This may come as a shock to the administration, faculty, and staff, but it looks like the farm program may be taking a left turn into privatization.
According to Kate Fratti this morning, DVHS Head Honcho David Shulick will be pitching the idea of a "privatized" MHS to the board sometime in the next month.
Having been in the private sector all my life and witnessing such outsourcing of jobs to contractors in the past, I'm cautiously waiting to hear the plan before I say anything. Busing the kids outside of the district is a non-starter with me, and there's still the issue of the condition of the buildings too.
Fratti quite properly notes the current contracts with the teachers and staff would be a more than minor problem (but I know the Emperor handles minor issues well) and then comes the question of why "only" the high school and not the "district."
Just a note: The Emperor was unavailable for comment...AGAIN!
A 'privately managed' plan?
David Shulick, a Center City lawyer and president of the board of the for-profit Delaware Valley High School on Philly's Bustleton Avenue, says Morrisville school board representatives will meet with him in the next 30 days so he can pitch the idea of a “privately managed” Morrisville high school.
He'll propose keeping the school in or near the borough, and said he'd be open to using an existing school building if it's offered.
Shulick declined to name which school board members he's spoken with. Sources inside the district said a follow-up e-mail from Shulick to board members and administrators indicates he had a cell phone conversation with school board President Bill Hellmann. Efforts to reach Hellmann were unsuccessful.
School board leaders have explored the possibility of dissolving the high school program and sending kids to neighboring districts on a tuition basis. The goal is cost-cutting. Part of the challenge for the district is that all three of its school buildings are aging and in need of renovations.
Lots of public school systems use tax dollars to pay private firms to manage part of the works — busing and food service come to mind. Could Morrisville hire a private company to manage teaching and learning, too — and save piles of money doing it?
Shulick proposes charging just $6,000 a student, $7,000 for kids with special needs. Today, Morrisville spends closer to $20,000 per student, and tens of thousands more for those bused to life-skills programs in other districts. (That's $12,000 in local tax dollars and the rest in grants and subsidies.)
Shulick says he can do more for less because he uses a private business model based on merit and accountability. He also points to a student-management software program now used at Delaware Valley High to improve efficiency — fewer staff hours needed to develop rosters or track student attendance and performance.
Morrisville already contracts to send up to five students to the Bustleton site. Delaware Valley High serves kids who can't cope in a regular school setting because of behavioral problems.
Shulick estimates 100 Bucks kids attend Delaware Valley High, a licensed and accredited secondary school. They're referred by their school districts or enrolled by their parents.
This month, he also expects to announce a Bucks branch for the alternative school. He declined to name the location.
Shulick stressed he is suggesting something entirely separate from the alternative school for Morrisville.
Incorporated in 1980, Unique Educational Experiences owns Delaware Valley High School. It's a privately held company, and Shulick declined to disclose the principal partners, saying the information wasn't relevant.
Morrisville taxpayers might feel differently, but Shulick said they should be most concerned with whether Morrisville kids can be educated well for a reasonable price. He believes they can.
Parents are likely to have the most pressing questions. Can the company accommodate students with autism, mental retardation and speech and language disabilities with teachers who meet state standards?
What's the quality of the regular education Shulick proposes, and would a privately managed Morrisville High offer sports and other extra-curricular programs?
Then there is the not-so-little matter of Morrisville's teacher contract and a clause stipulating there can be no staff furloughs or reductions in student-teacher ratios until the contract ends in 2012. How would that figure into Shulick's plan?
There are lots of questions. Here's hoping they'll eventually be asked and answered in public.
Kate Fratti's column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Pasture Update: DVHS to Present Plan to Board
It appears that Delaware Valley High School has gotten the official "Come on down!" to join the Emperor and Hellman's Heroes on "The Price Is Right: Morrisville Edition"
Joe Kemp has left a new comment on your post "Kate Fratti Nails It!":
UPDATE: The only reason Mr. Hellmann had not previously expressed interest in using DVHS for our high school students was because they got his email address wrong and he hadn't known about it until recently. We will most likely be bringing David Shulick in to speak to the community regarding his proposal.
Please check the comments section of the "Kate Fratti Nails It!" post. There is a lot of good information there regarding DVHS, including the link to the PA Dept of Education website where DVHS is listed as an alternative school for disruptive youth, boasting "WE OFFER SCHOOL DISTRICTS the ability to seamlessly refer “at-risk” youth in need of behavioral, emotional, academic and/or special education services to our highly effective programs at a cost that is far LESS than what districts spend INTERNALLY."
Joe Kemp has left a new comment on your post "Kate Fratti Nails It!":
UPDATE: The only reason Mr. Hellmann had not previously expressed interest in using DVHS for our high school students was because they got his email address wrong and he hadn't known about it until recently. We will most likely be bringing David Shulick in to speak to the community regarding his proposal.
Please check the comments section of the "Kate Fratti Nails It!" post. There is a lot of good information there regarding DVHS, including the link to the PA Dept of Education website where DVHS is listed as an alternative school for disruptive youth, boasting "WE OFFER SCHOOL DISTRICTS the ability to seamlessly refer “at-risk” youth in need of behavioral, emotional, academic and/or special education services to our highly effective programs at a cost that is far LESS than what districts spend INTERNALLY."
Monday, February 4, 2008
Guest Blogger
This is a comment that I received that deserves to have its own posting.
Thank you George. Morrisville ain't perfect, we all know that. But here's the kind of vision we need to see the future.
Hi,
I have thought long and hard about weighing into this blog discussion and have until this point remained a passive, yet interested observer. I told Cathy last week that I was not going to write on it and that I wanted to see what was going to happen during the course of these months with the newly elected school board members. I changed my mind. I predicted the outcome of the election but I wanted it to run is course and give it a chance. For the record, if anyone is interested, I voted for a mix of mostly incumbents and one new candidate even though I didn't agree or completely support the new school idea as presented,; especially the K-12 aspect in one central location. I felt the older kids needed a unique and separate High School experience to include a facility void of the younger children. Honestly, I am still somewhat warm to the idea of the Pennsbury merger even though I can appreciate some of the parents concerns about their children being lost or possibly shunned. Their concerns are heart-felt and honest which is sometime that has been missing in this entire process as of late. I would not support a system of farming out our children. I did see a lot of merit in the new school plan and still see a need for change, especially at our elementary school facilities. Initially, I didn't like or trust the process of the old school board, although I think they had the best interest of the community and the kids at heart. Believe it or not especially Sandy Gibson, even though I feel she was not the right person to present these new ideas and was at times very callus and heavy handed with the community. Looking back, we all were somewhat to blame for the fiasco we as communities have created. I felt the old board put the cart before the horse for the new school idea by not allowing the time to get our local finances in order. If they had been a little more patient, worked with the community leaders and been more willing to seek alternatives to the plan they put into place, I think we could have come up with a compromise to the existing plan. In retrospect, at the rate in which our borough has moved it could be another thirty years before we do anything to fix it so I can understand and appreciate their skepticism of our ability to lead as well. As a side note, I am of the opinion that what we need is to reduce the amount of local school systems statewide and go to a more centralized county system and a redistribution county wide of the tax base, but that is for another discussion.
In listening to all sides, especially Peter as well as some of the administrators, I have learned a great deal more about how our responsibility of education in our community is supposed to work and some of the reasons we are struggling. Looking and listening to all of the new elected school board candidates, I am not shocked to where we as community have come, but what surprised me was that it took a much shorter time than I ever imagined for them to become unglued. Some people within our community have questioned me recently as to where I stand on this and other matters. I was asked to be clear so, as always, I will be as honest as I can with my statements. All that I ask is that you please be patient with my response for it is very, very long and personal. I hope you will take it for what it is as a look into one person's viewpoint and remember that it is my opinion only.
Please remember this was our past experience I was asked to share with you:
In 1994, my wife and I with our then two toddlers were transferred from Long Island to the Philadelphia area and had to find a home/move within 60 days. The market then was similar to todays in that it was a buyer's market with lots of homes to choose from. We took a compass (geometry and algebra at work) and began to make several circles around the Phila./NY area map until we settled on this small town near I-95, Route 1 and the turnpikes. I was traveling a great deal then so transportation access was very important. We made three separate trips within a week to the Yardley/Morrisville area looking at approximately 30 houses. Ken, our realtor was confused as we were as to exactly what we were looking for in a house and community. On the morning of the third day and about the seventh house we looked at that morning, he decided to stop in at an open-house on Palmer Ave for some free food. The house was small, but it had a lot of charm, was within walking distance to the schools and the neighborhood had a certain feel to it that we really liked. It felt right. As my wife and I sat out on the screen porch eating our snack we both quietly asked one another what we thought about the house. In five minutes we concluded that we wanted to make an offer. It took our realtor a few seconds to comprehend the fact that we actually found a house/neighborhood we liked. The homeowner accepted our offer and we were all very excited(especially the Realtors).
The next week we came back to Morrisville on our way down from LI to visit our families in the DC area and were greeted by several people walking a picket-line outside of the High School. We walked over and asked a neighbor what was up with these people striking. We found out that they were the maintenance, janitorial and secretarial staff. They were being outplaced by private contractors, a new catch term most of us sooner or later may have learned. We became worried when another neighbor on the street that day told us about all of the problems within the school system and how it may not be a good idea to move here. We immediately made an appointment with the Superintendent of Schools to discuss this issue. We were young and didn't really consider the schools being an issue because we both grew up in Northern Virginia and attended one of the best public school systems in the country, so to us good education was simply a given. The superintendent told us that the school system was in transition and that it did have some problems, but that he felt optimistic that they were being addressed. We asked if he had a child of school age if he would put them in the school system. He gave us an honest but unsettling answer and it was NO! As you can imagine we had a very long, tense trip home. Our parents advised us that this home we were purchasing may not be the right move and we should rent for another year or two. We felt the time was right and we wanted to finally own something of our own (well, in 30 years). We figured that we could always sell and move to a bigger home in a few years. By the time the kids were ready for school we could address the issue.
In the next several years, we really fell in love with our community. You could see more and more young professionals moving into the area and the face of the neighborhood changing for the better in that everyone was fixing/expanding on their homes. We had multiple borough projects going on including the 1995 Imagination Island. The most impressive part of this project, other than everyone working well for a common cause, was that the children were asked to draw and design the new playground. It was exciting to see what they came up with and, in retrospect, we adults should have taken their cue on how to work together. These and other positive signs in the borough were exciting and optimistic.
This does not mean everything was great, for from time to time, we saw large cracks in both our school system and our borough council. We would also read and hear about our problems from friends living outside of the borough. The way they perceived Morrisville wasn't very flattering. They would always ask if we liked living here and my answer was always an emphatic YES! So much so, I made a conscious decision that I had heard enough about the bad image of the community and that too many of the old Morrisville guard represented the interests of "old-timers" as my neighbor calls them. I felt we needed some balance and I wanted to get involved. Too often we read and witnessed the politics as usual both from the borough side and school board side with yelling, screaming, and intimidation, along with grandstanding from many civic leaders. We did see what we viewed as signs of corruption and abuse of power with self-serving interests of both the council/administration on all sides of the coin. We asked ourselves, "Where was the balance in government and what did this discourse provide our neighborhood in terms of solving some of our issues and projecting a more positive image?" Not much! As someone from a different time and place, I felt that we were sitting on a gold mine living along the river and our proximity to the transportation hubs to/from NY and Phila. which was the same thing that attracted our family to Morrisville to being with? I thought at that time that, as a community, our problem wasn't that we were afraid to think, we just didn't think big. As the years have gone by I realized that we are simply shortsighted and afraid to work for anything new that was truly going to help us. It was easier to blame our surroundings and not stop, look in the mirror and finally take a look at ourselves.
Why I became involved:
In 1999, I applied for and was selected for an opening on the Morrisville EDC which I had a great interest of joining. I had previous experience in college working for the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology (VCIT) through my university, JMU. This was a cutting edge, outside-of the-box state-supported think tank that in the late 1980's attracted BILLIONS in new technological businesses generation to the entire region.
Over the course of the next few years with my tenure on the EDC, I saw that our community government was stagnant. The futility of our EDC members for fifteen years in trying to attract new businesses, along with the suppressive control of many on Borough Council dictating terms and conditions on the business sector was disheartening. These are some of the same people who were yelling the loudest about their twenty years of frustration over the lack of progress. All of us were now as frustrated as the business sector had become with the entire process. We had business people, some who had been raised in the community, disheartened about what the downtown had become a ghost town. These people especially remember what it was once like as a hub to the community in years past. Whatever air that was generated in our community balloon during the 1995 Imagination Island project was quickly being deflated.
Finally, something was beginning to happen:
In 2004 we had on the table a commitment from two cousins who grew-up in the borough, Chris and Ed Cacase. They had worked on many projects throughout the country but had decided to set up an office in our downtown area. With the direction of the Bucks County Redevelopment Corporation, Morrisville Borough, the Morrisville Authority and finally the Morrisville School District we were able to make our first significant land development deal in the downtown area in over 65 years. Surprisingly, it only took Cacase Builders 5 months to go from design/permit stage to ground breaking and another 9 months of construction to its completion. Amazing! I have been around construction for many years in one capacity or another, so I know when something is constructed well, and this was one of the best scheduled and constructed buildings I had been associated with. They did not scrimp on materials and they used both union and non-union labor to build it. It was designed/built to last and everyone prospered from it. Best of all, I felt they involved all of council and at times bent over backwards to make sure that we weighed into the design process, something they did not have to do. One of the valuable experiences they did learn because they were somewhat naive on certain aspects of the process was that little nuances such as having a groundbreaking ceremony or a formal dedication of the building, although seemingly trivial, helped grease the wheels for more larger, more beneficial future construction to ensure continued growth.
Economically, the good news was yes, we did have a great new building in the downtown area but the bad news was that we now needed a second, larger building in the same geographical area. In the grand scheme of things, 19K sq. feet of new retail space alone is not going to invite the interest of what we really need and that is a large host business that can and will employee a lot of local residents who, in turn, will support all of the businesses in our downtown area. We needed to build up our economic center and create a new micro-economy. In my opinion this is the silver bullet that will save our town.
Over the course of the next three years, the Cacase building saw several new, entrepreneurial companies such as Atomica and Edible Arrangements provide diversified services to this downtown project. To date, the center is near capacity with all space occupied and soon to be opened. I was encouraged when they formed a development company Penn-Jersey Realty Corporation to further develop projects. I bet many of you are unaware of this because you have never stopped in to patronize some of these new shops. Why not? Quite simply, even though we have had significant progress in the landscape of our downtown area it is not what we think of when we do our shopping or as a place to visit as a destination spot in the borough. Now, imagine a new bakery or coffee shop downtown. How about a new Hallmark store or a really funky retro clothes shop for the kids/younger adults? How about a flower shop or some specialty shop? What about a town center with a fountain, flowers or tree plantings? On the borough side, what about a service that simply washes the streets once a week to help keep the area cleans and inviting. The 2007 University of Pennsylvania Graduate students design study talked about all of these ideas and more. These were ambitious, lofty conceptual ideas that should be considered as creative alternatives to our current downtown area.
Last year, the business owners filled out an extensive survey asking some of these same questions. What we found was that they wanted many of these things as well, but the single most requested item they felt that would change their economic fortunes and assist them in making a go of it was a new, large anchor building with needed additional parking. They want people who are affluent, with good paying jobs and liquidity to move into newly formed office space near their services to save their investments and livelihood. Remember, they are the ones assuming the risk of their investment and we must help them in every way possible to succeed. In exchange, their endeavors must provide us with everyday services that we require. Ideally, we need diversified businesses, not additional cigarette shops or nail salons (not that these businesses don't fill an economic niche because if they didn't, they would not be in business). With diversified businesses and services will come advancements in the amount of liquidity that is brought to the Borough and money that is spent on these services.
Bottom line to this economic Manifesto:
We must support these developers as the EDC has tried to do and pave the way for a fair and equitable way to get a land development deal done as soon as possible. If we fail to do so, our community government and school system will eventually perish! The option to "keep things as they've always been" is no longer viable. The world around us is competitive and progressing. Morrisville cannot survive if we won't change with it. We need leaders who understand this simple, basic premise, not pessimism or doom and gloom from the same tired people who supposedly represent our wishes and ideas. Quit bitching and do something about it!
Try this - Stop, close your eyes and imagine for just a moment that you are sitting at an outdoors cafe in the springtime eating lunch and watching people in professional clothes or uniforms walking in our downtown area. They are state workers buying our goods and services from our businesses, dining at restaurants like Concerto Fusion, Ben's Deli, Anthony IV or some other restaurant not yet opened then stopping to shop at the SPRINT Store or stopping in to make an inquiry with one of our realtors about an investment opportunity opportunity. How about the businesses on the other side of our business district like Cafe Antonio, Garden Farm Market, Giant Foods, Sam's Shoes or Casino Tony Goes? When both residents AND outside consumers become accustomed to patronizing our entire business community and have a positive experience to tell others, they will come, shop and invest. Suddenly, we have manufactured our micro-economy. Does this sound too optimistic and far-fetched? I see it all over small communities all around the country everyday where, ten years ago, there was no sign of economic development or life in their area. It doesn't just happen. It happens to people who are not afraid of planned, steady progress and government working with the private sector to make it count.
Imagine expanding our business community to include South Delmorr Avenue along the river to the south end of town and linking it with a newly formed train station located at the old fire station next to the Amtrak rail line. After all, the borough already owns the required land for parking adjacent to the building and getting rid of this financial burden for the Morrisville Volunteer Fire Department would allow them to invest and upgrade their other station on Pennsylvania Avenue as they have been struggling to do for years. Remember, it takes a very special person to run into a burning building that everyone else is try to run out of. This type of investment would be a huge support for them and would benefit the entire community. Help support them and the concept of a transportation hub in the borough! We would need to get our local representatives in Senate and Congress working for us to help make these things happen.
It's the economy stupid-
The question has always been, "Why aren't these things already happening?" Why do we passively wait when we have a local developer with a proven track record in the borough that has the financing in place to do something about it? The simple answer is, "Because we are too busy, too consumed with killing ourselves, that's why!!" I sit at our council and school board meetings listening month after month to a minority of people who come to the mic and feed us doom, gloom and fear from both sides with whining, crying and animosity and offer little or no constructive suggestions to help fix things. Quite honestly, I am at a loss for why someone would challenge the choice about losing a small area of our park, a former borough dump area that we haven't used in years versus the opportunity to gain in added tax revenue and growth of our business community that could help support our schools and keep Morrisville alive. Ask yourself, at the end of the day what would rather hug, your happy, well-educated child or a few less trees? Everyone wants better schools and borough services while others would only support a new office building as long as it is in an industrial area outside of our designated downtown area. They don't get it!! The notion that people are going to invest in an area that can't support these businesses is wrong. Simply stated, no one is going to invest in Morrisville because we are bullied, embarrassed and afraid of ourselves with no clear vision or leadership committed to driving future economic progress in our borough. As a result, I see our community chasing away a strong Superintendent and her administrators. Both sides of the debate must stop beating the crap out of one another for it is affecting both our children and our community-at-large. Neither one can take it anymore.
Build our economy and it will in turn build our schools and help pay for our needed borough services. As parents, we must work with our school teachers and administrators to help to better educate our kids. Read to them at an early age and encourage them to strive to do their best. Go over their homework with them and if they tell you they don't have any, find out why not. Teachers, use your allotted time in the classroom to teach not help with homework assignments. I know you are frustrated because many of the kids will not complete the assignments if you don't take the time in class to tutor them. This is the parent's; job (not the Grandparents). As parents, you must learn to schedule time to help their children at home. Don't leave it up or assume the teachers will take care of it; they should be using the entire block time to teach new concepts, not tutoring homework in class. Turn your T.V. off and become an involved parent. If your child is failing offer them help, don't ignore them. If you don't know enough to help them, look for outside resources to assist you. Kids, let's face it. You need to push harder academically. We cannot help you if you don't accept the need to respond to these challenges to the best of your abilities. Remember, whether you realize it or not you are competing in a world market and you must prepare for the pressures you will face in this open market and we must do everything we can as a community to prepare you for this challenge.
Finally, as leaders, listen to our community for it is awake and speaking, yet we are deaf to its voices. Anything short of this will be our downfall to our future. Borough Council and the Morrisville School Board members must take a calculated chance and embrace the ideas of investors; these entrepreneurs; these visionaries; these people of risk. Negotiate with them in good faith working together to help fix our problems for after all, we need each other. Developers, better learn how government works and quit trying to blame them for all of your problems in this process. The reason they are at times skeptical is because communities have in the past been burned by less that scrupulous builders and we are sometimes weary of the process. Quit pitting the school system and the borough system against one another in order to get a land development deal done. Some of the mistrust came from the attempted premature land acquisition deal for the elementary schools. As elected community leaders we have taken an oath to insure that government protect the rights and interest of its constituents and the community-at-large. We too often forget that government should also be about helping people to help themselves, not inhabiting their livelihood and our economic futures. They must protect the rights of its taxpayers and perform these services within the eyes of the law.
I know that annual double-digit school and borough tax increases are not what we want nor deserve! We are seeing them because we have waited too long to develop our local economy and address the problems we are now facing. Let's all work together to fix them before they fix us!
Again, sorry for this long blog, I guess I had a lot to say!
God Bless,
-George
Thank you George. Morrisville ain't perfect, we all know that. But here's the kind of vision we need to see the future.
Hi,
I have thought long and hard about weighing into this blog discussion and have until this point remained a passive, yet interested observer. I told Cathy last week that I was not going to write on it and that I wanted to see what was going to happen during the course of these months with the newly elected school board members. I changed my mind. I predicted the outcome of the election but I wanted it to run is course and give it a chance. For the record, if anyone is interested, I voted for a mix of mostly incumbents and one new candidate even though I didn't agree or completely support the new school idea as presented,; especially the K-12 aspect in one central location. I felt the older kids needed a unique and separate High School experience to include a facility void of the younger children. Honestly, I am still somewhat warm to the idea of the Pennsbury merger even though I can appreciate some of the parents concerns about their children being lost or possibly shunned. Their concerns are heart-felt and honest which is sometime that has been missing in this entire process as of late. I would not support a system of farming out our children. I did see a lot of merit in the new school plan and still see a need for change, especially at our elementary school facilities. Initially, I didn't like or trust the process of the old school board, although I think they had the best interest of the community and the kids at heart. Believe it or not especially Sandy Gibson, even though I feel she was not the right person to present these new ideas and was at times very callus and heavy handed with the community. Looking back, we all were somewhat to blame for the fiasco we as communities have created. I felt the old board put the cart before the horse for the new school idea by not allowing the time to get our local finances in order. If they had been a little more patient, worked with the community leaders and been more willing to seek alternatives to the plan they put into place, I think we could have come up with a compromise to the existing plan. In retrospect, at the rate in which our borough has moved it could be another thirty years before we do anything to fix it so I can understand and appreciate their skepticism of our ability to lead as well. As a side note, I am of the opinion that what we need is to reduce the amount of local school systems statewide and go to a more centralized county system and a redistribution county wide of the tax base, but that is for another discussion.
In listening to all sides, especially Peter as well as some of the administrators, I have learned a great deal more about how our responsibility of education in our community is supposed to work and some of the reasons we are struggling. Looking and listening to all of the new elected school board candidates, I am not shocked to where we as community have come, but what surprised me was that it took a much shorter time than I ever imagined for them to become unglued. Some people within our community have questioned me recently as to where I stand on this and other matters. I was asked to be clear so, as always, I will be as honest as I can with my statements. All that I ask is that you please be patient with my response for it is very, very long and personal. I hope you will take it for what it is as a look into one person's viewpoint and remember that it is my opinion only.
Please remember this was our past experience I was asked to share with you:
In 1994, my wife and I with our then two toddlers were transferred from Long Island to the Philadelphia area and had to find a home/move within 60 days. The market then was similar to todays in that it was a buyer's market with lots of homes to choose from. We took a compass (geometry and algebra at work) and began to make several circles around the Phila./NY area map until we settled on this small town near I-95, Route 1 and the turnpikes. I was traveling a great deal then so transportation access was very important. We made three separate trips within a week to the Yardley/Morrisville area looking at approximately 30 houses. Ken, our realtor was confused as we were as to exactly what we were looking for in a house and community. On the morning of the third day and about the seventh house we looked at that morning, he decided to stop in at an open-house on Palmer Ave for some free food. The house was small, but it had a lot of charm, was within walking distance to the schools and the neighborhood had a certain feel to it that we really liked. It felt right. As my wife and I sat out on the screen porch eating our snack we both quietly asked one another what we thought about the house. In five minutes we concluded that we wanted to make an offer. It took our realtor a few seconds to comprehend the fact that we actually found a house/neighborhood we liked. The homeowner accepted our offer and we were all very excited(especially the Realtors).
The next week we came back to Morrisville on our way down from LI to visit our families in the DC area and were greeted by several people walking a picket-line outside of the High School. We walked over and asked a neighbor what was up with these people striking. We found out that they were the maintenance, janitorial and secretarial staff. They were being outplaced by private contractors, a new catch term most of us sooner or later may have learned. We became worried when another neighbor on the street that day told us about all of the problems within the school system and how it may not be a good idea to move here. We immediately made an appointment with the Superintendent of Schools to discuss this issue. We were young and didn't really consider the schools being an issue because we both grew up in Northern Virginia and attended one of the best public school systems in the country, so to us good education was simply a given. The superintendent told us that the school system was in transition and that it did have some problems, but that he felt optimistic that they were being addressed. We asked if he had a child of school age if he would put them in the school system. He gave us an honest but unsettling answer and it was NO! As you can imagine we had a very long, tense trip home. Our parents advised us that this home we were purchasing may not be the right move and we should rent for another year or two. We felt the time was right and we wanted to finally own something of our own (well, in 30 years). We figured that we could always sell and move to a bigger home in a few years. By the time the kids were ready for school we could address the issue.
In the next several years, we really fell in love with our community. You could see more and more young professionals moving into the area and the face of the neighborhood changing for the better in that everyone was fixing/expanding on their homes. We had multiple borough projects going on including the 1995 Imagination Island. The most impressive part of this project, other than everyone working well for a common cause, was that the children were asked to draw and design the new playground. It was exciting to see what they came up with and, in retrospect, we adults should have taken their cue on how to work together. These and other positive signs in the borough were exciting and optimistic.
This does not mean everything was great, for from time to time, we saw large cracks in both our school system and our borough council. We would also read and hear about our problems from friends living outside of the borough. The way they perceived Morrisville wasn't very flattering. They would always ask if we liked living here and my answer was always an emphatic YES! So much so, I made a conscious decision that I had heard enough about the bad image of the community and that too many of the old Morrisville guard represented the interests of "old-timers" as my neighbor calls them. I felt we needed some balance and I wanted to get involved. Too often we read and witnessed the politics as usual both from the borough side and school board side with yelling, screaming, and intimidation, along with grandstanding from many civic leaders. We did see what we viewed as signs of corruption and abuse of power with self-serving interests of both the council/administration on all sides of the coin. We asked ourselves, "Where was the balance in government and what did this discourse provide our neighborhood in terms of solving some of our issues and projecting a more positive image?" Not much! As someone from a different time and place, I felt that we were sitting on a gold mine living along the river and our proximity to the transportation hubs to/from NY and Phila. which was the same thing that attracted our family to Morrisville to being with? I thought at that time that, as a community, our problem wasn't that we were afraid to think, we just didn't think big. As the years have gone by I realized that we are simply shortsighted and afraid to work for anything new that was truly going to help us. It was easier to blame our surroundings and not stop, look in the mirror and finally take a look at ourselves.
Why I became involved:
In 1999, I applied for and was selected for an opening on the Morrisville EDC which I had a great interest of joining. I had previous experience in college working for the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology (VCIT) through my university, JMU. This was a cutting edge, outside-of the-box state-supported think tank that in the late 1980's attracted BILLIONS in new technological businesses generation to the entire region.
Over the course of the next few years with my tenure on the EDC, I saw that our community government was stagnant. The futility of our EDC members for fifteen years in trying to attract new businesses, along with the suppressive control of many on Borough Council dictating terms and conditions on the business sector was disheartening. These are some of the same people who were yelling the loudest about their twenty years of frustration over the lack of progress. All of us were now as frustrated as the business sector had become with the entire process. We had business people, some who had been raised in the community, disheartened about what the downtown had become a ghost town. These people especially remember what it was once like as a hub to the community in years past. Whatever air that was generated in our community balloon during the 1995 Imagination Island project was quickly being deflated.
Finally, something was beginning to happen:
In 2004 we had on the table a commitment from two cousins who grew-up in the borough, Chris and Ed Cacase. They had worked on many projects throughout the country but had decided to set up an office in our downtown area. With the direction of the Bucks County Redevelopment Corporation, Morrisville Borough, the Morrisville Authority and finally the Morrisville School District we were able to make our first significant land development deal in the downtown area in over 65 years. Surprisingly, it only took Cacase Builders 5 months to go from design/permit stage to ground breaking and another 9 months of construction to its completion. Amazing! I have been around construction for many years in one capacity or another, so I know when something is constructed well, and this was one of the best scheduled and constructed buildings I had been associated with. They did not scrimp on materials and they used both union and non-union labor to build it. It was designed/built to last and everyone prospered from it. Best of all, I felt they involved all of council and at times bent over backwards to make sure that we weighed into the design process, something they did not have to do. One of the valuable experiences they did learn because they were somewhat naive on certain aspects of the process was that little nuances such as having a groundbreaking ceremony or a formal dedication of the building, although seemingly trivial, helped grease the wheels for more larger, more beneficial future construction to ensure continued growth.
Economically, the good news was yes, we did have a great new building in the downtown area but the bad news was that we now needed a second, larger building in the same geographical area. In the grand scheme of things, 19K sq. feet of new retail space alone is not going to invite the interest of what we really need and that is a large host business that can and will employee a lot of local residents who, in turn, will support all of the businesses in our downtown area. We needed to build up our economic center and create a new micro-economy. In my opinion this is the silver bullet that will save our town.
Over the course of the next three years, the Cacase building saw several new, entrepreneurial companies such as Atomica and Edible Arrangements provide diversified services to this downtown project. To date, the center is near capacity with all space occupied and soon to be opened. I was encouraged when they formed a development company Penn-Jersey Realty Corporation to further develop projects. I bet many of you are unaware of this because you have never stopped in to patronize some of these new shops. Why not? Quite simply, even though we have had significant progress in the landscape of our downtown area it is not what we think of when we do our shopping or as a place to visit as a destination spot in the borough. Now, imagine a new bakery or coffee shop downtown. How about a new Hallmark store or a really funky retro clothes shop for the kids/younger adults? How about a flower shop or some specialty shop? What about a town center with a fountain, flowers or tree plantings? On the borough side, what about a service that simply washes the streets once a week to help keep the area cleans and inviting. The 2007 University of Pennsylvania Graduate students design study talked about all of these ideas and more. These were ambitious, lofty conceptual ideas that should be considered as creative alternatives to our current downtown area.
Last year, the business owners filled out an extensive survey asking some of these same questions. What we found was that they wanted many of these things as well, but the single most requested item they felt that would change their economic fortunes and assist them in making a go of it was a new, large anchor building with needed additional parking. They want people who are affluent, with good paying jobs and liquidity to move into newly formed office space near their services to save their investments and livelihood. Remember, they are the ones assuming the risk of their investment and we must help them in every way possible to succeed. In exchange, their endeavors must provide us with everyday services that we require. Ideally, we need diversified businesses, not additional cigarette shops or nail salons (not that these businesses don't fill an economic niche because if they didn't, they would not be in business). With diversified businesses and services will come advancements in the amount of liquidity that is brought to the Borough and money that is spent on these services.
Bottom line to this economic Manifesto:
We must support these developers as the EDC has tried to do and pave the way for a fair and equitable way to get a land development deal done as soon as possible. If we fail to do so, our community government and school system will eventually perish! The option to "keep things as they've always been" is no longer viable. The world around us is competitive and progressing. Morrisville cannot survive if we won't change with it. We need leaders who understand this simple, basic premise, not pessimism or doom and gloom from the same tired people who supposedly represent our wishes and ideas. Quit bitching and do something about it!
Try this - Stop, close your eyes and imagine for just a moment that you are sitting at an outdoors cafe in the springtime eating lunch and watching people in professional clothes or uniforms walking in our downtown area. They are state workers buying our goods and services from our businesses, dining at restaurants like Concerto Fusion, Ben's Deli, Anthony IV or some other restaurant not yet opened then stopping to shop at the SPRINT Store or stopping in to make an inquiry with one of our realtors about an investment opportunity opportunity. How about the businesses on the other side of our business district like Cafe Antonio, Garden Farm Market, Giant Foods, Sam's Shoes or Casino Tony Goes? When both residents AND outside consumers become accustomed to patronizing our entire business community and have a positive experience to tell others, they will come, shop and invest. Suddenly, we have manufactured our micro-economy. Does this sound too optimistic and far-fetched? I see it all over small communities all around the country everyday where, ten years ago, there was no sign of economic development or life in their area. It doesn't just happen. It happens to people who are not afraid of planned, steady progress and government working with the private sector to make it count.
Imagine expanding our business community to include South Delmorr Avenue along the river to the south end of town and linking it with a newly formed train station located at the old fire station next to the Amtrak rail line. After all, the borough already owns the required land for parking adjacent to the building and getting rid of this financial burden for the Morrisville Volunteer Fire Department would allow them to invest and upgrade their other station on Pennsylvania Avenue as they have been struggling to do for years. Remember, it takes a very special person to run into a burning building that everyone else is try to run out of. This type of investment would be a huge support for them and would benefit the entire community. Help support them and the concept of a transportation hub in the borough! We would need to get our local representatives in Senate and Congress working for us to help make these things happen.
It's the economy stupid-
The question has always been, "Why aren't these things already happening?" Why do we passively wait when we have a local developer with a proven track record in the borough that has the financing in place to do something about it? The simple answer is, "Because we are too busy, too consumed with killing ourselves, that's why!!" I sit at our council and school board meetings listening month after month to a minority of people who come to the mic and feed us doom, gloom and fear from both sides with whining, crying and animosity and offer little or no constructive suggestions to help fix things. Quite honestly, I am at a loss for why someone would challenge the choice about losing a small area of our park, a former borough dump area that we haven't used in years versus the opportunity to gain in added tax revenue and growth of our business community that could help support our schools and keep Morrisville alive. Ask yourself, at the end of the day what would rather hug, your happy, well-educated child or a few less trees? Everyone wants better schools and borough services while others would only support a new office building as long as it is in an industrial area outside of our designated downtown area. They don't get it!! The notion that people are going to invest in an area that can't support these businesses is wrong. Simply stated, no one is going to invest in Morrisville because we are bullied, embarrassed and afraid of ourselves with no clear vision or leadership committed to driving future economic progress in our borough. As a result, I see our community chasing away a strong Superintendent and her administrators. Both sides of the debate must stop beating the crap out of one another for it is affecting both our children and our community-at-large. Neither one can take it anymore.
Build our economy and it will in turn build our schools and help pay for our needed borough services. As parents, we must work with our school teachers and administrators to help to better educate our kids. Read to them at an early age and encourage them to strive to do their best. Go over their homework with them and if they tell you they don't have any, find out why not. Teachers, use your allotted time in the classroom to teach not help with homework assignments. I know you are frustrated because many of the kids will not complete the assignments if you don't take the time in class to tutor them. This is the parent's; job (not the Grandparents). As parents, you must learn to schedule time to help their children at home. Don't leave it up or assume the teachers will take care of it; they should be using the entire block time to teach new concepts, not tutoring homework in class. Turn your T.V. off and become an involved parent. If your child is failing offer them help, don't ignore them. If you don't know enough to help them, look for outside resources to assist you. Kids, let's face it. You need to push harder academically. We cannot help you if you don't accept the need to respond to these challenges to the best of your abilities. Remember, whether you realize it or not you are competing in a world market and you must prepare for the pressures you will face in this open market and we must do everything we can as a community to prepare you for this challenge.
Finally, as leaders, listen to our community for it is awake and speaking, yet we are deaf to its voices. Anything short of this will be our downfall to our future. Borough Council and the Morrisville School Board members must take a calculated chance and embrace the ideas of investors; these entrepreneurs; these visionaries; these people of risk. Negotiate with them in good faith working together to help fix our problems for after all, we need each other. Developers, better learn how government works and quit trying to blame them for all of your problems in this process. The reason they are at times skeptical is because communities have in the past been burned by less that scrupulous builders and we are sometimes weary of the process. Quit pitting the school system and the borough system against one another in order to get a land development deal done. Some of the mistrust came from the attempted premature land acquisition deal for the elementary schools. As elected community leaders we have taken an oath to insure that government protect the rights and interest of its constituents and the community-at-large. We too often forget that government should also be about helping people to help themselves, not inhabiting their livelihood and our economic futures. They must protect the rights of its taxpayers and perform these services within the eyes of the law.
I know that annual double-digit school and borough tax increases are not what we want nor deserve! We are seeing them because we have waited too long to develop our local economy and address the problems we are now facing. Let's all work together to fix them before they fix us!
Again, sorry for this long blog, I guess I had a lot to say!
God Bless,
-George
Saturday, February 2, 2008
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.”
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.”
Friday, February 1, 2008
Kate Fratti Nails It!
Kate Fratti talks about Wednesday evening's school board meeting in her column today. She also had a late blog entry last night on Superintendent Yonson and Business Administrator Dunford, two outstanding women who have been harried, harassed, bullied, and excluded by "The People's Board". She also mentions Delaware Valley High School in Philly, a possible pasture for the farmed MHS students. Check out the Google map! Four locations nearby to serve you! Only a short bus ride down Route 1/Roosevelt Boulevard in rush hour traffic.
Kate: Thank you! For way too long, too many small minded hypocritical people have been at work in much of Morrisville, and it's nice to see the rock lifted off of some of them to see exactly how they work.
The "People's Board" is nothing of the kind. The people are left out in secrecy and back room deals for board member buddies, cronies, and contacts.
It may not be Tom Cruise who is the school board's "Top Gun", but Emperor William "Maverick" Hellmann CPA is. He loves rules...sit down, shut up...but when the rules apply to him? "Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!" I wonder if he says that to the IRS when one of his clients is audited?
You all know that if the board had voted to table the $2500 payment, then defeasement would have failed, right? That's why the Emperor was emphatic in his continued less than sotto-voce "NO" as the tabling question continued to be called. Without a payment, there was no report. Without a report, there was no defeasement.
Have you read the Hellmann Report? It tells us NOTHING that we did not already know. The "inspection" was also a sham. It was not an "inspection" (think white-gloved Marine master sergeant) but a "tour" (think a stroll through the park). The list of what they didn't do is impressive.
I would hope that even some of the Q are embarrassed by the Emperor's activities to date.
Kate Fratti also makes one more mention in her column. It's about halfway through where the Hellmann supporters say he's a decent man so immersed in the business world that he doesn't understand democratic government. Let me get this straight...Hellmann, who was the elected Morrisville borough controller, doesn't understand government? Maybe someone should be independently auditing the books on Union Street as well as on Palmer Avenue.
Kate: Thank you! For way too long, too many small minded hypocritical people have been at work in much of Morrisville, and it's nice to see the rock lifted off of some of them to see exactly how they work.
The "People's Board" is nothing of the kind. The people are left out in secrecy and back room deals for board member buddies, cronies, and contacts.
It may not be Tom Cruise who is the school board's "Top Gun", but Emperor William "Maverick" Hellmann CPA is. He loves rules...sit down, shut up...but when the rules apply to him? "Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!" I wonder if he says that to the IRS when one of his clients is audited?
You all know that if the board had voted to table the $2500 payment, then defeasement would have failed, right? That's why the Emperor was emphatic in his continued less than sotto-voce "NO" as the tabling question continued to be called. Without a payment, there was no report. Without a report, there was no defeasement.
Have you read the Hellmann Report? It tells us NOTHING that we did not already know. The "inspection" was also a sham. It was not an "inspection" (think white-gloved Marine master sergeant) but a "tour" (think a stroll through the park). The list of what they didn't do is impressive.
I would hope that even some of the Q are embarrassed by the Emperor's activities to date.
Kate Fratti also makes one more mention in her column. It's about halfway through where the Hellmann supporters say he's a decent man so immersed in the business world that he doesn't understand democratic government. Let me get this straight...Hellmann, who was the elected Morrisville borough controller, doesn't understand government? Maybe someone should be independently auditing the books on Union Street as well as on Palmer Avenue.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The State of the Union Address...
...if delivered by Emperor William Hellmann CPA to the subjects of Morrisville. Or maybe it's investment advice for his clients. He thinks Morrisville is a great place to invest in...NOT!
Guest Blogger
I received the following letter this morning and was given permission to post it, but without attribution. It's a rather detailed letter and what I was able to check out does come back as accurate, so let's take a look and see what you think.
The actual motion that they read last night when voting on the defeasement of the bond stated that they have a professional estimate and a clear understanding of what needs to be done with the facilities and that they are therefore making an informed decision in how much money they are defeasing. The law won't allow them to defease blindly (which is what they are doing). This language was actually in their motion. Voting yes was, in my opinion, fraudulent. This has not been done, and the administrators are even saying so (see yesterday's paper).
Paragraph 3 of their motion tonight read:
“the school district has received realistic cost estimates from qualified engineers, architects or other persons qualified by experience as to the amounts necessary to satisfy the costs to be incurred with respect to the revised capital project, the total estimated cost of which is in excess of the amount of the remaining proceeds of the bonds”
As anyone with a brain can see, they have not done this. There is not even a 'revised project' to speak of. They have no idea what they are doing. They are still 'exploring all options'. Without question, since they went ahead defeased the bonds last night we can proceed with the following:
I have a copy of the school code. Below is section 318. It applies if a board member refuses or neglects to perform any duty imposed upon it by the provisions of this act relating to school districts (the act being the PA School Code).
"Any 10 resident taxpayers in the district may present a petition in writing, verified by oath or affirmation of at least 3 such resident taxpayers, to the court of common pleas of the county in which such district, setting forth the facts of such refusal or neglect of duty on the part of such school directors.............(too much to type).......the court shall have the power to remove the board, or such of its number as in its opinion is proper, and appoint for the unexpired terms other qualified persons in their stead."
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
Their actions last night, in my opinion, constitute gross malfeasance of duty. We have documentation out the kazoo of the facility problems (I know of a previous Board member who has kept EVERYTHING documenting our facilities problems), with engineers and architects that would gladly testify to such in court. They have no idea how many schools they will have to maintain/renovate and they have a limited idea as to what one option may cost. They won't tell us what that option is, in fact, their president did this without Board approval, another action that can and should be challenged in court. Their administration has already told them they are being irresponsible. There is also something called gross malfeasance of duty for which a Board member can actually be sued personally as well, so if it costs the district money to borrow the additional money they will certainly be needed, it may only have to come from the people who voted yes last night, not the entire town.
There are many other Acts that Board members are required to comply with, such as 22 Pa Code (link is below), which indicates items such as :
(10) Professional educators shall exert reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions which interfere with learning or are harmful to the student’s health and safety.
More importantly, there are requirements in the school code for Boards to fully inform the public of their proposed facility plans before moving forward with any financial steps in regards to them. They absolutely have NOT done this. Some Board members don't even know what their 'tentative' plans are at this point, and the public has in no way had the oportunity to speak their opinions about it. This Board doesn't stand a chance in court, which is probably why the solicitor was sweating bullets and stammering for words in regards to their actions.
In regards Board members obligations to provide good facilities, please read the below school code information (I.e. they are bound to comply with this by law).
§7-701. Duty to provide; conditions.
The board of school directors of each district shall provide the necessary grounds and suitable school buildings to accommodate all the children between the ages of six and twenty-one years, in said district, who attend school. Such buildings shall be constructed, furnished, equipped, and maintained in a proper manner as herein provided. Suitable provisions shall be made for the heating (including the purchase of fuel), ventilating, adequate lighting, and sanitary conditions thereof, and for a safe supply of water, so that every pupil in any such building may have proper and healthful accommodations.
I can't find the complete school code on-line, but this site
http://members.aol.com/StatutesP5/24A.html
Has much of it if you wish to browse. I'm sure previous Board members may have copies available to those who wish to see it, also you can go to the school district and see it there as well.
Additionally, I would like to ask any parent who has a child in our district, whose child is harmed in any way as a result of our poor district facilities, or has contracted an illness that they believe is a result of our facilities to come forward. There is substantial documentation in regards to the poor conditions of our facilities (has anyone tried to breath in MR Reiter lately), that parents have many courses of action that they can take against this Board (both professionally as Board members and personally) who is blatantly ignoring the welfare of their children. Again, previous Board members have documentation to help any such parents with their various courses of action to protect their children.
The actual motion that they read last night when voting on the defeasement of the bond stated that they have a professional estimate and a clear understanding of what needs to be done with the facilities and that they are therefore making an informed decision in how much money they are defeasing. The law won't allow them to defease blindly (which is what they are doing). This language was actually in their motion. Voting yes was, in my opinion, fraudulent. This has not been done, and the administrators are even saying so (see yesterday's paper).
Paragraph 3 of their motion tonight read:
“the school district has received realistic cost estimates from qualified engineers, architects or other persons qualified by experience as to the amounts necessary to satisfy the costs to be incurred with respect to the revised capital project, the total estimated cost of which is in excess of the amount of the remaining proceeds of the bonds”
As anyone with a brain can see, they have not done this. There is not even a 'revised project' to speak of. They have no idea what they are doing. They are still 'exploring all options'. Without question, since they went ahead defeased the bonds last night we can proceed with the following:
I have a copy of the school code. Below is section 318. It applies if a board member refuses or neglects to perform any duty imposed upon it by the provisions of this act relating to school districts (the act being the PA School Code).
"Any 10 resident taxpayers in the district may present a petition in writing, verified by oath or affirmation of at least 3 such resident taxpayers, to the court of common pleas of the county in which such district, setting forth the facts of such refusal or neglect of duty on the part of such school directors.............(too much to type).......the court shall have the power to remove the board, or such of its number as in its opinion is proper, and appoint for the unexpired terms other qualified persons in their stead."
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
Their actions last night, in my opinion, constitute gross malfeasance of duty. We have documentation out the kazoo of the facility problems (I know of a previous Board member who has kept EVERYTHING documenting our facilities problems), with engineers and architects that would gladly testify to such in court. They have no idea how many schools they will have to maintain/renovate and they have a limited idea as to what one option may cost. They won't tell us what that option is, in fact, their president did this without Board approval, another action that can and should be challenged in court. Their administration has already told them they are being irresponsible. There is also something called gross malfeasance of duty for which a Board member can actually be sued personally as well, so if it costs the district money to borrow the additional money they will certainly be needed, it may only have to come from the people who voted yes last night, not the entire town.
There are many other Acts that Board members are required to comply with, such as 22 Pa Code (link is below), which indicates items such as :
(10) Professional educators shall exert reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions which interfere with learning or are harmful to the student’s health and safety.
More importantly, there are requirements in the school code for Boards to fully inform the public of their proposed facility plans before moving forward with any financial steps in regards to them. They absolutely have NOT done this. Some Board members don't even know what their 'tentative' plans are at this point, and the public has in no way had the oportunity to speak their opinions about it. This Board doesn't stand a chance in court, which is probably why the solicitor was sweating bullets and stammering for words in regards to their actions.
In regards Board members obligations to provide good facilities, please read the below school code information (I.e. they are bound to comply with this by law).
§7-701. Duty to provide; conditions.
The board of school directors of each district shall provide the necessary grounds and suitable school buildings to accommodate all the children between the ages of six and twenty-one years, in said district, who attend school. Such buildings shall be constructed, furnished, equipped, and maintained in a proper manner as herein provided. Suitable provisions shall be made for the heating (including the purchase of fuel), ventilating, adequate lighting, and sanitary conditions thereof, and for a safe supply of water, so that every pupil in any such building may have proper and healthful accommodations.
I can't find the complete school code on-line, but this site
http://members.aol.com/StatutesP5/24A.html
Has much of it if you wish to browse. I'm sure previous Board members may have copies available to those who wish to see it, also you can go to the school district and see it there as well.
Additionally, I would like to ask any parent who has a child in our district, whose child is harmed in any way as a result of our poor district facilities, or has contracted an illness that they believe is a result of our facilities to come forward. There is substantial documentation in regards to the poor conditions of our facilities (has anyone tried to breath in MR Reiter lately), that parents have many courses of action that they can take against this Board (both professionally as Board members and personally) who is blatantly ignoring the welfare of their children. Again, previous Board members have documentation to help any such parents with their various courses of action to protect their children.
Farming Poll and Defeasement Poll
The results of the farming poll are not a surprise. I really think that option is dead unless there's a serious space problem.
No surprises here for the defeasement poll. Time will tell though. I'm not against defeasement, just the rushed and hurried unprofessionalism of this defeasement.
No surprises here for the defeasement poll. Time will tell though. I'm not against defeasement, just the rushed and hurried unprofessionalism of this defeasement.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Open Mike Night at the Defeasement
According to peter's comments, the bond is defeased by a vote of 6-3. Please let us all in on what happened tonight.
Also, a look into how Emperor William Hellmann CPA and financial planner works with Reba Dunford.
ADDED: The BCCT had a short to-the-point factual article on the meeting.
ADDED: The Hellmann Report is now available at the MSD website
Also, a look into how Emperor William Hellmann CPA and financial planner works with Reba Dunford.
ADDED: The BCCT had a short to-the-point factual article on the meeting.
ADDED: The Hellmann Report is now available at the MSD website
Defeasement, Part III
Like all good trilogies, the third part marks the end. Tonight, the school board will defease the bond. I expect that they will not exercise their prerogative of review and simply follow through on this, thereby fulfilling a campaign promise. It's OK if you believe that's the right thing to do. I not sure if it is right or wrong just yet. I have not seen enough review on the subject to be sure.
ADDITION: The BCCT writes about this today. Also, if you want to speak before the Emperor and Hellman's Heroes, you need to be one of the first fifteen lucky participants.
The Federal Reserve will probably be cutting the interest rates another quarter to half percent today following last week's emergency rate cut of three quarter percent. This defeasement is getting really expensive. I'd like to see the due diligence that the board performed on this defeasement, but I do not expect them to share it with the public, if they did it at all.
We're handing back $24 million dollars and keeping around $6 million, (UPDATE Jan 30, defease 23 and keep 7) according to the latest estimates. The problem is that the 2005 feasibility study suggested that renovating the high school alone was at least $13 million. Where is this extra tax money coming from when it's needed? And it will be needed.
The board is acting recklessly. They are rushing toward this in secrecy without thinking through the intended consequences, let alone the unintended ones.
Even if you generally support the new board...even if you voted against the school...even if you think (or know) that your taxes are too high...step back for a moment and think about the process. This is a one shot deal. There is no going back. Do you believe that the board has done their homework for this assignment? I do not. They need to table this resolution and consult with the money people and the public to ensure that it's done right.
ADDITION: The BCCT writes about this today. Also, if you want to speak before the Emperor and Hellman's Heroes, you need to be one of the first fifteen lucky participants.
The Federal Reserve will probably be cutting the interest rates another quarter to half percent today following last week's emergency rate cut of three quarter percent. This defeasement is getting really expensive. I'd like to see the due diligence that the board performed on this defeasement, but I do not expect them to share it with the public, if they did it at all.
We're handing back $24 million dollars and keeping around $6 million, (UPDATE Jan 30, defease 23 and keep 7) according to the latest estimates. The problem is that the 2005 feasibility study suggested that renovating the high school alone was at least $13 million. Where is this extra tax money coming from when it's needed? And it will be needed.
The board is acting recklessly. They are rushing toward this in secrecy without thinking through the intended consequences, let alone the unintended ones.
Even if you generally support the new board...even if you voted against the school...even if you think (or know) that your taxes are too high...step back for a moment and think about the process. This is a one shot deal. There is no going back. Do you believe that the board has done their homework for this assignment? I do not. They need to table this resolution and consult with the money people and the public to ensure that it's done right.
Angry Al and the N-Word
The BCCT editorialises today on Angry Al.
Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance
If Morrisville school board member Al Radosti used the N-word, as has been alleged, or if he threatened other board members, which has been alleged, he should resign.
There is no acceptable excuse and there should be no second chances given for that sort of despicable behavior. It simply cannot be tolerated from any public official. Period.
The question is: Did it happen?
As far as the N-word goes, Radosti denied it when our reporter spoke to him the day after the charge was made at a school board meeting. (Radosti did not respond during the meeting.)
The allegation came from Bucks County NAACP President John Jordan, a former Morrisville school board member. Jordan said the remark was made in front of other school board members, including former board President Sandy Gibson.
Gibson later confirmed she heard Radosti make racist statements in the past. So did former board member Johanny Manning, who said the comments she heard Radosti make were in reference to educating minorities.
School board member Joseph Kemp said he was told of Radosti using the N-word after joining the board but did not hear it said.
With regard to the alleged threats, Gibson said Radosti threatened her on Oct. 3 at an executive session of the board, meaning it was a closed-door meeting. This isn't new news. Gibson and Manning talked about the incident at a subsequent board meeting. What's new is the pair said a call was placed to 911. Police responded but the borough police chief told our reporter an incident report was not immediately available.
Kemp also said Radosti threatened him at the Oct. 3 meeting during a heated discussion about a controversial and now-defunct plan to build a new $30 million K-12 school. Kemp said Radosti wanted to fist fight.
While Gibson did not talk to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission about the alleged racist remark, as Jordan suggested, she did submit to district court a private complaint about the Oct. 3 threats. She said she has called the DA's office “repeatedly for three months” without response.
We urge the newly named district attorney to give this matter her immediate attention. If a crime was committed by a school board member, citizens have a right to know. Likewise, if it's all been overblown, Radosti deserves to have his name cleared.
In the matter of the alleged racial slurs, this appears to be an issue for the Human Relations Commission. We urge those who say they heard the remarks to back up their words with action.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Visit to the Mailbag
I wanted to thank an anonymous commenter to yesterday's posting for today's LOL of the Day
Actually, when it comes to issues of class and lack of compassion for the struggling working people of this community--there can be no greater Right-wing fringe than your loud, gossipy, mean-spirited minority who suggest people should just get out if they can't afford a massive tax increase. In terms of what is best for the children--economically and academically--Pennsbury would be ideal. Not only does it offer greater educational opportunity- but lower taxes and increased property values as well. I have to wonder at the agenda of those who would stop at nothing, despite repeated electorial rebuke (ignoring democracy--now there is a Right-wing strategy), race-baiting sensationalization (don't think for a moment that Anne Perry's letter to the editor with thinly-veiled gangster innuendo regarding Mr. Radosti escaped the notice of other Italian-Americans) and constant drum-beating as if this was the most pressing issue of these times. Must be nice to have such a luxury. Either you are teachers worried about being unemployed (in that case the old, If-you-can't-afford-it-tough-luck argument applies,doesn't it?) Or, you are intent on snatching up properties (I believe Jon Perry mentioned just "how easy" landgrabs were)and flipping them say for 735K, huh? Or, you know, it is just infantile sour grapes because you got your asses handed to you. But, don't ever assume to speak for the Left, unless you fly that banner as a DLC appropriation.
Thanks for your input. If you want to see mean spirited in action, look in the mirror.
The seniors should NOT get out because they cannot afford to live here. If you really read through things posted here, you would have seen my comment about my grandmother and her one-bedroom apartment after losing the longtime family home to inflation, lackluster investments, and taxes. A thriving community includes all age levels. I submit that you want the children gone to enjoy your new Morrisville (an age 55 and over community) home. That's an equally repugnant idea.
I believe the "mafia" references were due to the police coming in to a school board executive session and were a reference used by the reported who wrote the story. I don't think anyone pushed John Jordan into speaking the other night, and if Al Radosti said those things, then he should be held accountable. If he didn't then the false reporter and/or Jordan should be accountable.
I am not a teacher. There are days my own kids are more than I can handle. I can only imagine having thirty kids in my charge.
When was the last time you were in a Morrisville classroom since you graduated? The small class sizes and the focused teacher attention are a godsend to many of the students. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the sharp caliber of teachers in this small community. Most of them can probably do much better elsewhere in terms of pay, but yet, they choose to come here. Same with the Gateway project. They could probably do better elsewhere, yet they chose Morrisville. Ask yourself: What brighter future do they see for Morrisville that is invisible to you?
And as for a landgrab, the taxes are oppressive, there's a crumbling school system soon to go bankrupt and taken over, the borough budget is failing, and new business development is vainly left knocking at the door waiting to be let in. Who would buy a home in this crazy place?
I don't speak for the left or the right. The left wing loonies are just as ridiculous as their right wing nut counterparts. The truth, as always, lies more in the center, where we're supposed to meet and hash things out.
We did get our asses handed to us. We foolishly assumed that the fallacious and incoherent arguments that were the centerpiece of the Stop the Schoolers campaign would be dismissed by serious thinkers. Boy, were we wrong.
PS ADDED NOON Jan 29 2008: WOW! I cannot believe the dialogue that this has generated. These are exactly the points of view that need to be publicised!
Actually, when it comes to issues of class and lack of compassion for the struggling working people of this community--there can be no greater Right-wing fringe than your loud, gossipy, mean-spirited minority who suggest people should just get out if they can't afford a massive tax increase. In terms of what is best for the children--economically and academically--Pennsbury would be ideal. Not only does it offer greater educational opportunity- but lower taxes and increased property values as well. I have to wonder at the agenda of those who would stop at nothing, despite repeated electorial rebuke (ignoring democracy--now there is a Right-wing strategy), race-baiting sensationalization (don't think for a moment that Anne Perry's letter to the editor with thinly-veiled gangster innuendo regarding Mr. Radosti escaped the notice of other Italian-Americans) and constant drum-beating as if this was the most pressing issue of these times. Must be nice to have such a luxury. Either you are teachers worried about being unemployed (in that case the old, If-you-can't-afford-it-tough-luck argument applies,doesn't it?) Or, you are intent on snatching up properties (I believe Jon Perry mentioned just "how easy" landgrabs were)and flipping them say for 735K, huh? Or, you know, it is just infantile sour grapes because you got your asses handed to you. But, don't ever assume to speak for the Left, unless you fly that banner as a DLC appropriation.
Thanks for your input. If you want to see mean spirited in action, look in the mirror.
The seniors should NOT get out because they cannot afford to live here. If you really read through things posted here, you would have seen my comment about my grandmother and her one-bedroom apartment after losing the longtime family home to inflation, lackluster investments, and taxes. A thriving community includes all age levels. I submit that you want the children gone to enjoy your new Morrisville (an age 55 and over community) home. That's an equally repugnant idea.
I believe the "mafia" references were due to the police coming in to a school board executive session and were a reference used by the reported who wrote the story. I don't think anyone pushed John Jordan into speaking the other night, and if Al Radosti said those things, then he should be held accountable. If he didn't then the false reporter and/or Jordan should be accountable.
I am not a teacher. There are days my own kids are more than I can handle. I can only imagine having thirty kids in my charge.
When was the last time you were in a Morrisville classroom since you graduated? The small class sizes and the focused teacher attention are a godsend to many of the students. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the sharp caliber of teachers in this small community. Most of them can probably do much better elsewhere in terms of pay, but yet, they choose to come here. Same with the Gateway project. They could probably do better elsewhere, yet they chose Morrisville. Ask yourself: What brighter future do they see for Morrisville that is invisible to you?
And as for a landgrab, the taxes are oppressive, there's a crumbling school system soon to go bankrupt and taken over, the borough budget is failing, and new business development is vainly left knocking at the door waiting to be let in. Who would buy a home in this crazy place?
I don't speak for the left or the right. The left wing loonies are just as ridiculous as their right wing nut counterparts. The truth, as always, lies more in the center, where we're supposed to meet and hash things out.
We did get our asses handed to us. We foolishly assumed that the fallacious and incoherent arguments that were the centerpiece of the Stop the Schoolers campaign would be dismissed by serious thinkers. Boy, were we wrong.
PS ADDED NOON Jan 29 2008: WOW! I cannot believe the dialogue that this has generated. These are exactly the points of view that need to be publicised!
Monday, January 28, 2008
The QSRE Stirs...
Like the mythical Kraken or our counterpart known as Godzilla, the QRSE is awakening from their triumphal post-electoral slumber.
When we last left the Q, they were sitting contentedly at the table of power and basking in the afterglow of victory. They trumpeted their victory to the right wing no-tax fringe. They even got their Vice President, Ed Bailey, self-appointed to a position as a shadow board member.
Now it seems that there's a new group in town to challenge their propaganda. I've heard rumors of something for a while now, but nothing that I could point to. Apparently the Q have heard this too, and have decided to make this group the new target of their propaganda.
Let's take a look at this flyer. If I am wrong on any of these items, please let me know and I will correct them.
A-Field sale: I have not heard any board members state outright that the A-Field will not be sold. What is your source? Who said this and when?
Sell the Magic Cottage: Perhaps, but you mean that you are NOT open to selling assets when we need to raise money? You would prefer to hold onto the Magic Cottage (and I do not know the particulars of this deal anyway, so if anyone would care to fill in the details...) and have extra taxation rather than selling an under-performing asset and bringing back the money to help the budget?
No names: This group is probably in its infancy and still organizing. I'm in no position to argue about anonymity, but I would imagine that when they are ready, they will appear.
You stand behind what you say? Great. Let me go over your flyers to see, but the big thing that strikes me is your opposition to school uniforms. Uniforms were evil under Sandy Gibson, according to one of your flyers, but now suddenly they're OK with Emperor William Hellmann CPA?
You do not have to pay off the $23 million: What a crock! Yes you do! The money is borrowed. We have to pay on it. What you mean to say is that the money is being taken out of its current parking place, placed in a series of investment instruments designed to pay off the bondholders every six months as scheduled. Allegedly your tax millage will go down. Why don't YOU ask the Emperor to show us how much the taxes will go down? He doesn't respond to anyone who is not slavishly dedicated to his ego.
There will be 7 million dollars to rehab our schools: While that is a slightly inflated figure (even the Emperor is using six million as the figure), how far will that go, especially when the 2005 feasibility study suggested that $14 million was needed just for the high school alone?
They kept their promise and stopped the school: Yes. They did.
First time a town has been able to hold back a project: Yes. You did. And Morrisville is the worse off for you having done so.
The best education possible: Sure. In Pennsbury, Bristol, or wherever you can auction our kids off to. Don't you get it? The small school district is exactly what brings people to Morrisville.
Input from all the residents: So do we speak at the secret executive sessions or speak really fast in the 45 minute timeframe allowed by our benevolent dictator?
Isn't it interesting that the Emperor and Hellmann's Heroes hide behind these people rather than stating things openly and clearly at board meetings or even in answering resident emails and questions?
Anyone else?
When we last left the Q, they were sitting contentedly at the table of power and basking in the afterglow of victory. They trumpeted their victory to the right wing no-tax fringe. They even got their Vice President, Ed Bailey, self-appointed to a position as a shadow board member.
Now it seems that there's a new group in town to challenge their propaganda. I've heard rumors of something for a while now, but nothing that I could point to. Apparently the Q have heard this too, and have decided to make this group the new target of their propaganda.
Let's take a look at this flyer. If I am wrong on any of these items, please let me know and I will correct them.
A-Field sale: I have not heard any board members state outright that the A-Field will not be sold. What is your source? Who said this and when?
Sell the Magic Cottage: Perhaps, but you mean that you are NOT open to selling assets when we need to raise money? You would prefer to hold onto the Magic Cottage (and I do not know the particulars of this deal anyway, so if anyone would care to fill in the details...) and have extra taxation rather than selling an under-performing asset and bringing back the money to help the budget?
No names: This group is probably in its infancy and still organizing. I'm in no position to argue about anonymity, but I would imagine that when they are ready, they will appear.
You stand behind what you say? Great. Let me go over your flyers to see, but the big thing that strikes me is your opposition to school uniforms. Uniforms were evil under Sandy Gibson, according to one of your flyers, but now suddenly they're OK with Emperor William Hellmann CPA?
You do not have to pay off the $23 million: What a crock! Yes you do! The money is borrowed. We have to pay on it. What you mean to say is that the money is being taken out of its current parking place, placed in a series of investment instruments designed to pay off the bondholders every six months as scheduled. Allegedly your tax millage will go down. Why don't YOU ask the Emperor to show us how much the taxes will go down? He doesn't respond to anyone who is not slavishly dedicated to his ego.
There will be 7 million dollars to rehab our schools: While that is a slightly inflated figure (even the Emperor is using six million as the figure), how far will that go, especially when the 2005 feasibility study suggested that $14 million was needed just for the high school alone?
They kept their promise and stopped the school: Yes. They did.
First time a town has been able to hold back a project: Yes. You did. And Morrisville is the worse off for you having done so.
The best education possible: Sure. In Pennsbury, Bristol, or wherever you can auction our kids off to. Don't you get it? The small school district is exactly what brings people to Morrisville.
Input from all the residents: So do we speak at the secret executive sessions or speak really fast in the 45 minute timeframe allowed by our benevolent dictator?
Isn't it interesting that the Emperor and Hellmann's Heroes hide behind these people rather than stating things openly and clearly at board meetings or even in answering resident emails and questions?
Anyone else?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Gateway
While this does not directly apply to the current issues with our schools, it certainly does apply to the level of taxation in the borough.
Right now, the same people who stopped the school, supposedly to lower the taxes, are also opposing the Gateway project, which would generate tax revenue, lowering the tax burden on all of us. The logic seems sound. Up is Down, Good is Bad, Black is White. Paging George Orwell: It's 1984 in Morrisville and doubleplusgoodthink is alive and well.
Here is an email that I received covering some of the background on the project. I also have a Power Point presentation with more information on the project. As soon as I can get it posted somewhere I will, but if you want to see it ASAP, drop me a line and I'll email it to you.
(You asked for information on the Gateway Center. Please share the enclosure and this e-mail with those you think may find it of interest.)
The enclosed is the materials that I presented to the Borough Council on October 2, 2007 – now almost four months ago. This provides some very interesting information which I would be pleased to discuss with you and others interested in the project.
To give you the brief update from October – nothing has happened! A slightly longer answer follows …
The basic issue holding up the project for the last year and a half has been acquiring the land from – 1) the Bridge Commission, and 2) the Borough Council.
If I understand the Borough Council’s comments on Tuesday, they implied that the Council cannot do anything until we submit a preliminary development plan. If this is what they said, it is misleading.
As I explained to the Council on October 2, October 9th, and October 15th there are two aspects of the proposal that impacts the Borough Council – 1) approval of a preliminary development plan, and 2) agreement to sell land for the parking lot.
Preliminary Development Plan
The first item – the preliminary development plan – is a routine but costly part of the development process. Once prepared the preliminary development plan is submitted to the Borough Planning Committee and Zoning Committee which upon approval would ultimately require the Borough Council’s approval.
The Bridge Commission asked PJRP to submit a preliminary development plan before they would agree to sell the Morrisville EDC (who would sell the land to PJRP) the Bridge Commission portion of the project land. The Borough also wanted us to submit a preliminary development plan before they agreed to sell us their land for the project. PJRP objected to submitting a preliminary plan before having a purchase agreement with either the Borough or the Bridge Commission for two reasons –
1) It is a very expensive process to go through – over $50,000 – without having a commitment from either land owner that they are willing to sell their land; and
2) It is illegal, which the Borough Solicitor agreed with at the October 15th Borough Council meeting, and which has since been communicated from the Borough to the Bridge Commission. PJRP cannot submit a preliminary development plan until PJRP has an “economic interest” in the property to be developed. The preliminary development plan must come after a purchase agreement.
So, the bottom line with the preliminary development plan is that we cannot present a plan until we have a purchase agreement with either the Bridge Commission or the Borough. (The purchase agreement, by the way, would be contingent on the approval of the preliminary development plan. If the plan is not approved – neither the Bridge Commission nor the Borough is obligated to sell their land and we are not obligated to buy their land if the plan is not approved.)
Agreement to sell (buy) Borough land
This brings us to the “Catch-22” that the Borough has us. One, however, they have the ability to fix. As noted above, the preliminary plan must come after PJRP has an “economic interest” in the land. One way that PJRP gets an economic interest in the land is that the Borough enters into a purchase agreement with PJRP to buy the Borough’s land.
The Answer to the Borough Councils comment
So … If the Council or anyone else says “we can’t do anything until the developer submits a preliminary plan.”
A good response would be, “Doesn’t the developer have to have an economic interest in the land before they can submit a preliminary plan?”
The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”
A good response to that would be, “then if the Borough Council enters into an agreement of sale with the developer wouldn’t the developer be able to submit a preliminary development plan?”
The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”
A good response to that would be, “then why doesn’t the Borough Council enter into an agreement of sale with developer for the Borough land so that the developer can submit a preliminary plan?
I haven’t been able to get an answer to that question for four months now …
Dan
Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (Office)
(215) 378-6279 (Cell)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com
Huh? We've got a chance for 400-600 jobs coming INTO the borough and an estimated $300,000 in tax revenue, and we're not showing interest in moving forward? Both the borough and school district budgets are in the toilet and here's a hometown group who want to improve Morrisville and bring money in? Why is anyone stalling on the decisions for this project?
You need to contact YOUR ward's council members and tell them to move forward with Gateway. It's that simple. Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.
MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439
COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008
President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264
Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264
George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987
Right now, the same people who stopped the school, supposedly to lower the taxes, are also opposing the Gateway project, which would generate tax revenue, lowering the tax burden on all of us. The logic seems sound. Up is Down, Good is Bad, Black is White. Paging George Orwell: It's 1984 in Morrisville and doubleplusgoodthink is alive and well.
Here is an email that I received covering some of the background on the project. I also have a Power Point presentation with more information on the project. As soon as I can get it posted somewhere I will, but if you want to see it ASAP, drop me a line and I'll email it to you.
(You asked for information on the Gateway Center. Please share the enclosure and this e-mail with those you think may find it of interest.)
The enclosed is the materials that I presented to the Borough Council on October 2, 2007 – now almost four months ago. This provides some very interesting information which I would be pleased to discuss with you and others interested in the project.
To give you the brief update from October – nothing has happened! A slightly longer answer follows …
The basic issue holding up the project for the last year and a half has been acquiring the land from – 1) the Bridge Commission, and 2) the Borough Council.
If I understand the Borough Council’s comments on Tuesday, they implied that the Council cannot do anything until we submit a preliminary development plan. If this is what they said, it is misleading.
As I explained to the Council on October 2, October 9th, and October 15th there are two aspects of the proposal that impacts the Borough Council – 1) approval of a preliminary development plan, and 2) agreement to sell land for the parking lot.
Preliminary Development Plan
The first item – the preliminary development plan – is a routine but costly part of the development process. Once prepared the preliminary development plan is submitted to the Borough Planning Committee and Zoning Committee which upon approval would ultimately require the Borough Council’s approval.
The Bridge Commission asked PJRP to submit a preliminary development plan before they would agree to sell the Morrisville EDC (who would sell the land to PJRP) the Bridge Commission portion of the project land. The Borough also wanted us to submit a preliminary development plan before they agreed to sell us their land for the project. PJRP objected to submitting a preliminary plan before having a purchase agreement with either the Borough or the Bridge Commission for two reasons –
1) It is a very expensive process to go through – over $50,000 – without having a commitment from either land owner that they are willing to sell their land; and
2) It is illegal, which the Borough Solicitor agreed with at the October 15th Borough Council meeting, and which has since been communicated from the Borough to the Bridge Commission. PJRP cannot submit a preliminary development plan until PJRP has an “economic interest” in the property to be developed. The preliminary development plan must come after a purchase agreement.
So, the bottom line with the preliminary development plan is that we cannot present a plan until we have a purchase agreement with either the Bridge Commission or the Borough. (The purchase agreement, by the way, would be contingent on the approval of the preliminary development plan. If the plan is not approved – neither the Bridge Commission nor the Borough is obligated to sell their land and we are not obligated to buy their land if the plan is not approved.)
Agreement to sell (buy) Borough land
This brings us to the “Catch-22” that the Borough has us. One, however, they have the ability to fix. As noted above, the preliminary plan must come after PJRP has an “economic interest” in the land. One way that PJRP gets an economic interest in the land is that the Borough enters into a purchase agreement with PJRP to buy the Borough’s land.
The Answer to the Borough Councils comment
So … If the Council or anyone else says “we can’t do anything until the developer submits a preliminary plan.”
A good response would be, “Doesn’t the developer have to have an economic interest in the land before they can submit a preliminary plan?”
The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”
A good response to that would be, “then if the Borough Council enters into an agreement of sale with the developer wouldn’t the developer be able to submit a preliminary development plan?”
The appropriate response from the Borough Council would be, “uh huh.”
A good response to that would be, “then why doesn’t the Borough Council enter into an agreement of sale with developer for the Borough land so that the developer can submit a preliminary plan?
I haven’t been able to get an answer to that question for four months now …
Dan
Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (Office)
(215) 378-6279 (Cell)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com
Huh? We've got a chance for 400-600 jobs coming INTO the borough and an estimated $300,000 in tax revenue, and we're not showing interest in moving forward? Both the borough and school district budgets are in the toilet and here's a hometown group who want to improve Morrisville and bring money in? Why is anyone stalling on the decisions for this project?
You need to contact YOUR ward's council members and tell them to move forward with Gateway. It's that simple. Go to the borough website from the link on the sidebar to the left and find your council members. Let them know you support Morrisville.
MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439
COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008
President:
Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264
Vice President:
Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264
George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Defeasement, Part II
So where do we go from here? The three schools are in pretty sad shape. M.R. Reiter, the worst of the three, is not salvageable without major renovation. I partially agree with Marlys Mihok that the site would make a great park. It would also make a great light business location too. Maybe doctor's offices or accounting offices, something like that. Why can't we make the location assume some of our tax burden and become productive? This is a debate for another time though.
Grandview is in bad shape too. This is the unspoken assumption that was there in the K-12 proposal from the previous board: All three schools are in bad shape. All of those parents who thought that the elementary schools were somehow "safe" from major upheaval once the evil K-12 building was defeated need to re-examine the situation. Renovation items from all three schools were, quite reasonably, postponed under the assumption that a new building was coming. Now they need to be addressed.
We're going to be renovating the Six Million Dollar Shell. Is that enough money to do the job? Aside from Emperor William Hellmann CPA, I'm not sure anyone else believes it is.
There are four boilers at MHS and all need replacement. Will they stay as fuel oil boilers, or convert over to gas? Where are energy prices heading? I assume that "down" is a safe incorrect answer.
The current windows assume cheap fuel prices. Will the new windows be the same size or smaller? Smaller means the walls need to be addressed as well, and the current AC units removed and patched over.
Electric? What's coming into the school, circa 1957, assumes open windows in warm weather (no AC units) and the occasional filmstrip projector being used. Today, there are multiple computers in each room (with each monitor, CPU, and printer needing an outlet), coffee makers, microwave ovens, electric pencil sharpeners, fans, televisions. I would safely assume that the electricity being used today is 10 times over what it used to be back in the Eisenhower Administration.
That's the tip of it. How many home repairs have you done only to find that the job is more that you expected? One items leads to another and soon, there's ten items to repair where there once was only one.
So this is where the engineers and architects come in. They need to survey what's there, what can be done, and the cost to do it. Has this been done yet? Where are the written reports, estimates, quotes, findings. etc? What plan is being used here, other than the plans of Emperor William Hellman CPA?
Incidentally, considering the William Hellman CPA designed and maintained borough finances are tanking too, tell me again why we're allowing him to work on the school budget. Someone? Anyone? The lack of a borough tax base is one of the reasons why this issue has arisen, and what did William Hellman CPA do to make things better or worse?
We also have to consider the capacity of the buildings. Will the physical MHS site accommodate a K-12 building? I don't have the floor plans and utilization figures available to me. My answer is *probably*, but I don't know. Reiter is a goner, so maybe renovate Grandview as well as a K-3 or 4 building, and bring the 5th grade over to MHS if there's not enough room. OK. Will six million refurbish TWO shells? Oops...maybe we need to keep $10 million? Well, since no one is doing the due diligence, who knows? We need to establish the costs involved in each of the options, along with the pluses and minuses. These are feasibility studies in the real world. Where is the MVSB's study? Nowhere, that's where.
There's a lot of emotion that goes with this whole question, and we've paid the price for it over the past few years. The seniors feel cheated out of their retirement money. The parents feel cheated out of a safe educational facility for their children. All of the homeowners feel cheated by the lack of a tax base to relieve the crippling taxes.
Let's sit back and take a deep breath and dispassionately examine this issue openly (sorry, Marlys, no executive sessions) with a somewhat open mind and in a general spirit of cooperation. The truth, and the eventual solution, lies somewhere in the middle, where it always was. We just need one of Kate Fratti's heroes to lead us to that point.
Who is going to step up?
Grandview is in bad shape too. This is the unspoken assumption that was there in the K-12 proposal from the previous board: All three schools are in bad shape. All of those parents who thought that the elementary schools were somehow "safe" from major upheaval once the evil K-12 building was defeated need to re-examine the situation. Renovation items from all three schools were, quite reasonably, postponed under the assumption that a new building was coming. Now they need to be addressed.
We're going to be renovating the Six Million Dollar Shell. Is that enough money to do the job? Aside from Emperor William Hellmann CPA, I'm not sure anyone else believes it is.
There are four boilers at MHS and all need replacement. Will they stay as fuel oil boilers, or convert over to gas? Where are energy prices heading? I assume that "down" is a safe incorrect answer.
The current windows assume cheap fuel prices. Will the new windows be the same size or smaller? Smaller means the walls need to be addressed as well, and the current AC units removed and patched over.
Electric? What's coming into the school, circa 1957, assumes open windows in warm weather (no AC units) and the occasional filmstrip projector being used. Today, there are multiple computers in each room (with each monitor, CPU, and printer needing an outlet), coffee makers, microwave ovens, electric pencil sharpeners, fans, televisions. I would safely assume that the electricity being used today is 10 times over what it used to be back in the Eisenhower Administration.
That's the tip of it. How many home repairs have you done only to find that the job is more that you expected? One items leads to another and soon, there's ten items to repair where there once was only one.
So this is where the engineers and architects come in. They need to survey what's there, what can be done, and the cost to do it. Has this been done yet? Where are the written reports, estimates, quotes, findings. etc? What plan is being used here, other than the plans of Emperor William Hellman CPA?
Incidentally, considering the William Hellman CPA designed and maintained borough finances are tanking too, tell me again why we're allowing him to work on the school budget. Someone? Anyone? The lack of a borough tax base is one of the reasons why this issue has arisen, and what did William Hellman CPA do to make things better or worse?
We also have to consider the capacity of the buildings. Will the physical MHS site accommodate a K-12 building? I don't have the floor plans and utilization figures available to me. My answer is *probably*, but I don't know. Reiter is a goner, so maybe renovate Grandview as well as a K-3 or 4 building, and bring the 5th grade over to MHS if there's not enough room. OK. Will six million refurbish TWO shells? Oops...maybe we need to keep $10 million? Well, since no one is doing the due diligence, who knows? We need to establish the costs involved in each of the options, along with the pluses and minuses. These are feasibility studies in the real world. Where is the MVSB's study? Nowhere, that's where.
There's a lot of emotion that goes with this whole question, and we've paid the price for it over the past few years. The seniors feel cheated out of their retirement money. The parents feel cheated out of a safe educational facility for their children. All of the homeowners feel cheated by the lack of a tax base to relieve the crippling taxes.
Let's sit back and take a deep breath and dispassionately examine this issue openly (sorry, Marlys, no executive sessions) with a somewhat open mind and in a general spirit of cooperation. The truth, and the eventual solution, lies somewhere in the middle, where it always was. We just need one of Kate Fratti's heroes to lead us to that point.
Who is going to step up?
Defeasment, Part I
Outside of the magical world of CPAs and other money mavens, the word defeasement is not used in casual conversation. I'm not sure it's used in conversation period. However, the good citizens of Morrisville have this word on their minds and tongues quite a bit lately. Do not forget the special board meeting on Wednesday, January 30, at 7:30 P.M. in the MHS LGI room. Please, please, click on that link and read the entire text. It will confuse many of us. Keep in mind that some of the board members are confused and uncertain as well. This is an important issue, maybe even more important than the farming issue.
The root of the word is in "defeat" and there are several dictionary entries and explanations I found for the word in Infoplease, the National Council of Health Facilities Finance Authority, Wikipedia, and a California public entity law firm.
The new school is dead and anyone who supported it must accept this reality.
So now we have money left over from the $30 million bond issue less the "two million dollars that were used for Lord knows what!" that the Stop the Schoolers fondly mention.
This money was borrowed for a period of years, for a purpose, at an interest rate, and it is obligated to be paid off. It's nothing more than a new car loan with lots more zeroes at the end, except that it's hard to repossess a building, and the taxpayers are footing the bill in the form of their taxes.
So, just like a mortgage or car loan, it can be repurposed and refinanced as needed providing the legal dotted Is and crossed Ts are all in place.
William Hellmann CPA maintains that the borrowing interest rate is too high. Yes, it is high. The more money you borrow, the higher the interest rate. Morrisville also pays its bills off the backs of homeowners rather than businesses. Even the accounting community recognises this as a bad thing and raises the interest rate accordingly. Takeaway from this: Morrisville is a less than excellent credit risk. Keep thinking car dealers for a moment: Where does your credit rating allow you to buy cars and what is your interest rate?
William Hellmann CPA also maintains, quite correctly, that interest rates are going to fall. The Federal Reserve just made an emergency interest rate cut to boost the economy, and I doubt that it was the last one for the short term. Returning the money now means 1) we can retire the high interest money now, but 2) we need better current interest rates to defease the debt because the lower the rates drop, the more money we need to put up to accomplish the defeasement. We can then 3) borrow less money (say, $10 million rather than $30 million) to continue renovating the school at a lower interest rate because the principal borrowed is smaller and we're using today's rates rather than the rates of two years ago.
Once the bond is defeased, it "goes away" and in theory, the tax millage increase that borrowing this money represented also goes away.
So far, this seems fairly straightforward, and perhaps the reasoning of the rules-bound Mr William Hellmann CPA is valid up to this point. A bond defeasement does seem to be the more prudent choice at this time if these criteria were the only issue. However, this is only the first part of a very complex situation.
There's a lot more to discuss, and I really would like to stimulate some serious discussion on this issue before the January 30 meeting. In the next post, I intended to cover the Morrisville angle of where we are, and what our current reality is. At this point, any of the defeasement options I described in the poll are possibilities. They each carry an element of risk, and I'm not sure which is "more right" than any others. I'm not sure that some of the board members will take the initiative to ask Emperor William to slow down and examine the issue more closely. But there's the challenge. It's out on the table for any of the eight remaining board members to pick up.
The root of the word is in "defeat" and there are several dictionary entries and explanations I found for the word in Infoplease, the National Council of Health Facilities Finance Authority, Wikipedia, and a California public entity law firm.
The new school is dead and anyone who supported it must accept this reality.
So now we have money left over from the $30 million bond issue less the "two million dollars that were used for Lord knows what!" that the Stop the Schoolers fondly mention.
This money was borrowed for a period of years, for a purpose, at an interest rate, and it is obligated to be paid off. It's nothing more than a new car loan with lots more zeroes at the end, except that it's hard to repossess a building, and the taxpayers are footing the bill in the form of their taxes.
So, just like a mortgage or car loan, it can be repurposed and refinanced as needed providing the legal dotted Is and crossed Ts are all in place.
William Hellmann CPA maintains that the borrowing interest rate is too high. Yes, it is high. The more money you borrow, the higher the interest rate. Morrisville also pays its bills off the backs of homeowners rather than businesses. Even the accounting community recognises this as a bad thing and raises the interest rate accordingly. Takeaway from this: Morrisville is a less than excellent credit risk. Keep thinking car dealers for a moment: Where does your credit rating allow you to buy cars and what is your interest rate?
William Hellmann CPA also maintains, quite correctly, that interest rates are going to fall. The Federal Reserve just made an emergency interest rate cut to boost the economy, and I doubt that it was the last one for the short term. Returning the money now means 1) we can retire the high interest money now, but 2) we need better current interest rates to defease the debt because the lower the rates drop, the more money we need to put up to accomplish the defeasement. We can then 3) borrow less money (say, $10 million rather than $30 million) to continue renovating the school at a lower interest rate because the principal borrowed is smaller and we're using today's rates rather than the rates of two years ago.
Once the bond is defeased, it "goes away" and in theory, the tax millage increase that borrowing this money represented also goes away.
So far, this seems fairly straightforward, and perhaps the reasoning of the rules-bound Mr William Hellmann CPA is valid up to this point. A bond defeasement does seem to be the more prudent choice at this time if these criteria were the only issue. However, this is only the first part of a very complex situation.
There's a lot more to discuss, and I really would like to stimulate some serious discussion on this issue before the January 30 meeting. In the next post, I intended to cover the Morrisville angle of where we are, and what our current reality is. At this point, any of the defeasement options I described in the poll are possibilities. They each carry an element of risk, and I'm not sure which is "more right" than any others. I'm not sure that some of the board members will take the initiative to ask Emperor William to slow down and examine the issue more closely. But there's the challenge. It's out on the table for any of the eight remaining board members to pick up.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Free Form Friday
Plenty to read today in the BCCT. Angry Al, Kate Fratti's column, and the Gateway project are all hot topics. There's also the body slam applied by the BCCT to Hellmann's Heroes. It's too good to pass up posting it below.
Also thanks to the anonymous graphic artist. :)
Do you have anything to add?
No more secrecy
More than a hundred people jammed Wednesday's Morrisville school board meeting. Probably half of them wanted to be heard. After all, the board was meeting just days after it leaked out that members were secretly considering shutting down the borough's 116-year-old high school program, and that Morrisville kids were being shopped around to other school districts.
Hey, if you take 'em, we'll pay you!
No wonder people stormed the meeting. But rather than patiently listening to folks who wanted to be heard — every one of them, as the board should have — board President William Hellmann invoked a rule to limit public participation. He allowed only 15 citizens to sign up to speak. And he gave them just three minutes each to be heard — 45 minutes total.
And he wouldn't budge.
Nice way for a community leader to treat the people he's supposed to be serving. But folks didn't just lose an opportunity to vent, an opportunity they deserved. The board squandered the possibility that citizens might have had some practical suggestions.
Maybe board members don't realize it, but they don't know everything.
Indeed, this arrogant bunch has little consideration for anybody who disagrees with them. By law, the school closure/student exportation discussion should have been held publicly. Instead, it occurred behind closed doors. And if Hellman gets his way, the general public will continue to be shut out.
Hellman promised at Wednesday's meeting that no decision will be made without a referendum. We're glad to hear that. We weren't happy to hear there will be more closed doors — and neither should residents. We refer to a meeting the board president intends to organize between board members and a select group of citizens, students and teachers. The plan is to brainstorm ideas and discuss options.
Better late than never.
Problem is, he intends to make it a so-called executive session, meaning the general public would be barred.
That's illegal. And Morrisville citizens shouldn't accept it.
Hellman clearly likes to set rules. But there are also rules that he must respect and follow. To that end, we suggest he review the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act.
And then, by all means, hold a meeting. In fact, hold a few. The school board should schedule as many meetings as it takes for every citizen, students included, to be heard.
Maybe no ideas will surface that are any better than the one the board was secretly pursuing. But at least the community will have been heard at open forums where input is invited. Then and only then should the board propose shutting down an institution that is part of what makes a community whole.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
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?
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?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Borough Budget Blowout!
Oops. It looks like even the borough tax increase is going to be bigger than expected. Expected revenues are not meeting those expectations. Now that William Hellmann CPA has moved his expertise to the school board, the borough is failing. Or does this mean that this is what we can expect from the school board budget once Billy Boy is done?
Council reopens budget talks to discuss shortfall
By DANNY ADLER
Bucks County Courier Times
Because of unexpected expenses that have arisen following approval of the 2008 budget, the council decided to reopen its spending plan Tuesday night to account for an estimated $91,098 shortfall.
In order to account for the budget's shortcomings, municipal taxes could rise even more than the $56 increase that passed in December.
The council will hold a special budget meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at borough hall, 35 Union St. Under state law, the budget must be closed by Feb. 15.
A memo from borough Manager George Mount said the borough received $37,700 less than was budgeted from a recycling performance grant.
The borough also was left with a $20,000 expense for a workers compensation audit for 2006 and 2007, and will have to pay an additional $33,398 for 2007 and 2008, Mount said.
Those expenses were not included in the 2008 budget.
Council President Nancy Sherlock said now is the time to open the budget to avoid a bigger deficit going into next year.
According to the budget that passed in December, the owner of a property assessed at the borough average of $20,000 will pay approximately $663 in property taxes in 2008.
The $5.3 million budget was a $300,000 increase over 2007. Millage increased 2.8 mills to 33.18. The cost of 1 mill translates to about $20 for the average property owner.
Council reopens budget talks to discuss shortfall
By DANNY ADLER
Bucks County Courier Times
Because of unexpected expenses that have arisen following approval of the 2008 budget, the council decided to reopen its spending plan Tuesday night to account for an estimated $91,098 shortfall.
In order to account for the budget's shortcomings, municipal taxes could rise even more than the $56 increase that passed in December.
The council will hold a special budget meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at borough hall, 35 Union St. Under state law, the budget must be closed by Feb. 15.
A memo from borough Manager George Mount said the borough received $37,700 less than was budgeted from a recycling performance grant.
The borough also was left with a $20,000 expense for a workers compensation audit for 2006 and 2007, and will have to pay an additional $33,398 for 2007 and 2008, Mount said.
Those expenses were not included in the 2008 budget.
Council President Nancy Sherlock said now is the time to open the budget to avoid a bigger deficit going into next year.
According to the budget that passed in December, the owner of a property assessed at the borough average of $20,000 will pay approximately $663 in property taxes in 2008.
The $5.3 million budget was a $300,000 increase over 2007. Millage increased 2.8 mills to 33.18. The cost of 1 mill translates to about $20 for the average property owner.
Shoe on the Other Foot?
Congratulations to Ed Bailey, lately of the QSRE and now a member of the Morrisville School Board, replacing...um...replacing...um...
Wait a minute...when did he get elected? Or appointed? Who is he replacing?
In any event, Ed has provided the LOL Of The Day. We have been warned! Propaganda is effective only when the QSRE/Stop the School people are using it and it is disloyal and unAmerican when used against those same people.
By the way, my algebra skills show that $500,000 over 13 years, considering a student educated from K to 12 in Morrisville comes out to $38,461 per year. Is this the new propaganda based number we should we be using?
I'm also intrigued by Mr Bailey's insistence in infringing my civil rights to speak out.
Considering all options
In the Jan. 12 article, “Mixed reaction to outsourcing idea,” the reporter mistakenly refers to a “proposed transfer plan” for Morrisville High School students. No proposal is under consideration; rather, the school board is researching possible ways of providing quality education while controlling costs.
Our district is currently spending about $500,000 for every student that it graduates. Yet because of our small size, the high school curriculum is necessarily limited.
Perhaps outsourcing is not the solution for our struggling district, but let's get as many options on the table as possible. Every option will have its pros and cons, and whatever we choose, we will have to accept trade-offs. We are already accepting trade-offs even if we are not aware of them; we need to assess our options to find out what opportunities we are missing.
Those of you who supported the K-12 school need to end your propaganda war against the school board if you want your wishes to be considered. If you can only deliver 350 votes, and nothing the school board does can please you, why should they bother?
Ed Bailey
Morrisville school board
Wait a minute...when did he get elected? Or appointed? Who is he replacing?
In any event, Ed has provided the LOL Of The Day. We have been warned! Propaganda is effective only when the QSRE/Stop the School people are using it and it is disloyal and unAmerican when used against those same people.
By the way, my algebra skills show that $500,000 over 13 years, considering a student educated from K to 12 in Morrisville comes out to $38,461 per year. Is this the new propaganda based number we should we be using?
I'm also intrigued by Mr Bailey's insistence in infringing my civil rights to speak out.
Considering all options
In the Jan. 12 article, “Mixed reaction to outsourcing idea,” the reporter mistakenly refers to a “proposed transfer plan” for Morrisville High School students. No proposal is under consideration; rather, the school board is researching possible ways of providing quality education while controlling costs.
Our district is currently spending about $500,000 for every student that it graduates. Yet because of our small size, the high school curriculum is necessarily limited.
Perhaps outsourcing is not the solution for our struggling district, but let's get as many options on the table as possible. Every option will have its pros and cons, and whatever we choose, we will have to accept trade-offs. We are already accepting trade-offs even if we are not aware of them; we need to assess our options to find out what opportunities we are missing.
Those of you who supported the K-12 school need to end your propaganda war against the school board if you want your wishes to be considered. If you can only deliver 350 votes, and nothing the school board does can please you, why should they bother?
Ed Bailey
Morrisville school board
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.
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
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