MHS Closed for Asbestos

Thanks to all the emailers with this breaking information.

From the school website.

That's two down. How is Grandview doing these days?

February 10, 2009

The Morrisville Middle/Senior High School has been closed as of 12:15 pm today, February 10, 2009. The Middle/Senior High School will remain closed on Wednesday due to an environmental situation. The district has an electrical contractor performing work in the evening as not to disturb the educational process. They reported to us this morning that suspected asbestos containing materials were impacted during their work. As a result, the district contacted our environmental consultant. Samples were taken immediately. The samples were sent to a nationally accredited laboratory and results were received at 11:15 am. Accordingly, we are dismissing the students. Subsequent to the students’ release, air and surface sampling will be performed to determine what, if any, impact may have occurred within specific areas of the school. When we receive the results I will again do a phone blast to give you an update. However, the students who attend the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School will not have school tomorrow, February 11, 2009.

Keeping up to code proving costly

From the BCCT.

What's the lesson here for the Morrisville renovations?

No, "let Pennsbury deal with it" was not the lesson. Try again.

Keeping up to code proving costly
By ANNIE TASKER

Upper Moreland School District officials took care to plan a large-scale, $34.5 million high school renovation project.

They didn’t expect to be caught off guard by extra exit signs.

Halfway through the project, some district officials are frustrated by the mounting cost of last-minute township code inspector requirements.

Unexpected mandates for additional signage, security equipment and other fire safety initiatives have cost nearly $75,000 to date, said district business manager Michael Braun. School board member Donald Warner, who said he sought an architect’s second opinion on some of the extra measures, said some of his irritation stems from the fact that the previous township fire marshal signed off on the renovation plans before construction began.

The school district will always err on the side of caution, and every township safety order will be followed to the letter, Braun said.

“We just wish we’d known about this ahead of time so we could have designed better,” he said.

That $75,000 is not much in the scheme of the multimillion-dollar project, especially considering that the district has used only about a quarter of its $1.5 million project contingency fund. The change orders aren’t breaking the bank, “but it’s still frustrating,” Warner said.

Braun said different township inspectors have been sent to review the construction progress, and each had an eye out for something a little different. An extra $27,522 for fire alarms was required at one point; the district learned late in the game that exit signs were required above every classroom door in the science wing, which added another $10,250 to the tab.

Had the extra materials been included in the bid specifications, the district may have been able to buy them at a better price, Braun said — but the piecemeal change orders have started to add up.

To date, renovations have included a new science wing and renovations to classrooms, a multipurpose wrestling room and an administrative suite. More classroom work is set for the second half of the project. Upper Moreland waived permit fees for the Terwood Road school project.

Warner said he wants someone in charge at the township to start rattling some cages, since the money funding the change orders comes out of the same taxpayer pockets.
But the people in charge said they didn’t know there were cages to rattle.

Upper Moreland township Manager David Dodies said he hadn’t heard about the district’s issues with the inspections, and Commissioner President Stacey Efkowitz said she knew of some conflicts around the time school started, but thought they’d been resolved.

Pennsbury contract extension

From the BCCT.

It looks like our new school district overlords are annoying the BCCT editorial board.

Pennsbury contract extension
Information freeze
Before approving a tentative teacher contract extension, officials should have asked taxpayers what they think.

The pay freeze that isn’t really a pay freeze will come up for a vote at Pennsbury’s Feb. 19 school board meeting.

Otherwise known as a teacher contract extension, the pact, if extended, will grow the payroll nearly $2 million. Lucky for taxpayers, who are facing a whopping 10 percent tax hike, the expected retirements of 20 teachers could cut that increase down to about $1.1 million.

Still, the pay freeze will hardly stunt salary increases.

That’s because so-called step increases for years of service and educational attainment will still result in raises for more than half the teachers not at the top of the pay scale, which peaks at $98,222. What’s frozen is the annual acrossthe-board percentage increase.

This has not been the subject of public discussion and won’t be until the teachers ratify the secret agreement. Two points: Why weren’t taxpayers asked what they think before board members decided behind the public’s back to pursue a contract extension? And why is it OK for teachers to discuss the issue but not taxpayers?

District CEO Paul Long, the de facto superintendent, refused to talk to our reporter until teachers ratify the tentative agreement. Nice.

Here’s our suggestion.

Maybe Long won’t talk about the proposed contract extension, but that shouldn’t stop taxpayers from showing up at the next meeting and offering their thoughts. Turns out the next meeting is Feb. 12, this Thursday, at which board members will vote on a revised version of the preliminary budget that includes the pay increase for teachers — which, you know, isn’t really a pay increase.

Can’t make the meeting? Call Long at 215-428-4100, extension 10001, and tell him what you think. Or show up at Fallsington Elementary School, 8 p.m., this Thursday.

Keep this in mind. Not only are real pay freezes happening in the private sector, workers are being hit with pay cuts and layoffs. And every year the cost of health insurance goes up, with most workers now covering 25 to 30 percent of the cost of employer-provided health benefits. At 10 percent, Pennsbury teachers are in a rarified category.

School board members may not be doing taxpayers any favors by extending such a generous deal.

Consolidation debated

From the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Consolidation debated
BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Published: Monday, February 09, 2009
Updated: Monday, February 9, 2009 4:13 AM EST

The 28,250 students in Lackawanna County are enrolled in 10 school districts — each with its own superintendent and administration.

Those superintendents’ salaries total more than $1 million, and the salaries of other administrators — such as business managers, human resource directors and special education supervisors — total millions more.

Gov. Ed Rendell wants to dramatically change that.

In his 2009-10 budget released last week, the governor proposed creating a commission to study how to consolidate the state’s 500 school districts into no more than 100.

Area educators, while not totally opposed to saving money and sharing resources, are questioning the scope of the plan. Others say the benefits would outweigh any costs.

“There’s no doubt there are definite cost savings and benefits for consolidation,” William King, Scranton School District acting superintendent, said. “But ultimately, I think the question is, ‘What is the optimal size so you can deliver the highest-quality education?’ ”

This is not the first time consolidation has been discussed in Pennsylvania. In 1955, there were 2,700 school districts before the Legislature authorized consolidations. By 1962, there were 600. After the Center Area and Monaca school districts in western Pennsylvania voluntarily merge July 1, there will be 500.

Under the governor’s proposal to create a legislative commission to study consolidation, he touts that merging districts would relieve local property tax burdens.

Only 10 states in the country have more school districts, and more than 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s districts have fewer than 2,000 students. Eighty percent educate fewer than 5,000 students.

Reducing the number of districts would not necessarily mean schools would close, but could “instead improve the effectiveness and efficiency of education through other means,” according to the Department of Education.

The proposed commission would have 12 voting members appointed by the General Assembly and would have one year to develop a plan, including optimal enrollment size, boundaries and a plan for implementation.

After two merger plans are adopted by the commission, the Legislature will vote. If the Legislature rejects both plans, the state Board of Education would have authority to implement a plan.

The response to the governor’s proposal has been positive, said Michael Race, Department of Education spokesman.

“It taps into a sentiment out there that there are too many school districts and too much bureaucracy,” he said.

When school districts are bigger entities, they will have larger negotiating powers for contracts from vendors — which equals savings in the budget, Mr. Race added.

District concerns

Area superintendents are concerned with the state making quick decisions and not involving enough people with the planning.

“For us to be disbanded would be overwhelming and an enormous concern to our community,” Michael Mahon, Ph.D., Abington Heights superintendent, said. “If a hypothetical district has taken good care of its buildings, has made prudent financial decisions over time ... for that district to be shut down, and perhaps combined with districts who have done none of that, brings up the question of equity.”

Mr. King said while he thinks there is a “definite need for consolidation,” the size of new school districts must be manageable.

“They’re always preaching, ‘every child by name.’ When you’re running a school district of 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 students, that takes away that possibility,” Mr. King said.

If only 100 school districts are created — the number Mr. Rendell wants — the average district would have 17,000 students.

Joseph Daley, Valley View School District superintendent, said many things need to be analyzed before a consolidation happens, from equalizing employee salaries and who owns school buildings and equipment, to what happens to district athletic teams.

Timothy Allwein, assistant executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said the issue of consolidation often rises when budgets are tight.

The association is researching the idea, but warns “larger school districts give you a larger bureaucracy,” Mr. Allwein said. While only one superintendent may be needed, there will be a need for more supervisors and directors, he added.

Research by the PSBA has shown little benefit to consolidation, Mr. Allwein said.

In 2007, Standard & Poor’s made a presentation to the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on school consolidation. The research group found districts with no more than 3,000 students may be more likely to save money than if districts had more than 3,000 students.

Possible benefits

Many states, including North Carolina and Maryland, have school districts on a county-wide basis.

“It’s certainly not a foreign concept, and it’s a step in the right direction,” said Teri Ooms, executive director of the Wilkes-Barre-based Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. “I just hope it’s taken seriously and moved forward. I’m really a firm believer that this is a more positive thing for this region.”

Schools would still be able to keep their own identities, and it would bring the opportunities and benefits that are occurring in the wealthier school districts to the others, she said.

Along with cost-sharing, local real estate values would equalize, said John Cognetti, president of Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate.

When buying a home, many parents consider the school district in which home is located. If all of the county, or other large area is one school district, home values in an area with what is now a better district will equalize to those homes now located in poorer districts, Mr. Cognetti said.

“It equalizes the whole county, revitalizes all areas,” he said. “It’s long overdue.”

Creative Funding for Schools

From Education Week.

Creative Solutions Eyed in Bids to Avoid Layoffs, Spare Crucial Programs
By Michele McNeil

At a time when states, collectively, face more than $30 billion in budget gaps, school districts are scrounging for money and for creative ideas they hope will allow them to hold on until the economy recovers.

In an effort to avoid, or mitigate, teacher layoffs and drastic cuts to politically sensitive programs, districts are aggressively raising money from private sources, upping their fees, and squeezing savings from existing budgets.

High schools in Daytona Beach later this year are going to charge $1 per ticket and $5 per car for parking at graduation. A donation of $3,000 from a dental office paid for this year’s science fair at Vista Magnet Middle School for Technology, Science & Math near San Diego. And the Clark County, Nev., school board, in Las Vegas, is debating whether to charge students an activity fee to take part in sports and other extracurricular activities.

In perhaps one of the more dire reports of a school in need, the Academy of the Americas school in the Detroit district has sent a letter asking for donations for school staples: light bulbs, pencils—and even toilet paper.

But some educators warn that there may be a limit to the utility of such methods that, while often more palatable to the public, may not generate as much money or do so as quickly as more-drastic measures.

“I know school districts are doing everything they can to raise funds,” said Daniel A. Domenech, the executive director of the Arlington, Va.-based American Association of School Administrators. “Revenue generation will help in some areas, but it’s not going to raise money to the level that we need, given that this is by far the worst economic situation that I can recall.”

As Mr. Domenech pointed out, these are “one-shot deals. ... The money isn’t going to be there next year.”

Forecast Darkens

Next school year, the fiscal situation could get worse. Already, 31 states face $30 billion in fiscal 2009 budget gaps and are cutting spending, including on K-12 education. Thirteen states have already made a total of $3.6 billion in midyear cuts to their fiscal 2009 budgets. ("Budget Pain Dampening K-12 Efforts," Jan. 7, 2009.)

In Florida, for example, education will be among the program areas most heavily hit by the $1.2 billion in budget cuts approved by state lawmakers on Wednesday to help plug the state’s projected $2.3 billion deficit. Although lawmakers backed off on the possibility of pay cuts for teachers and other employees, the cuts will reduce per-pupil spending statewide by an average of about 2 percent overall.

For districts facing significant cuts, every penny in savings is important.

The Sarasota County school system in Florida will likely have to slice $40 million—or nearly 10 percent—out of its $425 million general fund budget next school year.

With such a deep cut to the 42,000-student Sarasota County district, a mixture of staff cuts, budget savings, and revenue-raising measures will be needed, said Scott Lempe, the chief operating officer.

So far, the district is squeezing $3 million in savings, or 30 percent, from its energy budget by putting in automated thermostats and even taking the light bulbs out of the front of vending machines.

“We’re spending $10 million a year on energy; that’s too big a piece of the budget to not say there’s a better way,” Mr. Lempe said.

To help cut its custodial budget by nearly $3 million over the last three years, the district bought a special cleaning machine that allows custodians to spray down and clean an entire multi-stall school restroom in seven minutes.

Over the past year, the district has saved $1.5 million in construction fees by negotiating with city and county governments to waive fees for building permits, water hookups, and other add-ons. And, the district saved $250,000 on criminal-background checks on volunteers by purchasing a subscription to a national crime database and doing the checks in-house, rather than having the state run a background check on every volunteer, every year.

On the revenue side, the district raised its rates, by as much as triple, for private groups’ rental of facilities such as cafeterias and auditoriums. And in the 2007-08 school year, the Sarasota County Schools Education Foundation raised $1.2 million for the district to fund innovative classroom projects.

Such revenue-raising measures will be central to weathering the fiscal storm, said John Musso, the executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International, based in Reston, Va.

“We’re telling people they need to look at revenue generation in addition to spending cuts,” he said. That includes school fees, whether they be charges for parking, athletics, parking, or textbooks, Mr. Musso said.

“At this point, nothing is sacred,” he said.

His organization, ASBO, is working on a tool kit for school business officers, with ideas on how to bring in new revenue rather than make across-the-board cuts to programs. One emphasis will be on venture philanthropy, which supports targeted programs with a hands-on approach.
Calling on Parents

Sometimes, the situation calls for an emergency appeal.

When the 15,000-student Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California sent out 266 pink slips last spring to teachers, threatening to drive up class sizes, parents rallied. A fundraising drive by the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation, which asked parents to donate $400 per child to the cause, raised a whopping $1 million in two weeks—money explicitly used to keep teachers on staff for one more year.

“A lot of people were skeptical about whether parents and the community should really be offsetting the budget like this,” said Stacey Flynn, the foundation’s executive director. “But I felt like this was an emergency situation.”

She said the foundation tries not to rely too much on parents. It also holds community fundraisers such as golf tournaments or raffles to pay for such costs as music programs and teacher supplies.

Faced with a threat of teacher layoffs, however, the foundation felt compelled to appeal directly to parents to raise money aimed at keeping class sizes stable for their children. Ms. Flynn cautioned, though, that the foundation can’t sustain such fundraising momentum.

“I can run around and raise money like a madwoman,” she said, “but it’s just a Band-Aid.”

Exemption Junction, What's Your Function?

From the BCCT.

It looks like Centennial and Pennsbury may need the lifelines that the Morrisville school board cut away.

That leaves the question: Are you happier having a low or no tax increase, or an above index raise? If we were part of Pennsbury today [Hail Pennsbury! The salvation of Morrisville!], we'd be preparing for our wallets for a major hull breach. Red Alert, Mr. Sulu!

See? Being part of Pennsbury isn't the magic cure-all for what ails us. It's merely trading one set of problems for a completely new set.

Do you want the Morrisville school district being handled right here in Morrisville, with Sandy Gibson, Bill Hellmann, or the next president running things where nine of your neighbors are representing you? Or do you want maybe one school board seat [maybe even NONE!] representing you?

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

Districts will decide on state exemptions
By MANASEE WAGH

This week, the Centennial and Pennsbury school boards will vote on applying for state exemptions to allow them to raise the tax increase past the Act 1 mandate of 4.1 percent.

Applying for exemptions allows districts to prevent possible financial emergencies in next year's budget if unforeseen emergencies arise, such as unexpected high special education costs or a lack of state funding, said board President Gregory Lucidi.

Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the limit. They no longer can apply for exemptions.

Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is dedicated to keeping taxes at or below the limit. The board will get a look at the revised preliminary budget on Thursday and work on looking at all areas of district operations to trim expenditures, he said.

Centennial board members have made similar statements about the desire to keep taxes lower than the state limit. On Tuesday, the board will vote on adopting its 2009-2010 preliminary budget.

So, HAVING Money is Bad Too?

From the BCCT

School district sees huge losses
By JOAN HELLYER

The district could lose as much as $2.2 million in interest income alone during the coming school year.

The recession likely will cost Council Rock between $5.4 million and $7.3 million in lost revenue during the coming school year, a district official told the school board.

The funds would have come from four areas where the district had experienced annual financial gains, said Robert Schoch, district business administration director.

This is the second year district officials are projecting a smaller revenue growth percentage than previously for its real estate and local income taxes, realty transfers and interest income, he said Thursday.

The real estate tax revenue, for example, will increase just a half percent over its current rate, instead of the normal 2 percent the district experienced prior to the recession, Schoch said.

He gave "best case" and "worst case" scenarios of the potential loss for each revenue source:

? The best case scenario for real estate revenue losses is about $900,000 and the worst case is $1.5 million.

? Lost interest income will be between $2 million and $2.2 million.

? Realty transfers will be between $1.7 million and $2.3 million less than what would have previously been collected.

? In terms of local income tax revenue, the best case scenario is a loss of $750,000 and the worst case is $1.27 million.

District officials are trying to figure out how the revenue losses will impact the 2009-10 budget, Schoch said.

In an effort to offset that impact, the district is trying to keep as many contracts as possible at the same rate as the current year, Schoch said.

Pennsbury Teacher Contract

From the BCCT.

Why do I keep hearing the same John Williams music in the background that I hear when I'm taking a swim at the shore?

Vote to extend teachers contract coming
By MANASEE WAGH

The board says it's determined to keep next year's tax hike to a maximum of 4.1 percent, said board President Gregory Lucidi.

Teachers and board members will soon vote on extending the current teacher contract in Pennsbury for another year, which would cost taxpayers an additional $1.1 million.

If the board and more than 800 Pennsbury teacher union members ratify the tentative agreement, it would mean freezing cost-of-living raises for a year. Teachers would still get longevity and educational attainment pay increases dictated by the pay scale. They also would retain a benefit package that requires them to contribute 10 percent toward their health care benefits.

The board plans to vote on the contract extension Feb. 19, some time after the teachers act on it, officials said.

At an average teacher salary of $77,524, Pennsbury ranks in the top 10 of 501 school districts in the state. Teacher salaries start at about $41,176 and peak at roughly $98,222.

"The people at the top of the scale - between 54 and 56 percent - would not receive an increase," said board President Gregory Lucidi on Friday about longevity and educational attainment pay increases.

Based on previous estimates, the rough additional costs in the coming school year under an extended contract would be an average of about $1.4 million for longevity, and educational attainment increases would count for about $500,000, he said.

Lucidi said the district expects about 20 retirements, which would save it $800,000, assuming it hires replacements at the lowest salary level. So the net effect would be a $1.1 million increase, he said.

Pennsbury's business administrator, Isabel Miller, wasn't in the office Friday to answer questions about how much of the total budget goes to teacher salaries and benefits. District CEO Paul Long said he didn't want to comment on teacher contracts before the tentative agreement is ratified, he said.

According to an initial budget draft, the district is facing a $12.2 million deficit - not including a 10 percent tax increase. The board will be approving a revised version of the preliminary $180 million budget at a Feb. 12 special meeting.

Without knowing if the district could face an emergency between now and the June 30 deadline for final budget approval, the administration recommends following through with the Act 1 budget process, including applying for exemptions to raise taxes above the state-imposed limit of 4.1 percent.

That doesn't mean the district will necessarily use the exemptions. Applying for them prevents possible financial emergencies that could arise later, Lucidi said. The board is likely to approve applying for exemptions at the Feb. 12 meeting, he said.

The Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the 4.1 percent limit.

Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is also determined to keep taxes at or below the limit. The district is looking at all areas of district operations to trim the budget, he said.

"We're required by Act 1 to approve a preliminary budget. It's nothing more than an estimate. There is absolutely no way the board would approve a 10 percent tax hike. The maximum tax increase would be the index. And we're trying to get it well below that," he said.

Another Look at Rendell Merge Plan

From Education Week.

If consolidation "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools", doesn't that run against the goal of a Pennsbury-Morrisville assimilation?

Unsurprisingly, the teachers union is not too sure either.

This is good. This is the way things should happen. Discuss the plans in the light of day, allow everyone to have their say, and find the compromise that will work. Everyone will suffer some and everyone will benefit some.

Too bad that's too much to ask for in Morrisville. The board majority is all about secrecy and surprise moves.

Published Online: February 5, 2009
Rendell Calls for 'Full-Scale' School Mergers
By The Associated Press

Gov. Ed Rendell called Wednesday for the first state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts in at least 40 years, saying that fewer districts would mean a lighter local tax burden on property owners.

His proposal will probably meet resistance from local school boards whose members fear that mergers would close some schools and cause overcrowding in those that remain.

Rendell said during his state budget address that he wants a legislative commission to develop a plan to reduce the state's 500 public school districts to no more than 100, ideally. He is asking the Legislature to include money for the study in the 2009-10 budget.

The last major state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts occurred in the 1960s, when the state had more than 2,000 districts.

Merging more districts would enable schools to operate more efficiently and spread the local share of school costs over a wider range of property owners in each of the remaining districts, he said.

"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state — each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," Rendell said.

More than 40 percent of the state's school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.

The current number of 501 school districts is expected to drop to 500 in July, when the Center Area and Monaca school districts northwest of Pittsburgh complete a merger. Declining enrollments have forced both districts to limit the types of courses they can offer to students.

Some other small districts that have explored dissolving boundaries with a neighbor have concluded that the costs of merging outweigh the benefits.

Officials in the rural Halifax and Millersburg school districts north of Harrisburg recently decided that a merger would not produce substantial savings, even though they already share some sports teams and academic programs.

Certain costs would increase because programs offered in just one school district would have to be made available throughout the newly merged school district, said Halifax superintendent Robert Hassinger.

For example, Halifax offers full-day kindergarten and preschool classes, while Millersburg provides only half-day kindergarten, he said.

Residents also feared a loss of community identity if any schools were required to close, Hassinger said. A summary of Rendell's proposal said the consolidations "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools."

"The assumption that bigger is better is incorrect," Hassinger said. "In smaller communities, where there is more connection, a sense of belonging is so essential."

Tim Allwein, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said his organization hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district mergers save large amounts of money. A merged school district might need to hire additional central-office administrators to oversee programs, he said.

"They're going to need to take a look at the supposed savings that would occur," Allwein said.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, has many questions, "not the least of which is how the goal of creating 100 districts from 500 was established," spokesman Wythe Keever said.

The commission would have one year to adopt as many as two merger plans and submit them to the Legislature for approval. If lawmakers reject both options, then the State Board of Education would have the authority to consolidate school districts.

Lawmakers said the idea of getting more school districts to consolidate was worth exploring.

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the commission would probably have to recommend abolishing local school property taxes because differences in local tax rates often impede mergers.

"I'm hopeful, but it's a long-range project, and it's good that the governor is getting started on that," said Piccola, R-Dauphin.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi acknowledged that the prospect of dissolving boundaries is a "very sensitive political issue" for school districts.

"People have a strong identity with their local school district, and local control is ... an aspect of local school districts that is prized by Pennsylvanians," said Pileggi, R-Delaware. "But in this day and age, in 2009, to have 501 superintendents and assistant superintendents and curriculum directors is a very inefficient way to deliver educational services across the state."

Consolidation plan has support, critics

From the BCCT

As long as the plan doesn't turn out like this commentary from "Frazz"...

Consolidation plan has support, critics
Gov. Ed Rendell proposed studying whether the number of districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.
By GARY WECKSELBLATT

Ronald Stockham’s ancestors settled in Pennsylvania before William Penn.

A 10th-generation Morrisville resident, he has a historical perspective on the challenges faced by the tiny Morrisville School District of 831 students, which has tried to merge with neighboring Pennsbury.

The move may have gained steam this week when Gov. Ed Rendell proposed creating a commission to study whether the number of school districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.

“We need to find more effective ways to make education more efficient,” state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said. “If you really study it, you can determine if there are savings to be gained.”

Stockham, 66 and a Morrisville attorney, is all for a merger with Pennsbury’s 11,064 student body.

“I support and applaud Gov. Rendell’s proposal,” he said. “It’s not efficient to keep throwing money for duplication and services. It’s about time ... long overdue.”

Back in 1933, when Stockham’s mother taught at Morrisville High School, the surrounding school districts of Fallsington, Lower Makefield and Yardley sent their high school students to Morrisville High on a tuition basis.

In the late 1950s, when Stockham attended Morrisville High, Pennsbury High School used Morrisville’s Robert Morris Athletic Field for its home football games and track meets.

“Both historical precedent and current economic conditions indicate that the Morrisville School District and Pennsbury School District should be entering into mutually beneficial arrangements as the right thing to do,” he said.

Back in the 1950s, when it was home to the second shopping center on the east coast, Morrisville had a strong economic base. At that time, Pennsbury sought a merger.

“They’ve been talking about this for decades,” said Mike Fitzpatrick, Morrisville’s solicitor. “It’s never had the support of both districts at the same time.”

Recently, Fitzpatrick has asked Pennsbury and other local districts to consider taking about 300 students in grades nine through 12 on a tuition basis.

Fitzpatrick called Rendell’s plan an affirmation of Morrisville’s recent actions and intent to partner with neighboring districts.

“The Commonwealth can be a partner to assist economically fragile districts by providing incentives for neighboring larger districts to partner with smaller ones.” he said.

Linda Palsky, a member of the Pennsbury School Board, said she’s “very interested” to hear more of Rendell’s plan because “some smaller school districts throughout the state could be better served” by merging.

“But my number one concern is the quality of education for Pennsbury students and the cost to taxpayers, especially as we approach some very, very difficult financial times.”

Rendell contends that fewer districts would mean less of a local tax burden on property owners by spreading the share of school costs over a larger number of people.

It’s been done before. Back in the 1960s, when the Commonwealth had more than 2,000 districts, the state ordered districts to consolidate.

Still, more than 40 percent of the state’s school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.

“Almost everyone agrees that Pennsylvania has too many school districts,” Rendell said during Wednesday’s budget address. “This means that we have ever-increasing pressure to increase local property taxes.”

Locally, after Morrisville, Bristol Borough [1,193], New Hope Solebury [1,551], Palisades [1,990] and Upper Moreland [3,041] are the only districts with fewer than 5,000 students. The largest are Central Bucks [20,359], North Penn [12,772], and Pennsbury.

In 2007, Standard & Poor’s reported to the state’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the cost-effectiveness of consolidating school districts. It estimated savings would be more likely if the combined enrollments were less than 3,000 students.

Palisades superintendent Francis Barnes, who previously held Zahorchak’s job, questioned whether consolidation actually saves the money it promises.

“It’s a noble goal, but I don’t understand how that would do it,” he said.

Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, told The Associated Press his organi zation hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district merg ers save large amounts of money

Stockham Strip Club Update

From BucksLocalNews.com

Council discusses strip club lawsuit
President says burlesque-style theater not in the mix for downtown
By Petra Chesner Schlatter, Posted on Wed, Jan 28, 2009

Morrisville Borough Council's executive session on Jan. 20 dealt with litigation regarding the constitutional right to operate a gentleman's club in Morrisville.

Todd Colarusso, a principal in the New Jersey-based Stockham Interests LLC, is suing the borough, claiming Morrisville zoning ordinances "impose restrictions and prohibitions on First Amendment protected expression."

Neither Colarusso nor his lawyer, Luke Lirot of Tampa, Fla., could be reached for comment.

The site of the club was proposed for Bridge Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the ailing downtown business district.

The developer wants to put a burlesque-style theater in the . Other proposed uses in the building would be a health club and a restaurant. The Morrisville Zoning Hearing Board unanimously rejected Colarusso's application for a strip club in May 2008.

While adult entertainment use is not allowed in the commercial district, it is permitted in Morrisville's industrial zones.

According to James Downey, borough council solicitor, there are no state regulations or guidelines about how far away an adult entertainment establishment can be situated from a school or church.

The daughter of a local Baptist minister said at the hearing last year that youths would walk by the strip club on their way to and from school. Her father spoke out against adult entertainment in his church's neighborhood.

The pastor of the Catholic school quoted the Bible, stating a man "looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery."

The borough's insurance company is handling the litigation. Initially, the borough filed a motion to dismiss the claim. The federal judge in Philadelphia threw out some of the claims, but let stand the First Amendment challenge.

Solicitor Downey said the normal approach is to take a matter like this to the Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown.

"They didn't do it - they took it straight to federal court," he emphasized.

Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock said the Stockham Building is in the center of town. "Our hope was for the revitalization of Morrisville's downtown," she said. "I speak for myself at this time, but I believe it is the consensus of borough council that a burlesque establishment was not in that mix."

Since the 1970s, Sugar and Spice, a local strip club, has existed on South Pennsylvania Avenue, Sherlock noted.

"I think that we struggle with an image," she said. "A lot of people aren't familiar with the bright side of Morrisville. We have beautiful tree-lined streets.

"We have residents, who are very proud of their homes. They take care of their homes. There are many attractive homes in Morrisville," Sherlock noted.

The council president said an issue that needs to be addressed is the fact that a crossing guard stands at the intersection and crosses the children. "I know that Pastor [Gary] Taylor from the Baptist Church was adamant," Sherlock said. "It is close to his church and he said it would be detrimental to his church's members."

Sherlock said she could not comment specifically about the litigation. The matter is discussed in executive session because it is a legal matter.

"We will see what happens," she said.

Council Member Jane Burger explained the that zoning hearing board heard the request. "They denied it for several reasons," she said. "[The developer] failed to show hardship that they could not rent to tenants of any of the types of businesses allowed in the C-2 commercial district," Burger added.

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Thanks to the emailer to sent me this information on the Education Policy and Leadership Center at eplc.org. They have a look at Gov. Rendell's 2009-2010 budget from the education point of view.

There's links to other budgets going back to 2003-2004 and a lot of good info to check out.

Rendell wants to consolidate 400 PA school districts

From the Inquirer.

OK. Let's look at consolidations. There's a lot of benefits and drawbacks whichever way we choose to go.

Rendell wants to consolidate 400 PA school districts
By Dan Hardy and Kristen A. Graham Posted on Wed, Feb. 4, 2009

Gov. Rendell wants to slash the number of school districts statewide, eliminating about 400 of the current 501 Pennsylvania public school systems.

The controversial proposal would make a more efficient public education system, he said.

"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate school districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," the governor said in his budget address.

Rendell wants a legislative committee to study consolidation and return recommendations within a year.

The revelation came as Rendell proposed to increase Pennsylvania's public school funding by $265.3 million, a 2.8 increase over last year's budget. That's amid proposed cuts in many other state budget items.

"Even in these difficult times, we must not lose sight of the fact that every additional dollar we allocate to public education will benefit our children even as it helps relieve the burden of local property taxes," Rendell said in his budget address today.

Rendell also hopes to provide $550 million in tuition relief to Pennsylvania students who attend state-system schools or community colleges, an initiative he'd like to fund by legalizing video-poker machines at restaurants, private clubs and corner bars.

For basic education funding - the largest portion of the state education budget - the governor proposes an increase of $300 million.

The total proposed budget for public schools is $9.9 billion, which would make up 37 percent of the proposed $26.6 billion budget - the largest single item.

Special education funding would remain flat; money for charter schools and transportation would increase; most other programs would be cut.

Rendell also proposed relieving the burden of school taxes on local residents by drastically cutting the number of school districts, from 500 to no more than 100. A 12-member commission would develop a consolidation plan within a year, under his proposal, with the legislature voting on which of two proposals to accept. If it turned down both, the Department of Education would decide.

"Full-scale school consolidation provides a very effective way to relieve the local property tax burden all across Pennsylvania," Rendell told the legislature. "There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs."

Last year, Rendell proposed to increase state education funding by $2.6 billion over six years to bring all school district up to the level at which they could provide an adequate education for their students. At the urging of the Rendell administration, the legislature enacted a new funding plan for public schools, based on a state study that established the cost of providing an adequate education for all students. The plan set a goal of ramping up basic education subsidies by enough so that within six years, every school district could provide an adequate education to its students.

Basic education funding was increased by $274 million for this school year, the largest dollar increase since 1991, as the first step toward that objective. The Rendell administration set a goal of increasing the subsidy by $2.6 billion by 2013-14.

The formula established a basic per-student payment, then adjusted it to take into account poverty, the number of limited education students, a district's size and its geographic location. Districts with high tax rates and low wealth received more.

To stay on track for delivering the $2.6 billion increase, Rendell had planned to increase basic education funding in this year's budget by $418 million.

The governor is proposing using the same funding formula this year, but, he said, "sadly, we can no longer afford this level of increase, though the need for this funding is no less compelling than before."

The Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign, a coalition of groups that pushed for state funding increases, said in a statement that it supports the governor's proposal.

"It is an important commitment in light of the current economic climate, cuts in other areas of the state budget, and education cuts in other states," said Ron Cowell, president of the Education Policy and Leadership Center and a member of the School Funding Campaign steering Committee.

Lawmakers take a look at spending plan

From the BCCT.

"Morrisville must be absorbed." "Resistance is futile." Pass it on.

Lawmakers take a look at spending plan
By GARY WECKSELBLATT

As he listened to Gov. Ed Rendell give his budget address Wednesday, state Rep. Scott Petri couldn’t help but think back to the old comedy team of Laurel and Hardy.

“Oh, boy, what a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into, Ollie,” Petri said from Harrisburg, where Rendell unveiled his $29 billion spending plan.

“I just don’t believe he cuts enough to get the job done,” said Petri, R-178. “We have to do what every household is doing right now, tighten our belts as much as we can. That’s not easy, but nothing can be excluded.”

Local legislators reacted to Rendell’s proposal, which comes at a time of a deepening economic recession that has left most states facing spending cuts and hoping for a federal monetary injection.

Pennsylvania is no different, expecting $2.4 billion in stimulus money from Washington to help overcome a shrinking economic base due to rising unemployment.

Among the highlights likely to spark debate:

Rendell would spend $130 million this year to shrink the cost of college education for students who attend the 14 public universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges. For example, a student in a family making $60,000 a year would have tuition dropped from $12,010 to $4,750.

Funding the program could be problematic. Rendell suggests video poker games in bars, taverns, restaurants and private clubs — establishments with liquor licenses.

Rendell would cut $218 million, or 35 percent, for the Community and Economic Development Department that gives grants and aid to local governments, community organizations and businesses.

The governor is also suggesting eliminating 400 of the state’s 501 school districts to make public education more efficient.

While there would be no broad-based tax increases, the state cigarette tax would rise 10 cents a pack to $1.45.

There would be a tax on other tobacco products, including cigars, snuff and pipe tobacco — 36 cents an ounce for smokeless and loose tobacco and 36 cents per 10 cigars or cigarillos.

“He made a lot of very bold and courageous statements today,” said Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10. “He put some stuff out there that’s very valuable and worth looking at.”

State Rep. John Galloway, a Democrat like Rendell, is all for the measure to merge districts. In Galloway’s 140th District is the Morrisville School District. Saddled with worn-out buildings and high taxes, the district has tried to be absorbed by neighboring Pennsbury.

“It’s an idea I fully support,” he said. “We could get down to 200 school districts and save taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s the smart way to go.”

Sate Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, disagreed. “I’m opposed to it,” he said. “To be bigger is not always better. It would take away community pride. Teachers teach better when they’re in schools they’re accustomed to. I think students will get lost in this process. You lose a sense of history and pride and what you’re about as a community.”

McIlhinney wasn’t ready to commit. He said as Rendell spoke, “I tried to picture how it would work. Could we get to 100 school districts? I don’t know. Do we have some with 600 students that shouldn’t be there? Probably.”

Clymer, a critic of legalized gambling, reserved his real venom for Rendell’s plan to legalize video poker.

Citing 107,000 slot machines in Las Vegas that Pennsylvania can top under Rendell’s guidelines, Clymer said “he’s trying to turn us into Las Vegas. But we’re not a travel destination like Las Vegas. The people who gamble here are from here. The money we’re getting to feed this program is Pennsylvania money.”

Clymer lamented that gambling studies show it’s the poor and less educated who gamble. “Now you have the poor being lured into bars and taverns. The mixture of alcohol and gambling is lethal to begin with.”

A point seconded by Petri.

“In this economy do you want people to go to a bar and come home with no paycheck at all?” he asked. “And what does this do to the gaming industry that was supposed to give us property tax relief? And what does it do to the lottery fund (that pays for senior programs)?

“Every action has a consequence. This is over the top.”

While saying gambling is not a panacea, Galloway said the money should not be used for student aid. “I think it should be used for property taxes to directly affect the people in those municipalities (where the machines are located).

McIlhinney called the tuition plan “rather ambitious, but you can’t dismiss anything on day one. But as I’m sitting here now I’m leaning against it.”

Of cuts to local governments, Clymer said there’s going to be “universal pain. We have to balance the budget and work together as never before.”

Petri, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said in the coming weeks he’ll be “digging through every line item and looking for every savings and dollar I can find. We must expand the base of people who are employed. That’s what our mantra has to be.”

Said Galloway, “It’s my contention we should go even further and fundamentally change the way we do business here. I see this as an opportunity. This could be one of our better days in Harrisburg. We’ve taken our hits here, and rightfully so. Hopefully we’re up to the task.”

McIlhinney represents Falls, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, Tullytown, Newtown, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, Yardley, 20 municipalities in Central and Upper Bucks, 2 Montgomery County communities. Petri’s district includes Northampton, Wrightstown, Ivyland, portions of Upper Makefield, Upper Southampton, Warwick. Galloway represents Bristol, Morrisville, Tullytown, Falls, 2 districts in Bristol Township, 1 district in Middletown. Clymer represents 14 municipalities in Upper Bucks.

Voters won’t be asked about tax limits

From the BCCT.

Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
Five districts are hoping state-authorized exemptions will allow them to exceed the property tax increase limit.
By JOAN HELLYER

School boards in Lower Bucks County will, once again, avoid asking voters for approval to raise property taxes above a pre-determined state limit for the next school year, district officials said.

The boards had until Jan. 29 to decide if voters’ approval to go above the limit would be needed during the May primary, according to the state’s property tax relief law.

Most districts are allowed to raise taxes 4.1 percent above their current millage rate, according to the state. Bristol’s index is 5.3 percent, and Bristol Township can raise taxes 5.2 percent without voter approval. The amount of increase allowable for each district is calculated by averaging the statewide average weekly wage with employment cost index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials said.

Local districts have not had to go to referendum since the tax relief law known as Act 1 went into effect in 2006. However, this year it was a close call for several districts struggling to cover projected expenses in the midst of the economic downturn.

To make ends meet, the Bensalem, Bristol, Centennial, Neshaminy and Pennsbury boards are considering a suggested tax increase that combines the district’s predetermined index rate with different exemptions.

The exemptions include expenses such as special education, health benefits and debt service costs incurred before Act 1 went into effect, officials said.

Bensalem, for instance, is asking the state for permission to claim exemptions for special education and health benefits. Those exemptions would push the district’s total tax increase to 6 percent of the current millage of 130.4 mills.

That equates to 7.77 mills and would mean the owner of the average property in the district would pay $170 more in taxes in 2009-10 should the board impose the maximum increase possible without voter approval.

As per Act 1, the five area districts looking to combine the index increase with exemptions have until mid February to adopt a preliminary budget specifying how they expect to cover 2009-10 costs.

The other three area boards, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville, have passed resolutions promising to keep any property tax increases for 2009-10 to the state-imposed limit.

Those school boards have until late May to adopt a preliminary budget. All districts have until June 30 to adopt their 2009-10 final budgets.

Parents criticize board in writing

From the BCCT.

Parents criticize board in writing
By MANASEE WAGH

Morrisville residents have written letters to school officials expressing fears for the district’s future.

“I demand to know what is in store for my children’s education and most importantly their proper safety?!” parent Tammi Bresnen wrote.

Five people responded to district solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick’s encouragement for additional written testimony after a Jan. 29 public hearing about the closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary School.

“It’s not a lot, but it’s not bad,” board member John Buckman said of the number of people who wrote.

Bresnen and other residents criticized the board for poor communication with the public.

“This board has shown time and time again that it does not act with a publicly discussed, debated, and enacted long-term strategic plan in place. It acts in fits and starts without an overarching goal,” wrote parent Kevin Leather.

The board plans to refurbish Grandview, the district’s other elementary school, and it’s investigating putting grades kindergarten through eight in the high school building. Leather called those two initiatives “opposing avenues of action.”

Resident Carol J. Bargery proposed renovating Reiter and selling Grandview. Morrisville could send grades kindergarten through eight to the high school and grades nine through 12 to Reiter, she wrote. The district should hold a public referendum before closing Reiter or any other building, she suggested.

About 250 students attend Morrisville Middle/Senior High School in grades nine through 12. Until a December furnace explosion, Reiter housed more than 250 students.

They are sharing space currently with other students in various district buildings for at least the rest of the school year. The explosion is not the sole rationale for closing the school. Board members had planned to close at least one elementary school in the district and use the money from its sale to renovate the district’s two other school buildings. The Reiter incident and an earlier evaluation of the building provided the board justification to pick Reiter for closing.

About 20 people expressed their opinions verbally at the public hearing. Then residents had until 3 p.m. on Feb. 2 to submit written opinions as part of the public hearing record.

Representatives from Vitetta, the engineering and architectural firm hired to evaluate the district schools, said at the public hearing that Reiter was in worse shape than Grandview Elementary. It has serious cracking in the walls and water seepage indoors.

“To fix that building doesn’t seem too probable at this point. Whatever the testimony’s saying, we have to look at the problems,” said Buckman. He said he sympathized with parents who expressed frustration with Reiter’s issues.

Morrisville is installing eight modular units on Grandview’s property this month to give some of the displaced students their own space. Bad weather has delayed the units’ installation, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said last week.

The district has reserved $7.4 million for renovations to the high school and one elementary school.

Vitetta is about to start the design phase of window and boiler renovations for the high school. The work shouldn’t cost more than $4.8 million, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo.

Since Reiter may be closed, Grandview is next on the list to be renovated. Vitetta’s current estimate for fixing the smaller Grandview is $2.6 million. Resolving Reiter’s problems would cost about $4 million, according to the company.

The board can only make a decision about closing a school building 90 days after the public hearing, according to school code.

“Our board will come to a well thought out decision about what is best for our educational program, the children and the taxpayers and hopefully satisfy most of the community,” board President William Hellmann wrote in an e-mail exchange Tuesday.

Bargery hopes the board will be more candid about its thinking.

“Maybe if you would be more open and forthright with the community the community would reach out, and when Americans work together there is nothing we can’t do,” she wrote.

Special Education Compliance Monitoring Visit to MV

Thanks to the emailer for this information.

On February 23, 2009, William Riggar, Pennsylvania Department of Education, has scheduled a Special Education Compliance Monitoring at the Morrisville School District.

http://www.pattan.k12.pa.us/files/Memos/PennLink061308.pdf

The PDE has responsibility to ensure that all applicable Local Education Agencies provide services, education services and programs that are in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. In order to fulfill this responsibility, the Bureau of Special Education has established administrative procedures for monitoring of program implementation, include evaluating the appropriateness, effectiveness and accountability of special education services and programs.

I'll Use a Lifeline, Regis

From the BCCT.

Bang the drum. Again. And again. Why the tuitioning thing one more time?

The notion of the federal funding as a basis for the merger is foolish. This is an economic stimulus package, a one shot deal, not a promise of sustained funding. That's like buying a house on the basis of one year's tax refund. We tried that already. Look where it got us.

Let's say that the BCCT needs a lifeline. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which encircles the tiny Courier Times circulation area, has offered to accept the newsroom staff and the Courier Times will even pay the salary of this staff. Governor Rendell and the state legislature are smiling on the deal and offer some incentives as well. Everyone's having a warm fuzzy moment...What a neighborly thing to do!

Well? Why aren't you packing? Because it's not a good deal. Where's the gain for either newspaper?

It's not the greatest analogy. Then again, tuitioning out the students is not that great an idea either. What happens in a year, two, or three, when Pennsbury says there's no more room and Morrisville has no more room either? What happens when Pennsbury doubles the tuition cost at the end of the contract? That's the marketplace laws of supply and demand at work. A school system is pressured enough these days. It doesn't need the added pressure of uncertainty.

Merger? Let's talk. Tuitioning? NO.

Lifeline to a neighbor
Needing a helping hand
Could $4.2 million in stimulus funds working their way through Congress enable Morrisville high school students to attend Pennsbury?

If the U.S. House of Representatives prevails in Congress, the Pennsbury School District would receive an extra $3.5 million in stimulus grants over the next two years. The economically deprived Morrisville School District would receive $708,800.

The amount going to Morrisville schools would be like a Band-Aid, since the district needs millions and millions of dollars to renovate substandard schools at a time when its tax base has eroded. In near desperation, the school board is looking for options.

The board has appealed to Pennsbury, which encircles tiny Morrisville, to accept about 400 high school students on a paid tuition basis. That way, the more up-to-date borough high school could be turned into a consolidated K-8.

The remaining two schools would be closed and, hopefully, sold. But Pennsbury says it has no room for the high school students.

Given the promise of new federal funding, coupled with the borough’s willingness to pay tuition for its students to attend Pennsbury High School, we hope Pennsbury officials consider ways to help Morrisville. It’s the neighborly thing to do.

Board Transparency

From schoolboardtransparency.org

This is the work of Sunshine Review, a coalition of organizations committed to open records and transparency in government. Earlier this month it published an online assessment of how Pennsylvania school websites rate by various transparency standards.

How did Morrisville do?

The Good
* The current budget is published.
* The names of all school board members and contact information for seven out of nine members are available.
* The names and contact information for all administrative officials are published.
* School board meeting minutes, agendas, and schedules are posted.
* Information on public records is provided.

The Bad
* There is no information on audits, lobbying, background checks, academic performance, contracts, and taxes.
* Contact information for two out of nine school board members is not available.

[NOTE: Bill Farrell and Jack Buckman do not have email addresses listed because they do not use email. They should have email addresses that point to a central location so that mail to them can be printed and included in their packets. It's OK that they do not have email. It's not OK that they are potentially out of touch.]

Pennsylvania Budget Pains

From the BCCT.

Pa. shortfall promises big test for gov, lawmakers
The Associated Press

As the nation's economy was plodding to a halt and layoffs were accelerating last summer, Pennsylvania state government's budget shortfall was already growing.

It started in May, when the state recorded its first of what is now nine consecutive monthly shortfalls, and is now so large that it begs comparison to the handful of budget crises that rank as the worst of the past 40 years.

And it promises to entangle Gov. Ed Rendell and state legislators in a protracted battle that is certain to stretch into the summer and possibly into the campaigns for the 2010 elections.

While the Democratic governor and legislative leaders of both parties are pledging to work together in a bipartisan way and erase the shortfall without a major tax increase, some observers question whether they grasp the full extent of the problem or the difficult steps that will have to be taken.

"This was created by an economic storm that is sweeping across the state and nation," said Michael L. Young, who studies Pennsylvania state government and runs a Harrisburg-based opinion research firm. "This one is big time. This one is the real thing."

The budget gap has rocketed to Topic No. 1 on an agenda already choked with unresolved issues: crumbling highways and bridges, a growing number of uninsured and skyrocketing electric bills.

Sensitive decisions over who will pay more and who will get less are likely to expose political fissures, as well as divisions between a second-term governor who leaves office in less than two years and legislators with their own political futures to consider.

Rendell and legislators didn't help themselves last summer when they approved a $28.3 billion budget that increased spending by 4 percent and relied on more than $550 million from one-time sources to prop up spending _ even as some lawmakers and senior staff quietly predicted a shortfall of a billion dollars or more.

Rendell now projects that revenues will lag $2.3 billion _ or nearly 8 percent _ behind expectations when this fiscal year ends on June 30. Maintaining the same services and subsidies in the 2009-10 fiscal year would create an even bigger shortfall after inflation is figured in, Rendell and legislators predict.

So far, Rendell has sought to freeze $500 million in spending and has threatened to lay off state employees unless he gets money-saving concessions from labor unions.

On Wednesday, when he presents his 2009-10 budget to a joint session of the state Senate and House of Representatives, Rendell is expected to lay out his vision for how state operations should make the painful adjustment to the national recession.

The governor is expected to proposed shrinking or eliminating programs. He will scour state accounts for reserves. And he is looking to tax previously untaxed activities, such as sales of chewing tobacco and cigars and the production of natural gas.

All of this has legislators and others recalling the shortfalls of 1991, 1977 and 1971, when budgets were passed with massive tax increases only after events such as long stalemates, high-stakes court challenges, melees on the House floor and state employees going unpaid or getting laid off.

"I think clearly it's going to be one of the biggest challenges we've faced in Harrisburg in a number of years," said Allegheny County Sen. Jay Costa, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

The 1991 budget battle is stuck in the memories of many in the Capitol.

In December 1990, then-Gov. Robert P. Casey's budget director, Michael Hershock, announced that the state was staring at a $1 billion shortfall. However, he dismissed the need for a major tax increase.

Less than two months later, Casey proposed $1.7 billion in tax increases. In August 1991, Casey signed a budget with $3.3 billion in new taxes.

Barbara Hafer, who was the state's auditor general and the unsuccessful Republican challenger to Casey's re-election in 1990, said the solution was as bad as the problem.

Legislators, she said, held the budget hostage by demanding money for their pet projects before they would vote for a tax package that they viewed as a political risk.

This time around, legislative leaders must exercise fiscal discipline, said Hafer, who later was elected as state treasurer.

"What is it going to take to pass that budget? That's the question you have to ask," Hafer said last week. "Legislators say, 'I need something to run on. I need (money for) my bridge, my street, my school district, my Little League, my baseball field, my fire department' and that becomes expensive."

In 1971, legislators finally closed a massive shortfall by passing the state's first income tax after a budget impasse that lasted more than a year.

Young warned of a repeat. Legislators may pull out all the stops this year to avoid a broad-based tax increase _ only to find that a still-worsening economy leaves them with no choice in 2010, just months before voters elect a new governor and nine out of 10 legislators, Young said.

"The prospect of a major tax increase in a major gubernatorial year is almost beyond imaginable," Young said. "This is a doomsday scenario that we may see."

If they wonder whether to vote for a major tax increase, legislators can consider this: Research by Young and Franklin & Marshall College pollster G. Terry Madonna found that voters are unlikely to take revenge on legislators because they supported a tax increase.

Re-election rates reached above 95 percent in the elections following tax increases in 1983 and 1991 _ leading Madonna and Young to call it the "great tax vote myth."

Elementary School Blues

A shout out to all our elementary school teachers, courtesy of Adam @ Home.

Not out of the woods in PA state taxes

From forbes.com

Imagine if Morrisville could somehow tack on a tiny little one penny tax per pack on all the tobacco that goes through our little borough.

Pa. gov says he wants dime-a-pack cigarette tax
By MARK SCOLFORO , 01.30.09, 01:44 PM EST

Cigarette smokers in Pennsylvania could soon be paying a dime a pack more as part of Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to balance the state budget.

Rendell revealed the idea and other details of his coming budget proposal during a conference call Thursday with about a dozen reporters at medium-sized newspapers around the state. He also has been conducting TV news interviews in advance of Wednesday's budget address.

The current cigarette tax is $1.35, and the additional levy should raise about $50 million a year. The governor said he also favors $50 million in taxes on smokeless tobacco and cigars, which are not currently taxed.

Rendell plans to seek $150 million a year in new taxes on the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale rock formation.

He will again push for a plan, known as the "pharmacy carve-out," to have the state reap savings in its various health care programs by directly purchasing pharmaceuticals from drug companies. The idea has previously stalled in the Legislature.

And he told the reporters the General Assembly should dedicate its entire $200 million surplus to the budget. That was a change from last week, when Rendell said the figure should be $175 million.

"Families are hurting and everyone needs to pitch in," Rendell said. "I will not be sympathetic to lobbyists and campaign contributors."
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He noted the state faces an increasing unemployment rate and has a growing waiting list for subsidized adult health insurance.

The most recent estimates say current fiscal year revenue collections will end up $2.3 billion below projections, and that billions more will be needed to balance next year's spending plan.

"We can't tell Pennsylvanians that they're out of luck and on their own," he said. "We have $2.3 billion in red ink this year and there's more to come next year. This is something no Band-Aid can fix."

The governor says he expects to cut 100 of the state budget's 750 line items, including funding for anti-drug education, health literacy and a summer program for artistically and academically talented high school students.

Rendell spokesman Barry Ciccocioppo said Friday that some of those programs may not be permanently eliminated.

"He hopes that when the economy picks up that some of the line items that he'll propose eliminating on Wednesday will be restored," Ciccocioppo said.

The governor said the state appears likely to get about $7.6 billion from the federal stimulus package being negotiated in Congress. That would include $4 billion for health care, $2.4 billion for education and $1.2 billion for infrastructure, he said.

Rendell declined to disclose his proposed total budget for 2009-10; the current year's general fund budget is $28.3 billion.

In his budget address, Rendell is expected to specify how much of the $750 million "rainy day" contingency fund he wants to draw down this year and next. He may also delve further into the topic of state workers' furloughs or layoffs.

Earlier this week, his aides formally notified public employees' unions that furloughs could begin in a month. The administration also wants to draw nearly $200 million from a reserve in the state workers' health plan. The governor also recently announced that as many as 2,000 state jobs could be cut.

A lively first month for Pa. Open Records Office

From pennlive.com

Has anyone had any experiences with either the school board or the borough with the new open records law that they would like to share?

A lively first month for Pa. Open Records Office
1/31/2009, 12:33 p.m. EST By PETER JACKSON, The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's fledgling Office of Open Records, defender of the public's interest in a transparent government, turns one month old this weekend.

It's been an interesting start.

Inmates at state prisons have written to the agency under the mistaken impression that it can help them obtain records that prove their innocence.

A man planning a tribute to the "Marlboro Man" of cigarette advertising fame was convinced there are Pennsylvania records that would help his cause and appealed to the office for assistance.

"We had people who've asked us if they can get the address of an old high-school buddy," said Terry Mutchler, the reporter-turned-lawyer who is the agency's director.

Of course, the office itself is not a record repository, but rather the agency that enforces the newly expanded state Right-to-Know Law and settles disputes over records scattered throughout state and local governments.

In the months and years ahead, after it finishes hiring its seven or eight staff lawyers and becomes fully operational, the office's appellate rulings will be instrumental in fine-tuning the boundaries of that law.

In the meantime, the staff spends a lot of time answering dozens of e-mails and phone calls that arrive daily from citizens, journalists and government officials.

It also has to weed out "appeals" that lack legitimate grounds. For example, the law allows agencies a specific time frame to respond to records requests, and some people have tried to appeal before the end of that period.

"There's a lot of confusion here at the beginning," Mutchler said.

More than two dozen legitimate appeals are pending, most of them filed by citizens whose requests for records have been denied by local agencies.

The office also issues nonbinding "advisory opinions" on specific questions.

For example, the Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds Association questioned whether the law even applies to its members, who maintain real-estate records in each of the 67 counties, and, if so, whether they must comply with the 25-cents-a-page limit that the Office of Open Records has imposed on photocopying fees.

In her opinion, Mutchler noted that recorders of deeds are listed in the state constitution's definition of "county officers" and, therefore, covered by the law.

However, because other laws trump the Right-to-Know Law in the event of conflicts, the recorders may continue charging 50 cents per page because the state Judicial Code permits it, she said.

In a pending request from Allegheny County, the borough council of Franklin Park asked Mutchler whether tape recordings of council meetings that the borough secretary uses in compiling minutes of the meeting are considered public records under the Right-to-Know Law.

"The borough needs to know whether it is proper to continue to maintain the recordings only for the short amount of time needed to create the written minutes or if it needs to undertake a new practice of storing the tapes and making them available for the long term," wrote borough solicitor Robert Max Junker.

A request from Franklin County suggests that a number of elected county offices — district attorneys, sheriffs, registers of wills, clerks of court and prothonotaries among them — should be treated as "judicial agencies."

Using that interpretation, affected agencies could withhold all but financial records, instead of having to comply with the much broader disclosure requirements that apply to nonjudicial agencies.

The county solicitor cited state law and a Commonwealth Court ruling to buttress his argument that the offices in question should be considered part of the state's unified judicial system.

Mutchler said she hopes to issue an opinion in that case next week.

"We're overworked already," she said.

What Were They Thinking?

Thanks to the emailer for the answer.

Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde

Does anyone remember M*A*S*H? Not the Donald Sutherland/Elliot Gould movie version, but the ubiquitous Alan Alda television version.

In the second season episode “Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde”, Hawkeye sends President Truman a rather terse telegram. (For our younger readers, a telegram is sort of like a 1880s version of an email.)

Anyway, the entire text of Hawkeye's telegram is “Who’s responsible?”

That question has been posed rather frequently here, but thanks to an emailer, here's the answer in writing. Let's set the wayback machine to April 2007, just days before the primary that paved the way forward to the Stop the School control of the Morrisville school board. Location: The Bucks County Courier Times legal notices.

So when those board members try and point the finger of shame about "inherited problems" or "you stopped the cursory March safety inspection", all they can point to is their own reflection in the mirror. These five people knew the schools were crumbling, yet chose to stop the only solution in play, and then didn't have a solution of their own as a replacement.

Who's responsible? There's five names there. Book 'em, Danno.

Bristol School Taxes Rising

From the BCCT

Board to consider tax increase
JOAN HELLYER


The Bristol school board, citing the economic downturn, left open the possibility Thursday night of raising property taxes an average $128 to cover 2009-10 operating expenses.

But board members also reiterated that they are aiming to avoid a tax increase all together. However, it's too early to know if enough funds will be available to cover an estimated $900,000 revenue shortfall in the 2009-10 projected budget, they said.

So the board directed administrators to develop a preliminary budget that includes an 8 mill property tax hike. The increase would bring Bristol's total millage to 128 mills.

The $600,000 in additional revenue that would be produced with the tax increase could be used in part to cover next school year's expenses. Plus, the board could use reserve funds, revenue from building rentals and savings from a possible early retirement plan for district teachers to finance the $20.5 million projected budget.

As per the state's property tax law, known as Act 1, the board had until Thursday to decide if it needed to raise taxes more than 5.3 percent of the current millage rate.

Although the proposed 8 mills is more than the 6.36 mills allowed by the state index, the district will not have to seek voter approval in the May primary, said Joseph Roe, the district's business manager.

That's because Bristol can ask for state permission to use exemptions to raise taxes above the index to cover debt service and special education costs, he said.

President David Chichilitti, Vice President John D'Angelo, John Hill, Mary Jane Paglione, Jeff Paleafico, Louis Persichetti, and James Petrino voted to move forward toward enacting a preliminary budget. Joseph Fusco and Steve Cullen did not attend the meeting.

The proposed financial plan is available for public review until the board considers adopting it Feb. 12. Call 215-781-1011 for information on when the preliminary budget can be reviewed.

Morrisville parents want long-term plan

From the BCCT.

What a shock. We want a plan. That's the first time I've heard about that request...NOT!

One of our own borough councilmen lost total control at a school board meeting once shouting "Shame! Shame!" at the late Ed Frankenfield. Mr. Frankenfield's crime? Demanding a plan from the Emperor. (Side note to all who have heard about the Emperor's removal of public speakers from the January 28 meeting because they were disruptive. Not only did he not stop Mr. Worob, he applauded Mr. Worob's comments when they were concluded.)

Do you get it now, your Lord Highness? Where is the plan?

Be sure to send your written comments on the closure plan by Monday at 3:00 P.M. The Emperor and Solicitor Fitzpatrick promised answers to the questions posed.

Morrisville parents want long-term plan
Residents are encouraged to submit written opinions about the proposed closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary by Monday.
By MANASEE WAGH

Whether or not their district is one school short, residents would like to see a long-term plan for Morrisville’s children.

People scattered across the auditorium at the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School listened as about 20 residents, most of them parents, give testimony during a public hearing Thursday evening to close M.R. Reiter Elementary School.

Parents expressed frustration with a December furnace explosion that has required the roughly 250 Reiter students to attend class in various district locations, including the high school. Starting next month, modular units will be installed on Grandview Elementary’s property for grades one and two.

“What are you going to do next? How do we address the children’s safety, especially if we put kindergarten kids with high school kids?” said resident Kevin Waters.

Various parents said they laud the administration’s efforts to continue their children’s education during the emergency, but denounce the board’s lack of full disclosure about a long-term plan if Reiter is permanently closed.

“I’d like to see what they promised during the campaign, that they were going to work on education and safety,” said Susan Hough, the parent of a child at Reiter.

Ed Bailey, the father of a child in the district, said he’d like to see a referendum to decide whether or not Reiter should be closed.

“I don’t want see-sawing. We should come up with a reasonable compromise that most voters will support. There’s been a lot of anger, and I’d like to see us come together,” he said.

The two boilers in the aging building are about 50 years old and should have been replaced twice during their lifetime, said Paul DeAngelo, the district’s business administrator, at the hearing.

Reiter is in poor shape, with cracking that allows water to seep into the building and some features that date back to the 1920s, said Bill Corfield, a representative from Vitetta, an architectural and engineering firm that performed an assessment of the district’s two elementary schools, Reiter and the smaller Grandview.

If the Reiter building and property are sold, the remaining two schools could use the money for renovation, board President William Hellmann has said. Vitetta is starting the design phase for renovating the high school soon and the board has directed the firm to look at fixing problems in Grandview as well.

Renovating Reiter’s structural issues and physical systems, including windows, boilers, electrical, plumbing and lighting, would cost about $4 million. Renovating Grandview would cost about $2.6 million.

“Grandview is not large enough for the children we have. I haven’t seen a long-term plan to place students,” said Johanny Manning, a former school board member who has a child in Reiter. She said the cur rent situation crams elementary students into makeshift classrooms, and doesn’t allow for proper instruction in either core subjects or extras, like music or art.

After the hearing, the board cannot make any decisions about closing Reiter for at least 90 days, according to the school code. District solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick encouraged residents to submit written opinions about the proposed closing by Monday, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. to contribute to the public hearing record. The opinions can be given to the administrative offices at 550 West Palmer St.

Financial problems have plagued the district for years, with previous boards trying different options to provide a quality education in better buildings. The current board is looking into possibly housing preK though grade eight in the high school building, a plan that requires sending grades nine through 12 to other districts on a paid tuition basis.

Fitzpatrick said at the Wednesday board meeting that he has not gotten “entirely positive” responses from neighboring districts about this proposition.

About 855 students currently attend school in Morrisville’s three buildings.

Though parent Elvin Velez did not give testimony at the hearing, he said he’d like to see a consolidated school done properly.

“As a taxpayer, it could be cumbersome, but that’s the nature of the beast,” he said. “We could pull through this as a community to find solutions.”

Updates from the Closure Hearing

Any news from the M. R. Reiter closure hearing?

Reiter Closure Hearing TONIGHT

From the BCCT.

Reminder: TONIGHT, 7:00 P.M. in the high school auditorium.

Public hearing Thursday to close M.R. Reiter Elementary
Posted in News on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 3:11 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh

Morrisville’s residents will voice their opinions and concerns Thursday at a public hearing to consider permanently closing down M.R. Reiter Elementary School.

The board majority has been encouraging the closing of one elementary in the financially strapped district. Selling the property would provide money to renovate the district’s two other school buildings, board President William Hellmann has said. Both Morrisville Middle/Senior High School and Grandview Elementary School are in somewhat better shape than Reiter.

Reiter parents have expressed concern over the idea of closing their children’s school, the larger of the district’s two elementary schools.

Its operational problems culminated in a December furnace explosion, driving its more than 250 pre-K through fifth-grade students to other district locations. Next month, district officials expect to install modular units on Grandview’s property to house the displaced children.

After the public hearing about Reiter, the board cannot make any decisions about closing the building for at least 90 days, according to school code.

Parents are also upset that the board is mulling over a long-term plan to send grades nine through 12 to other districts, turning Morrisville into a pre-K through eighth-grade district. The feasibility of this endeavor is still uncertain.

News From the January Business Meeting?

Any news to share?

IMPORTANT Reiter Closure Meeting Info

I received this important information about the special meeting Thursday evening to close M. R. Reiter. DO NOT ALLOW THIS MODIFICATION OF THE CONDITIONS YOU ARE USED TO STOP YOU FROM SPEAKING. Be prepared. Be ready.

Pennsylvania code is not well posted online. Here is an entry from the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association as a guide to
Closing a School (24 P.S. § 7-780)

In the event of a permanent closing of a public school, a public hearing must be held at least three (3) months before the decision of the board relating to the school closing. Notice of the hearing must be given in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district at least 15 days prior to the hearing date.

The board has fulfilled this provision, but like everything else in this district, we find out about the details with almost no time to prepare. Does anyone have a copy of the statute that can be posted so that we, the people, (where have I heard that phrase before?), know the law? Maybe the school board or the solicitor would have it posted on the district website along with all the presentations and testimony taken at the meeting.


The hearing scheduled for this Thursday evening is a hearing under Section 780 of the Public School Code. It is different than a typical school board public meeting in that the Administration would give a presentation, followed possibly by contracted professionals to provide their opinion. Members of the public who determine to participate in the hearing can also comment upon the permanent closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary School.

It is a hearing. Everyone who participates will be sworn. They will be giving their names to a Court Reporter (stenographer) so that a full and complete record will be available. The solicitor would start by stating the purpose of the hearing and admitting into evidence affidavits of posting and advertisement. The official testimony will follow.

In terms of the procedure for the hearing (length of testimony, number of witnesses, etc.) the presiding officer (President of the Board) will determine. We should have all those interested in providing testimony sign a card with name and address. Based upon the number of witnesses, the presiding officer can increase the normal (board policy) time allotment to 4 or 5 minutes and also announce that anyone can provide written testimony up to three days following the hearing and that the record will be supplemented with the written testimony. That way everyone can be assured of participation in the hearing.