From the Sag Harbor (NY) Express. Ignore the specific references to people and places and concentrate on the meaning behind the words. There's apparently plenty of village idiots in charge. This plea could be equally applied to the Morrisville School District.
"The mission of our school has nothing to do with factions or special interests. It is the moral obligation of our community and our school district to provide our children with the best possible education and to do so in a sustainable fashion that takes into account the finite nature of our community’s resources. To find that sustainability will require a board of education that embraces community participation, and acts transparently and honestly. It also will require renewed commitment from the community."
"It is much easier for them to legitimize their beliefs to the community and rationalize them to themselves if our district, particularly Pierson Middle/High School, is perceived as mediocre and teachers and administrators are perceived as scoundrels."
Check out the part about the illegal monitoring of the special education costs too.
"Once again, according to the Express, Elena Loreto wondered if anyone was monitoring the number of special education students in the district which she said was high. As a former teacher, Ms. Loreto should know better. The classification of students is part of a comprehensive, deliberative process mandated by the state that includes health care, educational, and behavioral specialists, teachers, parents, the head of Pupil Personal Services and principals. Every recommendation of services for a student is review by the school board. There is absolutely nothing casual about this process. Would Ms. Loreto like to cap special education classification at a certain level and take away services from some of our most needy kids in an effort to save herself some money? If so, it reflects an attitude which is antithetical to the whole purpose of public education and the democratic principles at its foundation. It is the principle articulated by Dewey. We as a community have a responsibility to educate each and every student who walks through the door of our school irrespective of the baggage or disability that they carry with them."
Classic.
A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a form of associative living -- John Dewey, 1916
John Dewey was “the most important advocate of participatory democracy; that is, of the belief that democracy as an ethical ideal calls upon men and women to build communities in which the necessary opportunities and resources are available for every individual to realize fully his or her particular capacities and powers through participation in political, social, and cultural life.” -- Robert Westbrook, 1991
America’s great philosopher and educator John Dewey believed that the essential element, the key to American democracy is education. He also believed that the stewardship of that education resided in “communities” which have the obligation to provide “the necessary opportunity and resources” to provide for that education. His philosophy was mirrored one hundred years ago in the words of Olivia Sage who spoke of our community’s obligation “as guardians of children to provide for the education of our children.”
Anyone in our community who believes in this collective commitment to our children and their education should be greatly concerned by the series of articles about our school that appeared in last week’s Express. Most troubling is the article titled “School Super Grilled” which described last week’s meeting of the Noyac Civic Council. Comments made by members of the Civic Council during their meeting are consistent with their concerted efforts to discredit the educational performance of children and our school district over a period of time. It has become obvious over time that their activity is not driven by a concern for our children or their education but instead by the immediate self-interest of reducing their own tax burden by cutting our school’s budget, increasing class size, cutting education programs, services and staff. It is much easier for them to legitimize their beliefs to the community and rationalize them to themselves if our district, particularly Pierson Middle/High School, is perceived as mediocre and teachers and administrators are perceived as scoundrels. The truth is, that Pierson by any meaningful, comprehensive assessment (which would include student performance on standardized tests) is the best secondary school on the East End. Moreover, Pierson has shown remarkable improvement over the last ten years.
In this context the Express’s article is illuminating.
According to the Express, one member of the Civic Council stated “I’ve been paying taxes here for 47 years. You don’t send your kids to Harvard or Brown…You’re a joke.” This statement is completely false. We send our students to the best schools in the country including Harvard, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bard. In the discipline which I teach, the fine arts, we have an extraordinary record of placing our students at the finest professional schools in the country including the Chicago Art Institue, Rhode Island School of Design, Cooper Union, Cal Arts, The Boston Museum School, and Pratt Institute among others.
Patrick Witty asked if Advanced Placement courses were mandated by New York State. The answer of course is no. Was this a rhetorical question? Was Mr. Witty suggesting that we reduce our kids’ education opportunities to the minimum required by the state?
Once again, according to the Express, Elena Loreto wondered if anyone was monitoring the number of special education students in the district which she said was high. As a former teacher, Ms. Loreto should know better. The classification of students is part of a comprehensive, deliberative process mandated by the state that includes health care, educational, and behavioral specialists, teachers, parents, the head of Pupil Personal Services and principals. Every recommendation of services for a student is review by the school board. There is absolutely nothing casual about this process. Would Ms. Loreto like to cap special education classification at a certain level and take away services from some of our most needy kids in an effort to save herself some money? If so, it reflects an attitude which is antithetical to the whole purpose of public education and the democratic principles at its foundation. It is the principle articulated by Dewey. We as a community have a responsibility to educate each and every student who walks through the door of our school irrespective of the baggage or disability that they carry with them.
Finally, in the comments made by Ed Grohan at the Civic Council meeting there is a disconnect between perception, reality and the fundamental mission of our school. Mr. Grohan talks about district goals favoring teachers and administrators specifically that maintaining the current education program and talks about this leading to “stagnation.” Mr. Grohan as a teacher, a resident of Noyac with one child in our school and one that just graduated and is attending The School of Visual Arts in September, I assure you I have no interest in our school stagnating.
Ten years ago our community made a commitment to maintain a community based school, which would provide our children with a comprehensive, rich and textured education. This was the commitment at the foundation of the renovation and enlargement of Pierson High School. Over the years our faculty has been transformed by new, energetic and talented teachers. The curriculum has been in a constant state of development, improvement and change. The positions of assistant principals at the middle school and high school have allowed for hands on direct and daily contact for both students, parents and teachers with our administrators. They have improved the function of our school and provided invaluable service.
Ten years ago, many in our school and community felt that Pierson was second rate, incapable of competing with East Hampton or Southampton let alone the Ross School. Today Pierson has Intel science national semifinalists, students that save lives with lessons well learned in Sue Denis’s CPR classes, students passionate about math, history, literature, students who have exhibited remarkable and tangible achievement in music and art. We have former students attending the best universities and colleges in the country and serving with bravery in Iraq. Our staff includes a Harvard graduate, graduates from Columbia’s prestigious Teachers College, award winning coaches along with two Suffolk County Teachers of the Year.
This having been said, our school is far from perfect and it must be improved both in terms of its education program and fiscal accountability.
The mission of our school has nothing to do with factions or special interests. It is the moral obligation of our community and our school district to provide our children with the best possible education and to do so in a sustainable fashion that takes into account the finite nature of our community’s resources. To find that sustainability will require a board of education that embraces community participation, and acts transparently and honestly. It also will require renewed commitment form the community.
Sadly, the Noyac Civic Council, by their statements that act to obscure instead of illuminate, who continually and purposefully misrepresent the truth about our school and the performance of our children, who put their own petty self-interest before that of our community and our children, has done little to further the necessary discussion about our school.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Schools News Around the Blogosphere
Schools on a shoestring: Specialized programs cut to the core
Orlando Sentinel
Students across Central Florida will learn a brutal lesson in economics when the new school year starts next week. For years, school leaders juggled their budgets to prevent the state's chronic money woes from creeping into the classroom. But they're out of options now and scaling back popular programs for gifted students and troubled kids.
Opinion: We can learn from special schools
The Age
JULIA Gillard has called for a "raging debate" about how our education system compares to the best in the world, how to ensure that every school is a great school, and how to ensure every child gets an excellent education.
ACT scores show 3 in 4 need some remedial help for college
USA Today
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9% compared to last year. This year's results, released Wednesday, reveal that more than three in four test-takers will likely need remedial help in at least one subject to succeed in college.
Even the SPED kids outperformed black students.
S.F.'s black students lag far behind whites
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco schools earned bragging rights on state standardized tests again this year - performing better than the state as a whole across every grade in both math and English - but any celebration was clouded by the subpar proficiency of the district's African American students, who continued to fall further behind their peers.
Could bumpy economy lead to slumping education?
USA Today
By Libby Quaid, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Harder times and higher fuel prices are following kids back to school this fall. Children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks, even wear last year's clothes. Field trips? Forget about it.
Homeschoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, Ms.
You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.
It's a big family by today's standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.
Orlando Sentinel
Students across Central Florida will learn a brutal lesson in economics when the new school year starts next week. For years, school leaders juggled their budgets to prevent the state's chronic money woes from creeping into the classroom. But they're out of options now and scaling back popular programs for gifted students and troubled kids.
Opinion: We can learn from special schools
The Age
JULIA Gillard has called for a "raging debate" about how our education system compares to the best in the world, how to ensure that every school is a great school, and how to ensure every child gets an excellent education.
ACT scores show 3 in 4 need some remedial help for college
USA Today
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9% compared to last year. This year's results, released Wednesday, reveal that more than three in four test-takers will likely need remedial help in at least one subject to succeed in college.
Even the SPED kids outperformed black students.
S.F.'s black students lag far behind whites
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco schools earned bragging rights on state standardized tests again this year - performing better than the state as a whole across every grade in both math and English - but any celebration was clouded by the subpar proficiency of the district's African American students, who continued to fall further behind their peers.
Could bumpy economy lead to slumping education?
USA Today
By Libby Quaid, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Harder times and higher fuel prices are following kids back to school this fall. Children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks, even wear last year's clothes. Field trips? Forget about it.
Homeschoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, Ms.
You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.
It's a big family by today's standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.
Morrisville celebrates '1776'
From the Trenton Times. Don't forget the show tonight at the Williamson Park pavilion at 8 P.M..
History at home: Morrisville celebrates '1776' By ANITA DONOVAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
July 1776 was hot and humid in the Delaware Valley. In Philadelphia, the Continental Congress, approximately 40 representatives of the 13 rebellious colonies, sat debating submission or revolution, while war already raged from Boston and New York to South Carolina. The supporters of independence -- the argumentative Boston attorney John Adams, Virginia's shy but articulate Thomas Jefferson and Philadelphia's resident genius Benjamin Franklin -- urged the adoption of a "declaration" of separation from Great Britain, while John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, and southern slave holders Joseph Hewes and Edward Rutledge demurred. The rest of the delegates hung suspended in perplexity, while Gen. George Washington conducted what already looked like a losing battle.
We know the outcome of the Congress, but the Declaration did not make independence happen overnight. Six months later, in an already venerable settlement on the Delaware River, Robert Morris, a financier of the revolution, lent his rural mansion Summerseat to Washington to serve as the jumping off place for the December 1776 sneak attack against the British at Trenton.
This weekend, Morrisville Borough, named for Morris in 1804, honors its singular role in America's birth with two free performances of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone's musical reenactment of that fateful July, "1776." Presented by Morrisville's resident theater company, Actors' NET of Bucks County, the show will take place at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at the riverfront's Williamson Park.
"You could say that '1776' is our signature show," says NET managing director Joe Doyle, who plays John Adams in the production.
"This is the sixth time we have staged '1776.' We've done three productions indoors at the Heritage Center, our first one outdoors in Williamson Park in summer 2004 -- in conjunction with 'The Man Who Bought a Country,' my own historical musical about Robert Morris," says Doyle. "Then we staged a production at the Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre in 2005. We took a break from history last year, doing 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' in the park. But now we're back to '1776' at Williamson."
As in the past, the Morrisville Borough Council is sponsoring this production. Doyle admits it isn't easy taking the show outside and breaking it down after each performance. In the past, the Actors' NET crew hauled light and sound equipment from their theater opposite the Park. This year, they were able to borrow sound gear from the borough and lights from area producer Joe Martin.
"The vast majority of our cast this year are repeaters from past runs of the show," says director Cheryl Doyle, "making it quite easy to reassemble."
Mary Liz Ivins portrays Abigail Adams, singing the beautiful love song "Till Then" with husband John. Jim Petro plays Jefferson and Kyla Marie Mostello, as Martha Jefferson, is thrilled when her husband "plays the violin."
The performers are just as enthusiastic about the sixth performance of their roles as they were for the first several.
"There are a few roles that I don't mind doing endlessly," says Steve Lobis, playing the obdurate Pennsylvania delegate Dickinson, "and this is one of them." To him, "1776" is a wonderful combination of fact and entertainment.
"Peter Stone's book may take some artistic license with historic detail, but I find the accuracy of facts and quotes is quite impressive," he notes. "It's a great treat for those of us who love both musical theater and history."
Marco Newton, who has portrayed the crusty custodian An drew McNair in all six productions, also loves doing the show. His character is primarily comical, but he represents the common man amongst the high profile delegates making the big decisions.
"The words and delivery are branded on my consciousness. For me, it seems like the history lesson a kid would prefer over a boring lecture. The way '1776' is presented makes kids interested in the past in a way they never would ordinarily be.
"From the play, we realize our founding fathers had personalities, issues, libidos, egos -- they weren't just men in funny wigs, as they are usually portrayed."
For Doyle, the role of Adams brings together the historic and the personal.'Honestly, from the first time I read the script. Mr. Adams spoke to me. I strongly identify with his personality -- flaws and all," says Doyle, who also has served for several years as an interpreter of the Adams persona for Philadelphia's American Historical Theatre. "I understand what it is to be pushy, headstrong and passionate over something I fervently believe in, so when people react adversely, like Adams, I feel misunderstood."
Although the script jokes that Adams is "obnoxious and disliked," history shows he was highly respected by his peers.
Apparently, Doyle's perception of Adams comes across to the audience. While speaking as Adams at an AHT forum, Doyle was approached by newly naturalized citizens who thanked him -- as if he really was Adams -- for what the Founding Fathers did to create and secure our nation.
"You can't help being moved when something like that happens. All you can do is tell them -- as Adams might have -- that it was an honor to perform these duties."
Probably Doyle's favorite compliment came from a youngster who saw "1776" and solemnly announced that he planned to grow up to be "like John Adams."
"The most memorable of all our shows was July 4, 2004," recalls Doyle. At one point, Adams sings jubilantly about the future of America. "Just as I sang the line, 'I see fireworks, I see the pageantry, the pomp and parade,' from across the river in Trenton the sky was suddenly illuminated by fireworks -- as if on cue. An amazing moment. Or, as John Adams would say,'Incredible!"'
The show is appropriate for all ages. Playgoers may bring blankets or chairs or sit on bleachers. Free parking is on site and along the riverfront.
History at home: Morrisville celebrates '1776' By ANITA DONOVAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
July 1776 was hot and humid in the Delaware Valley. In Philadelphia, the Continental Congress, approximately 40 representatives of the 13 rebellious colonies, sat debating submission or revolution, while war already raged from Boston and New York to South Carolina. The supporters of independence -- the argumentative Boston attorney John Adams, Virginia's shy but articulate Thomas Jefferson and Philadelphia's resident genius Benjamin Franklin -- urged the adoption of a "declaration" of separation from Great Britain, while John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, and southern slave holders Joseph Hewes and Edward Rutledge demurred. The rest of the delegates hung suspended in perplexity, while Gen. George Washington conducted what already looked like a losing battle.
We know the outcome of the Congress, but the Declaration did not make independence happen overnight. Six months later, in an already venerable settlement on the Delaware River, Robert Morris, a financier of the revolution, lent his rural mansion Summerseat to Washington to serve as the jumping off place for the December 1776 sneak attack against the British at Trenton.
This weekend, Morrisville Borough, named for Morris in 1804, honors its singular role in America's birth with two free performances of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone's musical reenactment of that fateful July, "1776." Presented by Morrisville's resident theater company, Actors' NET of Bucks County, the show will take place at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at the riverfront's Williamson Park.
"You could say that '1776' is our signature show," says NET managing director Joe Doyle, who plays John Adams in the production.
"This is the sixth time we have staged '1776.' We've done three productions indoors at the Heritage Center, our first one outdoors in Williamson Park in summer 2004 -- in conjunction with 'The Man Who Bought a Country,' my own historical musical about Robert Morris," says Doyle. "Then we staged a production at the Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre in 2005. We took a break from history last year, doing 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' in the park. But now we're back to '1776' at Williamson."
As in the past, the Morrisville Borough Council is sponsoring this production. Doyle admits it isn't easy taking the show outside and breaking it down after each performance. In the past, the Actors' NET crew hauled light and sound equipment from their theater opposite the Park. This year, they were able to borrow sound gear from the borough and lights from area producer Joe Martin.
"The vast majority of our cast this year are repeaters from past runs of the show," says director Cheryl Doyle, "making it quite easy to reassemble."
Mary Liz Ivins portrays Abigail Adams, singing the beautiful love song "Till Then" with husband John. Jim Petro plays Jefferson and Kyla Marie Mostello, as Martha Jefferson, is thrilled when her husband "plays the violin."
The performers are just as enthusiastic about the sixth performance of their roles as they were for the first several.
"There are a few roles that I don't mind doing endlessly," says Steve Lobis, playing the obdurate Pennsylvania delegate Dickinson, "and this is one of them." To him, "1776" is a wonderful combination of fact and entertainment.
"Peter Stone's book may take some artistic license with historic detail, but I find the accuracy of facts and quotes is quite impressive," he notes. "It's a great treat for those of us who love both musical theater and history."
Marco Newton, who has portrayed the crusty custodian An drew McNair in all six productions, also loves doing the show. His character is primarily comical, but he represents the common man amongst the high profile delegates making the big decisions.
"The words and delivery are branded on my consciousness. For me, it seems like the history lesson a kid would prefer over a boring lecture. The way '1776' is presented makes kids interested in the past in a way they never would ordinarily be.
"From the play, we realize our founding fathers had personalities, issues, libidos, egos -- they weren't just men in funny wigs, as they are usually portrayed."
For Doyle, the role of Adams brings together the historic and the personal.'Honestly, from the first time I read the script. Mr. Adams spoke to me. I strongly identify with his personality -- flaws and all," says Doyle, who also has served for several years as an interpreter of the Adams persona for Philadelphia's American Historical Theatre. "I understand what it is to be pushy, headstrong and passionate over something I fervently believe in, so when people react adversely, like Adams, I feel misunderstood."
Although the script jokes that Adams is "obnoxious and disliked," history shows he was highly respected by his peers.
Apparently, Doyle's perception of Adams comes across to the audience. While speaking as Adams at an AHT forum, Doyle was approached by newly naturalized citizens who thanked him -- as if he really was Adams -- for what the Founding Fathers did to create and secure our nation.
"You can't help being moved when something like that happens. All you can do is tell them -- as Adams might have -- that it was an honor to perform these duties."
Probably Doyle's favorite compliment came from a youngster who saw "1776" and solemnly announced that he planned to grow up to be "like John Adams."
"The most memorable of all our shows was July 4, 2004," recalls Doyle. At one point, Adams sings jubilantly about the future of America. "Just as I sang the line, 'I see fireworks, I see the pageantry, the pomp and parade,' from across the river in Trenton the sky was suddenly illuminated by fireworks -- as if on cue. An amazing moment. Or, as John Adams would say,'Incredible!"'
The show is appropriate for all ages. Playgoers may bring blankets or chairs or sit on bleachers. Free parking is on site and along the riverfront.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Pennsylvania School Report Card
The conservative Commonwealth Foundation assesses the PSSA and Pennsylvania student performance.
I see a lot of the Stop the School thinking in this report. That doesn't make it bad. It's nice to know where the mindset comes from.
It's also not meant to be another opportunity to cry wolf about the failures of the Morrisville school district. Feel free to address the tax inequities and failures of state testing where they belong: Harrisburg. Don't penalize Morrisville and its students and residents.
A Pennsylvania School Report Card: How the Commonwealth’s Public Schools Stack Up to the Rest of the Nation
Author: David V. Anderson
Executive Summary
Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) “is a standards based criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards.”
Unfortunately, exams such as the PSSA fail to adequately inform parents, teachers, and the taxpaying public about the quality of their schools. Indeed, a comparison between Pennsylvania’s achievement test results with those reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that the PSSA significantly inflates the numbers of public school pupils who are deemed to be performing at or above grade level.
With few exceptions, schools are engaged in massive social promotion of children who are not academically proficient. Even the very best schools promote upwards of 10% of their children to levels for which they are not prepared. In the worst schools, more than 95% are improperly promoted, based on the NAEP standard of proficiency.
The PSSA reports, on average, 1.82 times the percentage of students “proficient” in reading and math as does the NAEP. With an 82% test inflation, Pennsylvania falls just below the median of the 50 states test standards. Pennsylvania’s reported proficiencies seem to foster a complacent attitude among stakeholders in Pennsylvania’s public schools. Were more accurate comparisons available, parents, school officials, politicians, and taxpayers might be more alarmed and seek stronger remedies. In cases where the proficiencies reported by the PSSA are in the 80% to 90% range, they are seen as a matter of pride, yet the equivalent NAEP scale proficiencies—a range of 50% to 60% proficient—are troubling.
This policy brief used a mapping procedure to convert PSSA test results into ones consistent with the NAEP. This provides stakeholders with more realistic performance results. They are, however, also more alarming.
I see a lot of the Stop the School thinking in this report. That doesn't make it bad. It's nice to know where the mindset comes from.
It's also not meant to be another opportunity to cry wolf about the failures of the Morrisville school district. Feel free to address the tax inequities and failures of state testing where they belong: Harrisburg. Don't penalize Morrisville and its students and residents.
A Pennsylvania School Report Card: How the Commonwealth’s Public Schools Stack Up to the Rest of the Nation
Author: David V. Anderson
Executive Summary
Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) “is a standards based criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards.”
Unfortunately, exams such as the PSSA fail to adequately inform parents, teachers, and the taxpaying public about the quality of their schools. Indeed, a comparison between Pennsylvania’s achievement test results with those reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that the PSSA significantly inflates the numbers of public school pupils who are deemed to be performing at or above grade level.
With few exceptions, schools are engaged in massive social promotion of children who are not academically proficient. Even the very best schools promote upwards of 10% of their children to levels for which they are not prepared. In the worst schools, more than 95% are improperly promoted, based on the NAEP standard of proficiency.
The PSSA reports, on average, 1.82 times the percentage of students “proficient” in reading and math as does the NAEP. With an 82% test inflation, Pennsylvania falls just below the median of the 50 states test standards. Pennsylvania’s reported proficiencies seem to foster a complacent attitude among stakeholders in Pennsylvania’s public schools. Were more accurate comparisons available, parents, school officials, politicians, and taxpayers might be more alarmed and seek stronger remedies. In cases where the proficiencies reported by the PSSA are in the 80% to 90% range, they are seen as a matter of pride, yet the equivalent NAEP scale proficiencies—a range of 50% to 60% proficient—are troubling.
This policy brief used a mapping procedure to convert PSSA test results into ones consistent with the NAEP. This provides stakeholders with more realistic performance results. They are, however, also more alarming.
Borough Arts and Events Calendar
Next up in Morrisville's summer-long celebration:
Friday, August 22nd, and Saturday, August 23rd
The "Heritage Theater" presents "1776"
Raindate is August 24th
Williamson Park Stage Pavilion
Info call Joe or Cheryl Doyle @ 215-295-8181
No charge for this event
More info: visit www.actorsnetbucks.org
On deck:
Saturday, August 30th
Come tap your feet to the tunes of the "Tri-County Band"
Williamson Park Stage 6-8pm
Bring a blanket or chair
No charge for this event
Friday, August 22nd, and Saturday, August 23rd
The "Heritage Theater" presents "1776"
Raindate is August 24th
Williamson Park Stage Pavilion
Info call Joe or Cheryl Doyle @ 215-295-8181
No charge for this event
More info: visit www.actorsnetbucks.org
On deck:
Saturday, August 30th
Come tap your feet to the tunes of the "Tri-County Band"
Williamson Park Stage 6-8pm
Bring a blanket or chair
No charge for this event
Archdiocese seeks aid for special ed
From the Intelligencer.
Archdiocese seeks aid for special ed
By DOM COSENTINO, The Intelligencer
Funding for special education programs are a problem for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, an administrator of the archdiocese said Wednesday at a state House Republican committee hearing in Upper Moreland.
Ellen Wedermeyer, the archdiocese's assistant superintendent for special education, said the archdiocese's tuition rate only covers 20 percent of what it actually costs to educate a special needs child at any one of its five schools of special education and eight additional programs for students with learning disabilities.
Wedermeyer also said enrollment in the archdiocese's learning disability program at the elementary level has increased 20 percent in the last year, with several locations full and a wait list for the upcoming school year.
“If we are unable to locate a new funding stream to aid in paying our operating expenses,” she said, “the futures of the five schools of special education are in jeopardy.”
Wedermeyer and others addressed the House Republican Policy Committee at a hearing co-chaired by state Rep. Thomas P. Murt, an Eastern Montgomery County Republican, at St. David Parish, which is home to Our Lady of Confidence Day School, an archdiocesean school that serves students with developmental or intellectual disabilities.
The state has already established an Educational Improvement Tax Credit, which effectively allows businesses to pay part of their state business taxes through state-certified, nonprofit scholarship organizations such as the archdiocese's Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools.
BLOCS can benefit special education students, but there is no special tax credit program specifically set aside for those students, according to testimony offered by Andrew T. Lefebvre, the executive director of the school-choice coalition REACH.
Murt, an Archbishop Wood graduate, said it was too soon to tell how the testimony would be utilized as part of any legislation. The General Assembly is on recess until Sept. 15, and a pair of bills — one in the House and one in the Senate — that would address special education services for non-public schools have been pending since last summer.
“We could decide,” Murt said, “if we want to use (Wednesday's testimony) to support the legislation that's pending now, or if other changes need to be made.”
Archdiocese seeks aid for special ed
By DOM COSENTINO, The Intelligencer
Funding for special education programs are a problem for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, an administrator of the archdiocese said Wednesday at a state House Republican committee hearing in Upper Moreland.
Ellen Wedermeyer, the archdiocese's assistant superintendent for special education, said the archdiocese's tuition rate only covers 20 percent of what it actually costs to educate a special needs child at any one of its five schools of special education and eight additional programs for students with learning disabilities.
Wedermeyer also said enrollment in the archdiocese's learning disability program at the elementary level has increased 20 percent in the last year, with several locations full and a wait list for the upcoming school year.
“If we are unable to locate a new funding stream to aid in paying our operating expenses,” she said, “the futures of the five schools of special education are in jeopardy.”
Wedermeyer and others addressed the House Republican Policy Committee at a hearing co-chaired by state Rep. Thomas P. Murt, an Eastern Montgomery County Republican, at St. David Parish, which is home to Our Lady of Confidence Day School, an archdiocesean school that serves students with developmental or intellectual disabilities.
The state has already established an Educational Improvement Tax Credit, which effectively allows businesses to pay part of their state business taxes through state-certified, nonprofit scholarship organizations such as the archdiocese's Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools.
BLOCS can benefit special education students, but there is no special tax credit program specifically set aside for those students, according to testimony offered by Andrew T. Lefebvre, the executive director of the school-choice coalition REACH.
Murt, an Archbishop Wood graduate, said it was too soon to tell how the testimony would be utilized as part of any legislation. The General Assembly is on recess until Sept. 15, and a pair of bills — one in the House and one in the Senate — that would address special education services for non-public schools have been pending since last summer.
“We could decide,” Murt said, “if we want to use (Wednesday's testimony) to support the legislation that's pending now, or if other changes need to be made.”
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Renovations on time, on budget
Neshaminy's Back to School profile.
Renovations on time, on budget
This year, administrators said they’re working on implementing a writing program for all grade levels.
By RACHEL CANELLI
A brand new two-story classroom wing will be opening at Neshaminy High School to begin the school year. The building includes new desks and flat screen televisions. Crews will continue to work on another new two-story wing for science, which should be equipped with new labs and updated tools by the spring, officials said.
The Middletown school is more than halfway through a major construction and renovation project, which is adding more than 250,000 square feet to accommodate 2,800 students, including ninth- graders who will move there from the middle schools next year, administrators said.
The whole $82 million project, which remains on time and on budget, is expected to be finished in September 2009. The district borrowed $77 million to fund it, officials said.
Elsewhere in the district, officials said they’re implementing a literacy framework for kindergartners through first-graders this year, and including a writing program in all grades, according to spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo.
Meanwhile, Neshaminy Middle School, which recently closed, received the Bronze Level National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for its health initiatives. The Middletown building was one of 43 schools in the country and the only school in the state to receive the recognition. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the honor to the school’s former principal, Karen Wychock, administrators said.
The Neshaminy School District serves more than 9,000 students in 13 schools throughout Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville and Lower Southampton. The district employs more than 1,500 people and has adopted a $190 million annual budget, officials said. For information, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us.
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS
Superintendent:
Paul J. Kadri, 215-809-6500
Assistant Superintendent:
Louis T. Muenker, 215-809-6606
Director of elementary education:
Jacqueline Rattigan, 215-809-6510
Director of secondary education:
Geeta A. Heble, 215-809-6510
Principals:
Tawanka Learning Center: Joann Holland, 215-809-6240
Neshaminy High: Alex Menio, 215-809-6100
Maple Point Middle: Mark Collins, 215-809-6230
Poquessing Middle: Ronald Sayre, 215-809-6210
Carl Sandburg Middle: Dawn Kelly, 215-809-6220
Pearl Buck Elementary: Paul Mahoney, 215-809-6300
Samuel Everitt Elementary: Andre Modica, 215-809-6320
Joseph Ferderbar Elementary: Judy Brown, 215-809-6370
Oliver Heckman Elementary: Brian Kern, 215-809-6330
Herbert Hoover Elementary: Karen Wychock, 215-809-6340
Lower Southampton Elementary: Matthew Walsh, 215-809-6350
Walter Miller Elementary: Joan Chak, 215-809-6360
Albert Schweitzer Elementary: Stephanie Miguelez, 215-809-6380
School board:
Joseph Blasch, Kim Koutsouradis, Irene Boyle, Susan Cummings, Richard Eccles, Frank Koziol, William Spitz, Ritchie Webb and William O’Connor. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., except in July and August. The board does not normally meet in July. It meets on the fourth Tuesday in August. Work sessions are held in the administrative boardroom of the Maple Point Middle School in Middletown. To reach the school board, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us and follow the links.
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 3, first day for students Sept. 30, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 9, Yom Kippur, no school Nov. 4, Election Day, no school Nov. 11, Veterans Day, district closed Nov. 26-28, Thanksgiving holiday Dec. 24-31 Christmas recess Jan 1-2, Christmas recess Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 16, Presidents Day Feb. 25, no school Apr. 6-10 Spring recess May 19, Election Day, no school May 25, Memorial Day June 11, graduation June 19, last day for students
FAST FACTS ABOUT NESHAMINY
2007 Average SAT Scores: Verbal — 499
Math — 511
Writing — 490
Average teacher salary: $81,480
AP courses: 12
Student/teacher ratio: high school, 14 to 1; middle, 12 to 1; elementary, 14 to 1
Cost per student: $15,680
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: did not meet AYP goal
Partnerships with businesses:
more than 500 community partners
Information provided by the Neshaminy School District
Renovations on time, on budget
This year, administrators said they’re working on implementing a writing program for all grade levels.
By RACHEL CANELLI
A brand new two-story classroom wing will be opening at Neshaminy High School to begin the school year. The building includes new desks and flat screen televisions. Crews will continue to work on another new two-story wing for science, which should be equipped with new labs and updated tools by the spring, officials said.
The Middletown school is more than halfway through a major construction and renovation project, which is adding more than 250,000 square feet to accommodate 2,800 students, including ninth- graders who will move there from the middle schools next year, administrators said.
The whole $82 million project, which remains on time and on budget, is expected to be finished in September 2009. The district borrowed $77 million to fund it, officials said.
Elsewhere in the district, officials said they’re implementing a literacy framework for kindergartners through first-graders this year, and including a writing program in all grades, according to spokeswoman Sandra Costanzo.
Meanwhile, Neshaminy Middle School, which recently closed, received the Bronze Level National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for its health initiatives. The Middletown building was one of 43 schools in the country and the only school in the state to receive the recognition. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation presented the honor to the school’s former principal, Karen Wychock, administrators said.
The Neshaminy School District serves more than 9,000 students in 13 schools throughout Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville and Lower Southampton. The district employs more than 1,500 people and has adopted a $190 million annual budget, officials said. For information, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us.
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS
Superintendent:
Paul J. Kadri, 215-809-6500
Assistant Superintendent:
Louis T. Muenker, 215-809-6606
Director of elementary education:
Jacqueline Rattigan, 215-809-6510
Director of secondary education:
Geeta A. Heble, 215-809-6510
Principals:
Tawanka Learning Center: Joann Holland, 215-809-6240
Neshaminy High: Alex Menio, 215-809-6100
Maple Point Middle: Mark Collins, 215-809-6230
Poquessing Middle: Ronald Sayre, 215-809-6210
Carl Sandburg Middle: Dawn Kelly, 215-809-6220
Pearl Buck Elementary: Paul Mahoney, 215-809-6300
Samuel Everitt Elementary: Andre Modica, 215-809-6320
Joseph Ferderbar Elementary: Judy Brown, 215-809-6370
Oliver Heckman Elementary: Brian Kern, 215-809-6330
Herbert Hoover Elementary: Karen Wychock, 215-809-6340
Lower Southampton Elementary: Matthew Walsh, 215-809-6350
Walter Miller Elementary: Joan Chak, 215-809-6360
Albert Schweitzer Elementary: Stephanie Miguelez, 215-809-6380
School board:
Joseph Blasch, Kim Koutsouradis, Irene Boyle, Susan Cummings, Richard Eccles, Frank Koziol, William Spitz, Ritchie Webb and William O’Connor. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., except in July and August. The board does not normally meet in July. It meets on the fourth Tuesday in August. Work sessions are held in the administrative boardroom of the Maple Point Middle School in Middletown. To reach the school board, visit www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us and follow the links.
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 3, first day for students Sept. 30, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 1, Rosh Hashana, no school Oct. 9, Yom Kippur, no school Nov. 4, Election Day, no school Nov. 11, Veterans Day, district closed Nov. 26-28, Thanksgiving holiday Dec. 24-31 Christmas recess Jan 1-2, Christmas recess Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 16, Presidents Day Feb. 25, no school Apr. 6-10 Spring recess May 19, Election Day, no school May 25, Memorial Day June 11, graduation June 19, last day for students
FAST FACTS ABOUT NESHAMINY
2007 Average SAT Scores: Verbal — 499
Math — 511
Writing — 490
Average teacher salary: $81,480
AP courses: 12
Student/teacher ratio: high school, 14 to 1; middle, 12 to 1; elementary, 14 to 1
Cost per student: $15,680
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: did not meet AYP goal
Partnerships with businesses:
more than 500 community partners
Information provided by the Neshaminy School District
Dunford: The Next Day
Here's an interesting item from today's BCCT. It's just a continuation of the Emperor's "Iknowaguy" style of bringing in cronies. His track record so far in "Iknowaguy" transactions is not impressive. Kudos to Gloria Heater for her suggestion, but the vote is 5-4 with Hellmann, Radosti, Mihok, Worob, and Buckman approving the Bristol guy.
Let's move this meeting along.
Business manager resigns
The embattled business manager of the Morrisville School District tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective Oct. 18.
Reba Dunford has been with the district for four years.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. “Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her.”
Dunford, of Montgomery County, said Wednesday she has found a new position closer to home.
“I am really sad to leave all of the great staff at Morrisville. I have enjoyed working with the administration and other employees.”
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Softspoken Dunford sparred openly at times with school board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
In June, the board reduced the length of Yonson’s contract from five years to three despite her protest.
Yonson indicated she would advertise to fill Dunford’s position, but school board member Gloria Heater has suggested to Hellmann that the position be filled temporarily through the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. In an e-mail to the board, Heater surprised minority members by indicating Hellmann had discussed with her a specific permanent candidate, referencing “[Hellmann’s] guy in Bristol.”
Whoever that might be has not been disclosed.
Let's move this meeting along.
Business manager resigns
The embattled business manager of the Morrisville School District tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective Oct. 18.
Reba Dunford has been with the district for four years.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. “Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her.”
Dunford, of Montgomery County, said Wednesday she has found a new position closer to home.
“I am really sad to leave all of the great staff at Morrisville. I have enjoyed working with the administration and other employees.”
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Softspoken Dunford sparred openly at times with school board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
In June, the board reduced the length of Yonson’s contract from five years to three despite her protest.
Yonson indicated she would advertise to fill Dunford’s position, but school board member Gloria Heater has suggested to Hellmann that the position be filled temporarily through the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. In an e-mail to the board, Heater surprised minority members by indicating Hellmann had discussed with her a specific permanent candidate, referencing “[Hellmann’s] guy in Bristol.”
Whoever that might be has not been disclosed.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
From CNN. There's a lot of good, sound information here. When the kids bring home that mountain of "parent homework" next month, take some time to read it completely. Fill out the PTO application too. Get involved.
By Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. Martin, a nationally syndicated columnist and Chicago-based radio host, is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Please visit his Web site.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
(CNN) -- Today was my first day in elementary school.
My wife and I have been married seven-and-a-half years and we don't have any children. But two weeks ago, we persuaded one of my three sisters to send her four girls -- ages 9, 7 and twin 4-year-olds -- to Chicago, Illinois, so we could take care of them and get them caught up academically.
I take seriously my role as a godfather and uncle. For a lot of folks, being a godfather is all about a ceremony and giving gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
But if you remember the admonition of the priest or pastor, the purpose of a godfather is to stand in the gap for the parents when they are unable to do so. That has surely been the case in my family. The consequence of drama in a marriage has left the two older nieces behind academically.
So we decided that it's time for them to be in a stable environment , immersed in academics. That's what took me to the nearby Chicago public school.
As I filled out the paperwork and looked through the folder provided by the school, I came across a variety of forms: for a school fundraiser at a restaurant, a raffle, and an application to join the school's Parent-Teacher Association.
For me, there is nothing more important than that PTA application.
In a world where the two presidential candidates spar over education funding, merit pay for teachers and whether vouchers are a good idea, a lot of folks spend their time complaining. They talk about failing schools and what administrators should be doing, and how teachers don't care like they did back in the day.
I'm sure you've heard the complaints before.
Trust me, I get it when folks say schools need more funding. But I also remember a conversation a few years ago on the syndicated television show America's Black Forum. Education advocate Jonathan Kozol was arguing that the issue is money, and Ohio's Wilberforce University president, the Rev. Floyd Flake, said that is just one of the critical elements.
Flake, a former congressman who runs his own school in New York, asked why schools in Washington, D.C. can spend more than $10,000 per child and kids fail, yet his New York school was spending $5,400 at the time and more than 75 percent were passing.
Kozol argued that one reason was Flake's charisma as a leader, but Flake contended -- and I agree -- that success is related to a nurturing environment where parents are mandated to take an active role in their child's education.
I thought of this in May during a conversation on my Chicago radio show with Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education. A lot of parents called in, angry with the Chicago school system because they didn't find out until graduation that their child would not graduate because of failing scores.
The phone lines lit up and they bombarded Williams with all kinds of insults.
He promised to get them answers. The next day, he had them.
Apparently, parents were sent reminders during every report-card period when their child was at risk of failing.
But the parents couldn't say the dog ate the sheet before it came through the door. The parents had come to the school themselves to pick up the cards, and the warning was attached.
So the real deal was that these parents were informed of their child's poor classroom performance, but chose to overlook it.
Guess what? The phones were silent. Oh how the truth hurt.
The reality is that whether it's the 390,000 kids in Chicago public schools, or millions across the country, no school can educate the next generation alone. It requires committed teachers, but also informed and active parents who are willing to make sacrifices.
It would have been easy for my wife and me to live in our empty nest, take get-away trips on the weekend, or save a ton of dough and retire early. But there was no way I could sit back as those four girls were denied even a fighting chance at a great education so they could live their lives to the fullest.
One of my first questions was related to the dates of the parent-teacher conferences. I wanted to plug them into my Blackberry immediately. Those sessions are a priority. I can guarantee you the teachers will know me by name, and not just because I'm on CNN or WVON Radio.
See, I had good role models: my parents. They didn't go to college and have six-figure jobs. They simply cared about the education of their five children.
So, the nation's children are preparing for another school year. The parents must do the same thing.
My nieces begin September 2. We guardians and parents need to get our minds right, and make the decision now whether we are going to be those who work for solutions or those who just whine about the deficiencies.
Show up on the first day and do not make it your last. There is no greater gift you can provide your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren than your full attention to their educations. As the United Negro College Fund has said for years: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
By Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor
Editor's Note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. Martin, a nationally syndicated columnist and Chicago-based radio host, is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America." Please visit his Web site.
Don't whine, get involved in kids' education
(CNN) -- Today was my first day in elementary school.
My wife and I have been married seven-and-a-half years and we don't have any children. But two weeks ago, we persuaded one of my three sisters to send her four girls -- ages 9, 7 and twin 4-year-olds -- to Chicago, Illinois, so we could take care of them and get them caught up academically.
I take seriously my role as a godfather and uncle. For a lot of folks, being a godfather is all about a ceremony and giving gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
But if you remember the admonition of the priest or pastor, the purpose of a godfather is to stand in the gap for the parents when they are unable to do so. That has surely been the case in my family. The consequence of drama in a marriage has left the two older nieces behind academically.
So we decided that it's time for them to be in a stable environment , immersed in academics. That's what took me to the nearby Chicago public school.
As I filled out the paperwork and looked through the folder provided by the school, I came across a variety of forms: for a school fundraiser at a restaurant, a raffle, and an application to join the school's Parent-Teacher Association.
For me, there is nothing more important than that PTA application.
In a world where the two presidential candidates spar over education funding, merit pay for teachers and whether vouchers are a good idea, a lot of folks spend their time complaining. They talk about failing schools and what administrators should be doing, and how teachers don't care like they did back in the day.
I'm sure you've heard the complaints before.
Trust me, I get it when folks say schools need more funding. But I also remember a conversation a few years ago on the syndicated television show America's Black Forum. Education advocate Jonathan Kozol was arguing that the issue is money, and Ohio's Wilberforce University president, the Rev. Floyd Flake, said that is just one of the critical elements.
Flake, a former congressman who runs his own school in New York, asked why schools in Washington, D.C. can spend more than $10,000 per child and kids fail, yet his New York school was spending $5,400 at the time and more than 75 percent were passing.
Kozol argued that one reason was Flake's charisma as a leader, but Flake contended -- and I agree -- that success is related to a nurturing environment where parents are mandated to take an active role in their child's education.
I thought of this in May during a conversation on my Chicago radio show with Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education. A lot of parents called in, angry with the Chicago school system because they didn't find out until graduation that their child would not graduate because of failing scores.
The phone lines lit up and they bombarded Williams with all kinds of insults.
He promised to get them answers. The next day, he had them.
Apparently, parents were sent reminders during every report-card period when their child was at risk of failing.
But the parents couldn't say the dog ate the sheet before it came through the door. The parents had come to the school themselves to pick up the cards, and the warning was attached.
So the real deal was that these parents were informed of their child's poor classroom performance, but chose to overlook it.
Guess what? The phones were silent. Oh how the truth hurt.
The reality is that whether it's the 390,000 kids in Chicago public schools, or millions across the country, no school can educate the next generation alone. It requires committed teachers, but also informed and active parents who are willing to make sacrifices.
It would have been easy for my wife and me to live in our empty nest, take get-away trips on the weekend, or save a ton of dough and retire early. But there was no way I could sit back as those four girls were denied even a fighting chance at a great education so they could live their lives to the fullest.
One of my first questions was related to the dates of the parent-teacher conferences. I wanted to plug them into my Blackberry immediately. Those sessions are a priority. I can guarantee you the teachers will know me by name, and not just because I'm on CNN or WVON Radio.
See, I had good role models: my parents. They didn't go to college and have six-figure jobs. They simply cared about the education of their five children.
So, the nation's children are preparing for another school year. The parents must do the same thing.
My nieces begin September 2. We guardians and parents need to get our minds right, and make the decision now whether we are going to be those who work for solutions or those who just whine about the deficiencies.
Show up on the first day and do not make it your last. There is no greater gift you can provide your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren than your full attention to their educations. As the United Negro College Fund has said for years: A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Breaking News: Reba Dunford resigns
The Emperor's reign of terror has claimed another victim: award winning business manager Reba Dunford.
Reba Dunford was often the last voice of reason pleading with the Emperor before he went and did something wild and wacky. He did it anyway, but it's on record that she tried. Wait until the Emperor finds out she was right in what she recommended to the board.
The Imperial bullying of the business manager was pretty obvious and blatant. Even lawyers have a veneer of mutual professional respect. Apparently William Hellmann, CPA, missed that ethics class discussion.
Superintendent Yonson seems to fill her busy days accepting resignations. How many more lifeboats are going over the side before we wake up and impeach this Emperor and this board?
Morrisville schools business manager resigns
Posted in News on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 4:40 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Morrisville School District’s Business Manager Reba Dunford tendered her resignation Tuesday effective Oct. 18.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. Dunford has been with the district 4 years.
“Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her,” Yonson said Wednesday.
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Soft-spoken Dunford sparred openly at times with School Board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
The board, despite Yonson’s protest, reduced her contract from the five years approved by the previous board to three.
Reba Dunford was often the last voice of reason pleading with the Emperor before he went and did something wild and wacky. He did it anyway, but it's on record that she tried. Wait until the Emperor finds out she was right in what she recommended to the board.
The Imperial bullying of the business manager was pretty obvious and blatant. Even lawyers have a veneer of mutual professional respect. Apparently William Hellmann, CPA, missed that ethics class discussion.
Superintendent Yonson seems to fill her busy days accepting resignations. How many more lifeboats are going over the side before we wake up and impeach this Emperor and this board?
Morrisville schools business manager resigns
Posted in News on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 4:40 pm by Columnist Kate Fratti
Morrisville School District’s Business Manager Reba Dunford tendered her resignation Tuesday effective Oct. 18.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said it was with regret that she accepted the resignation. Dunford has been with the district 4 years.
“Reba Dunford is an excellent business administrator. She restructured the business office and made it more efficient. She is an important member of my team and I will miss her,” Yonson said Wednesday.
Dunford and Yonson have been the subject of heated and often public criticism from the new school board majority. Soft-spoken Dunford sparred openly at times with School Board President Bill Hellmann in recent budget work sessions in which Hellmann presented his own budget drafts.
The board, despite Yonson’s protest, reduced her contract from the five years approved by the previous board to three.
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.
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.
Pennsbury Back to School Profile
From the BCCT
Going high tech, going green
By MANASEE WAGH
Pennsbury is using its $1.17 million Classrooms for the Future state grant to enhance education at the high school. Students and teachers already have started using integrated technology such as microscope analysis systems hooked up to an interactive whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
The district’s Makefield Elementary School will go green. Both the school and the environment will benefit from sustainable practices like a green roof covered with plants that help insulate the building and reduce storm water runoff, rooftop solar panels that gather energy and a variety of energy conservation designs.
Abby Brazina, a social studies teacher at William Penn Middle School, was selected from a national pool of more than 1,700 applicants to be an honored guest of the Japanese government as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.
As part of a group of 160 American educators, she will travel to Japan for three weeks in October to promote greater intercultural understanding. Brazina hopes to learn how the Japanese incorporate cultural values and customs into schools to promote character education and civic responsibility.
Pennsbury serves more than 12,500 students in Falls, Tullytown, Lower Makefield and Yardley.
It employs more than 1,531, including 809 teachers, with a $167.5 million budget. For information, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS?
Chief Executive Officer:
Paul Long, 215-428-4100, ext. 10001
Assistant superintendents:
Kevin McHugh, (interim director of curriculum and instruction, K-12), 215-428-4100, ext. 10014
Donald Harm (administration), 215-428-4100, ext. 10012
Principals:
Pennsbury High East: W. David Bowman, 215-949-6700 Pennsbury High West: Lisa Becker, 215-949-6780 Charles Boehm Middle: Theresa Ricci, 215-428-4220 William Penn Middle: Larry Ricci, 215-428-4280 Pennwood Middle: Patricia Steckroat (acting principal), 215-428-4237 Afton Elementary: Norman Gross, 215-321-8540 Walt Disney Elementary: Fay Manicke, 215-949-6868 Edgewood Elementary: Michele Spack, 215-321-2410 Fallsington Elementary: David Hughes, 215-428-4170 Makefield Elementary: Donna McCormick-Miller, 215-321-2420 Manor Elementary: Richard Houseknecht, 215-949-6770 Oxford Valley Elementary: Fran Nitkin, 215-949-6808 Penn Valley Elementary: Peggy Schiavone, 215-949-6800 Quarry Hill Elementary: Karen Laarkamp, 215-321-2400 Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary: Robert Wurst, 215-428-4256 Village Park Elementary: Joe Masgai, 215-949-6740
SCHOOL BOARD
Members: President Gregory Lucidi Jr., Gene Dolnick, Michielle Deis, Howard Goldberg, Arlene Gordon, Adele Governatore, Richard Johnson, Linda Palsky and Gabriele Smyth. The board meets at 8 p.m. on the second and third Thursdays of the month, except in July and August, in the auditorium of the Fallsington Elementary School on Yardley Avenue. The first meeting of the 2007-2008 school year will be on Aug. 23. To contact the board, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept 2, First day of school Sept 30-Oct 1, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 11, Veterans Day – no school Nov 12-14, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 9, 10, Passover/Easter/spring recess – no school
April 15-17, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 17, Last day of school
FAST FACTS ABOUT PENNSBURY
Average SAT scores
(Unofficial scores for 2007-2008):
Critical reading: 530 Math: 545 Writing: 516
Total number of AP courses: 20
Student – teacher average ratios: Elementary: 23 – 1 Middle: 25 – 1 High School: 25 – 1
Average Teacher’s Salary: $77,524.41
Percentage of 2008 class that planned to go on to higher education: 93.34
Median household income in Pennsbury: $72,029.52
Cost per student: Elementary: $9,647.27 Secondary: $12,010.64
Partnerships with businesses: More than 1,000 through the Pennsbury Partners Program, including Yardley Jewelers, Yardley Flower Company, VFW Post 6393, Exelon Generation, International Culinary Schools of the Arts Institute, Transcend Sports Training Systems and Newtown Chamber Orchestra. AYP Status: All but two individual Pennsbury schools are meeting AYP. Penn Valley and Fallsington Elementary Schools each have one subgroup that did not achieve the required benchmark in reading.
Going high tech, going green
By MANASEE WAGH
Pennsbury is using its $1.17 million Classrooms for the Future state grant to enhance education at the high school. Students and teachers already have started using integrated technology such as microscope analysis systems hooked up to an interactive whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
The district’s Makefield Elementary School will go green. Both the school and the environment will benefit from sustainable practices like a green roof covered with plants that help insulate the building and reduce storm water runoff, rooftop solar panels that gather energy and a variety of energy conservation designs.
Abby Brazina, a social studies teacher at William Penn Middle School, was selected from a national pool of more than 1,700 applicants to be an honored guest of the Japanese government as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.As part of a group of 160 American educators, she will travel to Japan for three weeks in October to promote greater intercultural understanding. Brazina hopes to learn how the Japanese incorporate cultural values and customs into schools to promote character education and civic responsibility.
Pennsbury serves more than 12,500 students in Falls, Tullytown, Lower Makefield and Yardley.
It employs more than 1,531, including 809 teachers, with a $167.5 million budget. For information, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS?
Chief Executive Officer:
Paul Long, 215-428-4100, ext. 10001
Assistant superintendents:
Kevin McHugh, (interim director of curriculum and instruction, K-12), 215-428-4100, ext. 10014
Donald Harm (administration), 215-428-4100, ext. 10012
Principals:
Pennsbury High East: W. David Bowman, 215-949-6700 Pennsbury High West: Lisa Becker, 215-949-6780 Charles Boehm Middle: Theresa Ricci, 215-428-4220 William Penn Middle: Larry Ricci, 215-428-4280 Pennwood Middle: Patricia Steckroat (acting principal), 215-428-4237 Afton Elementary: Norman Gross, 215-321-8540 Walt Disney Elementary: Fay Manicke, 215-949-6868 Edgewood Elementary: Michele Spack, 215-321-2410 Fallsington Elementary: David Hughes, 215-428-4170 Makefield Elementary: Donna McCormick-Miller, 215-321-2420 Manor Elementary: Richard Houseknecht, 215-949-6770 Oxford Valley Elementary: Fran Nitkin, 215-949-6808 Penn Valley Elementary: Peggy Schiavone, 215-949-6800 Quarry Hill Elementary: Karen Laarkamp, 215-321-2400 Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary: Robert Wurst, 215-428-4256 Village Park Elementary: Joe Masgai, 215-949-6740
SCHOOL BOARD
Members: President Gregory Lucidi Jr., Gene Dolnick, Michielle Deis, Howard Goldberg, Arlene Gordon, Adele Governatore, Richard Johnson, Linda Palsky and Gabriele Smyth. The board meets at 8 p.m. on the second and third Thursdays of the month, except in July and August, in the auditorium of the Fallsington Elementary School on Yardley Avenue. The first meeting of the 2007-2008 school year will be on Aug. 23. To contact the board, visit www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept 2, First day of school Sept 30-Oct 1, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 11, Veterans Day – no school Nov 12-14, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 9, 10, Passover/Easter/spring recess – no school
April 15-17, Parent-teacher conferences, half-day grades 1-5 May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 17, Last day of school
FAST FACTS ABOUT PENNSBURY
Average SAT scores
(Unofficial scores for 2007-2008):
Critical reading: 530 Math: 545 Writing: 516
Total number of AP courses: 20
Student – teacher average ratios: Elementary: 23 – 1 Middle: 25 – 1 High School: 25 – 1
Average Teacher’s Salary: $77,524.41
Percentage of 2008 class that planned to go on to higher education: 93.34
Median household income in Pennsbury: $72,029.52
Cost per student: Elementary: $9,647.27 Secondary: $12,010.64
Partnerships with businesses: More than 1,000 through the Pennsbury Partners Program, including Yardley Jewelers, Yardley Flower Company, VFW Post 6393, Exelon Generation, International Culinary Schools of the Arts Institute, Transcend Sports Training Systems and Newtown Chamber Orchestra. AYP Status: All but two individual Pennsbury schools are meeting AYP. Penn Valley and Fallsington Elementary Schools each have one subgroup that did not achieve the required benchmark in reading.
Morrisville Back to School Profile
Next in the BCCT PSSA/Back to School queue: Morrisville
Computers enhance lessons
Students earn college credit for language classes in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese at the high school.
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School recently received a Classrooms for the Future grant, enabling students to use more computers and integrated technology to enhance classroom lessons.
The technology already has boosted learning in science and social studies classes in the past year and will soon be used in math and English classes. Teachers used interactive whiteboards and laptops to develop lessons.
Students can research online, develop photo and storybooks, do assessments online, make instructional review games and develop projects, said former high school Principal Melanie Gehrens.
Morrisville received a dual enrollment grant last year, which allows students to take college classes while still in high school. Students were able to take Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese via distance-learning college programs.
Students said that the dual enrollment courses helped prepare them and get ahead, according to Gehrens.
Thirty of last year’s graduating seniors accumulated a total of 197 college credits through the dual enrollment program. Currently, 41 students are enrolled to take dual enrollment college courses next year.
All schools made AYP in 2008-09, with significant gains in 11th-grade math scores. Proficiency scores increased 28 percent.
The school district serves more than 980 students in three schools. It employs 140 people and runs on a $19.8 million annual budget. For information, visit www.mv.org
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS:
Superintendent: Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson, 215-736-5930
Principals:
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School: TBA (Melanie Gehrens just left district), 215-736-5260
Grandview Elementary School: Kate Taylor, 215-736-52380
M.R. Reiter Elementary School, Karen Huggins, 215-736-5270
School board: William Hellmann (president), Alfred Radosti (vice president), Marlys Mihok (secretary), Brenda Worob (treasurer), William Farrell, John “Jack” Buckman, Joseph Kemp, Robin Reithmeyer, Gloria Heater. The board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., except in July, in the Large Group Instruction Room of the Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street. For information, visit www.mv.org.
SCHOOL CALENDAR:
Sept 3, First day of school Sept 30, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 10, Clerical day – early dismissal Nov 25, Teacher conferences – early dismissal Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day – no school Feb 13, no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 8, Clerical day – early dismissal April 9-13, Spring Break, no school May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 16, Last day of school
FAST FACTS
Average SAT scores 2006 -2007: Verbal: 458 Math: 442
2006-2007 average teacher salary: $69,000 Number of AP courses: 15 Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary: 20:1 Grades 7-8: 20:1 Secondary: 22:1
District’s cost per student for elementary and for secondary:
Elementary $13,023.41 Secondary $14,214.71
Median income in the district: $53,316
Partnerships with businesses: UPS, Air Products, Waste Management, Silver Lake, Bucks County Workforce Investment Board Inc., School Works, Morrisville Collaborative, YMCA AYP Status: All schools made AYP
Computers enhance lessons
Students earn college credit for language classes in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese at the high school.
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School recently received a Classrooms for the Future grant, enabling students to use more computers and integrated technology to enhance classroom lessons.
The technology already has boosted learning in science and social studies classes in the past year and will soon be used in math and English classes. Teachers used interactive whiteboards and laptops to develop lessons.
Students can research online, develop photo and storybooks, do assessments online, make instructional review games and develop projects, said former high school Principal Melanie Gehrens.
Morrisville received a dual enrollment grant last year, which allows students to take college classes while still in high school. Students were able to take Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Japanese via distance-learning college programs.
Students said that the dual enrollment courses helped prepare them and get ahead, according to Gehrens.Thirty of last year’s graduating seniors accumulated a total of 197 college credits through the dual enrollment program. Currently, 41 students are enrolled to take dual enrollment college courses next year.
All schools made AYP in 2008-09, with significant gains in 11th-grade math scores. Proficiency scores increased 28 percent.
The school district serves more than 980 students in three schools. It employs 140 people and runs on a $19.8 million annual budget. For information, visit www.mv.org
WHO’S WHO IN THE SCHOOLS:
Superintendent: Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson, 215-736-5930
Principals:
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School: TBA (Melanie Gehrens just left district), 215-736-5260
Grandview Elementary School: Kate Taylor, 215-736-52380
M.R. Reiter Elementary School, Karen Huggins, 215-736-5270
School board: William Hellmann (president), Alfred Radosti (vice president), Marlys Mihok (secretary), Brenda Worob (treasurer), William Farrell, John “Jack” Buckman, Joseph Kemp, Robin Reithmeyer, Gloria Heater. The board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., except in July, in the Large Group Instruction Room of the Middle/Senior High School on West Palmer Street. For information, visit www.mv.org.
SCHOOL CALENDAR:
Sept 3, First day of school Sept 30, Rosh Hashana – no school Oct 9, Yom Kippur – no school Nov 10, Clerical day – early dismissal Nov 25, Teacher conferences – early dismissal Nov 27, 28, Thanksgiving holiday – no school Dec 24-Jan 2, Christmas holidays – no school Jan 19, Martin Luther King Day – no school Feb 13, no school Feb 16, Presidents Day – no school April 8, Clerical day – early dismissal April 9-13, Spring Break, no school May 25, Memorial Day, no school June 16, Last day of school
FAST FACTS
Average SAT scores 2006 -2007: Verbal: 458 Math: 442
2006-2007 average teacher salary: $69,000 Number of AP courses: 15 Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary: 20:1 Grades 7-8: 20:1 Secondary: 22:1
District’s cost per student for elementary and for secondary:
Elementary $13,023.41 Secondary $14,214.71
Median income in the district: $53,316
Partnerships with businesses: UPS, Air Products, Waste Management, Silver Lake, Bucks County Workforce Investment Board Inc., School Works, Morrisville Collaborative, YMCA AYP Status: All schools made AYP
Morrisville Borough Council recap
From the BCCT.
PUBLIC MEETING WRAP
Morrisville council
215-295-8181
When: Monday, Aug. 18.
Issue: Accept April 21 meeting minutes.
Vote: Approved 8-0 by nancy Sherlock, Kathryn Panzitta, George Bolos, Jane Burger, Eileen Dreisbach, Rita Ledger, David Rivella and Stephen Worob.
Issue: Pay bills; pay $64,165.68 to J.L. Gruber Contractor Inc., for curb and sidewalk replacement on South Pennsylvania Avenue.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Morrisville Rotary’s request to use Williamson Park for a carnival from Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Three projects to possibly be funded by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s compact authorization investment program; direct the borough manager and engineer to send a list of the projects and an application to the bridge commission.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Impact: The borough wants to install new curbs and sidewalks on the north side of West Bridge Street from Harding to Cox avenues at an estimated cost of $100,000, the north side of Philadelphia Avenue between South Pennsylvania Avenue and Washington Street at an estimated cost of $70,000 and both sides of Washington Street between Philadelphia Avenue and Green Street at an estimated cost of $75,000. The borough was given approximately $1.5 million from the bridge commission for improvements to West Bridge Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue. Because bids for those projects came in low, the borough has a surplus of about $345,000. If these projects are approved by the bridge commission, that would leave the borough with an approximate $100,000 surplus.
Issue: Resolution for sewer extension for the Falkowski/Kulpinski subdivision at 130 Delaware Ave.; 2008 Labor Day Run following the previously established route; amend the resolution reducing membership of the UCC Board of Appeals from five members to three members
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Appoint Paul Kavanagh to a three-year term on the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Appoint Karen Kane to a three-year term on the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.
Vote: Approved 4-0 by Burger, Dreisbach, Ledger and Rivella. Other council members voted for two other applicants.
PUBLIC MEETING WRAP
Morrisville council
215-295-8181
When: Monday, Aug. 18.
Issue: Accept April 21 meeting minutes.
Vote: Approved 8-0 by nancy Sherlock, Kathryn Panzitta, George Bolos, Jane Burger, Eileen Dreisbach, Rita Ledger, David Rivella and Stephen Worob.
Issue: Pay bills; pay $64,165.68 to J.L. Gruber Contractor Inc., for curb and sidewalk replacement on South Pennsylvania Avenue.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Morrisville Rotary’s request to use Williamson Park for a carnival from Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Three projects to possibly be funded by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s compact authorization investment program; direct the borough manager and engineer to send a list of the projects and an application to the bridge commission.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Impact: The borough wants to install new curbs and sidewalks on the north side of West Bridge Street from Harding to Cox avenues at an estimated cost of $100,000, the north side of Philadelphia Avenue between South Pennsylvania Avenue and Washington Street at an estimated cost of $70,000 and both sides of Washington Street between Philadelphia Avenue and Green Street at an estimated cost of $75,000. The borough was given approximately $1.5 million from the bridge commission for improvements to West Bridge Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue. Because bids for those projects came in low, the borough has a surplus of about $345,000. If these projects are approved by the bridge commission, that would leave the borough with an approximate $100,000 surplus.
Issue: Resolution for sewer extension for the Falkowski/Kulpinski subdivision at 130 Delaware Ave.; 2008 Labor Day Run following the previously established route; amend the resolution reducing membership of the UCC Board of Appeals from five members to three members
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Appoint Paul Kavanagh to a three-year term on the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Issue: Appoint Karen Kane to a three-year term on the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.
Vote: Approved 4-0 by Burger, Dreisbach, Ledger and Rivella. Other council members voted for two other applicants.
Federal Lawsuit over Strip Club
From the BCCT
Developer sues borough in federal court over strip club
Posted in News on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm by Courier Times staff writer Danny Adler
MORRISVILLE — Strip clubs aren’t illegal. And a New Jersey developer is saying Morrisville’s “framework of zoning and regulatory ordinances, which … impose restrictions and prohibitions on First Amendment protected expression” to bring a gentlemen’s club to the borough is unconstitutional, according to a federal lawsuit against Morrisville and the borough’s zoning hearing board.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, says the borough’s restrictions “chill” and make it impossible to operate an adult entertainment facility.
The strip club and bar Sugar & Spice is located about one-third of a mile south of Stockham Interests proposed go-go joint.
Stockham Interests LLC also seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
The suit also challenges the zoning hearing board’s denial of a 1,000-square-foot “soft” vinyl billboard on the side of the building facing Route 1 - which was proposed after great opposition of the strip club. The suit says the denial prevents protected commercial speech.
The Morrisville zoning hearing board’s May decision denying Stockham Interests variances to allow adult entertainment in the Stockham Building at Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street and variances from sign regulations was based on “no evidence” and was an “abuse of discretion,” the suit alleges.
The request for the variances was unanimously denied by the zoning hearing board in May.
The developer was planning for a “burlesque-style” strip club for the second floor of the four-story Stockham Building. Plans also called for a first-floor restaurant and bakery, as well as a fitness center on the third and fourth floors.
Calls to Stockham Interests attorney, Joseph Beller, and borough Solicitor James Downey III were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Developer sues borough in federal court over strip club
Posted in News on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm by Courier Times staff writer Danny Adler
MORRISVILLE — Strip clubs aren’t illegal. And a New Jersey developer is saying Morrisville’s “framework of zoning and regulatory ordinances, which … impose restrictions and prohibitions on First Amendment protected expression” to bring a gentlemen’s club to the borough is unconstitutional, according to a federal lawsuit against Morrisville and the borough’s zoning hearing board.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, says the borough’s restrictions “chill” and make it impossible to operate an adult entertainment facility.
The strip club and bar Sugar & Spice is located about one-third of a mile south of Stockham Interests proposed go-go joint.
Stockham Interests LLC also seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
The suit also challenges the zoning hearing board’s denial of a 1,000-square-foot “soft” vinyl billboard on the side of the building facing Route 1 - which was proposed after great opposition of the strip club. The suit says the denial prevents protected commercial speech.
The Morrisville zoning hearing board’s May decision denying Stockham Interests variances to allow adult entertainment in the Stockham Building at Pennsylvania Avenue and Bridge Street and variances from sign regulations was based on “no evidence” and was an “abuse of discretion,” the suit alleges.
The request for the variances was unanimously denied by the zoning hearing board in May.
The developer was planning for a “burlesque-style” strip club for the second floor of the four-story Stockham Building. Plans also called for a first-floor restaurant and bakery, as well as a fitness center on the third and fourth floors.
Calls to Stockham Interests attorney, Joseph Beller, and borough Solicitor James Downey III were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tullytown's High Tech Trash Pile
From the Inquirer.
Pa.'s high-tech trash pile
By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Mon, Aug. 18, 2008
For 38 years, the mountains of trash have risen, all but surrounding William Penn's historic summer home, Pennsbury.
Nearby, in Tullytown, a 14-story peak now looms over one end of the tidy borough in lower Bucks County.
From afar, the mountain is big enough that the trash trucks - queueing at the top to dump up to 10,000 tons a day - look like insects.
Over the years, the two mega landfills - GROWS (Geological Reclamation of Waste Services) and Tullytown, on 6,000 acres beside the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works - have become a regional trash hub, with two-thirds of its waste now coming from out of state, mostly New York and New Jersey.
Pennsylvania is the nation's leading trash importer, and here by the Delaware River sits the state's busiest landfill complex, which received 3.5 million tons last year.
It's going to get busier still. The owner, Waste Management, just received permission for a major expansion in April, and at least two more are planned.
This high-tech waste monolith is a heap of contradictions. It embodies many advanced technologies, including a system to capture methane - a product of decomposition - and send it to a nearby power plant to make energy.
Yet Waste Management is also being fined millions of dollars until a new system to handle leachate - liquid that collects at the landfill's bottom - is finished.
The owner and the site's neighbors have reached a certain harmony, bolstered by improving technology and the tens of millions of dollars that the firm showers on residents of its "host" towns.
But the relationship was stressed in recent weeks when officials learned the company planned to accept sludge from a Montgomery County water-treatment plant that had been slightly contaminated with radioactive matter.
It had come from a company that cleaned uniforms and coveralls worn at nuclear power plants.
Scared and angered, officials vowed to intercede.
But both the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection concluded that the contamination was insignificant - less than someone would be exposed to while watching TV - and was allowed under current regulations.
Last week the trucks rolled in, depositing 499 tons of the sludge in the GROWS landfill.
In retrospect, said Tullytown borough manager Andrew Warren, the sludge itself wasn't a big deal. The problem arose because "it was a surprise."
Notification had come, but it was obscured in a 32-inch high stack of Waste Management folders, all but toppling off a table in the borough hall - which money from Waste Management had built.
A former Bucks County commissioner, Warren maintains that the company "has been and is a good neighbor."
Likewise, Falls Township manager Peter Gray termed relations with the waste giant "very positive."
But what fault lines there were have sharpened.
When the landfill was created in 1970 - on a floodplain abutting the Delaware River, a debatable siting if proposed today - "it was with certain size limitations," said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. Over the years, it has expanded upward and outward.
"And so that insult that began all those years ago just becomes greater and greater," she said. "It just keeps growing."
Many people think of landfills as holes, but they're actually mountains, and their anatomy has evolved.
When GROWS was built in 1970, it was one of the first lined landfills in the country. Before that, landfills simply leaked their liquids into the groundwater.
In 1988, the Tullytown landfill opened. In April, the DEP approved a new 124-acre disposal area, called GROWS North.
Its six layers of liner - several redundancies worth of barrier and absorbent materials - are still visible, even as massive machinery dumps load after load of trash into the first corner of its "cells."
The bottom is banked so that any liquid will flow to a collection system to be pumped out. Much of it from the complex is then pre-treated and piped to the Morrisville wastewater treatment plant.
The leachate system is partly governed by a 2006 consent decree, updated last month, that addressed the Tullytown facility's lack of storage capacity. More than $1.7 million in fines have been paid to the state, and more is accumulating.
Next comes two feet of stone, then eight feet of "fluff lift" - soft trash without things such as fence posts that could puncture the liner.
At each day's end, the trash is topped with six inches of soil to control odors and deter birds.
And misters release plumes of ionized water to absorb odors.
"What we try to operate here is a no-nuisance facility," said senior district manager Bob Iuliucci, who started as a bulldozer operator 20 years ago when the Tullytown landfill was being created.
"Landfills in reality are complex environmental systems that need to be managed as ongoing construction projects," said DEP regional director Joseph A. Feola.
And so they grow.
The bulk that arrives, in about 650 trucks a day, is municipal household waste, with some construction material, infectious waste and asbestos. No "hazardous waste" - a category that does not include slightly radioactive material - is permitted.
About 10 percent came from Bucks County, nearly 15 percent from Philadelphia and 71 percent from out of state.
Atop the newest leavings are 120,000-pound compacting vehicles with studded rollers that chew and compress the material into as much as a ton per cubic yard.
Under current permits, Waste Management anticipates having enough room to take trash through 2013 at Tullytown and 2014 at GROWS.
Then the landfills will be capped with an impervious layer much like the bottom liner, then 18 inches of soil and seeded with grass, although the company has been experimenting with wildflowers, shrubs and trees.
Over the years, Tullytown and Falls Township have been all but transformed by the influx of "host" money from Waste Management.
Falls has received more than $171.5 million since 1988, based on a percentage of tipping fees. It has kept taxes falling even as expenses rise, said township manager Gray.
Tullytown funnels much of its host money directly to residents, in effect paying their borough, county and school taxes, with $2,000 per household left over. Checks come in the mail every December. Both municipalities have built parks, hired additional police officers and repaved roads with Waste Management money. And all the residents get free trash pickup.
What worries Warren isn't the trash piling up, but the day it stops.
Both municipalities have savings accounts - $33 million in Falls, $50 million in Tullytown - but Warren fears it will go fast unless taxes rise to meet expenses.
"Fact of the matter is, we've been living high on trash for a long time," Warren said. "The days of reckoning are coming."
The way van Rossum sees it, Waste Management has essentially "bought off the community" so it can bring in what it wants with "little exposure or opposition."
She'd like the expansions to end, but that's unlikely.
Under state review is a 35-acre site, Tullytown East.
Meanwhile, the company has an option to buy 252 acres at the former U.S. Steel facility next door.
Pa.'s high-tech trash pile
By Sandy Bauers, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Mon, Aug. 18, 2008
For 38 years, the mountains of trash have risen, all but surrounding William Penn's historic summer home, Pennsbury.
Nearby, in Tullytown, a 14-story peak now looms over one end of the tidy borough in lower Bucks County.
From afar, the mountain is big enough that the trash trucks - queueing at the top to dump up to 10,000 tons a day - look like insects.
Over the years, the two mega landfills - GROWS (Geological Reclamation of Waste Services) and Tullytown, on 6,000 acres beside the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works - have become a regional trash hub, with two-thirds of its waste now coming from out of state, mostly New York and New Jersey.
Pennsylvania is the nation's leading trash importer, and here by the Delaware River sits the state's busiest landfill complex, which received 3.5 million tons last year.
It's going to get busier still. The owner, Waste Management, just received permission for a major expansion in April, and at least two more are planned.
This high-tech waste monolith is a heap of contradictions. It embodies many advanced technologies, including a system to capture methane - a product of decomposition - and send it to a nearby power plant to make energy.
Yet Waste Management is also being fined millions of dollars until a new system to handle leachate - liquid that collects at the landfill's bottom - is finished.
The owner and the site's neighbors have reached a certain harmony, bolstered by improving technology and the tens of millions of dollars that the firm showers on residents of its "host" towns.
But the relationship was stressed in recent weeks when officials learned the company planned to accept sludge from a Montgomery County water-treatment plant that had been slightly contaminated with radioactive matter.
It had come from a company that cleaned uniforms and coveralls worn at nuclear power plants.
Scared and angered, officials vowed to intercede.
But both the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection concluded that the contamination was insignificant - less than someone would be exposed to while watching TV - and was allowed under current regulations.
Last week the trucks rolled in, depositing 499 tons of the sludge in the GROWS landfill.
In retrospect, said Tullytown borough manager Andrew Warren, the sludge itself wasn't a big deal. The problem arose because "it was a surprise."
Notification had come, but it was obscured in a 32-inch high stack of Waste Management folders, all but toppling off a table in the borough hall - which money from Waste Management had built.
A former Bucks County commissioner, Warren maintains that the company "has been and is a good neighbor."
Likewise, Falls Township manager Peter Gray termed relations with the waste giant "very positive."
But what fault lines there were have sharpened.
When the landfill was created in 1970 - on a floodplain abutting the Delaware River, a debatable siting if proposed today - "it was with certain size limitations," said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. Over the years, it has expanded upward and outward.
"And so that insult that began all those years ago just becomes greater and greater," she said. "It just keeps growing."
Many people think of landfills as holes, but they're actually mountains, and their anatomy has evolved.
When GROWS was built in 1970, it was one of the first lined landfills in the country. Before that, landfills simply leaked their liquids into the groundwater.
In 1988, the Tullytown landfill opened. In April, the DEP approved a new 124-acre disposal area, called GROWS North.
Its six layers of liner - several redundancies worth of barrier and absorbent materials - are still visible, even as massive machinery dumps load after load of trash into the first corner of its "cells."
The bottom is banked so that any liquid will flow to a collection system to be pumped out. Much of it from the complex is then pre-treated and piped to the Morrisville wastewater treatment plant.
The leachate system is partly governed by a 2006 consent decree, updated last month, that addressed the Tullytown facility's lack of storage capacity. More than $1.7 million in fines have been paid to the state, and more is accumulating.
Next comes two feet of stone, then eight feet of "fluff lift" - soft trash without things such as fence posts that could puncture the liner.
At each day's end, the trash is topped with six inches of soil to control odors and deter birds.
And misters release plumes of ionized water to absorb odors.
"What we try to operate here is a no-nuisance facility," said senior district manager Bob Iuliucci, who started as a bulldozer operator 20 years ago when the Tullytown landfill was being created.
"Landfills in reality are complex environmental systems that need to be managed as ongoing construction projects," said DEP regional director Joseph A. Feola.
And so they grow.
The bulk that arrives, in about 650 trucks a day, is municipal household waste, with some construction material, infectious waste and asbestos. No "hazardous waste" - a category that does not include slightly radioactive material - is permitted.
About 10 percent came from Bucks County, nearly 15 percent from Philadelphia and 71 percent from out of state.
Atop the newest leavings are 120,000-pound compacting vehicles with studded rollers that chew and compress the material into as much as a ton per cubic yard.
Under current permits, Waste Management anticipates having enough room to take trash through 2013 at Tullytown and 2014 at GROWS.
Then the landfills will be capped with an impervious layer much like the bottom liner, then 18 inches of soil and seeded with grass, although the company has been experimenting with wildflowers, shrubs and trees.
Over the years, Tullytown and Falls Township have been all but transformed by the influx of "host" money from Waste Management.
Falls has received more than $171.5 million since 1988, based on a percentage of tipping fees. It has kept taxes falling even as expenses rise, said township manager Gray.
Tullytown funnels much of its host money directly to residents, in effect paying their borough, county and school taxes, with $2,000 per household left over. Checks come in the mail every December. Both municipalities have built parks, hired additional police officers and repaved roads with Waste Management money. And all the residents get free trash pickup.
What worries Warren isn't the trash piling up, but the day it stops.
Both municipalities have savings accounts - $33 million in Falls, $50 million in Tullytown - but Warren fears it will go fast unless taxes rise to meet expenses.
"Fact of the matter is, we've been living high on trash for a long time," Warren said. "The days of reckoning are coming."
The way van Rossum sees it, Waste Management has essentially "bought off the community" so it can bring in what it wants with "little exposure or opposition."
She'd like the expansions to end, but that's unlikely.
Under state review is a 35-acre site, Tullytown East.
Meanwhile, the company has an option to buy 252 acres at the former U.S. Steel facility next door.
Tales From the Re-Registration, Week 2
Week two of the Morrisville 2008 re-registration is now in the books. Any stories to share?
Empty diplomas?
Editorial from the BCCT
PSSAs and graduation: Empty diplomas?
School districts argue that state assessment tests are of little value and so students who flunk them get diplomas anyway.
When folks are embarrassed about something, they tend not to want to talk about it. Pressed on the issue, they’ll change the subject, talk their way around it or rationalize — sometimes all three.
Public school officials did a lot of each when our reporter tried to talk to them about state assessment tests and whether they ought to factor into the graduation formula. The response of Barry Desko, Council Rock’s director of secondary education, was typical: “The PSSAs [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests) are broad brush strokes of understanding.” Essentially, Desko says the assessments don’t paint an accurate picture of students’ abilities.
Really? Seems to us that kids who don’t pass the assessment tests haven’t learned the least they need to know to function effectively in the real world. Yet Desko disputes the tests’ value, arguing that students know more than the tests say they know.
Desko’s tortured logic is typical of the justifications school district officials offer for giving diplomas to kids who, according the PSSAs, don’t meet minimal requirements for core subjects.
How many?
We mostly don’t know — not district by district — because district officials wouldn’t tell us. We asked and they refused. Palisades in Upper Bucks was the lone exception.
We wanted the information because the state Department of Education raised the issue a few months ago, when it reported that 56,000 Pennsylvania high school students flunked state math and reading tests — but graduated anyway.
State officials characterized this as giving students “empty diplomas.” At Gov. Rendell’s urgings, the department pushed the idea of making students pass a battery of graduation tests before giving them a diploma.
We thought it was a pretty good idea — better than passing kids onto college or sending them into the work place without having competency in math and reading.
We’re not talking mastery; just minimum ability.
Yet school officials lined up pretty solidly against the proposal.
New Hope-Solebury High School Principal Steve Young is one of them. He said some students “simply do not test well.”
Be that as it may, Palisades gave us the information we requested. Here it is: 14 percent of students graduated with a less-than-proficient score in reading; 22 percent of graduates did not pass the math PSAA; and 4.6 percent didn’t meet the writing requirement.
If you want to know how many students in your district received diplomas without scoring passing grades on the PSSAs, call your district and ask. Folks in Neshaminy might be told, as we were, that the district doesn’t actually track how many graduates passed the PSSAs.
That might not come as a surprise considering Neshaminy is the only district in our area that failed to meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
We know it’s convenient not to track PSSA results as they correlate to the graduation rate, especially when nosey reporters start asking questions. But how is Neshaminy benefiting from its head-in-the-sand strategy?
More to the point: How are students benefiting?
PSSAs and graduation: Empty diplomas?
School districts argue that state assessment tests are of little value and so students who flunk them get diplomas anyway.
When folks are embarrassed about something, they tend not to want to talk about it. Pressed on the issue, they’ll change the subject, talk their way around it or rationalize — sometimes all three.
Public school officials did a lot of each when our reporter tried to talk to them about state assessment tests and whether they ought to factor into the graduation formula. The response of Barry Desko, Council Rock’s director of secondary education, was typical: “The PSSAs [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests) are broad brush strokes of understanding.” Essentially, Desko says the assessments don’t paint an accurate picture of students’ abilities.
Really? Seems to us that kids who don’t pass the assessment tests haven’t learned the least they need to know to function effectively in the real world. Yet Desko disputes the tests’ value, arguing that students know more than the tests say they know.
Desko’s tortured logic is typical of the justifications school district officials offer for giving diplomas to kids who, according the PSSAs, don’t meet minimal requirements for core subjects.
How many?
We mostly don’t know — not district by district — because district officials wouldn’t tell us. We asked and they refused. Palisades in Upper Bucks was the lone exception.
We wanted the information because the state Department of Education raised the issue a few months ago, when it reported that 56,000 Pennsylvania high school students flunked state math and reading tests — but graduated anyway.
State officials characterized this as giving students “empty diplomas.” At Gov. Rendell’s urgings, the department pushed the idea of making students pass a battery of graduation tests before giving them a diploma.
We thought it was a pretty good idea — better than passing kids onto college or sending them into the work place without having competency in math and reading.
We’re not talking mastery; just minimum ability.
Yet school officials lined up pretty solidly against the proposal.
New Hope-Solebury High School Principal Steve Young is one of them. He said some students “simply do not test well.”
Be that as it may, Palisades gave us the information we requested. Here it is: 14 percent of students graduated with a less-than-proficient score in reading; 22 percent of graduates did not pass the math PSAA; and 4.6 percent didn’t meet the writing requirement.
If you want to know how many students in your district received diplomas without scoring passing grades on the PSSAs, call your district and ask. Folks in Neshaminy might be told, as we were, that the district doesn’t actually track how many graduates passed the PSSAs.
That might not come as a surprise considering Neshaminy is the only district in our area that failed to meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
We know it’s convenient not to track PSSA results as they correlate to the graduation rate, especially when nosey reporters start asking questions. But how is Neshaminy benefiting from its head-in-the-sand strategy?
More to the point: How are students benefiting?
Two committee meetings tomorrow night
Committee Meeting Reminder tomorrow night:
Notice is hereby given that the School District of Borough of Morrisville,
Morrisville, PA, will hold a Facilities Committee meeting followed by a Finance Committee meeting in the G-Hall conference room of the Morrisville Middle/ Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 6:30 pm.
Marlys Mihok, Secretary
Notice is hereby given that the School District of Borough of Morrisville,
Morrisville, PA, will hold a Facilities Committee meeting followed by a Finance Committee meeting in the G-Hall conference room of the Morrisville Middle/ Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 6:30 pm.
Marlys Mihok, Secretary
Monday, August 18, 2008
Test score melt down in high school
From the Allentown Morning Call
Test score melt down in high school
By Genevieve Marshall, Steve Esack and William J. Ford Of The Morning Call, August 17, 2008
Between the last year of middle school and the junior year in high school, something happens to Pennsylvania students -- and it's not just puberty.
After years of building on math and reading skills and showing consistent gains on state tests, those improvements come to a screeching halt in high school. Not only do students stop improving in reading, they actually seem to lose math skills.
''It's almost like falling off a cliff,'' said state Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak.
Two out of every five Pennsylvania high school students tested below grade level in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment reading and math tests, which were released last week.
At the current pace of improvement, it would take 40 years for all high school juniors to meet standards, Zahorchak said -- even though they're expected to do so within six years.
''Clearly we need to do more to improve the high school experience and ensure those students stay engaged and challenged through graduation,'' Zahorchak said. ''We simply cannot afford to be content with the status quo.''
With the federal No Child Left Behind law pushing states to make all students proficient in math and reading by 2014, Pennsylvania school districts, including those in the Lehigh Valley area, have a long way to go.
The 35 school districts in the eight-county area averaged a double-digit drop in the percentage of students that scored proficiently between eighth grade and 11th grade. The drop was significant regardless of race and income, though it was worse for minority, low-income and special education students.
This generation of students wants to understand the reason behind a classroom lesson or standardized test in order to put in the effort, said Kevin Bush, a social studies teacher and track coach at Bethlehem's Liberty High School. There is no consequence for poor performers, he said. The test is not factored into students' grades or directly tied to graduation.
''On the second day of school students will be taking a state test,'' Bush said. ''Students are so over-tested right now without seeing what the relevance is.''
It's a matter of priorities, said Cedar Beach lifeguard Nick Carbonetto, an incoming William Allen High School senior who said he did not study for the state tests because he was busy with soccer, baseball and organizing the prom.
''Colleges don't focus on PSSAs, but the SATs,'' he said.
Matt Trexler, also a senior at Allen, said he studied for the spring PSSA during class and at night when he got home from his part-time job at a restaurant.
With the help of a $9.6 million federal grant, Lee Kern, a Lehigh University professor, is leading a team of researchers to find ways educators can help high-schoolers succeed and not drop out.
Kern said data do not explain why scores fall in high school. But they do show that the problem is worse for low-income students.
''Poor attendance and homework completion become more problematic with secondary-age students,'' Kern said. ''Also, families who are more affluent are probably more concerned about test scores, given that they anticipate their children will go to college.''
'We don't teach reading'
Searching for new ideas, state education officials are pushing a controversial plan for more and different exams. They also propose a standardized curriculum for high schools.
An undetermined amount of this year's education budget will go toward creating a standardized curriculum for math, English, science and social studies, said Leah Harris, spokeswoman for the state Education Department.
Districts would not be required to adopt the new curriculum but it would give struggling schools better guidelines, Harris said.
The controversy is centered on a plan to require students to pass six of 10 state-created final exams in order to receive for a diploma. The plan has stalled as the Legislature reviews it.
In the past three years, the Education Department has launched several programs targeting high school student performance.
Classrooms for the Future provides students with laptops and gives teachers intensive training in how to use them in class. Dual Enrollment pitches in $10 million to cover tuition for high-schoolers who want to earn college credits.
But neither of those programs has racked up results in the short term.
Among the more creative ideas was Project 720 -- for the total amount of days teenagers spend in high school. It breaks large schools into small academies of up to 600 students. Class sizes shrink and class periods grow longer.
But like the other programs that have sparked hope among educators, Project 720 has not proved to be a silver bullet.
Last year, the Norristown Area School District was one of the first in the state to reorganize its high school under Project 720. Lisa Andrejko, then district superintendent. led the effort to break the 2,000-student school into six academies.
Norristown Area did not make adequate yearly progress this year, PSSA results show.
One year is not enough time to judge the project a failure, said Andrejko, who now heads Quakertown Area School District. It takes at least five years to get hard data, she said.
The solution isn't merely in teaching with computers or in smaller groups, Andrejko said. It will require a greater emphasis on basic reading instruction, she said, the kind students receive in elementary school.
''We don't teach reading in high school,'' Andrejko noted.
Employers and colleges have told state education officials that Pennsylvania high school graduates, on the whole, are not up to speed in writing, reading and math, Harris said.
''They're graduating without basic skills,'' she said. ''That's a problem for the student, and for the entire state.''
Getting back to the basics
Easton Area High School administrators created a program to reinforce basic math and reading skills in the classroom and during after-school tutoring.
Bangor Area High School received a warning from the state because its 11th-graders didn't score high enough on the math or reading test.
Pat Mulroy, assistant superintendent of the Bangor Area School District, partly blames the same factors affecting high schools across the state: a lack of funding and slow-moving reform.
For decades, education policy and funding have focused on teaching preschool and elementary school students how to read. Only in the last decade have policy experts realized high schools need that help, too.
Bangor High needs, but cannot afford, four reading specialists, Mulroy said. And those specialists are usually trained at the elementary level.
So Bangor is retraining its high school teachers to teach reading and math in all content areas, she said. Now, ''every teacher is a teacher of math or reading.''
Allentown's middle-schoolers have made the transition almost seamlessly to high school in terms of reading retention. Nearly 46 percent of eighth-graders were proficient compared with 43 percent of high school juniors.
In math, though, their decline is clear. Just over half of Allentown's eighth-graders scored proficient or better on the math PSSA this year, compared with 39 percent of 11th-graders.
Allentown Superintendent Karen S. Angello said that when those juniors were in middle school, not enough was done to rescue students who were close to failing. That's why three years ago, the district began placing at-risk students in back-to-back math periods, offering intensive tutoring and additional math courses, she said.
This year, the district plans to hire more math coaches and begin tracking student progress on a daily basis. With early intervention, Angello said, they will spot problems sooner.
In the Bethlehem Area School District, Superintendent Joseph Lewis is planning major changes at his two high schools this fall, with the focus on reading and math. Because Liberty High School has failed to significantly improve its scores over a number of years, it is technically eligible for state takeover, although Zahorchak, the state education secretary, said that possibility was ''remote.''
Every student will take Algebra I in ninth grade -- no exceptions, Lewis said.
''It's time to stop complaining about the test,'' he said. ''It's not necessarily about meeting the targets, but showing our kids can grow.''
Test score melt down in high school
By Genevieve Marshall, Steve Esack and William J. Ford Of The Morning Call, August 17, 2008
Between the last year of middle school and the junior year in high school, something happens to Pennsylvania students -- and it's not just puberty.
After years of building on math and reading skills and showing consistent gains on state tests, those improvements come to a screeching halt in high school. Not only do students stop improving in reading, they actually seem to lose math skills.
''It's almost like falling off a cliff,'' said state Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak.
Two out of every five Pennsylvania high school students tested below grade level in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment reading and math tests, which were released last week.
At the current pace of improvement, it would take 40 years for all high school juniors to meet standards, Zahorchak said -- even though they're expected to do so within six years.
''Clearly we need to do more to improve the high school experience and ensure those students stay engaged and challenged through graduation,'' Zahorchak said. ''We simply cannot afford to be content with the status quo.''
With the federal No Child Left Behind law pushing states to make all students proficient in math and reading by 2014, Pennsylvania school districts, including those in the Lehigh Valley area, have a long way to go.
The 35 school districts in the eight-county area averaged a double-digit drop in the percentage of students that scored proficiently between eighth grade and 11th grade. The drop was significant regardless of race and income, though it was worse for minority, low-income and special education students.
This generation of students wants to understand the reason behind a classroom lesson or standardized test in order to put in the effort, said Kevin Bush, a social studies teacher and track coach at Bethlehem's Liberty High School. There is no consequence for poor performers, he said. The test is not factored into students' grades or directly tied to graduation.
''On the second day of school students will be taking a state test,'' Bush said. ''Students are so over-tested right now without seeing what the relevance is.''
It's a matter of priorities, said Cedar Beach lifeguard Nick Carbonetto, an incoming William Allen High School senior who said he did not study for the state tests because he was busy with soccer, baseball and organizing the prom.
''Colleges don't focus on PSSAs, but the SATs,'' he said.
Matt Trexler, also a senior at Allen, said he studied for the spring PSSA during class and at night when he got home from his part-time job at a restaurant.
With the help of a $9.6 million federal grant, Lee Kern, a Lehigh University professor, is leading a team of researchers to find ways educators can help high-schoolers succeed and not drop out.
Kern said data do not explain why scores fall in high school. But they do show that the problem is worse for low-income students.
''Poor attendance and homework completion become more problematic with secondary-age students,'' Kern said. ''Also, families who are more affluent are probably more concerned about test scores, given that they anticipate their children will go to college.''
'We don't teach reading'
Searching for new ideas, state education officials are pushing a controversial plan for more and different exams. They also propose a standardized curriculum for high schools.
An undetermined amount of this year's education budget will go toward creating a standardized curriculum for math, English, science and social studies, said Leah Harris, spokeswoman for the state Education Department.
Districts would not be required to adopt the new curriculum but it would give struggling schools better guidelines, Harris said.
The controversy is centered on a plan to require students to pass six of 10 state-created final exams in order to receive for a diploma. The plan has stalled as the Legislature reviews it.
In the past three years, the Education Department has launched several programs targeting high school student performance.
Classrooms for the Future provides students with laptops and gives teachers intensive training in how to use them in class. Dual Enrollment pitches in $10 million to cover tuition for high-schoolers who want to earn college credits.
But neither of those programs has racked up results in the short term.
Among the more creative ideas was Project 720 -- for the total amount of days teenagers spend in high school. It breaks large schools into small academies of up to 600 students. Class sizes shrink and class periods grow longer.
But like the other programs that have sparked hope among educators, Project 720 has not proved to be a silver bullet.
Last year, the Norristown Area School District was one of the first in the state to reorganize its high school under Project 720. Lisa Andrejko, then district superintendent. led the effort to break the 2,000-student school into six academies.
Norristown Area did not make adequate yearly progress this year, PSSA results show.
One year is not enough time to judge the project a failure, said Andrejko, who now heads Quakertown Area School District. It takes at least five years to get hard data, she said.
The solution isn't merely in teaching with computers or in smaller groups, Andrejko said. It will require a greater emphasis on basic reading instruction, she said, the kind students receive in elementary school.
''We don't teach reading in high school,'' Andrejko noted.
Employers and colleges have told state education officials that Pennsylvania high school graduates, on the whole, are not up to speed in writing, reading and math, Harris said.
''They're graduating without basic skills,'' she said. ''That's a problem for the student, and for the entire state.''
Getting back to the basics
Easton Area High School administrators created a program to reinforce basic math and reading skills in the classroom and during after-school tutoring.
Bangor Area High School received a warning from the state because its 11th-graders didn't score high enough on the math or reading test.
Pat Mulroy, assistant superintendent of the Bangor Area School District, partly blames the same factors affecting high schools across the state: a lack of funding and slow-moving reform.
For decades, education policy and funding have focused on teaching preschool and elementary school students how to read. Only in the last decade have policy experts realized high schools need that help, too.
Bangor High needs, but cannot afford, four reading specialists, Mulroy said. And those specialists are usually trained at the elementary level.
So Bangor is retraining its high school teachers to teach reading and math in all content areas, she said. Now, ''every teacher is a teacher of math or reading.''
Allentown's middle-schoolers have made the transition almost seamlessly to high school in terms of reading retention. Nearly 46 percent of eighth-graders were proficient compared with 43 percent of high school juniors.
In math, though, their decline is clear. Just over half of Allentown's eighth-graders scored proficient or better on the math PSSA this year, compared with 39 percent of 11th-graders.
Allentown Superintendent Karen S. Angello said that when those juniors were in middle school, not enough was done to rescue students who were close to failing. That's why three years ago, the district began placing at-risk students in back-to-back math periods, offering intensive tutoring and additional math courses, she said.
This year, the district plans to hire more math coaches and begin tracking student progress on a daily basis. With early intervention, Angello said, they will spot problems sooner.
In the Bethlehem Area School District, Superintendent Joseph Lewis is planning major changes at his two high schools this fall, with the focus on reading and math. Because Liberty High School has failed to significantly improve its scores over a number of years, it is technically eligible for state takeover, although Zahorchak, the state education secretary, said that possibility was ''remote.''
Every student will take Algebra I in ninth grade -- no exceptions, Lewis said.
''It's time to stop complaining about the test,'' he said. ''It's not necessarily about meeting the targets, but showing our kids can grow.''
Bensalem School District
BCCT Back to School/PSSA Profiles continue:
BENSALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Smaller first-grade, kindergarten classes
New district initiatives target young and special education students.
By JOAN HELLYER
As part of its improvement plan for 2008-09, Bensalem is reducing its class size for kindergarten and first grade to a maximum of 20 students.
The reduced class size will help improve the district’s youngest students’ academic development because teachers will have more time to focus on the individual needs of the students in the class, Superintendent James Lombardo said.
Bensalem also is expanding its full day kindergarten offers from two classes in the district to six.
Each of Bensalem’s six elementary schools will house a full-day kindergarten class, administrators said.
Plus, the district will begin offering 90 minutes worth of Spanish language instruction to all Bensalem third graders this year.
And, the district is making every effort to increase the time special needs students participate in regular education settings, he said. The goal is to provide the special education kids with more access to the district’s standards-based curriculum mandated by the state.
The Bensalem Township School District serves approximately 6,000 students in nine schools in a township of more than 60,000 people. The district employs more than 900 people and runs on an approximately $111 million budget. WHO’S WHO IN THE
SCHOOLS:
Superintendent:
James Lombardo, 215-750-2800, ext. 4100
Assistant Superintendent:
William Gretzula, 215-750-2800, ext. 4103
Principals:
Bensalem High School: Francis Perry, 215-750-2800, ext. 3000
Robert K. Shafer Middle School: William Incollingo Jr., 215-750-2800, ext. 2200
Cecelia Snyder Middle School: Deborah B. McKay, 215-750-2800, ext. 2300
Belmont Hills Elementary School: Marla Zeisler, 215-750-2800, ext. 1100
Cornwells Elementary School: Shawn Mark, 215-750-2800, ext. 1200
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School: Maribel Camps, 215-750-2800, ext. 1300
Benjamin Rush Elementary School: Mary Gentile, 215-750-2800, ext. 1400
Russell C. Struble Elementary School: Lana Judy, 215-750-2800, ext. 1500
Valley Elementary School: Mary Glaesser 215-750-2800, ext. 1600
School board:
President Harry Kramer, Vice President Lewis Brandt, James Bodnar, Rose Jacobs, Carol Jones, Carol McGuire, Heather Nicholas, Stephen Nowmos, and Eugene Rothenberg.
Meeting schedule: Generally the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. except in July in the boardroom of the Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center off Donallen Drive.
Note: The board’s first meeting in October will be Oct. 7 in observance Yom Kippur, which begins the following day at sundown on the second Wednesday of the month. Its second meeting of November will be Nov. 25 because the following day, the fourth Wednesday of the month, begins the district’s Thanksgiving holiday observance. And the board’s second meeting of December will be Dec. 17 because the district’s Winter Recess begins on Dec. 24, the fourth Wednesday of the month.
For more information, visit the district’s Web site, www.bensalemsd.org
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 2, First day of school
Sept. 29, Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Rosh Hashanah holiday
Oct. 9, Yom Kippur holiday
Nov. 4, Election Day
Nov. 11, Veterans Day
Nov. 25, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
Nov. 26, Parent conferences and Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Nov. 27, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 24, Winter recess begins
Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Jan. 5, Schools reopen
Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 20, No school for elementary and middle school students and full day of class for high school students
Jan. 26, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 27, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 28, No school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Feb. 16, Presidents Day
April 8, Spring break begins
April 14, Students return to school
April 17, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
April 20, Parent conferences, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
May 19, Election Day, professional development day
May 25, Memorial Day
June 10, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
June 11, Tentative last day of school for students, half day for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
2007 AVERAGE SAT SCORES:
Verbal – 471
Math – 476
Writing – 467
FAST FACTS ABOUT BENSALEM
2007-08 Average teacher salary:
$76,322
AP courses: 10 – American history, chemistry, calculus, English language, English literature, European history, government, physics, psychology and statistics
Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary schools, 15.6 to 1; Middle and high schools, 14.9 to 1
Cost per student: Elementary schools, $12,070 and secondary, $11,375.
Partnerships with businesses:
Commerce Bank, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Ninety Nine, Texas Roadhouse, Smokin’ Dudes BBQ, Brown’s Family Shop Rite, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Rita’s Water Ice.
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: Met AYP goal
BENSALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Smaller first-grade, kindergarten classes
New district initiatives target young and special education students.
By JOAN HELLYER
As part of its improvement plan for 2008-09, Bensalem is reducing its class size for kindergarten and first grade to a maximum of 20 students.
The reduced class size will help improve the district’s youngest students’ academic development because teachers will have more time to focus on the individual needs of the students in the class, Superintendent James Lombardo said.
Bensalem also is expanding its full day kindergarten offers from two classes in the district to six.
Each of Bensalem’s six elementary schools will house a full-day kindergarten class, administrators said.
Plus, the district will begin offering 90 minutes worth of Spanish language instruction to all Bensalem third graders this year.
And, the district is making every effort to increase the time special needs students participate in regular education settings, he said. The goal is to provide the special education kids with more access to the district’s standards-based curriculum mandated by the state.
The Bensalem Township School District serves approximately 6,000 students in nine schools in a township of more than 60,000 people. The district employs more than 900 people and runs on an approximately $111 million budget. WHO’S WHO IN THE
SCHOOLS:
Superintendent:
James Lombardo, 215-750-2800, ext. 4100
Assistant Superintendent:
William Gretzula, 215-750-2800, ext. 4103
Principals:
Bensalem High School: Francis Perry, 215-750-2800, ext. 3000
Robert K. Shafer Middle School: William Incollingo Jr., 215-750-2800, ext. 2200
Cecelia Snyder Middle School: Deborah B. McKay, 215-750-2800, ext. 2300
Belmont Hills Elementary School: Marla Zeisler, 215-750-2800, ext. 1100
Cornwells Elementary School: Shawn Mark, 215-750-2800, ext. 1200
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School: Maribel Camps, 215-750-2800, ext. 1300
Benjamin Rush Elementary School: Mary Gentile, 215-750-2800, ext. 1400
Russell C. Struble Elementary School: Lana Judy, 215-750-2800, ext. 1500
Valley Elementary School: Mary Glaesser 215-750-2800, ext. 1600
School board:
President Harry Kramer, Vice President Lewis Brandt, James Bodnar, Rose Jacobs, Carol Jones, Carol McGuire, Heather Nicholas, Stephen Nowmos, and Eugene Rothenberg.
Meeting schedule: Generally the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. except in July in the boardroom of the Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center off Donallen Drive.
Note: The board’s first meeting in October will be Oct. 7 in observance Yom Kippur, which begins the following day at sundown on the second Wednesday of the month. Its second meeting of November will be Nov. 25 because the following day, the fourth Wednesday of the month, begins the district’s Thanksgiving holiday observance. And the board’s second meeting of December will be Dec. 17 because the district’s Winter Recess begins on Dec. 24, the fourth Wednesday of the month.
For more information, visit the district’s Web site, www.bensalemsd.org
2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Sept. 2, First day of school
Sept. 29, Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Rosh Hashanah holiday
Oct. 9, Yom Kippur holiday
Nov. 4, Election Day
Nov. 11, Veterans Day
Nov. 25, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
Nov. 26, Parent conferences and Act 80 Day, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
Nov. 27, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 24, Winter recess begins
Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Jan. 5, Schools reopen
Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 20, No school for elementary and middle school students and full day of class for high school students
Jan. 26, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 27, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Jan. 28, No school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
Feb. 16, Presidents Day
April 8, Spring break begins
April 14, Students return to school
April 17, Parent conferences, no class for elementary students
April 20, Parent conferences, no class for elementary, middle and high school students
May 19, Election Day, professional development day
May 25, Memorial Day
June 10, Half day of school for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
June 11, Tentative last day of school for students, half day for high school students and full day of class for elementary and middle school students
2007 AVERAGE SAT SCORES:
Verbal – 471
Math – 476
Writing – 467
FAST FACTS ABOUT BENSALEM
2007-08 Average teacher salary:
$76,322
AP courses: 10 – American history, chemistry, calculus, English language, English literature, European history, government, physics, psychology and statistics
Student/teacher ratio:
Elementary schools, 15.6 to 1; Middle and high schools, 14.9 to 1
Cost per student: Elementary schools, $12,070 and secondary, $11,375.
Partnerships with businesses:
Commerce Bank, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Ninety Nine, Texas Roadhouse, Smokin’ Dudes BBQ, Brown’s Family Shop Rite, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Rita’s Water Ice.
2008 Adequate Yearly Progress status: Met AYP goal
Borough Council Meeting tonight
GOVERNMENT
Morrisville Council: 7:30 p.m., borough hall, 35 Union St.
Agenda: Regular reports and business; consider directing the borough manager and engineer to send a list and application to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission regarding additional projects that will be requested with the surplus money from the Compact Authorization Investment Program; consider paying $64,165.68 to J.L. Gruber Contractor, Inc., for curb and sidewalk replacement on South Pennsylvania Avenue; consider approving the projects to be funded by the remaining DRJTBC grant money; consider adopting sewer extension resolution for the Falkowski/Kulpinski subdivision at 130 Delaware Ave.; consider approving 2008 Labor Day Run; consider motion to acknowledge Randy Kenner’s resignation from the zoning hearing board; consider two 3-year appointments to the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.; consider amending resolution regarding the UCC Board of Appeals reducing membership from five members to three members. 215-295-8181
Morrisville Council: 7:30 p.m., borough hall, 35 Union St.
Agenda: Regular reports and business; consider directing the borough manager and engineer to send a list and application to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission regarding additional projects that will be requested with the surplus money from the Compact Authorization Investment Program; consider paying $64,165.68 to J.L. Gruber Contractor, Inc., for curb and sidewalk replacement on South Pennsylvania Avenue; consider approving the projects to be funded by the remaining DRJTBC grant money; consider adopting sewer extension resolution for the Falkowski/Kulpinski subdivision at 130 Delaware Ave.; consider approving 2008 Labor Day Run; consider motion to acknowledge Randy Kenner’s resignation from the zoning hearing board; consider two 3-year appointments to the Morrisville Economic Development Corp.; consider amending resolution regarding the UCC Board of Appeals reducing membership from five members to three members. 215-295-8181
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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