The windows are coming.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS MORRISVILLE BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Public Notice is hereby given that sealed bids for the Window Replacement at
Morrisville Middle/Senior High School, located at 550 West Palmer Street,
Morrisville, Pennsylvania 19067, will be received by the Morrisville School District Business Office located at 550 West Palmer Street,Morrisville, Pennsylvania 19067 until 1:00 PM on Monday, March 23, 2009 at which time the bids will be publicly opened, read aloud and recorded for presentation to the Board of Education. Bids will be received and contracts awarded on the basis of separate proposals, which shall include all the work required in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and all other laws and regulations pertaining to public contracts. The bid opening will be held in Conference Room F-10 of the Middle/Senior High School.
Sealed bids will be received for the following: CONTRACT NO. 1 - GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
The Bidding Documents may be examined at the Office of the Architect, VITETTA, 4747 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19112; Telephone (215) 218-4747. Copies of the bid documents may be obtained at the office of the Architect upon receipt of a non-refundable document charge of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) in the form of a CHECK OR MONEY ORDER made payable to VIETTA. NO CASH will accepted. A $25.00 shipping charge is required if a mailing of the documents is desired. Express mail charges will be additional. Only prime bidders will be issued bidding documents. No partial sets will be issued to Subcontractors, Suppliers, or Manufacturers. Bidders are advised to telephone the Architect's Office in advance to confirm the availability of documents.
Documents are also available for examination at the, Northeastern Pennsylvania Contractors' Association (NEPCA), Reed Construction Data, F. W. Dodge Corporation and Harrisburg Builders Exchange.
A pre-bid tour of the existing facility is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 3:00 pm. Contact Tim Lastichen, Director of Buildings and Grounds (267) 228-5663 between the hours of 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM to schedule visits to the site at times other than the pre-bid tour. Bidder, afforded the opportunity to visit the Project site, shall be held responsible for cognizance and knowledge of existing features and conditions ascertainable by such site visit, and costs of the Work associated therewith.
Bids shall be submitted to the Owner as identified above and shall be mailed or delivered to Owner to be received not later than time as stated above. Oral, telephonic (facsimile or telex), or telegraphic bids are invalid and will not receive consideration.
All proposals shall be irrevocable for sixty (60) days after bid opening date, unless delayed due to required approvals of another governmental agency, sale of bonds, or the award of a grant or grants, in which case bids shall be irrevocable for one hundred twenty (120) days in compliance with Pennsylvania Act #317 of 1978, approved November 26, 1978, and as amended December 12, 1994. Bids shall be accompanied by a bid guarantee, in the form of a Bid Bond, Cashier's Check or Certified Check in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the Bid Sum, payable to the Owner.
Notice is given that the project for which construction bids are being solicited hereby is a project constituting a public works project and is subject to applicable provisions of the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act, the Act of August 15, 1961, P.L. 987, as amended and supplemented, and appropriate prevailing minimum rate as promulgated under provisions of said Act must be paid by contractors in connection with performance of the necessary work.. Notice is also given that the project for which construction bids are being received is subject to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the Act of October 27, 1955, P.L. 744, as amended and supplemented.
The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive, at his discretion, any or all irregularities, mistakes, omissions, or informalities relative thereto.
Marlys Mihok
School Board Secretary
Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renovation. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
But Where's the PLAN??
From the BCCT.
And so the renovations begin. The overarching renovations plan is STILL missing in action. It looks like we're going to piecemeal ourselves to death on uncoordinated fits of renovation spending.
The board members who make the political decisions won't comment on the record, so they send out Tim Lastician to take the slings and arrows instead. We're not sure when the renovations will be done...We hope it will be half done before September 2009.
This is all very reassuring...NOT! What will we do when the "Welcome Back, Students!" signs next September are accompanied by "Caution: Construction Zone" signs?
Channeling the departed Ed Frankenfield for a moment, we've been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a plan. The plan is probably out there, shrouded in secrecy and known but to only a few of the Emperor's most dedicated Kool-Aid cronies.
Why don't we want to upgrade our schools and welcome those with disabilities? Isn't it ironic that many of those taxpayers who most oppose making the schools a little more user friendly are among those who hobble most desperately up the steps to attend board meetings.
Paging Clara Peller: Where's the plan?
LOL: I don't think there's anyone back there, either.
Renovation plans moving forward
The parts and labor for the long-anticipated renovations are estimated to cost about $3.7 million plus another $400,000 in contract fees.
By MANASEE WAGH
Renovation plans at the 50-year-old Morrisville high school are swinging into gear.
The recent decision has come after years of wavering among previous and current board members about what to do with the district’s high school and two elementary schools.
Morrisville’s school board is working with Vitetta, a Philadelphia-based architectural and engineering corporation, to update old heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems at the Middle/Senior High School.
The project’s scope includes a range of new components, including ventilators for heating in classrooms, windows with better weatherproofing, expansion tanks for boilers, heating and ventilation units in the gym, locker rooms, auditorium and kitchen, gas-fired hot water heaters and parts for the air- conditioning units in the library and administrative offices.
Vitetta also will test the hot water supply and piping at the high school because it probably has corroded due to age, said the facilities manager, Tim Lastichen.
There have been no sizeable renovations to any of the district’s three schools in decades, Lastichen said.
Morrisville’s two elementary schools are also in need of similar repairs, and the school board is in talks with Vitetta to perform upgrades there.
Morrisville residents have been calling for a plan to improve the deteriorating school buildings since the current board canceled plans to build a consolidated K-12 school early this year.
Part of the original $30 million bond meant for the new school will be used instead for the renovations.
The company’s fees for overseeing the high school upgrades total about $400,000, and the cost of replacement parts and labor is expected to be around $3.7 million.
At the previous school board meeting, board member Robin Reithmeyer voted against the initiative to pursue these renovations because the district isn’t applying for state reimbursement.
Under certain circumstances, the state Department of Education can refund a school district a portion of construction project costs if the district follows the department’s approval process, called PlanCon.
Vitetta architects found the project does not meet state guidelines necessary for PlanCon approvals, said William Hellmann, board president.
Either renovation or construction is eligible for state reimbursement only under two criteria, according to the state Department of Education: adding capacity to the building, as in the case of a growing student population, or bringing the building up to modern American Disabilities Act standards.
Therefore, Morrisville’s renovations wouldn’t be eligible, according to the state.
“Believe me, if I could get money from the state, I would be the first to do it,” Hellmann said. “This work is for the health, safety and welfare of the children and teachers and needs to be done as soon as possible.”
Though a concrete timeline for completing the upgrades is not available yet, the district plans to dive in as soon as the school year is over in June. Hopefully, the work will be at least half finished before the summer ends, Lastichen said.
Originally built in 1925, the district’s two elementary schools, Grandview and M. R. Reiter, are much older than the high school.
Grandview’s front section was added to the original building in 1957 and its back section was added in 1968. Reiter needed to be renovated in the 1960s after catching fire.
“But nothing’s been touched since,” Lastichen said. “So it needs it.”
And so the renovations begin. The overarching renovations plan is STILL missing in action. It looks like we're going to piecemeal ourselves to death on uncoordinated fits of renovation spending.
The board members who make the political decisions won't comment on the record, so they send out Tim Lastician to take the slings and arrows instead. We're not sure when the renovations will be done...We hope it will be half done before September 2009.
This is all very reassuring...NOT! What will we do when the "Welcome Back, Students!" signs next September are accompanied by "Caution: Construction Zone" signs?
Channeling the departed Ed Frankenfield for a moment, we've been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a plan. The plan is probably out there, shrouded in secrecy and known but to only a few of the Emperor's most dedicated Kool-Aid cronies.
Why don't we want to upgrade our schools and welcome those with disabilities? Isn't it ironic that many of those taxpayers who most oppose making the schools a little more user friendly are among those who hobble most desperately up the steps to attend board meetings.
Paging Clara Peller: Where's the plan?
LOL: I don't think there's anyone back there, either.
Renovation plans moving forward
The parts and labor for the long-anticipated renovations are estimated to cost about $3.7 million plus another $400,000 in contract fees.
By MANASEE WAGH
Renovation plans at the 50-year-old Morrisville high school are swinging into gear.
The recent decision has come after years of wavering among previous and current board members about what to do with the district’s high school and two elementary schools.
Morrisville’s school board is working with Vitetta, a Philadelphia-based architectural and engineering corporation, to update old heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems at the Middle/Senior High School.
The project’s scope includes a range of new components, including ventilators for heating in classrooms, windows with better weatherproofing, expansion tanks for boilers, heating and ventilation units in the gym, locker rooms, auditorium and kitchen, gas-fired hot water heaters and parts for the air- conditioning units in the library and administrative offices.
Vitetta also will test the hot water supply and piping at the high school because it probably has corroded due to age, said the facilities manager, Tim Lastichen.
There have been no sizeable renovations to any of the district’s three schools in decades, Lastichen said.
Morrisville’s two elementary schools are also in need of similar repairs, and the school board is in talks with Vitetta to perform upgrades there.
Morrisville residents have been calling for a plan to improve the deteriorating school buildings since the current board canceled plans to build a consolidated K-12 school early this year.
Part of the original $30 million bond meant for the new school will be used instead for the renovations.
The company’s fees for overseeing the high school upgrades total about $400,000, and the cost of replacement parts and labor is expected to be around $3.7 million.
At the previous school board meeting, board member Robin Reithmeyer voted against the initiative to pursue these renovations because the district isn’t applying for state reimbursement.
Under certain circumstances, the state Department of Education can refund a school district a portion of construction project costs if the district follows the department’s approval process, called PlanCon.
Vitetta architects found the project does not meet state guidelines necessary for PlanCon approvals, said William Hellmann, board president.
Either renovation or construction is eligible for state reimbursement only under two criteria, according to the state Department of Education: adding capacity to the building, as in the case of a growing student population, or bringing the building up to modern American Disabilities Act standards.
Therefore, Morrisville’s renovations wouldn’t be eligible, according to the state.
“Believe me, if I could get money from the state, I would be the first to do it,” Hellmann said. “This work is for the health, safety and welfare of the children and teachers and needs to be done as soon as possible.”
Though a concrete timeline for completing the upgrades is not available yet, the district plans to dive in as soon as the school year is over in June. Hopefully, the work will be at least half finished before the summer ends, Lastichen said.
Originally built in 1925, the district’s two elementary schools, Grandview and M. R. Reiter, are much older than the high school.
Grandview’s front section was added to the original building in 1957 and its back section was added in 1968. Reiter needed to be renovated in the 1960s after catching fire.
“But nothing’s been touched since,” Lastichen said. “So it needs it.”
Friday, November 7, 2008
We Don't Need No Stinkin' State Money
From the BCCT.
You just have to shake your head and ask "Why?" when you see this line: "The project does not meet state guidelines necessary for state PlanCon reimbursement."
How is this a wise use of the taxpayer money of Morrisville?
Renovation plans at the 50-year-old Morrisville high school
Posted in News on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 6:31 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Morrisville’s school board is working with Vitetta, a Philadelphia-based architectural and engineering corporation, to update old heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems at the Middle/Senior High School.The project’s scope includes a range of new components, including ventilators for heating in classrooms, windows with better weatherproofing, expansion tanks for boilers, heating and ventilation units in the gym, locker rooms, auditorium and kitchen, gas-fired hot water heaters and parts for the air- conditioning units in the library and administrative offices.
Vitetta also will test the hot water supply and piping at the high school because it probably has corroded due to age, said the facilities manager, Tim Lastichen.
There have been no sizeable renovations to any of the district’s three schools in decades, Lastichen said.
Morrisville’s two elementary schools are also in need of similar repairs, and the school board is in talks with Vitetta to perform upgrades there.
Part of the original $30 million bond meant for the new school will be used instead for the renovations.
The company’s fees for overseeing the high school upgrades total about $400,000, and the cost of replacement parts and labor is expected to be around $3.7 million.
The project does not meet state guidelines necessary for state PlanCon reimbursement.
Either renovation or construction is eligible for state reimbursement only under two criteria, according to the state Department of Education: adding capacity to the building, as in the case of a growing student population, or bringing the building up to modern American Disabilities Act standards.
You just have to shake your head and ask "Why?" when you see this line: "The project does not meet state guidelines necessary for state PlanCon reimbursement."
How is this a wise use of the taxpayer money of Morrisville?
Renovation plans at the 50-year-old Morrisville high school
Posted in News on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 6:31 pm by Courier Times reporter Manasee Wagh
Morrisville’s school board is working with Vitetta, a Philadelphia-based architectural and engineering corporation, to update old heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems at the Middle/Senior High School.The project’s scope includes a range of new components, including ventilators for heating in classrooms, windows with better weatherproofing, expansion tanks for boilers, heating and ventilation units in the gym, locker rooms, auditorium and kitchen, gas-fired hot water heaters and parts for the air- conditioning units in the library and administrative offices.
Vitetta also will test the hot water supply and piping at the high school because it probably has corroded due to age, said the facilities manager, Tim Lastichen.
There have been no sizeable renovations to any of the district’s three schools in decades, Lastichen said.
Morrisville’s two elementary schools are also in need of similar repairs, and the school board is in talks with Vitetta to perform upgrades there.
Part of the original $30 million bond meant for the new school will be used instead for the renovations.
The company’s fees for overseeing the high school upgrades total about $400,000, and the cost of replacement parts and labor is expected to be around $3.7 million.
The project does not meet state guidelines necessary for state PlanCon reimbursement.
Either renovation or construction is eligible for state reimbursement only under two criteria, according to the state Department of Education: adding capacity to the building, as in the case of a growing student population, or bringing the building up to modern American Disabilities Act standards.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Another RFP For the Emperor to Ignore
Caveat bidder.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
MORRISVILLE BOROUGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Morrisville Board of School Directors are requesting sealed bids for electrical work to be performed at the Morrisville High School. Specifications are available at an approximate cost of $20.00. If interested, please respond by September 22, 2008 (215-736-5933). A mandatory walk-thru will be September 30, 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room F-10 of the High School. Sealed bids must be received no later than Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 10:00 a.m. at which time they will be opened publicly in Conference Room F-10 of the Morrisville High School.
Description of Work:
* Rebuild and recalibrate existing 5000 volt main service circuit breaker.
* Disconnect and replace existing 1600A secondary service board with new 3000A service board at the same location.Provide temporary 1600A panel board to temporarily feed existing building loads during replacement of existing service board.
* Provided new branch panel boards, branch circuits and wiring devices in
selected existing classrooms.
* All work shall be performed after normal working hours (3:00 pm - 11 pm with the exception of the switchboard. All power shutdowns at the switchboard shall be performed in weekend hours.
The contractors shall be responsible for securing and furnishing all necessary permits,labor, materials and supervision as well as adherence to building requirements and timely completion of all work.
Marlys Mihok
Secretary
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
MORRISVILLE BOROUGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Morrisville Board of School Directors are requesting sealed bids for electrical work to be performed at the Morrisville High School. Specifications are available at an approximate cost of $20.00. If interested, please respond by September 22, 2008 (215-736-5933). A mandatory walk-thru will be September 30, 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room F-10 of the High School. Sealed bids must be received no later than Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 10:00 a.m. at which time they will be opened publicly in Conference Room F-10 of the Morrisville High School.
Description of Work:
* Rebuild and recalibrate existing 5000 volt main service circuit breaker.
* Disconnect and replace existing 1600A secondary service board with new 3000A service board at the same location.Provide temporary 1600A panel board to temporarily feed existing building loads during replacement of existing service board.
* Provided new branch panel boards, branch circuits and wiring devices in
selected existing classrooms.
* All work shall be performed after normal working hours (3:00 pm - 11 pm with the exception of the switchboard. All power shutdowns at the switchboard shall be performed in weekend hours.
The contractors shall be responsible for securing and furnishing all necessary permits,labor, materials and supervision as well as adherence to building requirements and timely completion of all work.
Marlys Mihok
Secretary
Monday, July 14, 2008
Special Meeting Reminder: Tomorrow
Don't forget that there is a special meeting being held tomorrow evening, Tuesday, July 15, 2008 to approve engineering resources.
The Emperor is at it again. He has decided what will be done without consulting the much of the board (accomplices only, please!) or the parents and taxpayers. See the Reports from the Facilities Committee post for more details.
"The RFP was for all 3 schools but all vendors presented only for the HS and Grandview. Why? Because, Hellmann said, 'I decided' "
"Lastly (ACTION ALERT), they expect this vote to happen at the meeting on 7/15 even though some of the board members had not yet received copies of the responses. The question you need to be asking yourself -- and the Board -- is why the rush? All of the vendors agreed this project from start to finish will take about 28 weeks. And since the actual construction (the last 6 weeks or so) should be done in the summer (read: it's not happening for this coming school year), then a decision should be made by approx December. So why the rush? Let's get a plan together, discuss it, and THEN take action. It does not have to be voted on in 5 days."
I guess the shocker would be if Marlys Mihok, Angry Al Radosti, Brenda Worob, and Bill Farrell voted AGAINST the Emperor. No dictator is ever out there alone. He needs his minions to feed and stroke his massive ego. I expect Jack Buckman will be a newly empowered and reliable accomplice vote (ergo, his selection). What about Gloria Heater?
The final question is the same one: WHAT'S THE PLAN? (Shout out to the late Ed Frankenfield.)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Special Board Meeting
The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
The Emperor is at it again. He has decided what will be done without consulting the much of the board (accomplices only, please!) or the parents and taxpayers. See the Reports from the Facilities Committee post for more details.
"The RFP was for all 3 schools but all vendors presented only for the HS and Grandview. Why? Because, Hellmann said, 'I decided' "
"Lastly (ACTION ALERT), they expect this vote to happen at the meeting on 7/15 even though some of the board members had not yet received copies of the responses. The question you need to be asking yourself -- and the Board -- is why the rush? All of the vendors agreed this project from start to finish will take about 28 weeks. And since the actual construction (the last 6 weeks or so) should be done in the summer (read: it's not happening for this coming school year), then a decision should be made by approx December. So why the rush? Let's get a plan together, discuss it, and THEN take action. It does not have to be voted on in 5 days."
I guess the shocker would be if Marlys Mihok, Angry Al Radosti, Brenda Worob, and Bill Farrell voted AGAINST the Emperor. No dictator is ever out there alone. He needs his minions to feed and stroke his massive ego. I expect Jack Buckman will be a newly empowered and reliable accomplice vote (ergo, his selection). What about Gloria Heater?
The final question is the same one: WHAT'S THE PLAN? (Shout out to the late Ed Frankenfield.)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Special Board Meeting
The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Two Special Facilities Board Meetings
Thanks to the vigilant emailer who noticed the two special meetings scheduled in July. Just goes to show that you need to keep tabs on the mv.org website. I guess we should be pleased that they posted the meeting.
Can't you see a small group, gathering around a campfire in Wildwood, enjoying the holiday weekend and the company of good friends? They were just chatting pleasantly, and all of a sudden, the kids were farmed out, the superintendent's contract was shortened, and special ed kids lost their money.
But no business was discussed...
Really...
We decided by a 5-0 vote.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Special Board Meeting
The Morrisville School District's Facility Committee will hold a meeting on July 9, 2008 at 7:00 pm in Conference Room F-10 of the Middle/Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA. The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
Site: HS F-10 Time: 7:00PM
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Special Board Meeting
The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
Site: HS LGI Time: 7:00PM
Can't you see a small group, gathering around a campfire in Wildwood, enjoying the holiday weekend and the company of good friends? They were just chatting pleasantly, and all of a sudden, the kids were farmed out, the superintendent's contract was shortened, and special ed kids lost their money.
But no business was discussed...
Really...
We decided by a 5-0 vote.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Special Board Meeting
The Morrisville School District's Facility Committee will hold a meeting on July 9, 2008 at 7:00 pm in Conference Room F-10 of the Middle/Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA. The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
Site: HS F-10 Time: 7:00PM
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Special Board Meeting
The Board of School Directors of the Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of approving engineering services on July 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the LGI Room of the Middle/Senior High School. Marlys Mihok Secretary
Site: HS LGI Time: 7:00PM
Monday, June 9, 2008
Reminder of Aged Schools/Heat Closure
It certainly is hot out there, and the school district is closing early today.
Just another reminder of the precarious condition of our schools.
Just another reminder of the precarious condition of our schools.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Secret Meeting Agenda Revealed
Well, we finally have the first fruits of the Secret Meeting at the Worob's house, courtesy of the BCCT. I could not resist shouting at the monitor as I read this essay. My thoughts appear in italics. Anyone else want to rant at Steve?
People of Morrisville: Glad you’re finally paying attention
By STEPHEN WOROB
I’m glad that so many Morrisville residents now want to express their views about the future of our school district. My question though is where you have been! [As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Steve here. Where have you been? You elected a slate of angry small minded people to run the education system and we're now reaping the benefits.]
Now marks the tenth anniversary of the malicious dismantling of our once-decent school district. [What happened ten years ago? Who dismantled it and why? This is an accusation without substance to back it up.] For years, self servers [Glass House Alert: Be careful on your use of words.] have plagued this district with mismanagement, greed and corruption. Where have you people been? Like it or not, the Morrisville school district has become a big cow that is getting milked to death. [My tin foil hat is firmly on my head. Tell me more. And let me know where the line for milk starts.]
Since 1998, over $7 million has been appropriated toward physical improvements to our aging school buildings. This money was wasted; [You are alleging that seven million dollars has been wasted. What does "wasted" mean? And weren't you a part of that as a board member and officer?] now we have boilers that are said to be so bad that they may explode. [That's because they're 40 years old. Did you as a school board member ever appropriate money to replace the boilers?] Where have you people been?
Not even soaring taxes and horrible test scores could get most of you off your bottoms to demand changes, [true] but you tout the high paid administrators who continually pat themselves on the back for sub-mediocrity. Hence, self promoting [Glass House Alert 2] /substance-less things like domestic and international awards still attract your attention. [Since you brought the subject of attention up, your academic skills aren't well displayed here either. You're making accusations all around the place and not offering a shred of evidence. If you have something that is actionable, take it to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, you're grandstanding just to hear the sound of your own voice. I know several Morrisville teachers who would grade these unsupported statements rather harshly. I know of one judge who did already.]
Now, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 76 percent of our recently graduated students failed math and reading on their state assessment tests (worst in the county). [True. Sadly true. Why though? Test scores are dropping all over the country. What is your plan to fix it? Today, you are representing a group who has refused time after time to reveal a plan. SHAME ON YOU!! You personally harangued a sick man in public, shouting repeatedly at him, to the point of him being taken to the hospital and yet you sit there smugly, hurling accusation after accusation WITHOUT A PLAN OF YOUR OWN! That's called attention whoring and only adds to the problem. It fixes nothing but your pathetic need for attention.] If costs over the next 13 years could somehow stay the same and nothing else changes, each kindergartner entering this district will cost taxpayers more than a quarter of a million dollars and 76 percent of them will fail at math and reading. [That's a tortured twist to logic. I agree that throwing money at a problem does not solve it, and Morrisville is paying an extremely large amount to educate its students. We've talked about the math of per student costs. Diving the budget by the number of students yields a high number. Once you subtract the "free" money, the grants and gifts, the real per student cost is much lower. Ask your CPA buddy to explain it. Then, you use the worst score available to make your point. You learned that from the Emperor who keeps screaming that the interest rates are dropping and the old board was wrong in not defeasing earlier because the rates were dropping. What if the rates had actually risen? The argument fails. Same if this year's 11th graders do better in their test scores. Your logic fails.] Despite such dismal results, our prior lame duck school board locked the superintendent and teachers into lucrative long-term contracts. [That's a great use of code words. "Lucrative" in this context connotes luxury or overpayment and "lame-duck" reminding us that term expiring members actually did something. If you think Dr. Yonson or the teachers are overpaid, that's fine as far as your personal opinion, but the salaries are quite within the norm for Bucks County, the state of Pennsylvania, and the East Coast. Secondly, if you're so concerned about lame ducks sitting around while their term is expiring, put your money where your mouth is. On the morning after Election Day when your successor has been elected, I expect your resignation from Borough Council effective immediately. Otherwise, you're just attention whoring again.]
Where have you people been?
When it comes to education, if you expect that our state representatives who are in bed with entities such as the teachers unions and the superintendent’s association, are going to initiate needed changes, you better think again. [While this may be accurate, what does little Morrisville have to do with this? This needs to be attacked on the state level, and no amount of pain or anguish that you inflict upon the children of Morrisville will change this. The Emperor and his Court of Toadies regularly repeat this mealy mouthed drivel. You need to make changes to this at the state level. Stop posturing uselessly in board and council meetings, and use your elected office to make the changes needed.]
In a recent Courier Times article about outsourcing our high school students, teachers would not comment for concerns of crossing the state teachers union [Well, DUH! If there was a teacher who honestly supported a plan to do away with their own job, either they are an uncommon altruist, or silly enough that I would not want them to be teaching my children anyway. If your fight is with the state teachers union, Morrisville, again, is not the place to be holding this fight. Stop posturing uselessly on the local level and use your elected office at the state level where the fight belongs.] but parents and students rightfully expressed their concerns. Drastic changes can be upsetting but when this board of directors tells you that a major restructuring is necessary, you better believe them. [Ah. Believe. As in the statement "I trust the board to do what is right?" I believe this board to be bereft of common sense and ethically challenged. If they told me today was Saturday, I would want independent confirmation.]
At $22,000 per student and dismal test scores in the high school, this district would have gone bankrupt long ago in the real world. [Yes. Absolutely. There's a reason why the education system does not function in a 100% business style model, along with hospitals, and even government itself. They provides services that are of an incalculable future value at a large present cost and a zero immediate financial return. Can schools, hospitals, or governments function as complete profit making institutions? Of course, but what would be the resulting services?] With public education spiraling out of control, our careless lawmakers (whom are in the business of getting reelected) [Does anyone else see the irony of a career elected official spouting about being in the business of being re-elected?] don’t address the root of the problem but rather promote tax shifts and schemes that just pump more money on top of a failing institution. [Talk to the state and federal officials who put this into place. But we would be remiss if we did not take advantage of every break the state and federal governments offered, wouldn't we?]
Who of sound mind really believes that Act 1 legislation to cap and control runaway school spending is worth the paper it was written on? With its 10 exceptions that protect a bloated incumbent bureaucracy, Act 1 law is nothing more than pathetic smoke and mirror legislation. [Your fight is not in Morrisville. Shut up here, and go and fix it. In Harrisburg.]
Now in Morrisville we have a new and somewhat [somewhat?] novice school board that recognizes that status quo is unacceptable and drastic changes are necessary. Let the changes begin here in Morrisville. First we must stop taxing people out of their homes. [I'll agree with this, but who repealed the natural processes of inflation and declining purchasing power? Read Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Read about the inflations that beset the dying British Empire. Read about the "Great Depression." It was rather a big news item a few decades ago. But that's only a partial piece of the puzzle. Did these same people financially plan for their futures? I'm not immune to financial disasters and neither is anyone else by the simple virtue of being a homeowner.] Does anyone really believe that test scores will improve if we go from $22,000 per student to $30,000? I don’t think so. The more we feed the monster, the bigger it will get. [This is just ridiculous. Who is advocating raising the money we taxpayers send to the district?]
My point is not to say I told you so but rather we must all work together just to survive. And perhaps, if we all stick together,[I think you meant to say, "Just Cooperate!"] maybe we’ll gain the attention of our (don’t rock the boat) lawmakers.
Stephen Worob, Morrisville, is a former school board member and a current councilman in Morrisville.
People of Morrisville: Glad you’re finally paying attention
By STEPHEN WOROB
I’m glad that so many Morrisville residents now want to express their views about the future of our school district. My question though is where you have been! [As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Steve here. Where have you been? You elected a slate of angry small minded people to run the education system and we're now reaping the benefits.]
Now marks the tenth anniversary of the malicious dismantling of our once-decent school district. [What happened ten years ago? Who dismantled it and why? This is an accusation without substance to back it up.] For years, self servers [Glass House Alert: Be careful on your use of words.] have plagued this district with mismanagement, greed and corruption. Where have you people been? Like it or not, the Morrisville school district has become a big cow that is getting milked to death. [My tin foil hat is firmly on my head. Tell me more. And let me know where the line for milk starts.]
Since 1998, over $7 million has been appropriated toward physical improvements to our aging school buildings. This money was wasted; [You are alleging that seven million dollars has been wasted. What does "wasted" mean? And weren't you a part of that as a board member and officer?] now we have boilers that are said to be so bad that they may explode. [That's because they're 40 years old. Did you as a school board member ever appropriate money to replace the boilers?] Where have you people been?
Not even soaring taxes and horrible test scores could get most of you off your bottoms to demand changes, [true] but you tout the high paid administrators who continually pat themselves on the back for sub-mediocrity. Hence, self promoting [Glass House Alert 2] /substance-less things like domestic and international awards still attract your attention. [Since you brought the subject of attention up, your academic skills aren't well displayed here either. You're making accusations all around the place and not offering a shred of evidence. If you have something that is actionable, take it to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, you're grandstanding just to hear the sound of your own voice. I know several Morrisville teachers who would grade these unsupported statements rather harshly. I know of one judge who did already.]
Now, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 76 percent of our recently graduated students failed math and reading on their state assessment tests (worst in the county). [True. Sadly true. Why though? Test scores are dropping all over the country. What is your plan to fix it? Today, you are representing a group who has refused time after time to reveal a plan. SHAME ON YOU!! You personally harangued a sick man in public, shouting repeatedly at him, to the point of him being taken to the hospital and yet you sit there smugly, hurling accusation after accusation WITHOUT A PLAN OF YOUR OWN! That's called attention whoring and only adds to the problem. It fixes nothing but your pathetic need for attention.] If costs over the next 13 years could somehow stay the same and nothing else changes, each kindergartner entering this district will cost taxpayers more than a quarter of a million dollars and 76 percent of them will fail at math and reading. [That's a tortured twist to logic. I agree that throwing money at a problem does not solve it, and Morrisville is paying an extremely large amount to educate its students. We've talked about the math of per student costs. Diving the budget by the number of students yields a high number. Once you subtract the "free" money, the grants and gifts, the real per student cost is much lower. Ask your CPA buddy to explain it. Then, you use the worst score available to make your point. You learned that from the Emperor who keeps screaming that the interest rates are dropping and the old board was wrong in not defeasing earlier because the rates were dropping. What if the rates had actually risen? The argument fails. Same if this year's 11th graders do better in their test scores. Your logic fails.] Despite such dismal results, our prior lame duck school board locked the superintendent and teachers into lucrative long-term contracts. [That's a great use of code words. "Lucrative" in this context connotes luxury or overpayment and "lame-duck" reminding us that term expiring members actually did something. If you think Dr. Yonson or the teachers are overpaid, that's fine as far as your personal opinion, but the salaries are quite within the norm for Bucks County, the state of Pennsylvania, and the East Coast. Secondly, if you're so concerned about lame ducks sitting around while their term is expiring, put your money where your mouth is. On the morning after Election Day when your successor has been elected, I expect your resignation from Borough Council effective immediately. Otherwise, you're just attention whoring again.]
Where have you people been?
When it comes to education, if you expect that our state representatives who are in bed with entities such as the teachers unions and the superintendent’s association, are going to initiate needed changes, you better think again. [While this may be accurate, what does little Morrisville have to do with this? This needs to be attacked on the state level, and no amount of pain or anguish that you inflict upon the children of Morrisville will change this. The Emperor and his Court of Toadies regularly repeat this mealy mouthed drivel. You need to make changes to this at the state level. Stop posturing uselessly in board and council meetings, and use your elected office to make the changes needed.]
In a recent Courier Times article about outsourcing our high school students, teachers would not comment for concerns of crossing the state teachers union [Well, DUH! If there was a teacher who honestly supported a plan to do away with their own job, either they are an uncommon altruist, or silly enough that I would not want them to be teaching my children anyway. If your fight is with the state teachers union, Morrisville, again, is not the place to be holding this fight. Stop posturing uselessly on the local level and use your elected office at the state level where the fight belongs.] but parents and students rightfully expressed their concerns. Drastic changes can be upsetting but when this board of directors tells you that a major restructuring is necessary, you better believe them. [Ah. Believe. As in the statement "I trust the board to do what is right?" I believe this board to be bereft of common sense and ethically challenged. If they told me today was Saturday, I would want independent confirmation.]
At $22,000 per student and dismal test scores in the high school, this district would have gone bankrupt long ago in the real world. [Yes. Absolutely. There's a reason why the education system does not function in a 100% business style model, along with hospitals, and even government itself. They provides services that are of an incalculable future value at a large present cost and a zero immediate financial return. Can schools, hospitals, or governments function as complete profit making institutions? Of course, but what would be the resulting services?] With public education spiraling out of control, our careless lawmakers (whom are in the business of getting reelected) [Does anyone else see the irony of a career elected official spouting about being in the business of being re-elected?] don’t address the root of the problem but rather promote tax shifts and schemes that just pump more money on top of a failing institution. [Talk to the state and federal officials who put this into place. But we would be remiss if we did not take advantage of every break the state and federal governments offered, wouldn't we?]
Who of sound mind really believes that Act 1 legislation to cap and control runaway school spending is worth the paper it was written on? With its 10 exceptions that protect a bloated incumbent bureaucracy, Act 1 law is nothing more than pathetic smoke and mirror legislation. [Your fight is not in Morrisville. Shut up here, and go and fix it. In Harrisburg.]
Now in Morrisville we have a new and somewhat [somewhat?] novice school board that recognizes that status quo is unacceptable and drastic changes are necessary. Let the changes begin here in Morrisville. First we must stop taxing people out of their homes. [I'll agree with this, but who repealed the natural processes of inflation and declining purchasing power? Read Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Read about the inflations that beset the dying British Empire. Read about the "Great Depression." It was rather a big news item a few decades ago. But that's only a partial piece of the puzzle. Did these same people financially plan for their futures? I'm not immune to financial disasters and neither is anyone else by the simple virtue of being a homeowner.] Does anyone really believe that test scores will improve if we go from $22,000 per student to $30,000? I don’t think so. The more we feed the monster, the bigger it will get. [This is just ridiculous. Who is advocating raising the money we taxpayers send to the district?]
My point is not to say I told you so but rather we must all work together just to survive. And perhaps, if we all stick together,[I think you meant to say, "Just Cooperate!"] maybe we’ll gain the attention of our (don’t rock the boat) lawmakers.
Stephen Worob, Morrisville, is a former school board member and a current councilman in Morrisville.
Monday, March 10, 2008
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?
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Buildings Survey?
What's up with this? Does it have anything to do with this previous post?
DISCLAIMER - SCHOOL BUILDING SURVEY
Recently some district residents received a survey concerning the school district buildings.
This survey was NOT authorized by the Administration of the school district.
DISCLAIMER - SCHOOL BUILDING SURVEY
Recently some district residents received a survey concerning the school district buildings.
This survey was NOT authorized by the Administration of the school district.
Monday, February 18, 2008
School Renovation Questionnaire
I'm going to throw this out and see if anyone might pick it up and run with it. I've received several emails mentioning a school renovations questionnaire but I have not seen anything definitive about it and no one will speak on the record about it. I've been told that it was presented to a select few and that the questions are somewhat misleading and intentionally steer the respondent into providing the responses desired.
That however, is not a problem. I expect the results of any survey requested of this board to be spun and presented in the direction desired. Before anyone quacks at me about saying this, this criticism is a blanket observation for any elected official or group. However, my trust level with the Stop the School people's board has eroded with each royal pronouncement from the Emperor's lips.
I've also been told that it contains egregious spelling errors and is formatted in a manner that is amateurish in general, but is doubly embarrassing as a representation of a school system.
That however, is not a problem. I expect the results of any survey requested of this board to be spun and presented in the direction desired. Before anyone quacks at me about saying this, this criticism is a blanket observation for any elected official or group. However, my trust level with the Stop the School people's board has eroded with each royal pronouncement from the Emperor's lips.
I've also been told that it contains egregious spelling errors and is formatted in a manner that is amateurish in general, but is doubly embarrassing as a representation of a school system.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Are you a "Fixer" or a "Disposer"?
Thanks to borows, who posed a very interesting characterization of the schools situation in Morrisville.
Borows has left a new comment on your post "Why Are We Here?
":
Seems to me there are two camps in Morrisville.
There are the "FIXERS" who say 'We see there is a problem with the facilities and with the educational programs, so let us expend energy and money to fix them because we know that whatever we do will benefit the community as a whole'
Then there are the "DISPOSERS" who say 'We see there is a problem with the facilities and with the educational programs, but it is better to be rid of the problem all together because if we expend energy and money trying to make it better, it will not benefit the community more than it will cost the community'.
The common ground is the problems with the district. Maybe the dialogue should have started there.
The differences are in how to solve the problems. Fix or Dispose.
A question should be asked of each school of thought.
For the Fixers: Is there any amount of energy and money that can solve the problems? The next question would be: Is it practical to assume that this amount of energy and money can be generated in Morrisville?
For the Disposers: Given the social and legal constraints and responsibilities to educate our children, will the problems be solved by disposing of them from Morrisville all together? The next question would be: What is the cost to the community to dispose of the problem, and what would the cost to the community be if disposal fails to solve the problems?
So I leave the floor open for public comment sans the 45 minute limit. Which are you, why, and what do you propose?
I'm definitely a fixer. A whole Morrisville is much better than a partitioned one. The money and energy can certainly be generated right here, right now. I do question if the collective willpower is available to be generated to back up the "we can do it."
Borows has left a new comment on your post "Why Are We Here?
":Seems to me there are two camps in Morrisville.
There are the "FIXERS" who say 'We see there is a problem with the facilities and with the educational programs, so let us expend energy and money to fix them because we know that whatever we do will benefit the community as a whole'
Then there are the "DISPOSERS" who say 'We see there is a problem with the facilities and with the educational programs, but it is better to be rid of the problem all together because if we expend energy and money trying to make it better, it will not benefit the community more than it will cost the community'.
The common ground is the problems with the district. Maybe the dialogue should have started there.
The differences are in how to solve the problems. Fix or Dispose.
A question should be asked of each school of thought.
For the Fixers: Is there any amount of energy and money that can solve the problems? The next question would be: Is it practical to assume that this amount of energy and money can be generated in Morrisville?
For the Disposers: Given the social and legal constraints and responsibilities to educate our children, will the problems be solved by disposing of them from Morrisville all together? The next question would be: What is the cost to the community to dispose of the problem, and what would the cost to the community be if disposal fails to solve the problems?
So I leave the floor open for public comment sans the 45 minute limit. Which are you, why, and what do you propose?
I'm definitely a fixer. A whole Morrisville is much better than a partitioned one. The money and energy can certainly be generated right here, right now. I do question if the collective willpower is available to be generated to back up the "we can do it."
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