle, man

A follow up to this post.

Folks, this is what passes for a "high public official" in Morrisville.

Comments To This Article:

* kim - Pennsbury needs to re-register also!!!
(08/15/2008 )
I don't think the kids from Trenton are being dropped off to attend Morrisville, I see kids waiting at bus stops for Pennsbury buses in cars with NJ plates.

* Steve - FrATTY More twists and more misinformation!!
(08/16/2008 )
Here Kate goes again!! Just like the misspelling in the title above twisting the truth to hurt her political opposites whom volunteer their time and save the taxpayers money. Small example, why does she exclusively state that the re-registration is to purge the children from Trenton? Because she hopes to plant the seeds of perceived prejudice against the new school board. The misinformation in Fratti's article is more voluminous than what I have time to refute however Kate, given the dubious history of mis-managment and corruption in the school district, why should we trust school employees with sensitive information more than long term highly respected residents? Maybe you'd feel better if we brought back Frank or the good doctor to oversee things!! This type of re-registration has worked well in the past but Kate fails to mention that. She is a fine example of why her rag newspaper is going down the drain. Feel that pink slip getting closer Kate??????????

* Ann - In Steve We Trust...
(08/16/2008 )
Small example, why does she exclusively state that the re-registration is to purge the children from Trenton?

It's probably from stuff like this, which is a quote from a commenter at the March 26, 2008 Morrisville school board meeting:

I feel that board should consider a registration process for all students entering school in September of ’08. Parents of students should have to submit tax bills for proof of residency and renters would have to submit copies of the lease along with any necessary legal documentation in the event that the students is under their guardianship, but in actually is not their child/children. Perhaps this process should be carried out each year to eliminate students that should no be enrolled in MHS. This could definitely be a savings. I personally have heard the parents who stated that their children are enrolled in the Morrisville School System. “Quote…”the one mother said, just take them across the bridge it is easy to do”. She did it. She was telling the other Mothers “I know you don’t want your kids in Trenton High…why put up with that when you can put them in Morrisville.

* kate - what worries me . . .
(08/16/2008 )
I don't feel the pink slip, Steve, but when I read this kind of careless, angry rant from an elected official I do feel my lunch come up ... especially since this terrific little town is so in need of reputable, thoughtful, ethical leadership to move it forward.

* kate - Doh!
(08/16/2008 )
Given the fat jokes I've endured from this particular official, I realize I just opened myself up to further critique of my diet what with a reference to lunch and all ...

* Ann - Bonehead Appetit
(08/16/2008 )
April 20, 1997 New York Times:

''When school lets out and you see a lot of cars with out-of-state license plates picking children up, that's a problem,'' said Stephen Worob, treasurer of the Morrisville board and a leading supporter of the new policy. ''Another board member and I followed some over the border, on a kind of fact-finding mission. We're convinced that there are a substantial number of out-of-district kids in our schools illegally.''

* Steve - Golly Ann !!!
(08/17/2008 )
You're almost as good a truth twister as Kate. How do you equate that a 1997 quote about "out of state license plates," means that a re-registration is to purge Trenton kids. Dah!!! Won't it purge all illegal students equally? How dare you use an anecdotal comment from an unnamed source to support the racial undertones of Kate's hateful article. She is so blinded by her hate for the new school board that she can't help herself. Maybe it is time for Dale or Pat to talk to her. I personally do not subscribe to the Courier Times anymore. Kate is a part of the reason. By the way Kate, do you even live in Morrisville?

* Ann - Gee Whiz
(08/17/2008 )
I wasn't trying to equate anything, other than the mental image of you and some other board member following cars with out-of-state license plates over the border 11 years ago on a fact-finding mission. How far did you follow them, by the way? And who was that other board member?

* kate - Oh, now I see ...
(08/17/2008 )
Steve, are we to believe that you followed students to the Princenton border? I haven't heard a soul argue that re-registration aimed at insuring all enrolled students actually reside in the boro is a bad idea. It's necessary, I suppose. Morrisville can not pick up the tab for Trenton's failures. That said, using volunteers to conduct re-registration is unnecessary and an afront to parents worried about exposing their private information to strangers instead of paid, trained staff. As for the veiled threat that somehow my superiors would be chagrinned by my comments, it isn't so. I'm charged with commenting on the goings on around me as they might interest readers. My reader response indicates I've struck a nerve in Morrisville. The goings on here, bear watching to inform the average citizen. I do not live in Morrisville, Mr. Worob. You needn't to live there to observe the challenges it faces.

* kate - Not enough information for hate
(08/17/2008 )
Mr. Worob, I can honestly say I don't know any of the Morrisville School Board members except for the most casual acquaintance in the last 6 months. The only thing I "hate" is disregard for taxpaying residents. Some of them are parents who depend on these schools for the education of their children. It is an education that generations of Morrisville residents before them took for granted. I do not live in Morrisville. You don't have to live there to see some elected officials are acting badly.

* kate - sorry
(08/17/2008 )
Forgive me, in my impatience to be approved by the "blog master" (who is he anyway?) I posted twice.

* steve - Ok Kate, but are you fair.
(08/19/2008 )
Believe it or not, I have a certain amount of respect for a tenacious person who stands up and fights. Even if they are short sighted and biased. I realize Kate that you are not a typical reporter with an obligation to convey both sides. You are a feel good story teller or a rip their throat out reporter who thrives on emotions rather than unbiased, fair reporting. That being said, before a little weasel can fill up your ears, you should at least afford a little courtesy to the other side. On one hand you state you "do not mean to demean volunteers," "they may be very nice people." Then, on the other hand you allude they may be "thieves and gossips." You really don't know these people and never bothered to speak to them but I'll tell you this, at least one of them you hurt very badly. Why? because you are closed minded and set in your ways but I now offer you a chance to change this. Let's face it, you consider yourself a voice and champion of the good people who need your help. Am I right? OK. I think I'm a good person(believe it or not) and I can use your help. Please tell me, what do you think about a Bucks County judge who presides over an unfair trial and then tells the person who was fighting for the people that,"if you appeal my decision, I will do everything in my power to stop you." Yes it's true Kate, there is a judge with high aspirations who believes he has more power than we have rights. Then some poor court reporter felt obligated to omit his threat from the transcript and lie about it. I kid you not, there are many witnesses to this. If you are a fair person for the people then call me for the story or your life.

* steve - Typo!!!
(08/19/2008 )
Sorry Kate it's late. That was supposed to end,"the story OF your life. My bad.

* - Score
(08/19/2008 )
KATE; 1 STEVE; 0

* Ann - Victim or Aggressor?
(08/19/2008 )
Among the problems I have with what you’re saying, Steve, is that the trial of which you speak was not “the people vs. former Morrisville School District Superintendent Dr. John Gould”, it was “Dr. John Gould vs. Steve Worob, the guy who brazenly and recklessly shot his mouth off so much about Dr. Gould’s alleged corruption, which he was unable to prove, that Dr. Gould got tired of it and sued him for ‘slander per se’ for damaging his reputation and hurting his prospects for future employment”. And Dr. Gould won, to the tune of over $100,000.

You see, you may have a point, even a good point, but you can’t maliciously tear someone down just because you think you’re right. Even if there was something there, you couldn’t back it up. I’m not defending corruption or Dr. Gould (who seems to have done an adequate job of defending himself). But I am defending the principle of innocent until proven guilty, a presumption I’m sure you would want if you were facing charges.

His words may have been harsh, but I think the Judge was trying to do you a favor. I think he was trying to say “Let it go. End this destructive vendetta, for everyone’s sake, including yours.” Kind of like on June 9, 1954, when Joseph Welch said to Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (R – Wisconsin), “Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”. Does that mean there were absolutely zero commies in the entire U.S. Government? No. But do the ends always justify the means? No. The world’s not perfect, but overall I think justice was served in your case.

* steve - Ann
(08/19/2008 )
Ann, I really didn't like you before but now I'm beginning to feel sorry for you. You're pathetic and you don't even realize it.

* steve - How about it Kate.
(08/19/2008 )
A great story about an unscrupulous judge who is a member of the good old Republicans club that controls the courthouse and politics in Bucks County. I'm a life long Republican but when something stinks in my party I am not afraid to expose it. You see, the debacle that unfolded in Morrisville was just the tip of the iceberg of pervasive corruption that is rooted in large bond issues to school districts from major federal lending institutions. All of this buried by a Republican controlled justice system. Get in the way and the boys in black robes will crush you. It makes me wonder how many people are unjustly sitting in jail. But Ann would say "justice was served" I guess.

* kate - Did we change the subject ?
(08/20/2008 )
Steve, pick up the needle, man. You've been playing the same old song for so long. Publish the book you promise. Who could tell your version of the story better than you?

As for the volunteers, they may be very nice people, but they've been organized by people who aren't always so nice ... I still wonder if they share the school board majority's view that privacy laws are a nuisance. It's a fair question in the case of a re-registration that requires personanal information be released to them.

* kate - And about that intimidation thing you do ...
(08/20/2008 )
Freud says there are no accidents....the story or my life? sheesh.

Ambulance Company Tax Hike on Ballot

The Morrisville Borough Council wants you to decide to raise your own taxes. The November ballot will have a referendum where the people of Morrisville can approve a millage increase for the rescue squad.

The ambulance company is a great place to spend your money wisely and effectively. Staffed by dedicated volunteers, these people are literally life savers. This is a no-brainer decision.

I just wonder why this is a potentially "OK" tax rise. Is it because it's only a few mils and it's only $30 bucks a house? Is it because "everyone" needs the rescue squad and not just the "children"? Or is it something else?

Why wasn't the council able to find a revenue neutral way to provide the same funding? It leaves open the question of why the council members who voted against Gateway (read: new tax revenues) now want to tax you more. I'm all for funding the rescue squad at a higher level. Now cut at least the same amount out of the overall budget and make it a neutral impact to the taxpayer. According to the quote provided by the BCCT, it looks like one council member wants to pile the increase on top of what we already pay.

Here's the catch: You're taxing yourself and the paid council members evade the responsibility of accurately managing the budget. Imagine this line in the BCCT next year: "'I didn't raise your taxes,' said council member X, "you voted it in. It's your responsibility that your tax bill is higher.'"

If only...IF ONLY!...there was someone on the borough council who was aggressive in ferreting out corruption and malfeasance and could spot slackers wasting the taxpayer's dime. Where could we find someone like that?

Morrisville residents to vote on EMS fund

Voters in Morrisville will have their say on a millage increase to bulk up the EMS fund to support the Morrisville Ambulance Squad.

A resolution to place a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot passed unanimously at Monday night’s council meeting. The referendum will ask voters whether they want the borough to increase the EMS fund to 2 mills, which is 1.5 mills more than permitted by the borough code without being approved through a successful referendum, solicitor James Downey said.

Councilman Stephen Worob noted that the millage increase translates to about $30 per household. The borough solicitor will submit the referendum to Bucks officials. If approved, it will appear on the November ballot.

Morrisville Borough Council Meeting Tonight

Reminder that the Morrisville Borough Council meets tonight. Will Steve Worob introduce his tax resolution? Or is he too concerned with promoting his book to be an effective council member?

Morrisville Council: 7:30 p.m., borough hall, 35 Union St. Agenda: public comment; payments to Morrisville Fire Co. and Morrisville Ambulance Squad; request the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission transfer of $40,000 from curb and sidewalk project to the Median Island & Traffic Signal Installation project; award contract for the Median Island & Traffic Signal Installation project; direct solicitor to create a referendum on the November ballot to increase the millage to support the Morrisville Ambulance Squad; ordinance for collection of insufficient-fund charges; final plan for Falkowski/Kilpinski Subdivision; advertise amended traffic ordinance; consider tennis program presented by NJTL of Trenton; establish recreation program director; consider supporting PA House bills 2532, 1065 and 2525 pertaining to animal regulations; consider preliminary subdivision plan for Christopher Urban subdivision at 121 Grandview Ave.; consider preparing and advertising an amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding signage; and consider entering a mutual aid agreement between the Morrisville Fire Co. and the Trenton Hazardous Materials Team. 215-295-8181

We're Waiting Steve...

The silence is deafening...

Remember this post?

School Funding Fight

Or are they just content with publicly whining about how unfair the current funding plan is and not following through with the hard work of making proposals become reality?

While I think about it, someone got up at a recent school board meeting and said, "Someone needs to do something" about the tax situation. Well, DUH. Talk about a stroke of the blinding obvious.

First off, I remember very well who said that from the audience. Now it's time to pay up. Congratulations! YOU, sir, are that someone. Introduce a resolution in the borough council supporting this tax plan. Get one introduced in the school board. Pass them both unanimously and present them tied with red ribbons and bows to Governor Rendell, Senator McIlhenney, and Representative Galloway.

The Morning After

It seems pretty fitting that the front page of the BCCT this morning portrays Morrisville so similarly in two completely unrelated stories. Morrisville this morning awakens to find that it is nothing more than a dump. It's a place where dead bodies are dumped for convenience, and it's a place where progress goes to die.

R.I.P. Gateway. I doubt that most other developers would have stayed around long enough to endure the abuse that PJP has taken for the past two years. That building should be ready to rent by now. Instead the community that should have celebrated the new business remains sitting there in the quiet dead splendor of a long interred and long forgotten cemetery. A place where nothing ever happens. And nothing ever will. There's Morrisville's ignominious future. Graveyard to the region.

Remember the names of the council members who want Morrisville to remain dead: David Rivella, Rita Ledger, Kathryn Panzitta, Jane Burger, Steven Worob, Eileen Dreisbach.

All six of you: What's next? Like your brethren on the school board, what are you doing now to improve Morrisville?

Gateway Vote Tonight. Call your council member.

Below is an email I received from Dan Jones, the developer of the Gateway project. While it was not asked of me to forward this, I believe it is important for everyone to understand the level of commitment Mr. Jones has for the project and for Morrisville.

Call your council member and let them know you want the Gateway project to continue.

Ladies and gentlemen –

Monday evening, May 19, 2008, 7:30 PM will be a pivotal and historic moment for the Borough of Morrisville. Don’t miss it.

After two years, the Borough Council will vote “yes or no” on the Gateway Center. I truly believe that a “yes” vote will mean a historic turning point for the Borough. But it will only happen if those who support the project are at the meeting.

Attend Monday night’s meeting. If you feel comfortable speaking at the public comment, do so and make a difference. If you do not feel comfortable speaking, cheer on those that do, and make a difference.

For the first time in two years the goal line is in sight. Be a part of this historic moment. In five years when you look at a wonderfully transformed Bridge Street, be able to smile and say,” I was there and I made a difference.”

Thanks to all for their continued support of the Morrisville Gateway Center.


Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067

(267) 799-4481 (O)
(267) 799-4482 (F)

danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com

And another letter I received

Tonight at Boro Hall, council will be voting to show their interest (or lack of) in continuing to move forward with the Gateway project. Please come out and support this project and consider speaking at the mic. As many of us are busy with our daily lives, if you can't make the meeting, please call your ward officials and the ones outside of your ward too.

This will be the night when the naysayers will be strong. Don't let them outvoice us and allow them to force us to be silent once more. If you have never spoken before, now is especially your time to speak up. The more different faces and voices we have only show the support is larger than the usual suspects (on both sides of the fence).

Meeting starts at 7:30. Interviews for the Economic Development Council begin at 7:00.

Phone numbers to call:

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Ward 2: Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Ward 2: Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

Ward 3: George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Ward 3: Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Ward 1: Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Ward 1: Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
Ward 4: David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Ward 4: Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987

Gateway Discussion at Agenda Meeting Tonight?

I received this email from a trusted source and would like to ask everyone who supports the Gateway projects to contact their borough council members. Let them know you support Gateway and that you expect their affirmative vote in council.

Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987

Heard that Gateway will be discussed this evening during the agenda meeting tonight at Boro Hall. Meeting begins at 7:30.

Also heard that a conversation was held with Jane Burger and that Ms. Burger mentioned that she CAN'T think of any reasons to support this project!!!

To put it simply, this could be the end of the Gateway project.

Please make an effort to attend and voice your opinion and call your ward representatives.

Conspiracy?

There's almost always a grain of truth inside of the conspiracy theories. That puff of smoke on the grassy knoll and an inexperienced and harassed pathology team combined to provide us with forty five years of entertaining JFK conspiracy theories. There's even a great link for the Ten Wackiest Conspiracy Theories. (Numbers 5 and 9 were new to me.)

Boldly ignoring the cyberspace "STOP" sign, Steve Worob has heedlessly plunged into the four way intersection of Fact and Fiction Lanes toward the ultimate destination of Wassup Dude?

The latest Insults instead of answers post is rather misspelled and awkwardly phrased. I find it entertaining that some of the people who most desperately want school standards would not be able to cut it in a ninth grade English class at Morrisville.

Why for God's sake would he ever use the name "Gould" in a written text? Ever? I wouldn't talk about Elliot Gould, Stephen Jay Gould, Gulden's Mustard, or the Gould Coast of Antarctica. Taking up his challenge to "Here’s a hint, just like here he never finished out his contract as superintendent. You can google his name with Allentown Morning Call if you feel my statement is leaking water.", I did just that.

On Monday [Feb 25, 2007], a new superintendent will take charge of the Northwestern Lehigh School District.

The Board of Education on Tuesday appointed Assistant Superintendent Susanne Meixsell to replace John Gould, who will assume a newly created position as the district's director of strategic initiatives. Meixsell will have a five-year contract.

A press release issued by the board said Gould, whose employment agreement would have expired June 30, 2008, will retire Jan. 16, 2008.

Wow. That was hard hitting, um, conclusive proof...of...what exactly? The only outrageous thing I saw was the fact that the new superintendent got a five year contract! That's scandalous! FIVE YEARS!! What school district would ever give a five year contract to a superintendent?

Oh. Sorry. My bad. [Shout-out to EHY: Keep up the good work!]

The whole statement itself is also a bit out there. I believe he's confusing one Jon for another for one thing. [Oh dear, I always get this mixed up. It's slander when it's spoken, and libel when it's written, right?] But, is there a grain of truth in what he says? Has anyone seen the reports he mentions and is there anything contained in them that holds any water here? It's easy enough to just dismiss what is said by the person telling the story, but to be somewhat open minded, does anyone know enough of the back stories to provide a fair critical analysis? Anyone care to opine?

28: First of all, high public offical is just an accurate description of the position and nothing more. No concete intended. And common people are regular hard working people. I put myself above no one. I’m about as blue collar as you can get. Some people will twist anything.
Kate, I didn’t think you’d have the courage to interview me. Nice excuses. But at least you get to keep your job now. Although I don’t usually read your colum, (It’s boring) it will be good to see your picture three times a week. Nice job defending your newspaper but you’re wrong again. You really should do some research before before spouting off about things you don’t know. You are a waste of time.
And Jon, oh my gosh it’s former school director Jon Franklin. I should have known but to tell the truth, I forgot all about you. You were quiet and went with the flow when you were on the board. Glad to see you’re finally speaking up 7 years later on the blog. Interesting how in one breath you believe I was guilty of malice but then you say “I believe that you believe it.” You contradict yourself Jon. Then you say “you describe things a lot differently than I remember.” Why don’t you say what these things are? Because you can’t. You don’t know anything about what happened and I didn’t see you in court. You my friend, were a self server enabler. You had blinders on and neglected to see the double billing, triple billing, and altered contracts. In fact, you enabled the thugs to spread like a cancer and wreak fiscal havoc elsewhere. Then, the students school store was even plundered. All this while the school lawyer was embellishing himself to the tune of $78,000 per year.And what about the wonderful Einstein Cyber Charter School that you favored? How many thousands of dollars were we out on that deal. Am I the only one who read the Nihill and Riedley forensic audit report on Einstein? Am I the only one who read the SEC report on the Dolphin and Bradbury Bond Company? Why do I torture myself like this? I guess it must be because I hold myself high above the common people, right Jon? You were an ardent supporter and enabler to the former superintendent. (The good doctor) Do you recall after he was Morrisville’s superintendent for over 4 years that “74% of the middle-senior high school and Grandview Elementary students performed at basic or below basic levels in math and 63% scored at basic or below basic in reading.” Do you think this could have been because the good doctor was to busy jetting around the country performing private/paid services for Classroom Conect and Interlink? You should know Jon, you approved the taxpayers paying for that. Do you remember in fact that the test results were so poor that even you became angry? I cite Courier Times news article of January 24, 2002, titled “Board hesitant to support project.” The project was the Rivers Bays and Ocean project that the good doctor and his gooooood friend Dawn wanted you to approve. I quote, “Board member Jon Franklin demanded a plan. “I think there needs to be a plan laid out for our kids to score better on tests. Is there a plan in place where administrators and teachers directly attack central elements that are leading to weaker scores?” Franklin said. “The district is in the process of developing a plan, Gould said. That was the one time i remember you speaking out. It was a flash in the pan Jon. Sorry, not good enough to make my book. Finally Jon, you were critical of the people who allegedly drove the good doctor out of Morrisville but did you happen to see how he performed at his next school district? Here’s a hint, just like here he never finished out his contract as superintendent. You can google his name with Allentown Morning Call if you feel my statement is leaking water. I could go on for hours telling things but that would spoil the book so finally Jon, keep up your good blog work for I believe you found your calling in life but do me one favor, when you criticize me and state that you “saw things differently,” please have the courage to state the examples IF YOU CAN.
Comment by:
Steve - 5.2.2008 at 12:26 am

More Frattiness

Take a look at the recent blog posts made by BCCT columnist Kate Fratti. We talked about the Insults instead of answers entry [STS] [BCCT] previously. Now, she has two new entries, one complete with tin foil hat.

I'm ruthlessly appropriating the photo because it's too good to pass up. I hope Kate, Mr. Fratti [possiprobably?], and the feline will approve. The furry one looks ticked off. Who would want to known as Le Chat Au Chapeau?

Kate: Thanks for keeping up with this. Morrisville really needs a change from the politics of fear.

Call me crazy: I’ve been at this job a very long time and I’ve been called a lot of names, accused of a lot of things. But never wide ranging conspiracy. Until now. Weird. Very weird.

Morrisville Councilman Stephen Worob first used this Web site to mock my full figure last week, (hey, I’m big boned!) and now claims in a post on this blog that this columnist was presented by him information and documents pertaining to questionable bond issues related to several school districts including Morrisville. AND that I’ve not reported on them because the banks, the newspaper, a beat reporter, a judge, lawyers, state and federal officials and the state school board association and I were in cahoots. The ultimate corruption. His theory is that we all risked our reputations, our careers, our personal integrity and credibility to block information Mr. Worob had about financing that was bad for schools and for kids.

Say what? How do you have a rational conversation about change in the borough with guys like this at the helm? No wonder regular people are so discouraged. Speak out and you can find yourself mocked (really, seriously I am big boned) or in the middle of a fictional book outline. I can speak about that now, first hand.

Posted by Kate Fratti at 3:20 pm |

Can’t get anything past this guy: Morrisville Councilman Stephen Worob, husband to school board director Brenda Worob professes to loathe this newspaper, but reads it and its phillyburbs.com bloggers faithfully, even contributes regularly to its op-ed pages.

His latest contribution was to its electronic pages in which he comments on my figure. This counts for discourse these days.

“Chubby cheeks” he calls me. Doesn’t mention which cheeks, but I have to concede, alas, that all of them fit the description. Guess his weight watching is easier than addressing issues that plague the school board and the borough. Not the least of which are gatherings of school officials at the Worobs’ home out of the eye of voters.

Worob accuses me and my chubby cheeks of digging up dirt in the borough. I haven’t really. The dirt I’ve reported on was surface dirt or dirt called in. But now he’s made me curious. What’s he so afraid I’ll find that he tries to embarrass me out of school board meetings? I’ll think more about it over my next cookie.

Posted by Kate Fratti at 4:05 pm |

Insults Instead of Answers Update

Kate Fratti certainly has stirred up the pot, judging from the responses she has received on the Insults Instead of Answers column that we mentioned here .

UPDATED April 29, 2008, 6:20 P.M. (see below comment #8)

Steve Worob is posting his explanations directly. I don't think Steve cleared his responses with Mrs. Worob, because while School Board Brenda ran against a K-12 school, Borough Councilman Steve says maybe we need to consider it. Check answer number 6. I bolded it for easy reading.

Anyone want to listen in to THAT secret meeting?

8 Responses to “Insults instead of answers”

1.Hooray for Kate!

It is refreshing to see a journalist trying on our shoes, and using her power of the press to voice the same complaints that have rattled around Morrisville for years.

Namely: for one “Stephen Worob”, all rules and labels apply, except to him.

Going back through the “Worob years” if you could imagine any other school board doing the same things (Nelson, Nestor, Junkins, Gibson) claims of impropriety would dominate the public comment session, and everyone from the State AG to the County Commissioners would be called on to investigate. And if they didnt’ they too would be complicit.

The shoe is on the other foot this time.
Comment by:
Borows - 4.24.2008 at 3:29 pm


2.This is why we need experienced reporters like you to cover Morrisville. A “rookie” reporter would not be able to handle the bullying from Worob.

It’s amazing that the very same things that Worob and the new board complained about, i.e. “You don’t listen” “You are having secret meetings”, are being done by the new board. At least the old board didn’t limit the time for public comment to 45 minutes.

Keep up the good work up the good work Kate. I think that most, if not all, people have accepted that the new school is dead. Now it’s time to move forward and find ways to improve our schools without farming our kids out and/or firing our wonderful administrators.
Comment by:
Cori - 4.24.2008 at 10:03 pm


3.Yes, please keep up the good work. I agree with Cori. Thanks for covering.
Comment by:
Kevin - 4.25.2008 at 7:00 am


4.I regret any insults and am sorry. Anger is counter productive and only serves to taint the message. However, When Ms. Fratti writes about my bias (Anger) towards her newapaper, she’s knows why but isn’t telling you. I worked with the Courier Times and school board members from three different counties where we uncovered a pervasive trail of corruption that involved at least four school districts. I’m not going to get to deep into this other than to say we uncovered a trail of illecit long term bond issues to school districts that were not for the good of the children.(Including Morrisville)
We gave this information to the proper authorities including the media only to have it all buried. I suspect the reason for this was that it involved major banks and we only scratched the surface.
I sent this information to Kate Fratti and she ignored it. I will gladly grant her an interview with documents in hand if she’ll have the courage to print it. I don’t think she will. You see, the people who investigated and lied, and did nothing, now hold some of the higher positions in county, state and federal government. Now back to the Courier Times. Because of my devoted efforts to honor my oath of public office, I was sued in a frivalous lawsuit that if you ask Sandy Gibson, was financed by the Superintendent’s Assoc. of PA. Because I am considered a high public offical, I am granted a high level of immunity for speaking at public meetings on public concerns. However, if I go to the press and talk, I then open myself up to a defamation lawsuit. In Oct. 2003, one week after I was sued, The Courier Times called me as I was enjoying lunch with my wife. The reporter lied and told me she was doing a profile story on the superintendent. Truth is she was setting me up in the lawsuit. She asked for my opinion if the new school board should fire the superintendent. My answer was “I hope they help him to work harder for the children of Morrisville.” The next day, I was quoted to have said “the superintendent is a criminal masquarading as a superintendent.” This misquote came out against me in legal depositions. It didn’t take long for me to learn that the attorney of party who sued me did legal work for the Courier Times. I was then dragged for over two years through the lawsuit only to appear before a member of the good old Republicans club in county court. There, I was given an unfair trial(You’ll have to read the book for details) and the judge took away a big piece of mine and my wife’s future before growling in open court,”if you appeal my decision, I will do everything in my power to stop you.” Odd how this remark failed to appear in the offical court trancript.
I hope now that people will at least understand my anger which I will try to control. I’m humbly awaiting your interview Kate.
Comment by:
Steve - 4.26.2008 at 6:44 am


5.Mr. Worob,
I’ve never received information from you, or even discussed the scenario you describe. What gives? From your writings, I know how dearly you value honesty. Must be an honest mistake.

In the meantime, do you have any comment on the recent Sunday school board gathering at your home?… Or on why the school board is asking for specific information about children requiring special education services. Do you support that? Or would you comment on whether, as a town leader, you support the consolidation of K-12 in the high school building, so the district can let go of the care of the two elementary buildings.
Not as interesting stuff as the weird conspiracy you allege, but no less is important.
Comment by Burbs Blogger:
Kate Fratti - 4.28.2008 at 12:53 pm


6.Ok Kate, thank you for responding. I’ll do my best. Sunday meeting- I am currently restoring a fifty year old termite eaten house in the borough to a much better than new condition. Therefore, I work on Sundays. I did stop home briefly though to get a drink and saw three friends drinking coffee and chatting. I didn’t stay long.
Special education- I can only assume that the concern here is the high cost of special education and the increasing number of students entering that catagory. I believe that number is almost at 20% of the student body. You know that the state sets the mandates here and then fails to fund them. It is especially difficult for a tiny district like Morrisville to keep up with special ed. costs. I guess that board members are educating themselves about special ed. so hopefully they can figure out a way to cope.
K-12 school- I’m not happy about all the students in one building however, this is something that should be explored in the name of survival. You know about the high school taxes in Morrisville and almost five million dollars was just spent for nothing. Yes, a K-12 school may be the only affordable option that we have.
Finally, I did send to you via US mail, a 200 page overview potraying corruption that is hurting public education. Sorry you never received it. I’ll be glad to give you another copy if you’ll give a response to it. I also gave a copy of the document to your co-columist but he never responded. Finally-finally Kate, why didn’t you mention for me to elaborate about when the CT published malicious lies for no other reason than to set me up in a lawsuit. I know I was stepping on some big toes but my wife didn’t deserve that. I’ll never forget when reporter DC explained to me that “Mr. Worob, the quote wasn’t my idea and my editor was the one who put the quotation marks around the word “CRIMINAL.” I believe she was referring to your chief editor. By the way, let her know that when she told me on the telephone that a certain attorney “never performed legal work for the CT,” she was speaking the untruth. Ask Pat W. or attorney Herschinson for the truth about that one. Please let PW know that she made my book.
Comment by:
Steve - 4.28.2008 at 10:52 pm


7.What happened to your comments that were on this page yesterday and mysteriously disappeared, Ms. Fratti? Perhaps you would like to post those again.
Comment by:
Houdini - 4.29.2008 at 7:46 am


8.Hey Steve:

Did Oswald kill Kennedy? Or was the assassination part of a grand conspiracy involving the CIA, Lyndon Johnson and little green men from Mars?

You, sir, need to get a grip.
Comment by:
Conan the Grammarian - 4.29.2008 at 9:42 am

UPDATED 6:20 P.M. (The comments are too good to pass up. The common people need to be led!)
It's not the Sullivan Law that Steve wants to use, but the decision in New York Times v Sullivan 1964. Here's the text of the opinion, but the conclusion of the court was:

"The Court held that the First Amendment protects the publication of all statements, even false ones, about the conduct of public officials except when statements are made with actual malice (with knowledge that they are false or in reckless disregard of their truth or falsity). Under this new standard, Sullivan's case collapsed."

Ummm....I'm thinking the immunity flows toward the newspaper and away from the elected official in this case. But I only moonlight as a lawyer. By day, I'm an accountant.

9 This idea sounds vaguely familiar but with a few differences I bet. My guess is you would take K-12 and smoosh them all in the exisiting High School with very little renovations. I’m sorry to sound pessimistic, but I don’t have much faith in the new school board or those that elected them.
Comment by:
Repeat - 4.29.2008 at 3:25 pm


10 Conan, you’re really cool. I’ll bet the people who cheat to taxpayers and students just love you.
Houdini, what were the comments that mysteriously vanished. I missed them. Sounds like possible not so divine intervention to me.
Comment by:
Steve - 4.29.2008 at 3:30 pm


11 “Because I am considered a high public offical, I am granted a high level of immunity for speaking at public meetings on public concerns. ”

I’m wondering when this became law? Is it true that high public officials (like tax collectors and councilmen) have greater immunity and can speak with impunity? I guess the Constitution or the State laws must have been redrafted to create a government “Above The People” instead of “For the People and By The People”.
Comment by:
Borows - 4.29.2008 at 3:50 pm


12 Yes Borrows, oops, Borows. Why don’t you just give your real name? I believe it is referred to as the Sullivan law and it is the law, except when a newspaper sets you up to circumvent such law. You see Borows, this law was created so that public officials can stand up with immunity,(Not impunity) and educate common people like yourself about the truth without fear of reprisals. Of course the Sullivan law is meaningless such as is honor when one is dragged before the good old Republicans club at county court.
Comment by:
Steve - 4.29.2008 at 4:08 pm


13 to stand up as a public official and educate “common people?” … Oh my.
Comment by Burbs Blogger:
Kate Fratti - 4.29.2008 at 4:53 pm

Defease The Emperor Poll

Thank you to everyone who contributed their vote to defease the Emperor.

The runaway winner was Robin Reithmeyer, formerly of the QSRE and running mate of the Emperor, and now an open dissenter of the Emperor's rule while still sharing the same dais with him. (I've heard of the doctored signs from the 2007 election where Robin's name is crossed off boldly, acknowledging her apostasy and heresy from the one true faith. Has anyone else heard about this or seen one?)

Joe Kemp came in second in this informal poll. Everyone else came in far behind these two.

Robin Reithmeyer: From Queen of the Q to...?? 20 40%
Joe Kemp: A principled no! 11 22%
Other... 6 12%
Ed Frankenfield: You still need a plan! 4 8%
Bill Hellmann: Don't mess with Bill! 3 6%
Brenda Worob: Two for one! You get Steve too! 3 6%
Marlys Mihok: Minutes? They take months! 3 6%
Al Radosti: You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. 0 0%
Bill Farrell: Email? 0 0%
Gloria Heater: Whatever Bill says! 0 0%

I do not agree with everything either of them have done. That doesn't matter. What matters is that each of them take the time to do the due diligence and the homework in the off hours that makes their time on the dais count. The Emperor and the Court of Toadies lack this ability to grow, reconsider, and independently evaluate. They slavishly follow one person, and this one person has a frozen view of reality. Following sheepishly is no way to go through life.

There were also several "other" votes. "Someone with a clue" was one. "A leader with vision and common sense" was another. Former board candidate Jon Perry also received one vote. All three are worthy.

Then there were a series of rather baffling votes pointed at the same two people that really left me rather confused and uneasy. They match a number of comments to postings that I have deleted rather than posting because they really didn't make sense. Yet the persistence of these comments over several months seems to point to some sort of truth. I'm not sure what to make of it all.

Yes, I've been vague and non-specific and I'm beating around the bush. Would the person(s) who have been making these comments please let me in on the secret? You can comment to this post anonymously and just note "do not publish" if you're more comfortable with that.

Insults instead of answers

Kate, Kate, Kate. Why can't you just cooperate? [Ed Note: Read with heavy emphasis on sarcasm.]

Thanks for reading. Thanks also for your follow up. [Ed Note: Read with no sarcasm.]

Nice graphic too...

Insults instead of answers

Lots of angry hot air and ruffled feathers at last night’s Morrisville School Board meeting, and some aimed here at the newspaper and me in particular.

Seems my pointing out that school board member Brenda Worob hosted a gathering of school board members a couple of Sundays ago didn’t sit right with her husband Councilman Stephen Worob and other supporters of the current board majority.

Their track record when it comes to transparent government is iffy, and I remarked I didn’t believe their assurances no school board business was discussed that weekend out of the view of the public. I also questioned why they were demanding personal information about children in need of special education services in the district.

Here’s the column.

Oh, that made some people mad. Most notably Stephen Worob, who regularly uses the cable television camera to rant about his perceived bias of this newspaper. Never mind that he is a frequent contributor to the editorial pages where he’s allowed to say whatever is on his mind. Mostly what’s on his mind,it seems is that the rest of us should put a sock in it while he and his circle run Morrisville. Question him and some others and stand back for the personal attack. (Check out some of the responses under my column.) No answers to the question, just a frontal assault.

Best defense is a good offense, I suppose. Shoot the messenger to block the next inconvenient message.

A couple of months ago, Worob remarks in school board minutes that the local press is “clueless when it comes to investigative reporting.” I think that was wishful thinking. It’d be better for current leaders if we didn’t investigate.

Oddly, Worob supporters, didn’t criticize me for a lack of investigation this time, but for “digging up dirt.” Thing is, no digging’s been necessary. This current school board majority is so dismissive of state law and the rules of common decency, and the intelligence of its constituents that its missteps and misstatements are glaring. They don’t bother to cover their tracks very well.

Here’s hoping again for an end to the vitriol and ego, and a move toward common sense and compromise. Regular residents will have to lead the charge. Their leaders are out to lunch.

Posted by Kate Fratti at 2:17 pm |

Props to Kate Fratti!

I'd like to welcome our first time visitors courtesy of this mention in the BCCT from Kate Fratti.

Thanks for the mention, Kate. Some days this blog can appear very critical and sarcastic. It's difficult not to be considering how things are going in this little town and some of the material I have to work with. But just like your own column and blog, sometimes there are good days, and sometimes there are bad. It's not easy writing every day. I do appreciate the commenters and contributors here immensely. Their participation keeps me grounded. Most of them are not supporters of the current board, but some are. There's quite a number of emails that I receive, and not all of them get posted. There's a growing number of people who are disgusted with the old board, and equally disgusted with the new board (yes, even people who voted for them!) who want a change for the better.

You bring up a good point about how the rhetoric can cause defensive reactions. This is pretty much the way the American political system works. Two polarizing minorities stir things up and it's up to the undecided central majority to make their decisions. When that silent majority finally does stand up, I would be pleased to lay down my digital quill pen. And in the meantime, if my modest attempt at blogging gets these people out of their living rooms and out to a school board or borough council meeting, then I'm a success.

4.18.2008
Funny but not helpful

Ok, the keepers of a blog called Save the Morrisville School are pretty funny some days. That is if bitter sarcasm is your thing. This week they doctored an aerial view of the home of school board member Brenda Worob with the words “Secret meeting” and arrows pointing to the house.

savethemorrisvilleschool.blogspot.com

This after the Worobs hosted a gathering of school board members — never more than four at a time to avoid a quorum — and insisted no school business was addressed. Hard to believe, says the Save the Morrisville School bloggers. I’m with them on this one.

Still, they are the bunch that got their arses handed to them last election after pressing forward with school plans despite public outcry. We’re witnessing the backlash.

The new board majority not only blocked construction, but looks like it’s making moves to do away with the school system entirely. Again, with a deaf ear to the community who didn’t want a new school, but also didn’t want the 116 year old system to fail on its watch.

So far, efforts to farm students out to other districts has failed. Not only because no other district is interested, but because a teachers contract protects against lay-offs and furloughs for five years.

Some days it appears to me the new board leaders have agreed to just kill the system slowly. No big moves, just constant chipping away at budgets, morale, reputation.

Stealth meetings, secret hirings, requests for personal information about kids that’s going to get them sued. All in the name of cost cutting.

Regular folks seem to have given up. Those still playing the insider baseball — the Save the Schools organizers — keep up a steady string of insults, fun making and delighting in the “gotchas!”

The rhetoric doesn’t leave any room for compromise, just backs everyone into defense mode.

Nothing will change in Morrisville until that does, or until the majority of Morrisville residents stand up and demand, “Enough, already!”

So far, that majority remains silent.

Secret Meeting Agenda Revealed

Well, we finally have the first fruits of the Secret Meeting at the Worob's house, courtesy of the BCCT. I could not resist shouting at the monitor as I read this essay. My thoughts appear in italics. Anyone else want to rant at Steve?

People of Morrisville: Glad you’re finally paying attention
By STEPHEN WOROB

I’m glad that so many Morrisville residents now want to express their views about the future of our school district. My question though is where you have been! [As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Steve here. Where have you been? You elected a slate of angry small minded people to run the education system and we're now reaping the benefits.]

Now marks the tenth anniversary of the malicious dismantling of our once-decent school district. [What happened ten years ago? Who dismantled it and why? This is an accusation without substance to back it up.] For years, self servers [Glass House Alert: Be careful on your use of words.] have plagued this district with mismanagement, greed and corruption. Where have you people been? Like it or not, the Morrisville school district has become a big cow that is getting milked to death. [My tin foil hat is firmly on my head. Tell me more. And let me know where the line for milk starts.]

Since 1998, over $7 million has been appropriated toward physical improvements to our aging school buildings. This money was wasted; [You are alleging that seven million dollars has been wasted. What does "wasted" mean? And weren't you a part of that as a board member and officer?] now we have boilers that are said to be so bad that they may explode. [That's because they're 40 years old. Did you as a school board member ever appropriate money to replace the boilers?] Where have you people been?

Not even soaring taxes and horrible test scores could get most of you off your bottoms to demand changes, [true] but you tout the high paid administrators who continually pat themselves on the back for sub-mediocrity. Hence, self promoting [Glass House Alert 2] /substance-less things like domestic and international awards still attract your attention. [Since you brought the subject of attention up, your academic skills aren't well displayed here either. You're making accusations all around the place and not offering a shred of evidence. If you have something that is actionable, take it to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, you're grandstanding just to hear the sound of your own voice. I know several Morrisville teachers who would grade these unsupported statements rather harshly. I know of one judge who did already.]

Now, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 76 percent of our recently graduated students failed math and reading on their state assessment tests (worst in the county). [True. Sadly true. Why though? Test scores are dropping all over the country. What is your plan to fix it? Today, you are representing a group who has refused time after time to reveal a plan. SHAME ON YOU!! You personally harangued a sick man in public, shouting repeatedly at him, to the point of him being taken to the hospital and yet you sit there smugly, hurling accusation after accusation WITHOUT A PLAN OF YOUR OWN! That's called attention whoring and only adds to the problem. It fixes nothing but your pathetic need for attention.] If costs over the next 13 years could somehow stay the same and nothing else changes, each kindergartner entering this district will cost taxpayers more than a quarter of a million dollars and 76 percent of them will fail at math and reading. [That's a tortured twist to logic. I agree that throwing money at a problem does not solve it, and Morrisville is paying an extremely large amount to educate its students. We've talked about the math of per student costs. Diving the budget by the number of students yields a high number. Once you subtract the "free" money, the grants and gifts, the real per student cost is much lower. Ask your CPA buddy to explain it. Then, you use the worst score available to make your point. You learned that from the Emperor who keeps screaming that the interest rates are dropping and the old board was wrong in not defeasing earlier because the rates were dropping. What if the rates had actually risen? The argument fails. Same if this year's 11th graders do better in their test scores. Your logic fails.] Despite such dismal results, our prior lame duck school board locked the superintendent and teachers into lucrative long-term contracts. [That's a great use of code words. "Lucrative" in this context connotes luxury or overpayment and "lame-duck" reminding us that term expiring members actually did something. If you think Dr. Yonson or the teachers are overpaid, that's fine as far as your personal opinion, but the salaries are quite within the norm for Bucks County, the state of Pennsylvania, and the East Coast. Secondly, if you're so concerned about lame ducks sitting around while their term is expiring, put your money where your mouth is. On the morning after Election Day when your successor has been elected, I expect your resignation from Borough Council effective immediately. Otherwise, you're just attention whoring again.]

Where have you people been?

When it comes to education, if you expect that our state representatives who are in bed with entities such as the teachers unions and the superintendent’s association, are going to initiate needed changes, you better think again. [While this may be accurate, what does little Morrisville have to do with this? This needs to be attacked on the state level, and no amount of pain or anguish that you inflict upon the children of Morrisville will change this. The Emperor and his Court of Toadies regularly repeat this mealy mouthed drivel. You need to make changes to this at the state level. Stop posturing uselessly in board and council meetings, and use your elected office to make the changes needed.]

In a recent Courier Times article about outsourcing our high school students, teachers would not comment for concerns of crossing the state teachers union [Well, DUH! If there was a teacher who honestly supported a plan to do away with their own job, either they are an uncommon altruist, or silly enough that I would not want them to be teaching my children anyway. If your fight is with the state teachers union, Morrisville, again, is not the place to be holding this fight. Stop posturing uselessly on the local level and use your elected office at the state level where the fight belongs.] but parents and students rightfully expressed their concerns. Drastic changes can be upsetting but when this board of directors tells you that a major restructuring is necessary, you better believe them. [Ah. Believe. As in the statement "I trust the board to do what is right?" I believe this board to be bereft of common sense and ethically challenged. If they told me today was Saturday, I would want independent confirmation.]

At $22,000 per student and dismal test scores in the high school, this district would have gone bankrupt long ago in the real world. [Yes. Absolutely. There's a reason why the education system does not function in a 100% business style model, along with hospitals, and even government itself. They provides services that are of an incalculable future value at a large present cost and a zero immediate financial return. Can schools, hospitals, or governments function as complete profit making institutions? Of course, but what would be the resulting services?] With public education spiraling out of control, our careless lawmakers (whom are in the business of getting reelected) [Does anyone else see the irony of a career elected official spouting about being in the business of being re-elected?] don’t address the root of the problem but rather promote tax shifts and schemes that just pump more money on top of a failing institution. [Talk to the state and federal officials who put this into place. But we would be remiss if we did not take advantage of every break the state and federal governments offered, wouldn't we?]

Who of sound mind really believes that Act 1 legislation to cap and control runaway school spending is worth the paper it was written on? With its 10 exceptions that protect a bloated incumbent bureaucracy, Act 1 law is nothing more than pathetic smoke and mirror legislation. [Your fight is not in Morrisville. Shut up here, and go and fix it. In Harrisburg.]

Now in Morrisville we have a new and somewhat [somewhat?] novice school board that recognizes that status quo is unacceptable and drastic changes are necessary. Let the changes begin here in Morrisville. First we must stop taxing people out of their homes. [I'll agree with this, but who repealed the natural processes of inflation and declining purchasing power? Read Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Read about the inflations that beset the dying British Empire. Read about the "Great Depression." It was rather a big news item a few decades ago. But that's only a partial piece of the puzzle. Did these same people financially plan for their futures? I'm not immune to financial disasters and neither is anyone else by the simple virtue of being a homeowner.] Does anyone really believe that test scores will improve if we go from $22,000 per student to $30,000? I don’t think so. The more we feed the monster, the bigger it will get. [This is just ridiculous. Who is advocating raising the money we taxpayers send to the district?]

My point is not to say I told you so but rather we must all work together just to survive. And perhaps, if we all stick together,[I think you meant to say, "Just Cooperate!"] maybe we’ll gain the attention of our (don’t rock the boat) lawmakers.

Stephen Worob, Morrisville, is a former school board member and a current councilman in Morrisville.

Items to Think About

Here's a sample of some items that have crossed my browser.

Another submission for the Wayback Machine, from October 2003 where Steve Worob was concerned that a sham feasibility study was being used by the administration to build the new school. Wow. Now it's a sham study for renovation and squandering $2.4 million in administrative fees to defease the bond. Some things never change. (Thanks to the anonymous submitter.)




















Defense of Testing Series: The Forgotten Middle: Improving Readiness for High School
The percentage of eighth graders on target to be ready for college-level work by the time they graduate from high school is so small that it raises questions not just about the prospect that these students can eventually be ready for college, but also about whether they are even ready for high school. But when students' skills are improved during middle school, the results by the end of high school can be astounding.

Who Shall Govern Our Schools?
The question of how best to "inform their discretion" while retaining control by "the people" is the task facing democratic-minded school reformers. If democracy be our ends, noted another famed educator, John Dewey, then it must also be our means.

Control school budgets; give the voters final say

Where Are We Going Today, Mr. Peabody?

Anyone remember Sherman and Peabody and the Wayback Machine?

I came across this mention from the New York Times, April 20, 1997. Did this policy work as well as it was hoped? What are we doing today?

School Districts Are Getting Tougher on Illegal Students Who Come From Other Places
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: April 20, 1997

It's crackdown time in Morrisville, Pa.: this summer, in an effort to stop students from trickling across the state line from New Jersey, the school board will require all students in the district to re-enroll and prove their residency.

And if that doesn't do the trick, the board in the 1,050-student suburban district near Trenton has also voted to award a $500 bounty to any school security guard who identifies, and turns in, an out-of-town student illegally attending the local schools.

''When school lets out and you see a lot of cars with out-of-state license plates picking children up, that's a problem,'' said Stephen Worob, treasurer of the Morrisville board and a leading supporter of the new policy. ''Another board member and I followed some over the border, on a kind of fact-finding mission. We're convinced that there are a substantial number of out-of-district kids in our schools illegally.''

The bounty payment may be unique to Morrisville. But as American society generally becomes more hostile to outsiders -- witness the backlash against immigration -- many school districts are taking a tougher line on families who illegally enroll their children in school districts where they do not pay taxes.

Usually, it is affluent suburban districts with reputations for educational excellence that guard their borders most zealously, but some urban districts, too, have discovered outsiders enrolling illegally at specialized or magnet schools.

In New York City, it was still news last year when two suburban youngsters were found to be attending Public School 41.

But on Long Island, many Nassau County school districts routinely spend much time and effort weeding out students from Queens by requiring re-registration, hiring private detectives or making home visits. In January, in the first such case on Long Island, a couple from Far Rockaway, Queens, were charged with criminal fraud for enrolling their 12-year-old son in Lawrence Middle School. The charges were based on a five-month investigation that grew out of a tip to a school registration phone line that the Lawrence district set up last year.

''I think what's driving this is that in the last two or three years, all kinds of school districts have come under more pressure to account for every dollar and every kid than in years past,'' said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of the largest urban school systems.

In Ohio earlier this year, a single mother who drove a bus for the Cleveland school board was sent to jail for five days for illegally sending her kindergarten son to school in Euclid, a nearby suburb.

There are no good statistics on how many students, nationwide, enroll illegally in schools outside their own districts. But the New Jersey School Board Association estimates that 8,000 to 10,000 students in that state alone enroll illegally in suburban districts to avoid school in their poor urban areas.

According to the Education Commission of the States, 14 states have adopted legislation that either requires or encourages school districts to accept children from elsewhere in the state. Even in those states, however, districts are generally allowed to set limits and rules on how many, and which, out-of-district students they will accept, based on the openings available.

And in most states, districts can ban out-of-district students. ''Over all, on the state level, I'd say the trend is toward school choice,'' said Kathy Christie, information coordinator of the commission. ''But the wealthier school districts tend to be very concerned about out-of-district students trying to come in.''

Given the mix of tighter financing, crowded classrooms and parents' increasing sense of urgency about getting their children into good schools, education lawyers and school boards say that student residency questions seem to be arising more frequently, especially in suburban districts near struggling big-city school systems.

An Illinois law that took effect earlier this year makes illegal school registration a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine and tuition reimbursement.

''Our hope is that the new law will provide some type of chilling effect on those who are undermining the system by falsely enrolling their children and not paying their share,'' said State Representative James Durkin, a chief sponsor of the law.

Mr. Durkin said the legislation had been spurred by complaints from his constituents, in a district that includes Oak Park, River Forest and other affluent suburbs just outside the Chicago city limits.

''Whenever I went to forums in my district, I would hear a great deal of concern about the number of students from Chicago falsifying their addresses,'' he said. ''In a most basic sense, it's a theft from the people who provide the funds. My constituents would tell me they were paying incredibly high local tax bills of $5,000 to $8,000 to support their schools, while these district jumpers were getting a free ride.''

Many school officials, echoing Mr. Durkin's feelings, see the issue as simply a matter of fairness to insure that only those who pay for the district's services get them.

''We have a wonderful educational program, tops in technology, with quality staff and small class size,'' said Elizabeth Fineberg, the superintendent of the Morrisville district. ''But we're only staffed for the number of children we're supposed to have in the district. We don't want to have to give less to our students. So we have worked very hard, and made every effort, to keep illegal students out. In past years, we've put out 10 or 12 students a year.''

Like many districts nationwide, Morrisville used to allow out-of-district students to attend its schools if they paid tuition. But it ended that program several years ago.

And this summer, said Mr. Worob, the board treasurer, the district will require every family to re-enroll, by requiring four proofs of residency, such as a utility bill or driver's license, and three proofs of identity. Anyone who is not the parent of the child being registered will also have to show proof of legal guardianship, he said, and other checks are being devised for divorced families with dual custody when only one parent lives in Morrisville.

But others say the number of students trying to sneak across the lines from poor neighborhoods in big cities into richer suburban schools is a powerful indicator of the poor-quality education offered in many cities.

They argue that it is not good social policy to criminalize parents' efforts to get their children into better schools -- efforts prompted by a lack of resources and a commitment to a good education, rather than by any malicious intent.

''If this country has gotten itself into a situation where we criminalize parents for searching out the education they want for their kids, we're going in the wrong direction,'' said Mr. Casserly of the urban schools coalition.

And many are troubled by the undertone of racial inequality: it is no accident, they say, that the policies tend to fall most harshly on poor black parents who cannot afford either out-of-district tuition or private school, women like Judy Kincaid, the 36-year-old Cleveland school bus driver who went to jail for sending her 5-year-old son, Quenten, to school in Euclid, Ohio.

''I put my child in the Euclid school system because I wanted him to have a better life and a better education,'' Ms. Kincaid told reporters when her case was being heard.

There was good reason for Ms. Kincaid to think the Euclid schools might be better for her son: Euclid has smaller classes, a lower dropout rate and a higher graduation rate than the troubled Cleveland schools. For Ms. Kincaid, who gave the authorities a false address, reporting that she lived with her son's aunt, the difference came down to something simpler and more tangible: in Euclid, Quenten got his own workbook, while his Cleveland kindergarten uses photocopied work sheets.

Last month, Ms. Kincaid lost her job with the Cleveland school board, said a spokesman for the schools, who said the dismissal was related to her driving record, not the district jumping. Ms. Kincaid, who now has an unlisted telephone, could not be reached for comment.

Ms. Kincaid, the first parent caught by Euclid's new enforcement policy, was confronted after a tip from a school bus driver who saw that Quenten got into a car each day when the driver dropped him off.

''The Kincaid case was our first one,'' said Patrick Newkirk, a retired detective from the Euclid Police Department who was hired by the district as a full-time residency officer in October. ''But we've referred five other fraud charges to the city prosecutor since then. And there's a lot more people we've found who registered legally, then moved, but didn't take their kids out of our schools. Those we just tell to withdraw.''

Gateway

While this does not directly apply to the current issues with our schools, it certainly does apply to the level of taxation in the borough.

Right now, the same people who stopped the school, supposedly to lower the taxes, are also opposing the Gateway project, which would generate tax revenue, lowering the tax burden on all of us. The logic seems sound. Up is Down, Good is Bad, Black is White. Paging George Orwell: It's 1984 in Morrisville and doubleplusgoodthink is alive and well.

Here is an email that I received covering some of the background on the project. I also have a Power Point presentation with more information on the project. As soon as I can get it posted somewhere I will, but if you want to see it ASAP, drop me a line and I'll email it to you.

(You asked for information on the Gateway Center. Please share the enclosure and this e-mail with those you think may find it of interest.)

The enclosed is the materials that I presented to the Borough Council on October 2, 2007 – now almost four months ago. This provides some very interesting information which I would be pleased to discuss with you and others interested in the project.

To give you the brief update from October – nothing has happened! A slightly longer answer follows …

The basic issue holding up the project for the last year and a half has been acquiring the land from – 1) the Bridge Commission, and 2) the Borough Council.

If I understand the Borough Council’s comments on Tuesday, they implied that the Council cannot do anything until we submit a preliminary development plan. If this is what they said, it is misleading.

As I explained to the Council on October 2, October 9th, and October 15th there are two aspects of the proposal that impacts the Borough Council – 1) approval of a preliminary development plan, and 2) agreement to sell land for the parking lot.

Preliminary Development Plan

The first item – the preliminary development plan – is a routine but costly part of the development process. Once prepared the preliminary development plan is submitted to the Borough Planning Committee and Zoning Committee which upon approval would ultimately require the Borough Council’s approval.

The Bridge Commission asked PJRP to submit a preliminary development plan before they would agree to sell the Morrisville EDC (who would sell the land to PJRP) the Bridge Commission portion of the project land. The Borough also wanted us to submit a preliminary development plan before they agreed to sell us their land for the project. PJRP objected to submitting a preliminary plan before having a purchase agreement with either the Borough or the Bridge Commission for two reasons –

1) It is a very expensive process to go through – over $50,000 – without having a commitment from either land owner that they are willing to sell their land; and

2) It is illegal, which the Borough Solicitor agreed with at the October 15th Borough Council meeting, and which has since been communicated from the Borough to the Bridge Commission. PJRP cannot submit a preliminary development plan until PJRP has an “economic interest” in the property to be developed. The preliminary development plan must come after a purchase agreement.

So, the bottom line with the preliminary development plan is that we cannot present a plan until we have a purchase agreement with either the Bridge Commission or the Borough. (The purchase agreement, by the way, would be contingent on the approval of the preliminary development plan. If the plan is not approved – neither the Bridge Commission nor the Borough is obligated to sell their land and we are not obligated to buy their land if the plan is not approved.)

Agreement to sell (buy) Borough land

This brings us to the “Catch-22” that the Borough has us. One, however, they have the ability to fix. As noted above, the preliminary plan must come after PJRP has an “economic interest” in the land. One way that PJRP gets an economic interest in the land is that the Borough enters into a purchase agreement with PJRP to buy the Borough’s land.

The Answer to the Borough Councils comment

So … If the Council or anyone else says “we can’t do anything until the developer submits a preliminary plan.”

A good response would be, “Doesn’t the developer have to have an economic interest in the land before they can submit a preliminary plan?”

The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”

A good response to that would be, “then if the Borough Council enters into an agreement of sale with the developer wouldn’t the developer be able to submit a preliminary development plan?”

The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”

A good response to that would be, “then why doesn’t the Borough Council enter into an agreement of sale with developer for the Borough land so that the developer can submit a preliminary plan?

I haven’t been able to get an answer to that question for four months now …

Dan

Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (Office)
(215) 378-6279 (Cell)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com

Huh? We've got a chance for 400-600 jobs coming INTO the borough and an estimated $300,000 in tax revenue, and we're not showing interest in moving forward? Both the borough and school district budgets are in the toilet and here's a hometown group who want to improve Morrisville and bring money in? Why is anyone stalling on the decisions for this project?

You need to contact YOUR ward's council members and tell them to move forward with Gateway. It's that simple. Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.

MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008

President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264

Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264

George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987