“This is ridiculous.”

Here's a background article on Wednesday night's meeting from the BCCT this morning.

Raucous? That's mild understatement. It started in the past with an extremely hostile audience led by those same people who now grace the dais. Soda cans and food packages made their start here too, provided back then by the stop the school side as a disruption for the pro school board members. The change in board majority ensured that the practice would eventually shift over to the other side now.

The food thing is a little over the top from BOTH sides. A quiet drink or small snack might be in order. After all, these are four or five hours marathons, but the practice THEN and the practice NOW of using these snacks as disruptive tools is childish at best.

The identification of the Hellmann-Radosti-Mihok voting axis is accurate but is missing a few members. Brenda Worob and Bill Farrell talk a big game about "independence" and "self-directed thought", but in the end come down on the short-sighted side far more often than a true "independent" would.

Jack Buckman has had an issue with late night meetings through his borough council days, so this is not a new position for him. I would like to know how he had enough information about the budget to be able to cast a vote approving it. Was he aware that he can be held PERSONALLY liable for civil damages as a result of his vote?

Until this school board remembers that they are NOT the local board of taxation, but the SCHOOL board, we're in for more late night meeting follies. The irony is that the Emperor and his accomplices themselves have created the firestorm they find themselves enmeshed in. When they were in the audience, they discarded reasoned discourse and discussion in favor of shouting, screaming, and outright mis-characterization of facts to make their points. Now that they are in charge, the wheel of karma has spun and they are now reaping what they have sowed in terms of audience behavior.

I'd like to say that the anti-board audience is wrong (and in the real world they are!), but it's also the only language these yahoos on the dais understand. Confrontation, maximum disruption, and agitation are their signatures. IRONY ALERT: We've elected a board largely made up of the village idiots to control the schools where we educate our young. And we did it only because we wanted to save a few bucks.

They also never, ever, even to this day, thought about a long term plan and released it to the public. "Stop the school" was all they had. They did it. Now what? I've been asking that question for almost a year now and silence is still the only response. Has it occurred to the Emperor and the board of accomplices that if they dialed back the angry rhetoric a bit and actually opened their mouths to EXPLAIN, that the results would be better?

"Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, 'This is ridiculous.' ” Oh, no, Dr. Yonson. Ridiculous is still a few miles down this pothole riddled highway. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...

Raucous atmosphere at school board meeting

By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times

Morrisville meetings are known for their raucous mud-slinging. But Wednesday's meeting was one for the books.

From the shortening of Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson's contract from five to three years to the board president's proposal of across-the-board hiring freezes in the district, diehards on both sides of the issues stuck it out to watch events unfold past midnight.

One spectator started singing “It's the end of the school as we know it,” to the tune of rock band REM's “It's the End of the World as We Know It.”

At least eight people stood at the microphone to protest the board majority's decision to cut Yonson's five-year contract. Some said it was “a slap in the face” and “an insult.”

The routine replacement of aides and teachers who leave the district became fuel for a debate that raged for more than an hour.

Board President William Hellmann got worked up over hiring new staff. To save money, he suggested a hiring freeze, which elicited gaping mouths and stares of disbelief from administrators and boos from audience members.

Yonson explained that the employees are necessary, that they fulfilled vital educational functions, helping to make significant academic gains in the last couple of years.

For example, elementary math performances have risen in the past couple of years. This year's raw unofficial PSSA data shows considerable improvement in 11th-grade scores, from 11 percent proficiency to 55 percent proficiency, said Yonson.

“Do not expect to have the same results if we reduce staff,” she said.

Hellmann's determination to freeze hirings stems from the district's teachers contract, which stipulates a roughly 12:1 student to staff ratio.

Though most general classes are more than 20 students in size, according to Yonson, some kids who need particular help have more aides or teachers.

The bottom line for some board members was the ratio, though.

“It's too much. It's a problem,” was Hellmann's constant refrain about the number of staff needed to teach fewer than 1,000 students and run the district at an annual cost of $19.88 million.

“Our budget's way too high,” he said repeatedly.

Residents who didn't like what Hellmann had to say settled back with containers of goodies, opening them loudly and rumpling them during Hellmann's remarks.

The approximately 75 spectators filling the meeting room in Morrisville's high school during the five-hour meeting seemed as if they were a sporting event.

They booed and cheered repeatedly depending on who was talking.

Some demanded that Hellmann be heard. Others talked over him.

In the end, at least some of the votes did swing toward staff replacements, though Hellmann and board members Marlys Mihok and Alfred Radosti tended to vote against them. Their practice of siding together on just about every vote prompted a resident to demand that the board not “follow the leader.”

Throughout the noisy meeting, Hellmann and opposing board member Robin Reithmeyer drowned each other out, and Hellmann seemed to turn a deaf ear to Yonson's explanations of how the school system works.

Those sitting near the front could hear Yonson say under her breath, “This is ridiculous.”

John Buckman, who replaced the late Edward Frankenfield on the board last week, thought the meeting dragged on too long.

“It was way too long, that's crazy. If I was getting paid and paid by the hour, maybe I wouldn't care,” he said Friday, chuckling. “We've got to find a way to cut the time.”

Buckman, a former school director and borough councilman, said taking so much time is unfair to board members and the public. But he noted asking questions and airing grievances is good. He believes it's valuable to be up-front and communicate.

However, the board and the administration seem to clash frequently.

“In politics, forget it. It's just that way,” said Buckman. “They talk the subject over and over and over. You're not going to get away from it totally.”

Important reminder for tonight's meeting

Reminder to those attending tonight - the board is obligated to provide opportunity for public comment before making decisions on anything. Therefore if after tonight's public session there are significant new proposals or changes to the budget that have not been publicly discussed or advertised by the board, the public has the right to an opportunity for comment. Though we might expect that this will be stifled, you do have a right to stand and request to be heard. Take careful note of the response. Given the pattern of secrecy and the weight of tonight's decisions, be on the lookout for surprises - and assert your right to be heard!

Mother Bear

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Sheep

This was such a great comment I though it deserved its own posting. It also has the virtue of being inexpensive.

Do I hear a motion? Is there a second?

Pat Henry has left a new comment on your post "Send the Emperor and Angry Al to Sioux City!":

Why not start with a more practical experiment.

For this experiment you need:

1 set of "Robert's Rules of Order"
1 dictator
5 sheep
2 board members willing to buck the system

Meeting 1:
Board member 1 (let's call him Joe) could make a motion to remove the dictator as president of the board. Board member 2 (let's call her Robin) would second the motion. With a motion and a second on the floor the motion will be open for discussion. The two board members will make a case that, for the good of Morrisville, someone else should be the board president. A CALM and LEVEL argument for the motion must prevail. Do not let the temperature rise too high before turning down the heat. (Predicted outcome: The sheep will quietly gnaw at the grass. The Dictator will get angry. The motion, upon a vote, will be defeated.)

Meeting 2:
Repeat the experiment. Note the changes in the sheep. Suggest another board member as a replacement (it doesn't matter who, the object is to shake the dictators confidence. Even a replacement by the Vice President,(let's call him Al) would be a successful conclusion to this experiment. In fact, it might serve the experiment if you started with the most acerbic replacement, and on each iteration suggest amore acceptable candidate).

Repeat over and over again until a change in results becomes evident.

This experiment in civil protest should produce some very interesting results. The idea is not to remove the dictator from the board, just to remove him from the role of dictator.

Residents ask board to focus on kids

No matter how many times I point out "It's not just Morrisville!", it's still good to see some confirmation.

Now if only the Morrisville residents would ask our school board to focus on the kids...

Residents ask board to focus on kids

By RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times

Some Neshaminy School District residents Wednesday night gave the school board a homework assignment — stop arguing and work together.

After accusations were exchanged by a few members over alleged behind-the-scenes hiring decisions earlier this month, many senior citizens and parents pleaded with the board to focus on children and education.

Some people presented the board with a letter demanding a two-to-five-year strategic plan, including a budget that the community can afford, and for officials to define the roles of the board and superintendent.

They said the board has lost the community's confidence and described members' behavior as embarrassing.

“We have to have harmony on the board,” said Langhorne senior citizen Solis Basen.

Board member William Spitz pointed out that the district approved a six-year strategic plan two years ago, and the board's ethics and conduct policies partially describe the board and superintendent's jobs.

Several residents showed support for board President Richard Eccles, who was recently urged to resign by board members William O'Connor and Spitz.

Those who spoke out in support of Eccles said O'Connor and Spitz should resign.

“Mr. Eccles has always been the voice of the people ... and committed to the people,” said Langhorne resident Howard Lindner.

Other speakers asked administrators to focus on possible school closures, the budget and ongoing negotiations with the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers since their contract expires in June.

Langhorne resident Chris Graham called the board members' finger-pointing a disgrace to the community that has made Neshaminy the laughingstock of the area and distracted officials from focusing on business.

Spitz said the board could improve by following its own ethics and conduct policies.

Poutpourri for $1000, Alex

Wow. It's nice to be back online. It just goes to show you that virus and trojan applications are not 100% effective 100% of the time. I got a nasty trojan that wreaked the proverbial havoc with my hard drive. While my current puter was down, I was working on an old machine that was state of the art in the early 90s, which is to say, prehistoric. Dialing into AOL via modem for the first time in years was another piece of nostalgia that I did not miss in the least.

I'm working with a new hard drive that has 3x the capacity of my old drive, and since I had actually backed up this farking thing in March, I only lost a little bit of data.

My PSA for the day: If you play online, make sure you play safely. Always use a backup.

I have missed a lot. There was a borough council meeting where Gateway again was a topic of conversation but gained no forward momentum; we had another school board business meeting and ambulance crews were not involved (unless, shhhhh...it was a secret ambulance crew); budget work sessions are coming up; and there's a new solicitor coming to town.

There's a lot of feedback as a result of the mention from Kate Fratti, and maybe we can discuss that as well. Are we the "sour grapes brigade", or are we well and truly pointing out the Emperor sans culottes?

Morrisville: We can do better than this. You need to get up from the front of the TV and get involved. Become educated on the issues and show up at the borough council and school board meetings. Speak your mind, and keep them accountable. Those people up on the dais? Keep in mind they work for you, not the other way around.

I also understand that I've been branded a traitor and a coward by a member of the borough council. Should I be offended or grateful? I'm not sure.

I'll pick up the ball again and be posting more as I sort through items. Please let me know if there are any topics you want discussed as well.

Thank you everyone for your emails of concern and interest. It was really great to see all those emails piled up.

Thank you for the flames as well. The emails delighting in my silence and potential demise were greatly exaggerated and premature. They're also one heck of an incentive.

Yeah, But Could Rich Little Do It Better?

Here's an interesting item. An impression of the Emperor, as performed by an aspiring impersonator. It's as haughty, disdainful, and dismissive a performance as the original. So?

Speaking of the original, come on out tonight to Wednesday Night Live, starring Bill Hellmann and eight other rather insignificant and minor cast members. The warm ups start at 6:30 with the Education Committee and at 7:00 with the Human Resources Committee. Both of those meetings are in the G-Hall conference room.

This is followed by the full show at 7:30 in the LGI. Bill's topics tonight include waffling on the $2.4 million dollars he spent to save the district, and seeking to remove the superintendent, Dr. Yonson, and the facilities director, Tim Lastichen. It looks like Mr. Lastichen is going to be the ceremonial scapegoat to take on all of the sins of the past boards for failing to fund proper maintenance.

We're also going to go ahead and use the $2500 Hellmann Buildings Report to fund repairs. This might be a problem as Robin Reithmeyer has already shown that once this item was defeated at the February meeting, it needs to be off the schedule for three months before it can be reintroduced. (Memo to Emperor: You really needed to have an item in the agenda rescinding the rule before introducing the repairs item.)

Finally, we're going to approve some of the minutes outstanding since Marlys Mihok assumed the secretarial office. It doesn't seem like this is all of them though.

Come on out and join the fun. Come out and SUPPORT YOUR KIDS!

Schoolyard Bullying

I found some of these articles and links fascinating. Just wish I could remember why I was drawn to them...

Expert Answers on Workplace Bullying

Workplace Bullying: What Can You Do?

The Workplace Bullying Institute, WBI

Agenda Meeting Wrap-Up

I usually start this out by asking if anyone has anything to report. The first report is in! Thanks jon.

Any news to report from tonight's agenda meeting? I heard the following has made the agenda for the March 26 board meeting - whose theme should be "We've learned nothing, except how to punish anyone who disagrees with us or tries to tell us things we don't want to hear":

1. Hiring law firm Curtin & Heefer to review Dr. Yonson's contract;
2. Replacing Solicitor Robert Kelly;
3. Replacing the district's insurance broker.

Attempts were also made to put on the agenda the ~$200,000 in repairs to the Middle-High School that failed in a 3-3 vote at last month's meeting. But Robin Reithmeyer pointed out that the rules say this (and other items that failed at last month's meeting), can't be put back on the agenda for 3 months. Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!

Can't wait until everyone takes the "How to be a School Board Member" class at taxpayer expense - then things will be just grand...

Let's watch the rules get speedily changed at the next meeting in item 4a so that the repairs can be done in item 4b. It's school safety! Don't you care about the children?? *sigh*.

Wasn't the Emperor "doing lunch" with the insurance broker candidates mano-a-mano last month in violation of board rules? Did anyone call him on this?

Anyone else? Anything about the survey? Anything about the $2.4 million dollar toilet flush? Anything about Marlys and her magical writing skills?

Now What?

You talkin' to me?

Yeah. I'm talkin' to you.

If you're angry, irritated, infuriated, exasperated, aggravated, upset, wound up, bothered, maddened, frustrated, displeased, provoked, riled, incensed, cheesed off, put out, hacked off, narked, ticked off, dissatisfied, discontented, disaffected, displeased; fretful, complaining, querulous, pettish, testy, petulant, cranky; chafed, annoyed, piqued, vexed, aggravated, amplified, angry, anxious, augmented, beset, bothered, browned-off, bugged, burnt-up, chafed, deliberately provoked, distressed, disturbed, embarrassed, embittered, enhanced, enlarged, exacerbated, exasperated, galled, griped, harassed, heated up, heightened, hotted up, huffy, inconvenienced, increased, intensified, irked, irritated, magnified, miffed, nettled, peeved, perturbed, piqued, plagued, provoked, put-out, put to it, puzzled, resentful, riled, roiled, ruffled, sore beset, soured, troubled, vexed, worried, worse, worsened, or something else in that general mood, then you're exactly the one I want to talk to.

The problem is that I need you to take action. Are you ready? Thanks to jon for providing this comprehensive list of the Hellmann Administration's successes so far:

1. Hire a note-taker for Marlys;
2. Pay back this year's portion of the $2.4 million bond defeasement costs;
3. Pay this year's costs to switch banks to satisfy Bill Hellmann's vendetta against the original bond broker, if he succeeds at next month's meeting in passing the vote, provided his buddies Marlys, Al, & Gloria are there this time to bail him out);
4. Pay for the $2,500 flimsy unauthorized study Hellmann unilaterally commissioned on the Middle-High School;
5. Pay for $8,000 in similar flimsy studies Hellmann wants to do on the elementary schools, if he succeeds at next month's meeting in passing the vote, provided his buddies Marlys, Al, & Gloria are there this time to bail him out);
6. Pay for the ~$200,000 in repairs to the Middle-High School mentioned in the flimsy unauthorized $2,500 study above that Hellmann claimed were safety-related but Dr. Yonson, Reba Dunford, the District's maintenance guy, and about 15 other engineering firms indicated are not - again, if he succeeds at next month's meeting in passing the vote, provided his buddies Marlys, Al, & Gloria are there this time to bail him out);
7. Pay again to fix the doors at MR Reiter that were not fixed properly on the cheap in another unilateral move by Hellmann and will now have to be re-done, at a greater cost than the original estimate.

I know there's more. But isn't this enough?

The parents WILL be shut out of the decision process unless you take action now.

Tell the board you are disgusted with their antics so far. You can do it by email or by telling them face to face at one of the opportunities listed below:

**Parent Advisory, Tuesday March 11, 6:00 P.M. in the MHS LGI
**Infrastructure and Finance Committee Meetings, Wednesday March 12 at 6:30 and 7:00 P.M. MHS G-Hall conference room.
**Board of Ed Agenda Meeting, Wednesday March 12, 7:30 P.M. MHS LGI
**Education and Human Resources Committee Meetings, Wednesday March 26 at 6:30 and 7:00 P.M. MHS G-Hall conference room.
**Board of Ed Business Meeting, Wednesday March 26, 7:30 P.M. in the MHS LGI

Your silence or inaction gives them the courage to continue their disregard for the parents as an integral part of the education process. Don't let that happen.

Push Polling

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their experiences with the biased push poll that they received from the "school district." As previously noted, the district did not authorize this poll.

So before we take a look at this poll, let's review some of the bias that the phrasing of the questions and the recording of the answers can cause. A great sample of this bias comes from the Non Sequitir comic from Sunday.

A quote that has been attributed to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin goes like this: Those who cast the Votes, they decide nothing. Those who count the votes, they decide everything. A variant translation is: The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. **Please note: Hold the hate mail. Despite the dictatorial similarities between the Emperor and Stalin, I am not comparing them. Stalin is still far more autocratic than a local school board president.**

So in this case, we answer a biased poll and the desired answers are pulled from the loaded questions already asked. Check out this short video on how to make a biased poll.

For those of you who were not blessed by the postal fairy with a survey, TA-DA! Here it is.

The sound you just heard was a million English teachers crying out in unison in great pain and torment.

Among the misspellings and grammatical errors are "INFARSTRUCTURE" in the title (should be "INFRASTRUCTURE") and return no later "that" 3/17/2008 rather than "than." Question 4 references "formally" rather than "formerly", and also does not capitalize "high school" as in "Morrisville high school."

That's the easy stuff that probably lowers this by at least one grade level. Now for the advanced errors in presentation.

Question 1 sets up the idea that *gasp* we might need a single school to service the approximately 1000 students.

Question 2 addresses the urgent need for plumbing, HVAC, electric and window infrastructure upgrades, as well as an opportunity to determine which one is more important, of if we should do them all together. This sounds like one of those triage scenes from M*A*S*H where Hawkeye and BJ decide who gets to be operated on first and then get into a fight over the diagnosis. The patient is terminal. Almost no amount of renovation will be a cost-effective life saver.

Question 3 goes to the heart of the screaming from the people so concerned that their little 4 year old pre-schoolers would be subjected to 18 year old seniors in the same school building. Do we need one, two, or three buildings in town. For everyone who missed it, the defeated new high school was specifically designed to keep the grades separated in different wings. Now we'll reverse engineer the process on the fly.

Question 4 is the payoff question that you were led to from the first three questions. You already agreed to renovate the high school for 1000 students. You agreed that one or more of the critical systems are failing, and you agreed to fix at least one building. So you are committed to answering yes. You are further committed to closing the two elementary schools OR closing 75% of MHS. How? To "continue as usual" is a ridiculous answer because you already said that we cannot continue along the same path.

You also unknowingly agreed to the fallacious argument that a reduction of 75% in the number of students means that 75% of the school is unused. With this same logic, since we had nine school board members for 4000 students, we should now reduce the board down by 75% and eliminate 6.75 members. Ouch! Sounds like it might be painful to be the designated 1/4 member.

What about the heating costs? We're using oil heat in inefficient boilers with antiquated single pane window glass. Both are well past their useful life and need to be replaced. Just doing the boilers and windows would reduce the heating costs. I'd even like to see floor plans of just what 75% you want to shut off. With the hallway configurations available, show us what is superfluous.

Question 5. My, oh my. There was an audit done in 2008? Perhaps you are referring to the I'll take "Cover The Emperor's Butt" for $2500, Alex hastily prepared defeasement report? If that is an audit, then I want these people working at the IRS for my next audit. You have an RFP out for a real audit that includes poking and prodding into critical systems.

In fairness, we pretty much already know what the audit will find. That we were getting off easily with a $32 million dollar new school. We'll probably find that even with cost overruns, we were getting off easily with a $37 million dollar new school.

There's another issue here as well. Have you ever heard about the the five phases of any project: “Enthusiasm, trouble, search for a scapegoat, punishment of the innocent, and praise and reward for all non-participants”? It looks like the board is setting up one or more scapegoats to accept punishment for the condition of the schools. Maybe they should keep in mind that the political side (the board itself) sets priorities and spending limits and the operational side (the people who actually do the work) work within those limits.

So you want to hire a "skilled facilities director"? With what money? What rich uncle died and left money to the district? Maybe we can ask the secretary to give back her (so far) under-earned stipend to help defray part of the cost. I see a lot of spending going on ($2500 for the Hellman building report, $2.4 million to return the bond money, for example) but I am unclear on the savings that have been achieved so far.

Final thoughts: Where are replies sent? Where is anything identifying this as a product of the MSD? Well, maybe that was a saving grace, because this is an embarrassing contribution to this contentious battle. Is there no one else out there who can obtain the information in a reasonably fair and unbiased way without embarrassing us all?

Morrisville: Example of What Not To Do, Part II

If you can't be a good example, at least be an example.

See what the BCCT readers think of the lessons learned here in Morrisville when applied to the new Centennial school.

"The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed, hasn't he?"

Just Another Night in Morrisville, Part III

I may need some assistance on some of the details of this part of the story, because the reconstruction I have seems to have some portions at odds with each other. SO...while some of the details of this may have to be clarified, the result is spot on.

If you remember back to the time following the revelation that the Emperor self-commissioned the $2500 Hellman building report to cover his tracks for the defeasement, it was suggested and broadly hinted at, that the Emperor was given a talking to by Counsel Kelly and the rest of the board. (Disclaimer: I was not there and those that were there are not talking. At least not to me. But if you want to, my email is listed at the top.) He was basically told, you're new and inexperienced, and you're eager to push your agenda, but this is not allowed. You can't run your own show here. You act in the name of the board only. We're covering you this time by an 8-1 vote. Go and sin no more.

Now, last night, we find out that the Emperor has been lunching with the district health care provider contact and/or other health care provider contacts (please, someone clarify!) in order to promote "competition" among the providers.

The problem is that the board did not sanction this. The Emperor also apparently casually mentioned that he was "the boss" and he wanted action taken to reduce costs to the district. (Clarification requested.)

Let me stop here and applaud the idea that the Emperor was promoting, not the way it was done. Stimulating competition and lowering costs is worthy. The Emperor has a problem with the "red tape" stuff and clearly and loudly proclaimed this for all to hear.

Captain Obvious reports that many people who have a high disdain for authority and controls have an authority and control problem of their own. Not that I'm making a correlation here, you understand.

So, that's when Robin Reithmeyer unleashed her latest load of lèse majesté and told the Emperor that this board runs on red tape.

Momentary reality check: A self professed experienced CPA with extensive contact with the US Tax Code and the IRS, as well as several municipal governments in Pennsylvania, is unaware that red tape runs the world. Um...I'm thinking, maybe...NOT!


But then, the other four board members, even Mrs. Steve "You Squandered Two Million Dollars Of Our Money" Worob began chiding him. So did Counsel Kelley. So did the audience. They had all already privately told him once not to overreach and to operate beyond his mandate. Now, the public got to watch and join in.

With last night's performance, quite a bit was lost. The openness and honesty that the Stop the Schoolers supposedly ran on, and that Bill Farrell (honestly and sincerely, I believe) mentions quite often, is revealed as nothing but hollow words, as empty as the chocolate bunnies on Easter morning when you bite their ears off. With these acts, one man has made a mockery of the eight remaining members of the board, the school administration that he holds in high disregard, the parents that he openly ignores, and yes, even the taxpayers that he is allegedly crusading for.

Don't believe me? See for yourself on the replays all next week. Watch and check back in with us here and let us know what you think. Unless the tape is mysteriously damaged or lost.

When the name "Bill Clinton" is mentioned, I'm sure the first association you made to a word was "liar". I'm not sure what one word will stick here, but for William I, Emperor of Education, I have no doubt that the single word will show itself sooner rather than later.

I believe my three minutes are up. Feel free to add as you will.

Just Another Night in Morrisville, Part II

When we last left our story, an open insurrection was beginning against the autocratic rule of the Emperor. The members of the Q in the audience were aghast at her insolence. The Emperor himself was rocked and resorted to babbling semi-coherently about school safety issues.

But before we visit this storyline, let's take a look at the delivery of the Q-gram last weekend that was discussed by several speakers. For some bizarre reason, it was disclosed that pictures are taken of the houses that receive a Q-gram. Do me a favor and leave me off the distribution list.

The shocking revelation that the class of 2008 did poorly on the mathematics section of the PSSA was not shocking. The only people that were shocked were the dilettantes who bungee in to piously shed mock public tears about our education woes and then obliviously bungee out again until the next pseudo-crisis arises.

I am as disappointed in the math score as anyone is, but the truth of the matter is that real watchers and supporters of the Morrisville school district knew this already, because they were briefed by Dr. Beth Yonson.

The percentile scores for the class of 2008 were 28% scoring proficient or higher in mathematics. In reading, it was 58%. In writing, it was 86%. We have work to do in math, but it looks like the reading and writing scores are pretty good.

There was also a speaker who did an analysis of the complete scores for the entire state. Again, while the math scores were disappointing, they were not wildly out of synch with the rest of the state.

Kudos to Robin Reithmeyer, who had the audacity to openly proclaim that the Emperor had no clothing. She laid out her case rather well (does anyone have a copy of her statement?) and had several pointed exchanges with His Highness.

Then came the insurrection. Robin pointed put that the Emperor was trying to spend money without a comprehensive plan, and that if he has allowed the original December RFP for bids to have gone out without meddling with it, the board would be reviewing the bids already, not just the process. She also properly noted that the items listed as code violations are longstanding items that are grandfathered in. She further noted that the bids will be opened next week and spending the money now without a plan was foolish.

My understanding is that the Emperor melted down quite like the Wicked Witch of the West when Dorothy doused her. He babbled about fires in the school and how the children were in danger.

Isn't it curious how these same items existed last year and candidate Hellmann didn't want them addressed, and now that he's holding on to personal responsibility for it, he's the Mother Theresa of repairs?

The $200,000 in repairs only covered the high school, not the two elementary schools. These schools are even worse off than the high school.

Speaking of the elementary schools, The Emperor arranged for his buddies to do another study, this time at the elementary schools. This time, he even managed to mention it to the board before the study started.

Both of these items failed to be approved, by a 3-3 tie, with Hellmann, Worob and Farrell wanting to plunge along without a plan, and Reithmeyer, Kemp, and Frankenfield wanting a comprehensive plan. **NOTE ADDED: I should mention that Bill Farrell has a deep and genuine interest in the safety of the schools and the students, and I believe that he is more interested in safe schools "right now" so that our kids are safe.**

On another note, I don't understand all of this, so if someone has the info, please share, but apparently Hellmann has a serious personal issue with the banking institution holding the district's money. A move out of here was not approved as well.

Then came the revelation that Billy-Boy stuck his hand in the cookie jar. Again.

More to come.

Just Another Night in Morrisville, Part I

A line like that conjures up a quiet, placid, gentle evening. Bird call, dog bark, cat meow, and cricket chirp, all combining to create their symphony of the night. Well, just like Dr. Johnny Fever transitioning the formerly quiet music station into WKRP by dragging the needle across the LP (kids, ask your fossilized parents to explain what I just said), let's take a look at last night's school board business meeting where the fun and laughs were non-stop.

Thank you to everyone who dropped me a line with their take on last night's meeting. There was a general agreement on one thing: What is the Emperor thinking?

First, let's start off with the rumor that the defeasement cost $2 million dollars. I can categorically report that information is 100% completely false. It was actually about $2.4 million. No one knew about it except the Emperor until it was all over. The public and even a few of the board members pleaded for judicious deliberations at the January 23 meeting, but the defeasement express plowed onward. We now know the true cost. Between the previous feasibility studies and the current debt retirement costs, Morrisville is now the proud possessor of a $5 million dollar sports complex in the rear of the high school. The only good thing this did was provide a closure for the "squandering" squawkers to cease their pseudo-frugal spending chant. No matter what the Gibson board spent as an entity on studies and analyses, the Hellmann board, single handedly, spent more.

A second, and slightly more bizarre note to the defeasement, is that the Emperor will not "dumb down" a defeasement cost presentation for the board or the public. It's too complicated for us mere non-CPA mortals to comprehend. However, he will invite us to feast at the right hand of power and trek to his office where he will personally lead us through the magical mystery money tour and show us his spreadsheet. There's something about that that sounds vaguely unsettling in a sidewalk flasher type of way...

The new board secretary, Marlys Mihok, was not in attendance last night. Also missing in action are the minutes from the January 2 special meeting; the January 9 agenda meeting; the January 30 special meeting; and the February 13 agenda meeting. So now the Morrisville School District will pay for someone else to do her job. This is in addition to the stipend that she receives for not doing it and is keeping, despite past board practice of donating it back to the financially strapped community. It figures. One of the few times that I want the Emperor to exercise his financial fix-it magic pixie dust, he's asleep on the job, voting to allow Marlys to continue piling up missing minutes faster than a state work crew on a coffee break.

Then, it got interesting. With reliable toadies Mihok, Angry Al and Gloria Heater not in attendance, the first cracks in the Emperor's invincibility aura appeared.

The Emperor was ready to deny tenure to a dedicated and caring teacher if it involved a raise for her. Even if it did (and it does not, until next school year), that's a very petty attitude, but perfectly consistent for the Emperor. Congrats to our MHS vocals teacher who gained tenure last evening.

The Hellmann Building Report, formerly known as the defeasement fig leaf, was used as the rock solid cornerstone for an emergency safety repairs resolution to spend an open ended amount of money (only some $200,000 was identified, the rest was "to be determined"). At first the Emperor wanted to table the motion because his vote counting skills showed three storm troopers missing from the front lines. When the board refused to table, the Emperor became passionate about spending the money because the "professional engineers" identified these issues. Very passionate. Extremely passionate. So passionate that one has to wonder what might be in it for him.

This is not a swipe at the engineering firm. They are a well respected company with a long track record of success. But we have noted the lapses in the report, including that it is, by the candid admission of the firm, incomplete. What did you expect for $2500? A full report complete with Power Point slides?

So then, a voice of reason started to speak. It was persistent, clear, and unambiguous. Robin Reithmeyer wanted to know enough information so that she could make up her own mind, rather than relying on royal pronouncements of whim to guide her vote. She even mentioned an email that the Emperor had sent to her instructing her to keep quiet and just cooperate.

The plot thickens. More later.

Coronation Day

The Emperor was formally crowned by the BCCT today in an editorial.

Morrisville's monarchy

William Hellman was elected school board president in Morrisville, not king. We mention this because of Hellman's penchant for one-man rule.

For example, at last week's school board meeting Hellman asked the board to approve and pay for an engineering study of Morrisville High School. Not that board members had much choice. The study was completed — at Hellman's direction and without board input, meaning without board approval.

All that was left for the board to consider was the bill.

Now, $2,500 isn't a big deal, not for school boards that routinely deal in millions of dollars. The big deal is a freelancing school board president who doesn't seem to understand his role or the law — and doesn't seem to care.

Said Hellman when asked why he didn't include the board in the engineering study decision: “That's minor. I'm not going to comment on that.”

That's arrogant and unacceptable.

Making decisions behind the board's and public's back isn't minor. It's major.

It's a violation of the public trust, probably school board policy and possibly the law. And citizens shouldn't stand for it.

We'd like to think that the school board won't stand for it either, but most members are in Hellman's corner on the big issue facing the board — undoing the $30 million plan to build a new K-12 school.

With the undoing largely done, the board now has to figure out what it will cost to renovate the high school or if the district even plans to retain a high school. As these issues move forward, we implore board members to work openly — and together.

More BCCT Coverage of Hellmann Report

Sorry everyone, but I slept in this morning. Believe it or not, the kids AND spouse AND all the pets remained asleep in their beds, with nary a vision of sugarplums dancing in our heads. Thanks to jon for the heads up.

Manasee Wagh was at the Wednesday Night Follies and files her report.

Asked why he kept everyone in the dark, the Emperor is quoted as saying “That's minor. I'm not going to comment on that.”

MINOR?? I'm going to look up some of the similar statements that President Nixon said in the summer of 1972 when that minor third rate burglary was discovered. Remember, Nixon didn't lose his office because of Watergate (the burglary), but Watergate (the coverup.) Stop the coverup, all nine, excuse me, eight, of you. Thanks to Joe Kemp for his vote on this matter: A PRINCIPLED NO.

The supreme arrogance of this autocrat amazes me.

Even the Wick Fisher White people are abandoning Hellmann: There are a lot of variables involved in renovation, and without doing further study it's not really practical to provide a figure for total expenses, said an engineer from Wick Fisher White. He did not want to be named. LOL!! I wouldn't either.

I'll copy the text of the article below. But before I do, I mentioned yesterday how in Kate Fratti's column, the Emperor's toadies were dismissing his minor laspe as nothing more than a mistake made by a good man overwhelmed with the nuances of government work. I noted in response that he was the elected Morrisville Borough Controller, and surely he had gained some government experience in that position. I found the League of Womens Voters Guide to the 2007 election online, and the SELF PROVIDED entry for the Emperor is:

"practicing CPA who has provided accounting and consulting to many Pennsylvania Municipal Governments for the past 29 years. I also bring business skills and business savvy."

I'll admit that school administration is different from municipal administration. Having said that, after 30 years in the government arena, he know that rules exist, and they need to be followed. That's what the professionals (Yonson and Dunford) are there for.

Business savvy? I'm thinking like, maybe, NOT!

BTW, does anyone want to change the graphics here into "Stop the Secrecy"?

Board OKs engineering study after being kept in the dark
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times

In a surprise move at this week's meeting of the Morrisville school board, President William Hellmann asked the board to approve and pay for a recent engineering evaluation on the middle/high school.

Hellmann had hired the firm independently and without approval by the board.

Prior to its vote to return most of a $30 million bond that would have paid for a new K-12 school, board members approved the firm's evaluation report. The report included recommendations for building improvements and a breakdown of how much those improvements would cost. Part of the vote included paying the firm's $2,500 fee.

About 50 residents were at Wednesday's meeting, and roughly 12 spoke during the public comment session. Several implored the board to hold off on returning any bond money until a thorough analysis of Morrisville's three schools is made and an estimate on how much fixing problems would cost.

The main concern was that repairs would be too expensive not to borrow more money.

Another loan would likely raise taxes, according to administrators.

“Hold off and table this issue, until we have a more long-term plan and know how much money we have,” resident and former board member Peter Eisengrein told the board. “If you have a plan and numbers, please share them.”

Several board members disapproved of being kept in the dark about the engineering study until it was done, as well as the sudden need to pay $2,500. However, after much discussion, all but Joseph Kemp finally voted to accept the report and absorb the fee.

Asked why he didn't include the board in the hiring of the firm, Hellmann said Thursday, “That's minor. I'm not going to comment on that.”

The original $30 million loan would have funded a new school building for the district's 1,000-plus students. According to members of the previous board, a new school would have been a cheaper alternative in the long run to renovating the middle/high school and two elementary schools.

Reba Dunford, the district's business administrator, urged the board to keep the remaining $28.5 million of the bond until renovation costs are determined. The previous board used about $1.5 million of the $30 million bond for engineer and architect fees related to the proposed new school.

Dunford presented an example of a detailed Pennsbury School District high school renovation plan. The building is similar in size to Morrisville's middle/high school.

The cost estimate for Pennsbury was about $20.5 million in 2005. Because of rising costs, fixing such a building would now be more expensive, Dunford said.

Some members of the community congratulated Hellmann on pushing the annulment of $22 million of the bond.

The previous board squandered a portion of the original $30 million bond, said Morrisville resident Stephen Worob, a borough council member, referring to the fees paid out. The proposed new school would have created a tax increase of more than $646 annually, Dunford said last May.

Now that there is not going to be a new school, an evaluation was needed to define future renovation work and authorize related expenditures, said Ernest R. Closser III, the attorney hired by Hellmann as bond counsel. The engineering firm's walk-through provided the preliminary analysis and projected expenses related to renovations, he added.

“You can't pursue projects without preliminary cost estimates, according to the state debt act,” Closser said.

District solicitor Thomas Kelly pointed out that hiring a firm means spending public money. The proper course of action would have been for the board to present bids for firms publicly, and only then vote on a firm, he said.

Hellmann independently invited Philadelphia-based Wick Fisher White Engineers to evaluate the “major infrastructure components of the existing high school,” according to the firm's report. The evaluation was distributed to board members on the day of the meeting Wednesday.

On Jan. 17, engineers looked at the boilers, plumbing, electrical systems and windows to determine if they should be repaired or left as is, according to the report.

The report also noted that observations were limited to portions of the building that were viewed during a walk-through. No further investigation, such as performing calculations to verify the capacity of existing equipment, was done.

Engineers recommended 10 immediate actions be taken, such as installing automatic fire suppression systems in kitchen exhaust hoods for about $15,000 per system. Ten other actions were recommended to be taken in the next three to five years. The report further described additional observations and recommendations.

Total repair cost is not listed in the report.

There are a lot of variables involved in renovation, and without doing further study it's not really practical to provide a figure for total expenses, said an engineer from Wick Fisher White. He did not want to be named.

Copies of the full report are available in the business administrator's office and on the district Web site, at www.mv.org. It's called “Existing Systems Report by Wick, Fisher and White.”

Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said the district has heard no talk yet about a feasibility study for the two elementary schools. Both need renovations.

“We're very confused by that ourselves and there's a lot of work to be done on that as well,” she said. “The facilities committee really needs to address this issue.”

Smackdown at the MV Auditorium

Great show at the MHS auditorium last night. I haven't attended a board meeting in quite a while but figured I would join the fun. I'll link to any articles later.

1: Front Page - It is our future
2: Kate Fratti - Morrisville Needs Heroes

Want to go through the mental snapshots I took?

William Hellmann CPA: My God, what an arrogant SOB! He pointedly ignores the public comment, even to the point of not responding to it. He is dismissive with the other board members. His body language is very much outward facing negative. Bonus arrogance points for cutting off public comment, but just lay off Reba Dunford, would you? It's clear you don't like her, but the way you belittle her at every possible turn is just infantile. Bully-Boy reminds me of a cocky arrogant know-it-all can't-tell-me SOB currently living in Washington DC. By the way...what's all this with "I didn't get a chance to review this" stuff. Running a one man show beginning to get a little tiring? This isn't "Hellmann's Heroes". Turn in your Type A obsessive compulsive membership card at the door.

Angry Al: Yep. The name is back. Apparently Al's been using words he shouldn't be. Tsk, tsk. At least we know now why John Jordan, former board member and head of the Bucks NAACP asked to speak last night to ask for Angry Al's resignation. Don't think this one is going away too soon. Ed Bailey may be a board member yet.

Bill Farrell: Our dark horse winner from last night. The man described as Captain Algebra (and we're still a little uncertain on why that question was asked, but...) was the one seeking to put some peace and calm on a situation that's been brewing for years. I'm not certain it's at the point of bringing Begin and Sadat to the table at Camp David, but it's a positive development.

Gloria Heater: Please stop vigorously shaking your head in agreement whenever William Hellmann CPA speaks. It appears sycophantic. Or that your bobble-head needs readjustment.

Marlys Mihok: Still on the secrecy bandwagon I see. You wanted to have an executive session at the agenda session two weeks ago and the lawyer told you no, giving you the five explicit reasons available. Now you're going after Joe Kemp for allegedly releasing information from an executive session, and it wasn't him. Rule #1: Almost nothing in an executive session remains completely executively quiet. So stop trying to negotiate in secrecy (wasn't that one of your campaign promises?) and bring it out into the open for all to see and discuss. Reflect on Bill Farrell's remarks, would you?

All Nine Members: Shame on you for limiting the public comment. The "People's Board" doesn't want to hear from the people. More supreme arrogance. Tell you what guys...go back through your propaganda from the last few years, cross out that "Sandy Gibson", insert "William Hellmann CPA" and re-read it. That's what you looked like last night.

William Hellmann CPA, part II: You get extra special "creepy" points for trying to nickel and dime the special education positions. Unfunded and/or underfunded federal and state mandates are a fact of life. Special education needs are a fact of life. It took the superintendent, quite properly, noting that the board as individuals could be civilly liable yet again (see, you've got to listen and drop the know it all act) before the approval was grudgingly given. (I believe your vote was Yes, With Reservations, followed by Bill Farrell's vote of Yes, With No Reservations. Look. Listen. Learn.) But then there's this diatribe on how the town needs to watch where the money goes. It does, but the money and the numbers have a human face. They're called students.

The students: Kudos for even showing up, and that's not meant to be condescending. Your teen years are for hanging out with your friends, doing your homework and McJob, and preparing for life, not experiencing adults playing poorly with your future. But you showed up and did a commendable job. For the most part you were quiet and respectable and direct, and that goes a long way.

Morrisville Farming Plan: It's dead, all except for the official funeral. The board members botched this one pretty well. "Brainstorming" is collecting ideas. When you start acting upon them, it's not just brainstorming anymore. Calling around to other districts was the equivalent of Commissioner Gordon shining the Batlight on a cloud for all to see. The secrecy stuff does not work.

Bond Defeasment: We don't know what we want, how we're getting it, or how much it will cost, but we're getting rid of the bond. William Hellmann's buddy apparently needs the work after the rocky economic news so far for 2008. What's he getting anyway? Even a 1% management fee is some $24,000. The Six Million Dollar Shell sits there, patiently crumbling, er, waiting for someone, anyone to fix it. Even the board members are confused by this maneuver. Call them, write them, and be sure to attend the special meeting on January 30 to discuss it. Remember that the devil is in the details: Where are the engineer reports, the specs, the bids, the cost analysis, the due diligence?

M.R. Reiter and Grandview RIP: The shouts of "what about the other schools" were met with silence last night and here's why. Both those schools are in poor physical shape, especially Reiter. The stop the schoolers campaigned against a K-12 building because they didn't want those age ranges mixing. So, close the two elementary schools, make MHS a K-8 building, farm out grades 9-12 and we're done! Except that it's now looking like the Six Million Dollar Shell will be a K-12 building. One order of Karma Crow for the Stop the Schoolers, extra spicy!

Enough from this side of the monitor. Anyone else have anything to share?

Showdown at the MV Corral

Tonight is the night to give the school board a big fat red "F" in their performance. The meeting has been moved to the MHS auditorium, 7:30 P.M. If you want to speak, I understand that they are maneuvering, quite legally, using standing board policies and general annoyance tactics, to limit public speaking as much as possible. I suggested this last night and will suggest it again: Have two clean printed copies of your remarks available. If you don't get to talk because they cut you off, give one copy to the board secretary and the second to the BCCT reporter that will be there.

However, it's not just about the farm program. That's not even on the agenda, but please bring out your tar and pitchforks and let them know how you feel about that issue.

Tonight the bond defeasement will be taken up. After yesterday's emergency interest rate cut, William Hellmann CPA's money buddy will have to re-do the figures. This is the first step in the bankrupting of the school district.

Basically, the money goes in a long term account and earns interest to pay off the bondholders. We're holding on to some of that to pay for the Six Million Dollar Shell renovations.

This is a one shot deal. Once the money is gone, it's gone. Six million is not enough to do the job, no matter if the high school students stay or go. They have no studies showing this cost. They have no quotes even hinting at this cost. All they have is the word of their construction buddies. When was the last time you took your contractor, mechanic, or any other service provider at their word?

If you just watch the magicians as they make the money go and the taxes continue to rise without letting them know it's risky, then when your tax bill arrives, holler and scream at yourself. You're the one that let the school board do it to you.

Board Meeting Times and Public Comment

I received this information from a reliable source.

The BCCT this weekend, in their two articles about this week's meeting, indicated an incorrect start time. In Manasee's article she said it starts at 7:00. In the listing of "Meetings this week" for the entire county, the paper says it starts at 8:00pm. In reality it starts at 7:30pm. I have already notified the paper of this error. Hopefully they will correct it.

Secondly, apparently you can only sign-up for public comment up until 7:30pm. At 7:31 you will be too late and not permitted to speak. So those interested in speaking should be prompt or early. Secondly, the sign-in sheet has recently been placed in front of the Board president, not off to the side as was previous Board practice. Those who have spoken in the past may need this new bit of direction.

The People Are Ticked!

Today I thought I would share the contents of the mailbag with everyone. Many people blind copied me on letters that were sent to the board members, the superintendent, and the Courier Times. A few did grant permission to publish excepts here and I appreciate their openness.

It appears that the people of Morrisville are generally cranky about this rather bizarre and underhanded desperation move by the Stop the School board members. Stop the School didn't mean Close the School.

Just a reminder: the next meeting is in the MHS LGI room on January 23, 2008 at 7:30 P.M. However, my Crystal Ball tells me a larger venue will be needed.

On to the mailbag...

Letter 1: I am firmly and vigorously against your plan to "Farm Out" our students to Conwell-Egan or to any religious based school. Any tax payer dollars going to a religious based institution is a violation of the US Constitution.

I am a Roman Catholic, a taxpayer, and a parent; but I am an American first, and I believe that this scheme is nothing but an attempt to starve the Morrisville School District out of existence.

Letter 2: Oh and this point: We are the candidates that pledge to work together with the parents and residents, in an open and honest partnership in the best interest of our children’s education. Where was the working together with parents and residents when deciding to farm out the children? Perhaps PLEDGE means something different to me….again I must check the dictionary. While I am at it, I will look up OPEN and HONEST as well.

With your help we pledge:

to provide a quality education for our children. By making the students share books?
a curriculum that will enable our children to achieve proficiency on the PSSA tests and academic excellence.
state of the art technology for grades K through 12. Will we be busing the state of the art technology with the 9th-12th graders? We made need a bigger bus!
a financial management plan to assure every possible dollar goes into educational programs and materials and stops waste. Again, by sharing books?

Letter 3: I have not bought a home in Morrisville to take advantage of the small school system only to see my children bused ridiculous distances to a school where they will be outcasts.

I admit that removing high school students from the mix is certainly a novel way to raise the test scores in 11th grade.

Brainstorming is a wonderful tool. It exposes the stupid ideas rather quickly. Publicly, quickly, now, expose this stupid idea and abandon it.