Looking ahead through the holiday weekend, the public has another chance to be ignored by the full school board during the monthly business meeting on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 7:30 P.M. in the MHS LGI. This month's battle: The budget.
It's hard to stand up in front of the board, speak your precisely timed three minute statement, and then have the Emperor cavalierly proclaim "I have nothing to say", but come on out anyway. I hear that some of the people have started bringing snacks and there's a pool running on how soon into the meeting the first snarl will come from the Emperor. (I chose "during the Pledge of Allegiance" in the pool. Did you notice he doesn't even invite the public to stand anymore? He just bangs the gavel and stands.) Marlys Mihok is even sponsoring a contest for the spiffiest ring tone to be heard during the meeting. Prizes will not be awarded, but she will grace you with a withering stare.
The truth is that, yes, the Emperor DOES need to address the concerns of the public. That's the entire meaning behind the thirty day display period for the budget and the public comment period at each meeting. The public is invited to come out and state their concerns. It's also the duty of the board members to RESPOND to those concerns. Notice I did not say they had to AGREE with the concerns: They only need to RESPOND. Do you remember how Sandy Gibson used to make a list and go down it: "Mr. Jones, you talked about"..."Mrs. Smith, we can't do that and here's why"...and on and on. Our Lord Sovereign Emperor does not speak to mere mortals, nor address their concerns. But he's supposed to. He works for you, remember?
Showing posts with label Gibson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gibson. Show all posts
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Angry Al and the N-Word
The BCCT editorialises today on Angry Al.
Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance
If Morrisville school board member Al Radosti used the N-word, as has been alleged, or if he threatened other board members, which has been alleged, he should resign.
There is no acceptable excuse and there should be no second chances given for that sort of despicable behavior. It simply cannot be tolerated from any public official. Period.
The question is: Did it happen?
As far as the N-word goes, Radosti denied it when our reporter spoke to him the day after the charge was made at a school board meeting. (Radosti did not respond during the meeting.)
The allegation came from Bucks County NAACP President John Jordan, a former Morrisville school board member. Jordan said the remark was made in front of other school board members, including former board President Sandy Gibson.
Gibson later confirmed she heard Radosti make racist statements in the past. So did former board member Johanny Manning, who said the comments she heard Radosti make were in reference to educating minorities.
School board member Joseph Kemp said he was told of Radosti using the N-word after joining the board but did not hear it said.
With regard to the alleged threats, Gibson said Radosti threatened her on Oct. 3 at an executive session of the board, meaning it was a closed-door meeting. This isn't new news. Gibson and Manning talked about the incident at a subsequent board meeting. What's new is the pair said a call was placed to 911. Police responded but the borough police chief told our reporter an incident report was not immediately available.
Kemp also said Radosti threatened him at the Oct. 3 meeting during a heated discussion about a controversial and now-defunct plan to build a new $30 million K-12 school. Kemp said Radosti wanted to fist fight.
While Gibson did not talk to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission about the alleged racist remark, as Jordan suggested, she did submit to district court a private complaint about the Oct. 3 threats. She said she has called the DA's office “repeatedly for three months” without response.
We urge the newly named district attorney to give this matter her immediate attention. If a crime was committed by a school board member, citizens have a right to know. Likewise, if it's all been overblown, Radosti deserves to have his name cleared.
In the matter of the alleged racial slurs, this appears to be an issue for the Human Relations Commission. We urge those who say they heard the remarks to back up their words with action.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The QSRE Stirs...
Like the mythical Kraken or our counterpart known as Godzilla, the QRSE is awakening from their triumphal post-electoral slumber.
When we last left the Q, they were sitting contentedly at the table of power and basking in the afterglow of victory. They trumpeted their victory to the right wing no-tax fringe. They even got their Vice President, Ed Bailey, self-appointed to a position as a shadow board member.
Now it seems that there's a new group in town to challenge their propaganda. I've heard rumors of something for a while now, but nothing that I could point to. Apparently the Q have heard this too, and have decided to make this group the new target of their propaganda.
Let's take a look at this flyer. If I am wrong on any of these items, please let me know and I will correct them.
A-Field sale: I have not heard any board members state outright that the A-Field will not be sold. What is your source? Who said this and when?
Sell the Magic Cottage: Perhaps, but you mean that you are NOT open to selling assets when we need to raise money? You would prefer to hold onto the Magic Cottage (and I do not know the particulars of this deal anyway, so if anyone would care to fill in the details...) and have extra taxation rather than selling an under-performing asset and bringing back the money to help the budget?
No names: This group is probably in its infancy and still organizing. I'm in no position to argue about anonymity, but I would imagine that when they are ready, they will appear.
You stand behind what you say? Great. Let me go over your flyers to see, but the big thing that strikes me is your opposition to school uniforms. Uniforms were evil under Sandy Gibson, according to one of your flyers, but now suddenly they're OK with Emperor William Hellmann CPA?
You do not have to pay off the $23 million: What a crock! Yes you do! The money is borrowed. We have to pay on it. What you mean to say is that the money is being taken out of its current parking place, placed in a series of investment instruments designed to pay off the bondholders every six months as scheduled. Allegedly your tax millage will go down. Why don't YOU ask the Emperor to show us how much the taxes will go down? He doesn't respond to anyone who is not slavishly dedicated to his ego.
There will be 7 million dollars to rehab our schools: While that is a slightly inflated figure (even the Emperor is using six million as the figure), how far will that go, especially when the 2005 feasibility study suggested that $14 million was needed just for the high school alone?
They kept their promise and stopped the school: Yes. They did.
First time a town has been able to hold back a project: Yes. You did. And Morrisville is the worse off for you having done so.
The best education possible: Sure. In Pennsbury, Bristol, or wherever you can auction our kids off to. Don't you get it? The small school district is exactly what brings people to Morrisville.
Input from all the residents: So do we speak at the secret executive sessions or speak really fast in the 45 minute timeframe allowed by our benevolent dictator?
Isn't it interesting that the Emperor and Hellmann's Heroes hide behind these people rather than stating things openly and clearly at board meetings or even in answering resident emails and questions?
Anyone else?
When we last left the Q, they were sitting contentedly at the table of power and basking in the afterglow of victory. They trumpeted their victory to the right wing no-tax fringe. They even got their Vice President, Ed Bailey, self-appointed to a position as a shadow board member.
Now it seems that there's a new group in town to challenge their propaganda. I've heard rumors of something for a while now, but nothing that I could point to. Apparently the Q have heard this too, and have decided to make this group the new target of their propaganda.
Let's take a look at this flyer. If I am wrong on any of these items, please let me know and I will correct them.
A-Field sale: I have not heard any board members state outright that the A-Field will not be sold. What is your source? Who said this and when?
Sell the Magic Cottage: Perhaps, but you mean that you are NOT open to selling assets when we need to raise money? You would prefer to hold onto the Magic Cottage (and I do not know the particulars of this deal anyway, so if anyone would care to fill in the details...) and have extra taxation rather than selling an under-performing asset and bringing back the money to help the budget?
No names: This group is probably in its infancy and still organizing. I'm in no position to argue about anonymity, but I would imagine that when they are ready, they will appear.
You stand behind what you say? Great. Let me go over your flyers to see, but the big thing that strikes me is your opposition to school uniforms. Uniforms were evil under Sandy Gibson, according to one of your flyers, but now suddenly they're OK with Emperor William Hellmann CPA?
You do not have to pay off the $23 million: What a crock! Yes you do! The money is borrowed. We have to pay on it. What you mean to say is that the money is being taken out of its current parking place, placed in a series of investment instruments designed to pay off the bondholders every six months as scheduled. Allegedly your tax millage will go down. Why don't YOU ask the Emperor to show us how much the taxes will go down? He doesn't respond to anyone who is not slavishly dedicated to his ego.
There will be 7 million dollars to rehab our schools: While that is a slightly inflated figure (even the Emperor is using six million as the figure), how far will that go, especially when the 2005 feasibility study suggested that $14 million was needed just for the high school alone?
They kept their promise and stopped the school: Yes. They did.
First time a town has been able to hold back a project: Yes. You did. And Morrisville is the worse off for you having done so.
The best education possible: Sure. In Pennsbury, Bristol, or wherever you can auction our kids off to. Don't you get it? The small school district is exactly what brings people to Morrisville.
Input from all the residents: So do we speak at the secret executive sessions or speak really fast in the 45 minute timeframe allowed by our benevolent dictator?
Isn't it interesting that the Emperor and Hellmann's Heroes hide behind these people rather than stating things openly and clearly at board meetings or even in answering resident emails and questions?
Anyone else?
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Queen is Dead...Long Live the King
Those words will ring out at some point across the United Kingdom as Queen Elizabeth II will end her monarchy and be succeeded by her son Charles (or grandson William as some have suggested.)
But why wait for the UK of the future when right here in Morrisville we have this today.
President Sandy Gibson was variously described in shades of evil well over the boundaries of good taste and common law. However, the new board would ride to the rescue and fix all of her transgressions against the good folk of Morrisville.
President William Hellmann CPA is the new King, but curiously enough, following the same alleged imperial leanings. In addition, they complained that Hellmann did not provide the board with appropriate information ahead of the meeting that would allow them to make a decision Wednesday night. Chalk another one up for the Wheel of Karma. See the BCCT article from today. And just to set the record straight...Brenda Worob should publicly declare how she would have voted on this resolution. Life intrudes and there may have been very good reasons why she was not available. However, here's board member number 2 who has ducked out on dealing with information that might be embarrassing. Do not give these people a free pass.
The Morrisville school board passed a resolution 5-3 Wednesday night promising to keep the district’s real estate tax inflation rate increase at 4.4 percent or less for the 2008-09 school year.
The state’s Taxpayer Relief Act, known as Act 1, mandates this limit already. Ordinarily, boards do not adopt special resolutions against increasing taxes beyond the state mandated percentage. However, some board members believed it was important to pass the resolution to reinforce campaign promises to not raise taxes.
The preliminary budget of $21.95 million will be available for public review today on the district’s Web site, www.mv.org.
President William Hellmann, board members Marlys Mihok, William Farrell, Gloria Heater and Alfred Radosti voted for the referendum. Member Brenda Worob was absent.
The decision comes less than two months after the election of a school board that is largely against the building of a new $30 million pre-K through 12th grade consolidated school to take the place of three ailing existing schools.
Prior to the election, the district spent more than $2 million for engineering, architectural and other fees related to the proposed facility. In addition, a $30 million bond was approved for the planned building.
However, the current board’s scrapping of the proposed $30 million construction project last December has left the district with the prior financial obligations.
The district expects to be able to repay the principal of the bond through a maturing investment that will generate interest. Therefore, the bond issue should eventually be recovered. Hellmann said he is still working out the details with a financial consultant and couldn’t say how long it would take to recover the bond money.
Board members Robin Reithmeyer and Joseph Kemp said passing the resolution to hold tight to the 4.4 percent increase could be financially irresponsible because of those debts and other unforeseen obligations.
In addition, they complained that Hellmann did not provide the board with appropriate information ahead of the meeting that would allow them to make a decision Wednesday night.
“If we pass this resolution we will be shutting the door to the possibility of exceptions,” said Reithmeyer. “We can still cut the budget to 4.4 percent [without passing the resolution].”
Hellmann countered that there was room in the budget without applying for exceptions.
Hellman pointed to cuts to the contingency fund and in pension contributions, overtime pay for support staff and teaching salaries in areas including extracurricular, substitute and secondary reading.
School districts cannot raise taxes past a predetermined percentage set by the state without a voter referendum in the April primary election.
A school district has to present a final budget plan by Jan. 22, but it may be tweaked until June 30, when the finalized budget must be passed.
The preliminary budget was presented at the Dec. 12 meeting as $21.95 million. This is less than the expected revenue of roughly $21.99 million from various sources. The district expected to collect about $13 million in real estate taxes, up from about $12 million this year.
The board will vote on any revisions to the preliminary budget at a board meeting on Jan. 23.
The school district serves 1,052 children.
But why wait for the UK of the future when right here in Morrisville we have this today.
President Sandy Gibson was variously described in shades of evil well over the boundaries of good taste and common law. However, the new board would ride to the rescue and fix all of her transgressions against the good folk of Morrisville.
President William Hellmann CPA is the new King, but curiously enough, following the same alleged imperial leanings. In addition, they complained that Hellmann did not provide the board with appropriate information ahead of the meeting that would allow them to make a decision Wednesday night. Chalk another one up for the Wheel of Karma. See the BCCT article from today. And just to set the record straight...Brenda Worob should publicly declare how she would have voted on this resolution. Life intrudes and there may have been very good reasons why she was not available. However, here's board member number 2 who has ducked out on dealing with information that might be embarrassing. Do not give these people a free pass.
The Morrisville school board passed a resolution 5-3 Wednesday night promising to keep the district’s real estate tax inflation rate increase at 4.4 percent or less for the 2008-09 school year.
The state’s Taxpayer Relief Act, known as Act 1, mandates this limit already. Ordinarily, boards do not adopt special resolutions against increasing taxes beyond the state mandated percentage. However, some board members believed it was important to pass the resolution to reinforce campaign promises to not raise taxes.
The preliminary budget of $21.95 million will be available for public review today on the district’s Web site, www.mv.org.
President William Hellmann, board members Marlys Mihok, William Farrell, Gloria Heater and Alfred Radosti voted for the referendum. Member Brenda Worob was absent.
The decision comes less than two months after the election of a school board that is largely against the building of a new $30 million pre-K through 12th grade consolidated school to take the place of three ailing existing schools.
Prior to the election, the district spent more than $2 million for engineering, architectural and other fees related to the proposed facility. In addition, a $30 million bond was approved for the planned building.
However, the current board’s scrapping of the proposed $30 million construction project last December has left the district with the prior financial obligations.
The district expects to be able to repay the principal of the bond through a maturing investment that will generate interest. Therefore, the bond issue should eventually be recovered. Hellmann said he is still working out the details with a financial consultant and couldn’t say how long it would take to recover the bond money.
Board members Robin Reithmeyer and Joseph Kemp said passing the resolution to hold tight to the 4.4 percent increase could be financially irresponsible because of those debts and other unforeseen obligations.
In addition, they complained that Hellmann did not provide the board with appropriate information ahead of the meeting that would allow them to make a decision Wednesday night.
“If we pass this resolution we will be shutting the door to the possibility of exceptions,” said Reithmeyer. “We can still cut the budget to 4.4 percent [without passing the resolution].”
Hellmann countered that there was room in the budget without applying for exceptions.
Hellman pointed to cuts to the contingency fund and in pension contributions, overtime pay for support staff and teaching salaries in areas including extracurricular, substitute and secondary reading.
School districts cannot raise taxes past a predetermined percentage set by the state without a voter referendum in the April primary election.
A school district has to present a final budget plan by Jan. 22, but it may be tweaked until June 30, when the finalized budget must be passed.
The preliminary budget was presented at the Dec. 12 meeting as $21.95 million. This is less than the expected revenue of roughly $21.99 million from various sources. The district expected to collect about $13 million in real estate taxes, up from about $12 million this year.
The board will vote on any revisions to the preliminary budget at a board meeting on Jan. 23.
The school district serves 1,052 children.
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