Paging George Bailey

Long around December each year, the classic "It's A Wonderful Life" makes its way to the TV screens. We all know the story: Good guy George Bailey sees the impact his one life has had on the town and the people around him. For good measure, Clarence the angel powers up the De Lorean to take George back to the future to see good old Bedford Falls without George's influence. The result: POTTERSVILLE.

Quite unexpectedly, I received an email from a reader who evoked the memories of this film and compared Morrisville today to fictional Bedford Falls/Potterville. In my storage house of unposted stories was one doing just that. I always through it was too corny to actually post until today. Maybe if George would stand up, Morrisville can remain Bedford Falls, and not complete the metamorphosis into Pottersville.

Do you recall the movie "It's A Wonderful Life"? This is where the power of just one man is graphically shown through the intercessions of an angel in training. George Bailey is at the lowest point in his life and he's ready to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. Clarence shows George the before and after of Bedford Falls without George. As usual, all turns out well in the end. The evildoers are foiled, the good guys come out on top, and Clarence gets his wings. There's even an urban legend that Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver are the inspiration for two of Sesame Street's favorite characters.

Inside the schmaltz is the absolutely incontrovertible truth that one man can make a difference. The only question is how much of a difference and in what direction.

We are watching Morrisville slide into Pottersville status. The Bedford Falls home we know has been in a slow decline since our epic 1955 Little League Championship season. Our main tax generating businesses have folded up and left town. We've become progressively more and more taxed to the point of exasperation and desperation. City services and general maintenance have been cut and curbed and curtailed so much that our schools are on the verge of collapse, we can't agree on new construction to jump start a renaissance, and we're actually contemplating opening a strip club in town.

Take a look back at the history of the town where one man made a difference. Two rather notable examples spring to mind. Robert Morris stood up and became the financier of the American Revolution. Without him, there would be no United States of America. Thomas Stockham was a civic leader, an engineer, an architect, land developer and business leader. He was mayor of Morrisville for sixteen years, and served six terms as Bucks County's member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

There's two examples of men who stood up and had the vision and the guts to make that vision into reality. I'm sure each of you could think of other examples.

It's too much of a blanket statement to say that our local elected leaders today are all vision-less souls. That's not the case at all. There are some fine elected and appointed leaders in town. They are plenty of other leaders who lead by example without an office.

But they have mostly been beaten into submission and irrelevance by the constant barrage of soul-less and vision-less "leaders" who use bullying tactics to keep Morrisville mired in mediocrity. They treat their position as a rationale to keep Morrisville just the way it is, and if you don't like that, we'll hound you until you give up or leave.

How is that leadership? Leadership is pointing the way and bringing the people along with you. Robert Kennedy's often used quote was "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not." That's leadership. Seeing the future and making that potential into a reality.

Instead we have those who see reality and want to freeze-frame it forever. That does nothing but ensure that this town remains trapped like a prehistoric fly in the amber of time.

It's not going to be pretty. We need to have the George Baileys of today stand firm with the few visionary leaders in this town and boot out these soulless hacks. Do you know a George Bailey who might need some help? Coax him out. Support him. Are you a potential George Bailey? Stand up. Let your voice be heard.

Ladies: I've used the masculine consistently here because George is a male character in the movie. There's nothing stopping any of you from being George either.

Does anyone want the part?

School Funding Fight

Today the BCCT prints an editorial on the school funding crisis in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on the same plan back on May 4.

There's plenty to see at the PDE's website covering the 2008-2009 budget proposals.

What are the Emperor and his accomplices constructively doing about school funding? Are they pressuring the Rendell Administration? Lobbying our senator and state representative? Have they passed any resolutions declaring support or even opposition to this plan and sent the resolution to Harrisburg?

I'm asking because of the Allentown Morning Call (SW's favorite newspaper, don't forget) published an article April 11 that pointed out the problem of politicians: They don't wanna do nothin'. Once they commissioned the study that showed Pennsylvania schools are underfunded, they were left holding a political hot potato. So they are going to study the study and kill it with time and studied indifference.

We need to contact our representatives in Harrisburg. So do our elected school board members: clearly, vocally, and publicly.

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.

We the public are keeping you accountable as local officeholders so you can keep our state officials accountable. Step up to the plate. Are you going to hit, or just take four pitches and hope for a walk? And if you can't or won't do it, let's all step up to the microphone at Union St and shout "Shame on You!"

Pay now, or pay later: School funding formula needs updating.

We go on and on about equal opportunity in this country. It’s ingrained in our thinking. Unfortunately, we don’t practice what we preach. Consider education.

Because Pennsylvania schools are largely funded with property taxes, wealthy school districts provide more and better educational opportunities than lowincome districts. A lot more. Try an annual expenditure of $21,399 per student in Lower Merion vs. $9,727 in Upper Darby.

No wonder there are vast differences in test scores and graduation rates around the state.

Harrisburg is supposed to even out things via a funding formula for rationing out state education money. But the formula is woefully out of date and is not getting the job done.

The governor’s proposed education budget, now under consideration by state lawmakers, proposes a new formula based on the Legislature’s own “Costing-Out Study.” Among the study’s findings was this shocker: Of Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts, 474 are underfunded. It also found that the state picks up just more than one-third of the cost of public education vs. the national average of nearly 50 percent.

We urge lawmakers to approve the governor’s updated funding formula.

If education is the key to success, every child deserves an “equal” opportunity to succeed.

The state can pay now and reap the benefits of its educated citizens’ success, or pay later to rescue those who fail.

The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on the same plan back on May 4.

School Funding: A fairer plan

It's past time for Pennsylvania to enact a new formula to fund public schools.

The legislature should approve Gov. Rendell's plan to change how state aid is allocated and boost education funding by $291 million.

It's not the complete funding overhaul that many education advocates want, but it puts the state on the right course.

The six-year plan would increase the state's share of education costs from the current 37 percent - among the lowest in the country - to about 44 percent.

Taxpayers should be relieved to know that the proposal calls for no broad-based tax increases.

The plan would increase state funding by 6 percent above the nearly $5 billion currently allocated to public schools. Similar annual increases would occur until Rendell leaves office in 2011.

In the biggest change, Rendell wants to distribute the new aid based on a formula that gives more money to the neediest districts - those with the largest numbers of students living in poverty and students learning English as a second language.

New Jersey began using a similar approach this year. It makes sense, given that it does cost more to educate students with special needs.

Last year's "costing out" study commissioned by the legislature recommended the new formula. The study also concluded that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded by $4.38 billion.

Some districts may remain underfunded under Rendell's plan, but his proposed increases will be an improvement, and they will help bridge the spending disparities between the state's poor and wealthy districts.

For example, Lower Merion spends more than $21,000 per student, while Upper Darby spends $9,889. Getting a high-quality public education shouldn't depend on where you live.

Under the governor's formula, Upper Darby would get an increase of $4.9 million, or 22.4 percent, the largest percentage jump in the state.

Philadelphia, the state's largest district and one of the poorest, would get an additional $86 million, a 9.6 percent increase. That money is sorely needed; district officials are projecting at least a $39 million deficit.

Even the most affluent districts in the state would receive at least a 1.5 percent increase in aid. Rendell's plan also increases spending for special education, pre-kindergarten and charter school tuition reimbursements.

House Republicans argue that money alone won't fix public education. They're right, but it is absolutely essential for the many Pennsylvania districts with needs that truly require more spending.

Greater accountability is essential, too. One need only look at the Chester Upland district, taken over by the state years ago, to see an example of a lack of adequate oversight in the past.

But neither does accountability alone complete the equation that produces good schools.

Too many school districts have been underfunded by the state for too long, placing an unfair burden on local property taxpayers who must make up the difference. The governor's new funding formula should be approved.


Allentown Morning Call
Rendell calls legislators' bluff on school funds April 11, 2008

Last year, state lawmakers received the results of a study they had authorized to find out what it should cost to achieve a quality education in public school. Pennsylvania and Congress have demanded that schools do a better job, that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. But no one ever determined what doing that would cost.

It turned out that providing a quality education isn't cheap. And, it didn't really surprise many that the Costing-Out Study found that Pennsylvania isn't spending enough -- in either state or local dollars in the vast majority of school districts -- to get the job done. The real cost is about $4 billion more than the state currently spends.

This is all relevant because after everyone's attention shifts from the state's April 22 presidential primary, state lawmakers will refocus on the task of approving a state budget by June 30. This year, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed making a $2.6 billion, six-year commitment to live up to the findings of the Costing-Out Study.

Gov. Rendell admits he was surprised lawmakers ever commissioned the report. It's implications are political dynamite. For years, Pennsylvanians have suspected that state government wasn't adequately funding education. For years, Pennsylvanians have complained about their local school property taxes going up every budget cycle. The report documented this reality, and in doing so, tossed the responsibility about doing something about it back onto lawmakers.

But lawmakers did what they often do when they're not sure what to do. They decided to study the study. Right after the report was released last fall, state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, proposed forming a commission to draft a new public education funding formula. It has languished in the Senate Education Committee ever since. In January, the House overwhelmingly approved formation of such a panel. Doing so will ultimately be necessary. However, delaying action until lawmakers study the implications of the Costing-Out Study just pushes off the job of helping public schools do a better job for at least another year. Then, 2014 will be one year closer.

Give Gov. Rendell credit for calling the General Assembly's bluff with his proposed education budget. He has ventured a first step. His approach isn't perfect and doesn't completely close the so-called ''adequacy gap'' between what school districts spend and what they should be spending. But, it has been embraced, with some recommendations, by 26 groups of educators and education advocates allied in the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign. As lawmakers begin budget talks, they should heed the campaign's advice.

For instance, the Governor's plan would increase the state subsidy for 137 districts beyond a 4.4 percent inflation index. But all of those districts would have the added paperwork burden of proving to the Department of Education that 80 percent of the additional subsidy would go to programs to improve student performance. But, only 48 of those districts aren't meeting their Annual Yearly Progress goals. The campaign suggests limiting the extra accountability measures to just those districts.

Second, the campaign recommends basing state subsidies mostly on a district's wealth rather than its tax effort. Doing so would make greater strides to correcting the economic disparities between rich and poor districts.

Third, the campaign recommends that all districts at least receive a 2 percent increase in their state subsidy -- something that's often called ''hold harmless.'' Gov. Rendell has proposed a 1.5 percent minimum increase. However, under the requirements of Act 1, all 501 school districts have already built an expected 2 percent increase into their budgets. A 2 percent minimum increase is just basic fairness.

Finally, the campaign recommends at least talking about doing a better job funding special education, one of public education's fastest increasing costs. While the federal government has failed to live up to its obligations on special education, school districts still are mandated to provide programs to ever-increasing numbers of students.

All of these recommendations deserve the General Assembly's conscientious consideration.

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.

BCCT Mailbag

Here's a letter today from the BCCT taking a general look at "failed" education in Bucks County. This reads a lot like some of the opinions advanced by the stop the school NSNs. There's a lot of kvetching, but what's the plan? If I went to my boss with a lot of complaints but no plan, I'd be laughed out of his office and told, "Come back when you think you have a way to deal with it. Leaving a dead cat at my door doesn't help anything." The writer is stating facts, but to what end?

What about "failed"? Just the fact that you're reading this means the system succeeded. Can things be better? Absolutely. Does the American school system have all the answers? Absolutely not. Do we need to be more serious about our schools? That's a given. Take a look at the prime time TV lineup and the rest of the BCCT or any other newspaper to see what is important to Americans--living vicariously through others in scripted "reality" shows and maintaining the conspicuous consumerist lifestyle.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves ...

GUEST OPINION
Elect only those willing to reform a failed school system
By JOSEPH J. RYAN

Using data from the U.S. Department of Labor on household median earnings, Ohio University economics professor Richard Vedder found “weekly pay for public school teachers in 2001 was about the same (within 10 percent) as for accountants, biological and life scientists, registered nurses, and editors and reporters.” Of seven professions Vedder compared, the only ones with higher weekly pay than teachers were lawyers and judges.

Vedder also found public school teachers and administrators receive a benefit agreement worth 26 percent of salary, a questionable determination. In Bristol Township, the benefit package is 33 percent of salary compared with average private sector benefit arrangements at 17 percent. The most conspicuous financial mistreatment of taxpayers is teachers’ excessive salaries, abuse of sick leave and disproportionate subsidization of their health care coverage and pension plan.

According to the Inquirer’s annual report on public schools, the top teacher salary in Bensalem in 2006-2007 was $96,593; Bristol Borough, $84,710; Bristol Township, $85,427; Centennial, $97,309; Central Bucks, $94,010; Council Rock, $98,548; Morrisville, $86,731; Neshaminy, $93,356; New Hope, $97,349; and Pennsbury, $90,782. Applying a 33 percent benefit cost to the top salary at Neshaminy, the total compensation was $124,163 or $3,104 per week. Using the original SAT scoring system, the combined 2006-2007 SAT score in Neshaminy was 911, 69 points below the 1963 national “average.”

In 1988, I witnessed the fiscally irresponsible Bristol Township school board’s decision to boost educator salaries in the district by 47.2 percent over five years, an increase of 9.4 percent per year while the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) held at 3.5 percent. This is an example of how educator salaries in this county have reached an unwarranted, disproportionate level compared to student academic achievement.

A glaring inconsistency with educator salaries and benefits is the educational background of many public school educators. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, who has a master’s degree in education from Harvard, assessed teacher candidates: “Undergraduate education majors typically have lower SAT and ACT scores than other students, and those teachers who have the lowest scores are the most likely to remain in the profession.”

The name, the National Education Association, is a misnomer. The intent is to give the organization a professional connotation similar to that of the American Medical Association, while in fact, it is a trade union comparable to the Teamsters or the United Auto Workers. The NEA masquerades as a professional body intent on raising the quality of education, while resisting every attempt at public education reform.

Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Public Education Reform said: “It used to be whatever teacher unions said went, but no more; they may be wealthy, but they are no longer impervious to attack.” For instance, teacher unions in both Hartford Conn., and Wilkinsburg, Pa., lost their fight to stop private firms from taking over the city schools.

A major contributing factor to student underachievement is automatic promotion. Currently, no matter how poorly a student performs, it is considered unfair to have the student repeat the year. Repeating the year is considered harmful to a student’s sense of self-worth. It is incomprehensible how a student can be intellectually self-satisfied if deficient in the basics. Yet another detrimental practice is guaranteed graduation. Regardless of performance, students can be sure they will graduate at the prescribed time.

Seventy-eight percent of America’s colleges and universities have initiated remedial study in reading, writing, or math, says Diane Ravitch, research professor at New York University. “It is fairly shocking, or should be, that 39 percent of all freshmen take a remedial course, particularly reading, when they enter advanced study.”

William J. Bennett, former U. S. secretary of education, has said, “In looking at the National Education Association you are looking at the absolute heart and soul of the Democratic Party.” Taxpayers should take Bennett’s statement literally. Both organizations reciprocate in electing Democratic Party candidates and resisting any attempt to reform a failed public education system.

Source: Peter Brimelow, “The Worm in the Apple”.
Joseph J. Ryan, Levittown, is a U.S. Marine Corps retiree, and former employee of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Strip Club Appeal Coming?

I watched the presentation being made by Todd Colarusso to the zoning board, and as I said before, I thought the strip club was going to be a certainty. Then came the surprise U-turn swapping advertising for stripping. I was immediately uneasy. This was the same bait and switch I was taught to avoid in used car salesmen and politicians. However, this idea still has merit, minus the second floor strip club plans.

Now that both variance applications have been rejected by the zoning board, it's apparently off to court. "Todd Colarusso, president of Stockham Interests, LLC of Princeton, N.J., said after the meeting that he would appeal the decision in Bucks County Common Pleas Court. Colarusso threatened there will be a strip club as he stood outside on the steps of borough hall."

Todd, this isn't going to help matters. It's pretty clear that the residents do not want to have a strip club here. It's also pretty clear that Morrisville needs to have the Stockham Building filled and rented. Take a look at the acrimony and animosity surrounding the new school building and Gateway issues and imagine it doubled or tripled.

I can't see this ending well. A strip club forced onto the residents would most likely be met with stiff community resistance.

Zoning Board: No strip club in Morrisville
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Staff Editor

Morrisville Borough residents said they were happy when they heard the Morrisville Zoning Hearing Board's (MZHB) decision not to allow a burlesque-style theater with topless women in their town.

The request to allow the strip club in Morrisville Borough's old commercial zone was unanimously rejected May 6 by the board.

Todd Colarusso, president of Stockham Interests, LLC of Princeton, N.J., said after the meeting that he would appeal the decision in Bucks County Common Pleas Court.

Colarusso threatened there will be a strip club as he stood outside on the steps of borough hall.

According to board solicitor Dennis Denard, the MZHB must issue a written decision within 45 days of the hearing. Once issued, Stockham Interests, LLC has the right to appeal within 30 days.

In a 365-degree turn, Colarusso had said during the hearing that he would drop his original application for a zoning variance could be used by area businesses.

Pastor Gary Taylor of the 1st Baptist Church said he was concerned for the moral content of the sign and whether it could be controlled in the future.

Taylor said there would be adverse effects on the community because "Morrisville would be known for that particular establishment."

The applicant said he would not allow advertisements for alcohol, tobacco, condoms or abortion.

Hal Wilcox, a local sports coach, said he volunteers with the Solid Rock Youth Center, which is located on the second floor of the 1st Baptist Church. "I coach youth in this town. I teach them right from wrong. Morrisville does not need adult entertainment." He stressed the church is located "right down the street" from the Stockham building.

Three church pastors appealed to the board to reject the proposal to allow the burlesque theatre.

Father John Eckert, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Pennsylvania Avenue, quoted the book of Matthew from the Bible. He said when a man "looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery."

Rev. Frank Sanders, pastor of the Morrisville United Methodist Church, said, "We stand in solidarity with him (Father Eckert)." Sanders questioned whether broken windows at the Stockham building would be replaced.

Colarusso said if a future tenant does not repair them in a few months, he would see that they would be replaced.

Along with other residents, Clarissa Taylor, Rev. Taylor's daughter, said if the adult entertainment use were approved, youths passing by the building to walk to and from school would be adversely influenced.

"They're going to dwell on it every single day."

After the 3 ½ hour presentation, discussion and public comment, the board voted 3-0 to reject the application for adult entertainment and an alternate option of a billboard or nylon hanging 'wallscape' for the west side of the historic Stockham building, located in Morrisville's ailing commercial district at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street.

Adult entertainment in the C-1 district is not allowed, however it is allowed in the two industrial zones.

Presenting stacks of paperwork to the board, Bruce McLaughlin, a witness for the applicant, argued that adult entertainment does not have an adverse effect on the community. He cited court decisions, which allowed adult entertainment. He said vagrants and undesirables would not congregate around a building offering adult entertainment.

Holly Mikhailik, of Casabella Design in Hamilton Township, N.J, said the proposed facility would be a French-style Moulon Rouge décor. A painting of a French café was shown for the first floor. Later, Councilwoman Jane Burger, who said she was not speaking as a public official, said that image was unacceptable to her.

In addition to the proposed restaurant on the first floor and a burlesque theater on the second floor, the applicant wants to rent the third and fourth floors to a fitness center. The center would provide babysitting services. That service was questioned since children would have to pass the proposed adult entertainment area on the second floor.

The applicant said the babysitting service would be located more than 500 feet from the burlesque area.

After the meeting, Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock said the zoning board deemed the burlesque club "inappropriate and not acceptable." Sherlock said she agreed with the board's decision.

Schools News Around the Blogosphere

Rendell's graduate skills test in trouble
Philadelphia Inquirer
Dozens of legislators and school boards statewide are objecting. They say local districts are the best judge.
A Rendell administration proposal to establish state high school graduation tests in 10 subjects has generated stiff opposition that threatens to scuttle the initiative.

Billions Needed to Fix Pr. George's Schools
Washington Post
The school system requires $2.1B to fix its aging buildings, according to a study that finds many schools running on antiquated equipment and deteriorating inside and out

The great literacy testing debacle in the United States
EducationNews.org
The United States seems to be caught up in measurement mania when it comes to literacy. The No Child Left Behind law calls for extensive testing of children's reading abilities in different grade levels. For adults, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has developed adult literacy tests, while Title 2: The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of the WorkforceInvestment Act of 1998 calls for accountability measures that the DOE has implemented in a national reporting system that makes extensive use of adult literacy tests.

Special Ed Proposals Draw Scrutiny
Washington Post
Va. plans to give schools more leeway to suspend certain services for students and reduce the number of progress reports families receive. The most controversial proposal would give schools more leeway to suspend certain special services for students, such as speech or occupational health therapy. The targeted services would remain in place if parents object, pending a resolution of the dispute with the school system.
SpecialEdAdvocate.org

Student Tests - and Teacher Grades
Wall Street Journal
By John Merrow
Schools now have plenty of data to be able to see who is learning and why. Suppose a swimming instructor told his 10-year-old students to swim the length of the pool to demonstrate what he'd taught them, and half of them nearly drowned? Would it be reasonable to make a judgment about his teaching ability?

Advanced Placement courses, once a model for learning, are mere memory tests now.
Bursting the AP bubble
Los Angeles Times
By Tom Stanley-Becker
I'M AN AP DROPOUT. When classmates in my Advanced Placement U.S. history course take the AP exam Friday, I won't be with them. When they pick up their pencils and start filling in those little bubbles, I'll be reading the words of George Kennan, Lillian Hellman, Harry Truman and Paul Robeson

Charter-school fans want more
Denver Post
A group of angry parents stood before the Denver school board last month, holding up newspaper articles about a high-performing charter school and asking why their children were unable to receive the same education.

The State of Apathy

I received an email today that has me absolutely shocked and downright despondent at the same time. I was asked to not provide the specific details, so I've removed some of the information and changed some other items, but the general message is unchanged.

The writer asks for feedback, so let's open it up for discussion.

I have some friends who live in Morrisville. They are young, have no children yet and have lived in town for several years.

We were talking other day, and as it happened, the conversation came around to (OK, I brought it up) the various goings on in town. I wanted to get their views on things.

Much to my shock, they had no idea what was going on. They were vaguely aware of the “build a new school” issue, and asked what side of the fence I was on for that. I mentioned that since it was all but over and the district had moved on to other issues it didn’t matter how I felt. They nodded. They were unaware of the politics, of the infighting, of all the things that your blog and the papers cover.

I asked how they felt about the Gateway center, and about the Stockham building. They were unaware of those issues also. They did mention that they were glad that there was a new restaurant going into the “new building” on Bridge street.

These are intelligent and articulate people who monitor national and state issues.

They are oblivious to local issues.

I just had to shake my head over this. I was aghast.

It got me to thinking, in light of all that has been said about voter turnout, about people from Morrisville making bad choices in leaders and turning a blind eye to issues, that maybe there is a majority of people in this bedroom community, who only look at Morrisville as a place to eat and sleep. That they don’t have a care or interest at all in how the town is run, or where it is headed.

I’d be curious to read your thoughts on this, and to read the thoughts and experiences of others as well.

From the Mailbag

I received this email today and thought I would share it with you.

Thank you for the compliment. I do try to be fair.

What do you think about this?

Hello,

I read and enjoy your blog every day.It is very informative and you seem to be even handed about issues that affect our children's education.

Recently I saw a job posting in my daughter's school, Grandview Elementary. The job entails "taking minutes at school board meeting once or twice a month".

I was under the impression that this was Ms. Mihok's job,for which she receives a stipend.

This does not sound(to me)to be a very good use of our tax money.If you get a chance, please look into this and "put it out there", because I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere. Thanks for your time and effort on behalf of our children, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't use my name.

Morrisville Parent

Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence ?

It doesn't take much to do a search where "Zero Tolerance" and "Zero Intelligence" appear very close to each other in published articles. Most of the time, these citations appear in the context of our schools where six-year-olds are suspended for innocent kisses or Eagle Scouts suspended because they accidentally left a rusted Scout knife in their pack or lost in the car trunk.

Today, Kate Fratti takes a look at an issue at a MHS student's freedom of speech rights balanced against the rights of the staff and administrators.

It's a tough call. But then again, aren't ALL of the teenage related decisions tough calls?

Kudos to Dr. Yonson and the rest of the staff. This was apparently a pretty sticky situation with a lot of extenuating circumstances and related baggage that had the potential to turn into an extremely serious situation.

What it really turned out to be was a typical high school student who was unhappy with the teachers, staff, and administration. What a shocking revelation. Even the "Back to the Future" movies caricatured Mr. Strickland the disciplinarian as a disliked high school fixture. How many of us can say we "liked" our high school teachers? (Yes, there were some we liked and respected, but for the most part, I know I thought of them as associate parents and nearly as annoying as the real thing.)

This student took it a step farther and created songs, burned them to CDs and started selling them. Extra credit points for the entrepreneurial spirit, but the execution of the business plan was not well thought out. Real people in the real world get fired when they use their employer's time and resources for personal gain. This was no different except that it was a high schooler who was using the "employer's" resources. Kids are notorious for not thinking things out fully.

It seems like the punishment here is severe but fits the crime. It's a bitter but reasonable ending for their high school career, and the future (college, etc) will not be effected, unless the students lets that happen.

CD stirs up trouble

Should a boy be allowed to write a song critical of adults running his high school and then produce a music CD with that song as its centerpiece?

Should he be allowed to sell said CD to classmates on school grounds? Isn't that the kind of entrepreneurial spirit adults should applaud?

Does your answer change if the CD lyrics are raunchy? What if they aren't just scandalous, but maybe slanderous, too? Like, what if the boy proclaims in lyrics that one administrator has been ... how can I say this delicately, because the singer did not ... uh, physically intimate with another?

Morrisville Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson says the boy had every right to sing what he thinks, and to lay it down on a CD for sale. You don't have to be old to exercise your right of free expression.

You do have to be old to see around corners, though.

The entertainer shot himself in the foot when he violated school policy by allegedly selling the CD on school grounds, even posting fliers that could have potentially exposed the district to liability for slander, Yonson said. What if it could be argued the CD amounted to a school-sponsored project?

The student cinched his undoing by violating another school policy, allegedly loading the CD onto a school computer to play it for other students. He'd signed a contract, as all the kids do, promising the computers would not be used for anything but school work.

His punishment?

The fledgling musician, a senior, has been suspended, and will not be permitted to participate in graduation ceremonies.

The suspension is pretty stiff. The boy will be allowed to complete his senior requirements, but it won't be at Morrisville during the regular school day. He'll likely be invited to do his work at the close of the regular day. His college of choice will not be notified of his recent troubles.

Case closed? Not yet.

Yonson was at a conference in Harrisburg Friday when she got phone calls from the high school telling her lots of kids disagreed with her stand. They planned to walk out of the school in protest of the musician's suspension.
click here!

Kids were informed that any who chose to walk out wouldn't be permitted to participate in sports or any other extracurricular.

“There are proper ways to protest, to have your position heard,” Yonson said. “Walking out of class isn't one of them.” Kids stayed put.

Case closed now?

Not so fast again.

Fueling kids' continued opposition to the musician's suspension, even this week, is by now a well-circulated rumor that another student brought an unloaded gun to school, threatened other kids' safety via a “hit list” on MySpace, but was merely suspended for 10 days.

No fair, kids argued. The musician was being persecuted because he dissed staff, while a kid packing heat got off easy.

Yonson says it's just not true.

Administrators investigated the rumor and found a case of whisper down the lane that reached parents who phoned her. There was no gun in school, administrators found — and no “hit list.”

Yonson did concede that recently a Neshaminy student — who was attending a Bucks County Intermediate Unit support class at Morrisville High — did verbally threaten a classmate. He's been expelled from Morrisville and returned to Neshaminy.

“If he was a Morrisville student, we'd have to deal with him. We don't,” she said.

Some worry the gun rumor was manufactured and fanned by kids close to their music-producing peer who needed an argument to rile other kids.

In the end, the mess had a lot of grownups singing the blues last week — parents, teachers, administrators — all trying to reason with and calm teenagers. No word on whether they'll produce a CD.

Pennsbury SD Budget Increase is 5.3%

Good thing we're not in the Pennsbury district.

Yet.

Preliminary budget includes $231 tax hike

If approved as is, the tax increase would be 5.3 percent. School board members vowed to work to reduce the increase.

By MANASEE WAGH STAFF WRITER

Manasee Wagh can be reached at 215-949-4206 or mwagh@phillyBurbs.com

The average Pennsbury taxpayer would face a $231 tax increase under the preliminary budget proposal approved 8-0 by the district school board Thursday night.

The $174.5 million budget plan, about $6.3 million more than last year, includes a 7.4 mill increase for the 2008-2009 year. Figures are based on the district’s average home assessment of $31,160.

If approved as is, the tax increase would be 5.3 percent, more than the state mandated 4.4 percent limit. However, the district applied and received approval for three exceptions to raise the tax rate above the state-mandated percentage in order to fund special education and other costs.

The board cited several reasons for the boost.

Besides employee salaries and benefits, which make up about 75 percent of the 2008-09 expenses, special education costs have risen, as have diesel fuel costs and utilities.

Additionally, falling interest rates have negatively impacted revenues, as has the loss of state subsidies.

Although board members approved the proposed budget, they said they would work to reduce the final numbers.

“My target is around 4 percent. That’s what I was hoping for,” said board President Gregory Lucidi.

Some board members suggested focusing on salaries and benefits to control expenses.

“That’s the only controllable aspect,” said member Arlene Gordon.

To reach the 4.4 percent index demanded by the state, the budget needs to be reduced by more than $1 million.

“We’re going to try to reduce the budget without detracting from programs and services,” said district CEO Paul Long.

The district will continue tweaking the budget until the final 2008-09 budget has to be adopted on June 12.

One board member, Wayne DeBlasio, was absent.

Another Surveillance Photo

Our intrepid mole inside the unnamed security agency has obtained another classified photo that should not be shared with anyone.

Comic Relief

Crossposting to Kate Fratti

Kate recently updated her blog with entries on the hiring of Mike Fitzpatrick as solicitor, and the lack of quorum for the school board retreat. Please check it out and leave her some comments to let her know that we appreciate her hard work in keeping us all informed about what is happening here in the borough.

Stockham Strip Club Followup

The BCCT carries a story about the Stockham Building zoning board hearings: Denied on two counts.

Board denies building plans
By DANNY ADLER STAFF WRITER

A property owner in Morrisville proposed two ideas for the largely vacant Stockham building in the borough: a burlesque themed strip club or a 1,000-square-foot billboard.

Morrisville’s zoning hearing board, though, unanimously denied both proposals Monday night at a hearing.

Stockham Interests LLC originally proposed a first floor French-themed restaurant and a gentleman’s club on the second floor, as well as a fitness center on the third and fourth floors.

The land owner was asking the zoning board for variances to allow adult entertainment in the building at Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street and variances from sign regulations.

But more than an hour into the hearing, Todd Colarusso, a principal with Stockham Interests, said he would kill plans for the “less-than-popular” strip club if the zoning board would allow a 1,000-square foot “soft” vinyl billboard on the side of the building facing Route 1.

“This alternative variance request will allow us to bring in the fitness center on the third and fourth floor … [and] it may very well help us attract a restaurant.”

Many residents spoke out against the gentleman’s club yet seemed to favor the billboard — or at least favor it more than a gentleman’s club.

But resident Barbara Runner said she was wary of the billboard alternative.

“I believe Mr. Colarusso, in my opinion, has threatened this board: Take Option 1 or the lesser of two evils. And I hope you gentlemen will not fall for that,” Runner said.

Stockham Interests denied the charge: “The sign alternative was brought to our attention and we brought it here in good faith as a method to make this building economically viable,” Colarusso said.

The zoning hearing board has 45 days from Monday to give a written decision on the matter, and the applicant has 30 days after that to appeal the decision.

Retreat!

I received a message from Joe Kemp reporting on the Cinco de Mayo School Board Director's retreat last night. The forecast for the greater Morrisville area: continuing cloudy, thunderstorms likely with intermittent snarkiness.

[UPDATED May 7, 2008 3:30 P.M.: Thanks for the blog mention.]

Retreat was attended last night (Cinco de Mayo) by directors Radosti, Farrell, Kemp and Reithmeyer and administrators Yonson and Dunford. Dr. Barry Gallosso and Joanne Perotti of the BCIU (for free) put together a PowerPoint and had the big easels out. The goal of the retreat was to find common ground and put together a short list of short-term goals we could all agree on for the district. Since we were several apples short of a consensus tree, we amended the goal to trying to figure out if there can be any trust built up between board members and administrators. Outlook gloomy, but we're going to try to do it again with full participation. Corner me sometime for comments.

Kudos to members Radosti, Farrell, Kemp and Reithmeyer, and Yonson and Dunford. Frankenfield remains on the injured reserve list. Assign an incomplete to members Mihok, Heater, Worob, and the big enchilada himself, the Emperor.

I hereby renew the open invitation to any of the nine school board members who want to comment or contribute.

Strip Club Plans Dropped?

From the looks of things last night, it seemed like the strip club in the Stockham building was going to be a reality. The owner of the building brought in a professional urban planner who produced ten or twelve studies showing that adult entertainment does not have a negative effect on the area. I thought the coup de grâce was when he stated that there was nothing in the current Morrisville ordinance that prevented an adult bookstore from being put in a certain square footage of the Stockham building, right now!

Then the owner presented a second plan: give us a larger square footage signage variance and we'll drop the strip club variance request. The side of the Stockham Building would have a large "wallscape" nylon mesh advertising panel. The wallscape would showcase the building's tenants at first, and then generic advertising later, minus alcohol, tobacco, and condoms.

I'm appreciative of the willingness for compromise that the owner is showing. It's not a completely black and white issue here. I'm mindful of the difficulties in renting out the Stockham Building. Part is location, part is the borough's (lack of?) maintenance of the parking lot area and downtown maintenance in general, but part is the condition of the building. Any homeowner checks for the building's condition and their ability (or inability) to upgrade the purchase before buying. When the elevator in a four story building doesn't work, let's get it fixed.

This is not an issue where the owner is completely at fault for an inability to rent/sell the floor space. This is not an issue where the borough is completely at fault for making it difficult to rent/sell the floor space. There's room to work together...WITHOUT THE STRIP CLUB...

Owner offers to scrap plans for strip club

The owner of the Stockham building at Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street offered an alternative zoning request that would eliminate a controversial proposal to bring a burlesque-style gentleman’s club to Morrisville.

Todd Colarusso, a principal with Stockham Interests LLC, said Monday night he would scrap plans for the strip club if the zoning hearing board allowed him to put a 1,000-square-foot vinyl billboard on the side of the building facing Route 1.

More than 70 residents crowded Monday’s zoning hearing, most of whom seemed to be against the proposed gentleman’s club. As of late Monday, the zoning hearing board did not make a decision.

The original proposal called for an “upscale” French-style restaurant on the first floor and the gentleman’s club on the second floor, as well as the fitness center on the third and fourth floors.

Stockham Interests Burlesque Hearing Tonight

The burlesque club application for the second floor of the Stockham building will have its zoning board variance hearing tonight at 7:30 P.M. at borough hall.

We've mentioned this project and the hearing in several places on the blog.

This sounds like a great project...until you get to the second floor plans. We do not need another R or X rated business in town.

Please come out and show your Bulldog pride and principles. Come out and let the zoning board know to reject any proposal that has any R or X rated references

Inexperienced Board Members?

We've had the members of the school board referred to as "inexperienced" recently. Is that really the case?

The Emperor: School board, zero. Former Morrisville controller.
Al Radosti: Second term
Maryls Mihok: Second tour on board.
Gloria Heater: Second term
Brenda Worob: Second term
Joe Kemp: Completing first term
Ed Frankenfield: Completing first term
Bill Farrell: Newcomer
Robin Reithmeyer: Newcomer

Let's keep in mind the board president is the inexperienced one. He also hates rules and regulations that apply to him. Combined with his natural arrogance, this is a bad way for a leader to operate.

His accomplices on the board have plenty of experience. They're the ones not doing the job to educate and guide the newbie.

Did you notice that for a newcomer, Robin Reithmeyer seems to be doing just fine?

Mike Fitzpatrick is New Solicitor

Fitzpatrick named school board solicitor

[UPDATED May 7, 2008 3:30 P.M. Kate Fratti mentions this in her blog. I don't really agree with the sentiment, but I agree it's unfortunately a real and viable option. I still prefer the smaller district. That's what brought me and my family here in the first place.]

Former Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, an attorney with Begley Carlin and Mandio in Middletown, is the newest solicitor for the Morrisville School Board.

Fitzpatrick, a Middletown resident and former county commissioner, will replace Thomas Kelly of Media.

Kelly represented a prior school board, which had begun moving forward with plans to construct a new high school despite public outcry. The new board majority, which took office in December nixed that plan and recently defeased the bond lined up to pay for it.

Although this will be Fitzpatrick’s first time as a school board solicitor, the firm has a long tradition in that arena. Currently, it represents Bristol, Neshaminy, Bensalem, Centennial and Central Bucks school districts.

In 2006, Fitzpatrick lost his 8th district congressional seat to Democrat Patrick Murphy, and was expected to challenge Murphy to regain it this year. Instead, Fitzpatrick expressed interest in running against Democratic State Rep. Chris King. Not long after his announcement, Fitzpatrick declined saying a family health consideration demanded he stay closer to home. He returned to practice law full time after 12 years.

Other candidates for the solicitorship included Karen Quinn of Steif Gross Sagoskin Gilman and Classetti and Harry Glosser, a Morrisville attorney and former school board director.

Board members said they were counting on Fitzpatrick’s political connections and legislative experience to guide their way as they decide how to maintain or reorganize the small and financially beleaguered school system.

The law firm Curtin and Heefner recently finished its review of the district’s contract with school Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson. Some board members have expressed interest in reducing the duration of that 5-year agreement. No details of the Curtin and Heefner review have been released to the public yet.

Schools News Around the Blogosphere

An Initiative on Reading Is Rated Ineffective
New York Times
By SAM DILLON
President Bush's $1 billion a year effort to teach reading to low-income children has not helped improve their reading comprehension, according to a Department of Education.

In 123-page guide, state offers schools tips on stopping bullies
Boston Globe
The goal is to dispel myths: that bullies have low self-esteem, that bullying is just a part of childhood, and that victims often overreact to taunts. The advice is often simple: Increase supervision where students get on and off buses and in the lunchroom, where some of the worst bullying can take place.

Californians divided over new taxes for schools, poll finds
Los Angeles Times
By Mitchell Landsberg
Californians want their public schools protected from state budget cuts and are willing to tax the rich to make that happen. But despite the threat of schools taking a beating in next year's state budget, residents are sharply divided over whether they would support higher taxes for themselves, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday.

Ancient Chinese Secret?

Once the moo goo gai pan, fried rice, and the General's chicken are finished, the bill is delivered along with the fortune cookie. Rare bits of wisdom are dispensed along with the all too frequent Gil Grissom-esque zingers, lottery numbers, and the Chinese pronunciations of words.


Well now. That was rather relevant considering the past few days. Prophetic even.

I am not well versed in the tenets and teachings of other faiths, but I know where I can find Christian teaching on this topic.

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well. 3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. 4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. 5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence”and is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. 8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. 11 A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings (James 3:1-13).

Words for all of us to consider.

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

First Act for Act I

From the BCCT this morning:

Taxpayers to reap Act 1 benefits
Bucks property owners will get an average of $236 in property tax relief next year, according to state estimates.
By BRIAN SCHEID STAFF WRITER


For the first time, Bucks County property owners will receive an average of nearly $236 next year in property tax relief from gaming revenue, according to estimates released by the state Thursday.

The amount of tax relief varies by each of the county’s 13 school districts. Bristol Township property owners will receive $289, the most of any district in the county, while property owners in the Centennial School District will receive $166, the lowest amount in Bucks. Overall, districts in Bucks will receive nearly $33.6 million in property tax relief from the state, just more than 5 percent of the $613 million in gaming revenue that will be given out to the more than 500 districts throughout Pennsylvania.

The funding is part of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2006, also known as Act 1, and is taken from state revenues collected from Pennsylvania’s seven slot machine casinos, including Philadelphia Park Casino in Bensalem, which opened in December 2006. Gov. Ed Rendell signed the act into law in June 2006.

As of April 27, those casinos had made gross revenue of more than $1.1 billion during the current fiscal year, including a 34 percent state tax that has climbed to more than $376.6 million as of late last month, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

According to Michael Race, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, the amount each district will receive is based on a complex formula he said benefits high property tax, low wealth districts. Based on the formula, districts with high property tax bills and low income residents will benefit most, he said.

The funding will be given directly to the school districts and the relief will be reflected in each property owner’s tax bill, Race said.

The money will cover only a small portion of most property owners’ tax bills, but likely will offset many of the proposed budget increases area school boards could approve this year, several school administrators said Thursday.

“They’re certainly not going to use this money to go on an extended vacation, but I’m sure every bit helps,” said James Lombardo, superintendent of the Bensalem School District, where an estimated 11,170 property owners are expected to receive about $203 in property tax relief from gaming revenues. “It’s nice to see some reduction.”

Lombardo said the district’s school board will consider a preliminary budget next week that calls for a $175 increase for the owner of a median assessed home.

In Bristol Township, homeowners’ tax bills could be less next year than they were this year, according to Gerry Barcik, the district’s business manager. The school board is considering a preliminary budget that calls for a $111 increase for the average homeowner while the state estimates that each of the township’s 11,729 eligible homeowners will receive $289 in tax relief.

In the Neshaminy School District, where the board will consider a preliminary budget in two weeks that calls for a $358 increase for the average homeowner, the property tax relief is a welcome and unexpected bonus for Joe Paradise, the district’s business administrator.

“The fact that we’re getting any gaming revenue at this point is great,” Paradise said. “It’s good news for taxpayers.”

Throughout the Neshaminy district, 16,602 property owners will receive an estimated $216 in property tax relief.

State Rep. John Galloway, D-140, whose district includes the Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts, said the tax relief “couldn’t come at a better time.”

“Prices for fuel, utilities and food continue going up so it gives me great pleasure to let my constituents know that at least their school property tax bill is going down,” Galloway said.

Shoes too small? Too bad.

Here's an article about a district that has rejected the SECOND citywide referendum to expand the school facilities. Note to the Emperor and friends: Imagine sending multiple referenda out to the people for repairs and they keep rejecting the expenditures. That's a safety issue too. Tell me what you'll do then. Who would you find to do the cursory repairs report then to cover your butt?

School district wrestles with expansion

By Will Hobson

For The Inquirer
Administrators and school board members in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District are again asking "What's next?" after another failed referendum proposal.

Voters last week rejected the district's proposal to borrow $30 million to pay for a renovation and expansion of Unionville High School. This was the second try for the district, as voters rejected a proposal in November to borrow $62.5 million for the high school project.

In response to the second failed referendum proposal, the district and the school board called a facilities committee meeting of the whole for Monday night, gathering the entire school board, Superintendent Sharon Parker, and a few other administrators to discuss the district's next move.

The result of the meeting, though, is that the next move is still up in the air.

The administration did have a plan C (the two referendums were for plans A and B) that was discussed Monday night.

Plan C, with a price tag of about $5 million, would add 12 modular classrooms to alleviate overcrowding in the high school, where enrollment is expected to be near 1,400 next school year, but capacity is only 1,135. Unionville already has 12 modular classrooms.

Parker said in a phone interview Tuesday that she felt the board did not not support moving forward with plan C, because most of the $5 million would be in stopgap measures - like the modular classrooms - that would be rendered useless if the proposed renovation is ever done.

Monday's meeting, attended by about 40 community members, ended around 9:15, with a board decision to continue discussion of the issue at the next meeting, tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Parker said Tuesday that, if more modular classrooms are not the answer, perhaps the next step could include starting construction to add more rooms, with the district trying to fund the project itself.

In looking over responses given to a survey posted on the district's Web site last week, Parker concluded that voters still objected to the scope of the proposed renovation, which was not scaled down from November (only the funding was changed).

"That's a great concern to me, because the planned proposal was based on a needs assessment, and the needs still exist," Parker said.

Two former school board members, Jeff Hellrung and Keith Knauss, started Citizens for Efficient Education last year to oppose both referendum proposals. Despite their win on Election Day, Hellrung was less than celebratory.

"We know that we need a renovation, we know that we need an expansion, we just want to see one done with a lower scope or cost," Hellrung said.

Whatever the next step is, both sides agree that something needs to be done, and soon.

"It's not a good feeling to see the need continue," Hellrung said.

The Unionville-Chadds Ford District has tentatively scheduled another facilities committee meeting for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school library.

Check the district Web site - www.ucfsd.org/ - for confirmation on the date.

So, what’s next?

Good luck Kate! I've been asking that question for months now.

Here's hoping you have better luck.

So, what’s next

Word is the Morrisville School Board is considering hiring a new person to serve as facilities director for the district. It’s unclear whether the current maintenance supervisor would keep his job.

Friday the board will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the high school to hire a new solicitor. And then, there’s the superintendent’s job. Beth Yonson’s contract was sent out for review to the law firm of Curtin and Heefner last month. No official word on whether that review has been completed. Yonson has a five-year deal with the district. School board majority members have indicated they’d like that changed.

Thoughts?

Posted by Kate Fratti at 3:02 pm |

Accountability and Involvement

Let's put Steve Worob and his specific issues off to the side for now. No matter what, the people in his district elected him. The same goes for the rest of the borough council as well as the Emperor and his merry band of sycophantic sheep.

I've been driving this point home for quite a while now: Those people sitting up on the dais work for YOU. They are no different than a plumber, car mechanic, doctor, contractor, or other professional service provider. You engaged them to perform a service by voting for them on election day.

Your responsibility does not stop there once you exit the polling place. Just like watching over the pot on the stove or the kids while they're crayoning, you need to provide oversight for the activities of these officials. This means you need to hold them accountable for their past, present, and future performance.

Accountability takes many forms. At the lower end, it means being educated on the issues and being involved with the process. Watch cable channels 22 and 28 to at least see the meetings. Attend in person if possible. Know what they are discussing, debating, evaluating, and/or voting on, and be knowledgeable enough to know if they are doing the job correctly or pulling a fast one on you.

Moving toward the more advanced end of the spectrum, send them letters or emails (or call, especially for those who do not have computer access.)

Maybe you would want to speak up at a meeting. (BTW, would the borough council consider voting to remove the Christmastime poinsettias from the council chamber? It is May, you know.) Let your elected officials and your neighbors know what you're thinking. Start the debate and get engaged in the process.

Let's make one thing clear: This is CIVIL debate. The name calling crap is a clear sign of the weakness in your own position. If you can't point out the merits of your plan with reasoned argument, then why are you supporting it? Morrisville has been unable to sustain a civil debate for many, many years. Stop it. There's nothing beneficial about the name calling and tattling. Let's graduate out of elementary school.

Maybe you're smarter and better than the person on the dais representing you. We all think that from time to time, and it might even be true. Are you ready to replace them and do the hard work of governing yourself? Get started now.

"I don't have the time." Perhaps so. In all our lives, time becomes a premium commodity at some points, and more freely available at others. Some people just don't have the time. I can understand that.

"Who cares what they do? They're all corrupt or liars. They don't listen anyway." Perhaps so again. But who let them get that way? You did. Without accountability, every human becomes irresponsible. Our politicians can lie, cheat, steal, and perform as they desire without you there to tell them it's unacceptable.

Please don't write in to say, "But I know XXXXX is doing a great job!" There are several council and board members who are doing the hard work of governing. There are several who are not. We know who they are just by taking a few minutes to observe what they do. It isn't about how they voted on particular issues, because opinions change on a daily basis depending on how the wind is blowing and our current vantage point. Promising the world on Election Day is easy. Following through on those promises is the hard part.

Remember the last time you wrote that check to the mechanic for the car repairs? Did you ensure that the work was performed correctly and within the agreed upon standards? Of course you did! You probably hated writing the check, but you know it was a fair exchange of labor for cash.

So now ask yourself, did your elected official do what they needed to do? Are they deserving of your support in the next election? If the answer is no, then why are you reaching for the button to re-elect them?

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

BCTHS Funding Formula Discussion

I saw this in the BCCT this morning.

So the auto shop is as expensive as special education? Who knew?

BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Officials to discuss funding formula
Not just special education costs should be considered, but other expenses like the automotive section, a Neshaminy school board member said.
By JOAN HELLYER STAFF WRITER
Joan Hellyer can be reached at 215-949-4048 or jhellyer@phillyBurbs.com.

Bucks County Technical High School’s governing body will meet in May to decide how it wants to proceed with considering a change to the comprehensive high school’s funding formula.

At issue is whether to separate special education costs, which are often more expensive than mainstream expenses, out of the tech school’s current funding formula. If that happens, the expenses would be paid on an actual usage basis instead of being split among the six sending districts as they are now.

The change could have saved Bristol Township about $500,000 this school year, and cost Neshaminy about $450,000 more than it paid in 2007-2008, according to official estimations. In addition, Bensalem could have saved about $65,000 and Pennsbury would have had to shell out about $110,000 more to cover the special education costs for students from its district.

The BCTHS joint board committee, made up of Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury board members, agreed Monday night to discuss the funding situation during a program implementation assessment meeting at 6:30 p.m. on May 20.

The move comes a week after the Bristol Township school board declined to approve the tech school’s 2008-2009 budget because it felt there was a lack of movement on the funding formula issue.

Neshaminy is the only one of the tech school’s six sending districts that has indicated it is not in favor of the funding formula revision.

“If you single out special education, then you should also single out the automotive section, because it’s very expensive,” said Ritchie Webb, a Neshaminy board member, after the joint board committee’s meeting Monday night.

The committee will decide what it wants to look at in terms of school expenses before it considers changing the special education portion of the funding formula.

Officials have suggested phasing in the revised formula over a fouryear period beginning in 2009-2010.