From the BCCT.
Who is thinking the decision to close was WRONG? It was absolutely the right thing to do.
Official: Closing school was correct response
Asbestos might have been released when a worker breached a wall at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School. Testing later showed the school was safe.
By MANASEE WAGH
The Morrisville School District did the right thing by closing a school Tuesday, an official said Wednesday.
By making sure no asbestos was present in the air after a contractor accidentally drilled into an asbestos-containing wall, the school followed federal regulations, said borough code enforcement officer Robert Seward.
“We communicated with each other to make sure everything was done,” he said.
After discovering that asbestos may have escaped from behind a wall that had been breached by a worker, students in the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School were sent home until further tests by Environmental Connection of Trenton revealed no danger.
School was back on schedule Wednesday morning.
According to a report by the firm, all surface samples came back showing zero detection of asbestos. The 21 air samples taken at various locations throughout the high school revealed far lower asbestos levels than the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe clearance levels, said Richard Beach, the company’s vice president.
Licensed asbestos abatement contractor Bristol Environmental isolated and cleaned up the affected area Tuesday afternoon. The team performed “proactive” cleaning, including vacuuming areas adjacent to the work site with a special filter and wet-wiping surfaces, according to Environmental Connection’s report.
“However, in the future, renovations should be performed in such a manner as to eliminate impact to (asbestos-containing material),” the firm’s report concludes. It also advises using a licensed abatement contractor to perform future tasks that would impact any asbestos-containing material.
The report is posted on the district Web site at www.mv.org and is available for public viewing at the district business office, at 550 West Palmer Street in Morrisville, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said Tuesday.
Beach said he wants parents to know that federal regulations mandate that all school districts adhere to strict rules when it comes to dealing with asbestos, a hazardous substance linked to cancer.
“I found it somewhat hard to believe it’s been 21 years since the inception of the AHERA program and yet many parents are unaware that this program is out there and there are (asbestos) management plans for every school district throughout the country,” said Beach.
The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 requires all school districts to perform periodic surveillance and inspection of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material. They also must provide yearly notification to parents, teachers and employee organizations about the district’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement planned in a school.
Numerous old buildings contain the fibrous natural mineral, which was used as insulation for many years before its dangers were known. If microscopic particles become airborne, they can lodge in the lungs and cause cancer, although that is most common among people who have worked with the substance for an extended period.
“The thing with asbestos is that it’s fine as long as it’s not airborne,” Beach said.
Seward said, “The biggest worry you’d have to watch out for is your older boilers and things of that nature. Hot water pipes are wrapped with asbestos. You have to make sure they’re not flaking off.”
This summer, the high school is set to undergo boiler renovations. If asbestos is found, workers would have to encapsulate or remove it, following strict procedures, and transport it safely to a landfill, said Beach.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Yonson on Wednesday for comment.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Merger Talk: Eastampton
From the BCCT.
This is from New Jersey, but could be written from downtown Morrisville.
Eastampton eyes school regionalization
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
EASTAMPTON — At a Township Council meeting on Monday, school board members informed residents of the possibility their district could be one of many statewide to be regionalized and consolidated in the near future.
About 150 residents gathered at the Eastampton Community School to listen
to updates on the regionalization plan that is to be completed by Executive County Superintendent Lester Richens by March 2010. The meeting was moved to the school from the Eastampton Manor House to accommodate the large crowd.
Eastampton Board of Education President Sue Taylor led the discussion at
the council meeting to inform residents about the plan, which is in its early stages.
The council did not take any action on the matter, since the presentation was intended to inform the public about the possibility that the district could be consolidated, Taylor said.
“The reason for the meeting [Monday] night was to talk to council and the public and encourage people to get out and be informed of what’s going on,” she said.
Taylor was chosen to participate on a task force organized by Richens. One member from each of the county’s 42 school districts was selected to participate on the task force, which will consult directly with Richens regarding the process.
According to Taylor, Richens’ objective is to develop a plan that will create prekindergarten to grade 12 school districts throughout the county, each housing approximately 5,000 students.
According to Richens, only Burlington Township, Moorestown, Pemberton
Township and Willingboro fit that model. The plan is expected to provide an overall cost savings in the operation of the schools but it hasn’t been determined which districts would be affected.
Richens will submit his plan to Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy by March 2010. The plan then will be accepted, rejected or amended and sent back to
each town. Voters will determine if they feel the plan best suits their town.
“For instance, if they want to combine the [Rancocas Valley] district, all five sending towns would have to agree or it won’t go through,” Taylor said.
The concern among Eastampton residents is the Eastampton Community
School, which is less than two years old and is the only school in the district.
“We just fought for the new school and we’re paying a lot of taxes on it,” said resident Tracy Fitzgerald. “We also don’t want to have to bus our kids out of the community to go to school. We have an awesome little town here where everybody knows everybody and we want to keep it that way.”
The school board is encouraging residents to attend a regionalization meeting next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Eastampton Community School cafetorium.
“We’re trying to get the word out there to people and try to let other towns know that this is going on,” Taylor said. “I think other neighboring towns like Lumberton and Hainesport are starting to hear about this and it will be interesting to see what other sending districts have to say.”
This is from New Jersey, but could be written from downtown Morrisville.
Eastampton eyes school regionalization
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
EASTAMPTON — At a Township Council meeting on Monday, school board members informed residents of the possibility their district could be one of many statewide to be regionalized and consolidated in the near future.
About 150 residents gathered at the Eastampton Community School to listen
to updates on the regionalization plan that is to be completed by Executive County Superintendent Lester Richens by March 2010. The meeting was moved to the school from the Eastampton Manor House to accommodate the large crowd.
Eastampton Board of Education President Sue Taylor led the discussion at
the council meeting to inform residents about the plan, which is in its early stages.
The council did not take any action on the matter, since the presentation was intended to inform the public about the possibility that the district could be consolidated, Taylor said.
“The reason for the meeting [Monday] night was to talk to council and the public and encourage people to get out and be informed of what’s going on,” she said.
Taylor was chosen to participate on a task force organized by Richens. One member from each of the county’s 42 school districts was selected to participate on the task force, which will consult directly with Richens regarding the process.
According to Taylor, Richens’ objective is to develop a plan that will create prekindergarten to grade 12 school districts throughout the county, each housing approximately 5,000 students.
According to Richens, only Burlington Township, Moorestown, Pemberton
Township and Willingboro fit that model. The plan is expected to provide an overall cost savings in the operation of the schools but it hasn’t been determined which districts would be affected.
Richens will submit his plan to Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy by March 2010. The plan then will be accepted, rejected or amended and sent back to
each town. Voters will determine if they feel the plan best suits their town.
“For instance, if they want to combine the [Rancocas Valley] district, all five sending towns would have to agree or it won’t go through,” Taylor said.
The concern among Eastampton residents is the Eastampton Community
School, which is less than two years old and is the only school in the district.
“We just fought for the new school and we’re paying a lot of taxes on it,” said resident Tracy Fitzgerald. “We also don’t want to have to bus our kids out of the community to go to school. We have an awesome little town here where everybody knows everybody and we want to keep it that way.”
The school board is encouraging residents to attend a regionalization meeting next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Eastampton Community School cafetorium.
“We’re trying to get the word out there to people and try to let other towns know that this is going on,” Taylor said. “I think other neighboring towns like Lumberton and Hainesport are starting to hear about this and it will be interesting to see what other sending districts have to say.”
Merger Talk: Pottstown/Pottsgrove
From the Pottstown Mercury.
Replace Pottstown and Pottsgrove with Morrisville and Pennsbury, in whatever direction you want. Wouldn't the story be the same?
Pottsgrove cool to merging with Pottstown
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:53 PM EST
By Evan Brandt
The Pottsgrove School Board has no immediate interest in having talks with their Pottstown counterparts about consolidating the two school districts.
As part of his budget proposal, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed consolidating Pennsylvania's 501 school districts down to 100.
The issue had been raised locally on both sides of the border in connection with the fact that both districts are embarking on expensive school renovation programs.
Last Thursday, Pottstown School Board member Robert Hartman said he contacted Pottsgrove School Board President Michael Neiffer so see if there was any interest in having a joint meeting to explore the possibility of consolidation.
The Pottsgrove board's response? Essentially, "let's wait and see what the state does."
Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of pottsmerc.com.
rciffo wrote on Feb 11, 2009 7:48 PM:
" All a merger will do is cause a smaller group to manage a larger organization. Big mistake...loss of local autonomy. When I last checked Pottstown spent ~$15K/student and Pottsgrove ~$13.5K/student. All you rocket scientists out there...guess what will happen to Pottsgrove spending. Yep, it'll be raised to match Pottstown's. And guess how much of it will go to solve Pottstown issues? Probably all of it. (And all of you whiners who like to write your complaints in crayon, I'm not saying Pottsgrove is perfect...far from it.) Here's hoping Fast Eddie Rendell doesn't figure out a way to ram it down our collective throats. "
Replace Pottstown and Pottsgrove with Morrisville and Pennsbury, in whatever direction you want. Wouldn't the story be the same?
Pottsgrove cool to merging with Pottstown
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:53 PM EST
By Evan Brandt
The Pottsgrove School Board has no immediate interest in having talks with their Pottstown counterparts about consolidating the two school districts.
As part of his budget proposal, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed consolidating Pennsylvania's 501 school districts down to 100.
The issue had been raised locally on both sides of the border in connection with the fact that both districts are embarking on expensive school renovation programs.
Last Thursday, Pottstown School Board member Robert Hartman said he contacted Pottsgrove School Board President Michael Neiffer so see if there was any interest in having a joint meeting to explore the possibility of consolidation.
The Pottsgrove board's response? Essentially, "let's wait and see what the state does."
Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of pottsmerc.com.
rciffo wrote on Feb 11, 2009 7:48 PM:
" All a merger will do is cause a smaller group to manage a larger organization. Big mistake...loss of local autonomy. When I last checked Pottstown spent ~$15K/student and Pottsgrove ~$13.5K/student. All you rocket scientists out there...guess what will happen to Pottsgrove spending. Yep, it'll be raised to match Pottstown's. And guess how much of it will go to solve Pottstown issues? Probably all of it. (And all of you whiners who like to write your complaints in crayon, I'm not saying Pottsgrove is perfect...far from it.) Here's hoping Fast Eddie Rendell doesn't figure out a way to ram it down our collective throats. "
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Now More Than Ever: Join the PTO
Consider it posted: February 23, 2009. Grandview at 7:00 P.M.
A bunch of parents got together last night to discuss the Move up ceremonies for the 4th and 5th graders, since they will BOTH be moving to the HS next year. I was very impressed with the turnout. The conversation, as you can imagine, turned quickly towards what WE can do as parents to organize this community. Personally, I think the PTO is a good start. I’m hoping there are other parents that read your blog with the same thoughts. SOOOO The next PTO meeting is February 23 at 7pm in Grandview . Can you post something?
A bunch of parents got together last night to discuss the Move up ceremonies for the 4th and 5th graders, since they will BOTH be moving to the HS next year. I was very impressed with the turnout. The conversation, as you can imagine, turned quickly towards what WE can do as parents to organize this community. Personally, I think the PTO is a good start. I’m hoping there are other parents that read your blog with the same thoughts. SOOOO The next PTO meeting is February 23 at 7pm in Grandview . Can you post something?
Vitetta Chooses Grandview
From buckslocalnews.com
Firm concludes Grandview is better than Reiter
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2009
Vitetta, an architectural and engineering firm, recently concluded a study of M.R. Reiter and Grand-view elementary schools in Morrisville School District.
A recommendation was made at a special public hearing on Jan. 29: if any school is going to be used for an elementary school, Grandview Elementary School is the better choice from a physical standpoint.
Bill Corfield, a regional director of Vitetta, said his firm was directed to conduct a study, comparing M.R. Reiter and Grandview in order to determine which school is in "better condition."
The auditorium at the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School was sparsely filled with parents, mostly who were asking if the Morrisville School Board has any long-range plans about displaced schoolchildren from M.R. Reiter Elementary School. A public hearing was held to give the community a chance to voice their opinions.
Reiter was closed in mid-December after a furnace exploded on the weekend. The Morrisville School Board is considering whether to close the school permanently.
As a result, the children who were displaced from M.R. Reiter were sent either to Grandview or the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School.
Vitetta's study was conducted prior to the explosion. At M.R. Reiter, the firm had checked the heating units, boilers, electric, plumbing, exhaust fans and lighting.
According to Vitetta's Corfield, M. R. Reiter does not have handicap accessibility. He noted that Reiter is 2 1/2 stories high and that it is "hard to get around the building." Grandview is one floor.
"When planning an elementary school, it is always advantageous to have it on one floor," Corfield said.
He noted there is a water problem in the multi-purpose room at Reiter. "We have some major concerns about the amount of water and how to stop it," he said, noting the source of the water is unknown. The floor had to be replaced once because of the problem.
Corfield explained, "because of the water entry, the building is settling. Major cracks have been there. They're not getting any better."
"The Grandview School is in better condition," he said. "We did not see cracks or water infiltration in Grand-view."
Reiter sits on about three acres at the corner of Harper and Clymer avenues. The square footage for the entire building is 46,200 and it is zoned CS-1 (Community Service District.)
The current estimated insurance loss due to the furnace explosion is $1.15 million. "It's growing as we speak," said Paul DeAngelo, business manager for the school district.
"They're still in the process of cleaning the building," he said.
Meanwhile, he said after the meeting that the Morrisville School District entered into an appraisal agreement on Dec. 7 with Gleason Real Estate.
The value of the building and the land at Reiter is estimated at $995,000.
DeAngelo gave some history about Reiter, which previously was the site of the Robert Morris High School and was built on the site in 1924.
In 1959, the school was destroyed by fire. Later, it was rebuilt as M.R. Reiter Elementary School.
DeAngelo said the last record about the furnace was recorded in 1959. "They're well over 40 years old. They should have been replaced twice," he said.
The clean-up at Reiter continues. Teachers have received the supplies and materials from their classrooms. The clean-up company is focusing on the content first and the building last.
"What's still there are desks and filing cabinets," DeAngelo said. They are being cleaned and will be taken to the modular classrooms at Grandview Elementary by Feb. 20.
"The clean up is going pretty much as we thought," he said. "It's a slow process because it's the entire building.
The insurance claim is for $1.15 million. DeAngelo said a big chunk is the modular classrooms. Leasing eight modular classrooms with bathrooms will cost $500,000, he noted.
The insurance company sent a forensic engineer. "His recommendation is to replace the boilers," DeAn-gelo explained. "The school district will put it out to bid to determine the costs-we're estimating $300,000 for two boilers."
Other big-ticket items, he said, include the clean up for $93,000. Some computers are being tested, which will cost $134,000.
"We have a whole list of miscellaneous items from staff time, to the windows that got blown out to cleaning and inspection," DeAngelo added.
The cost to renovate and install a new furnace at Reiter would be $4 million. Meanwhile, the cost to renovate Grandview Elementary School is $2.6 million.
The modulars are being installed and will be finished Feb. 20, according to DeAngelo. "The snow and ice put us behind."
He said the immediate priority is getting the modular classrooms installed at Grandview, where some of the Reiter children are going since the blast.
In the summer, the school district could "look at the possibility of bringing the fourth grade to the high school," DeAngelo indicated, stressing that plan could be contingent upon the board's decision whether or not to close M.R. Reiter.
DeAngelo also talked about what could happen if the board ultimately votes to close Reiter. The long-term plan, according to the business manager, could be to create an intermediate high school for fourth-to eighth-grade. That group could be sectioned off from 9th-to 12th-graders. K-3 could be at Grandview.
Firm concludes Grandview is better than Reiter
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2009
Vitetta, an architectural and engineering firm, recently concluded a study of M.R. Reiter and Grand-view elementary schools in Morrisville School District.
A recommendation was made at a special public hearing on Jan. 29: if any school is going to be used for an elementary school, Grandview Elementary School is the better choice from a physical standpoint.
Bill Corfield, a regional director of Vitetta, said his firm was directed to conduct a study, comparing M.R. Reiter and Grandview in order to determine which school is in "better condition."
The auditorium at the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School was sparsely filled with parents, mostly who were asking if the Morrisville School Board has any long-range plans about displaced schoolchildren from M.R. Reiter Elementary School. A public hearing was held to give the community a chance to voice their opinions.
Reiter was closed in mid-December after a furnace exploded on the weekend. The Morrisville School Board is considering whether to close the school permanently.
As a result, the children who were displaced from M.R. Reiter were sent either to Grandview or the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School.
Vitetta's study was conducted prior to the explosion. At M.R. Reiter, the firm had checked the heating units, boilers, electric, plumbing, exhaust fans and lighting.
According to Vitetta's Corfield, M. R. Reiter does not have handicap accessibility. He noted that Reiter is 2 1/2 stories high and that it is "hard to get around the building." Grandview is one floor.
"When planning an elementary school, it is always advantageous to have it on one floor," Corfield said.
He noted there is a water problem in the multi-purpose room at Reiter. "We have some major concerns about the amount of water and how to stop it," he said, noting the source of the water is unknown. The floor had to be replaced once because of the problem.
Corfield explained, "because of the water entry, the building is settling. Major cracks have been there. They're not getting any better."
"The Grandview School is in better condition," he said. "We did not see cracks or water infiltration in Grand-view."
Reiter sits on about three acres at the corner of Harper and Clymer avenues. The square footage for the entire building is 46,200 and it is zoned CS-1 (Community Service District.)
The current estimated insurance loss due to the furnace explosion is $1.15 million. "It's growing as we speak," said Paul DeAngelo, business manager for the school district.
"They're still in the process of cleaning the building," he said.
Meanwhile, he said after the meeting that the Morrisville School District entered into an appraisal agreement on Dec. 7 with Gleason Real Estate.
The value of the building and the land at Reiter is estimated at $995,000.
DeAngelo gave some history about Reiter, which previously was the site of the Robert Morris High School and was built on the site in 1924.
In 1959, the school was destroyed by fire. Later, it was rebuilt as M.R. Reiter Elementary School.
DeAngelo said the last record about the furnace was recorded in 1959. "They're well over 40 years old. They should have been replaced twice," he said.
The clean-up at Reiter continues. Teachers have received the supplies and materials from their classrooms. The clean-up company is focusing on the content first and the building last.
"What's still there are desks and filing cabinets," DeAngelo said. They are being cleaned and will be taken to the modular classrooms at Grandview Elementary by Feb. 20.
"The clean up is going pretty much as we thought," he said. "It's a slow process because it's the entire building.
The insurance claim is for $1.15 million. DeAngelo said a big chunk is the modular classrooms. Leasing eight modular classrooms with bathrooms will cost $500,000, he noted.
The insurance company sent a forensic engineer. "His recommendation is to replace the boilers," DeAn-gelo explained. "The school district will put it out to bid to determine the costs-we're estimating $300,000 for two boilers."
Other big-ticket items, he said, include the clean up for $93,000. Some computers are being tested, which will cost $134,000.
"We have a whole list of miscellaneous items from staff time, to the windows that got blown out to cleaning and inspection," DeAngelo added.
The cost to renovate and install a new furnace at Reiter would be $4 million. Meanwhile, the cost to renovate Grandview Elementary School is $2.6 million.
The modulars are being installed and will be finished Feb. 20, according to DeAngelo. "The snow and ice put us behind."
He said the immediate priority is getting the modular classrooms installed at Grandview, where some of the Reiter children are going since the blast.
In the summer, the school district could "look at the possibility of bringing the fourth grade to the high school," DeAngelo indicated, stressing that plan could be contingent upon the board's decision whether or not to close M.R. Reiter.
DeAngelo also talked about what could happen if the board ultimately votes to close Reiter. The long-term plan, according to the business manager, could be to create an intermediate high school for fourth-to eighth-grade. That group could be sectioned off from 9th-to 12th-graders. K-3 could be at Grandview.
Pennsbury says 'no' to Morrisville kids
From buckslocalnews.com
Pennsbury says 'no' to Morrisville kids
Pennsbury School District rejected taking Morrisville high school students.
By Petra Chesner Schlatter Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2009
Morrisville School District is searching for another school district to take its high school students on a tuition basis.When asked to comment on the issue, Elizabeth Yonson, superintendent of Morrisville School District, deferred the question to Morrisville Borough Council Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick and School Board President Bill Hellman. Neither could be reached for comment.
Pennsbury CEO Paul Long said "the Pennsbury solicitor, Michael Kristofco, has recently communicated with the Morrisville solicitor on this topic.
"Also, the Pennsbury School Board and administration are aware of the difficulties that the Borough of Morrisville School District face," Long said. "However, as far as I know there are not any official initiatives or proposals to consider at this time."
Greg Lucidi, president of the Pennsbury School Board, responded via e-mail on Jan. 27 about Morrisville's invitation for Pennsbury to accept the borough's 9th-to 12th-graders.
"Morrisville is in an extremely difficult situation and I really wish we could help, but Pennsbury is not in the position to absorb 300 additional students at our high school," Lucidi responded.
The Pennsbury High School campus has room for 3,414 students and is approaching that limit with roughly 3,400 students currently enrolled.
"I really do not believe this idea is feasible at Pennsbury," he continued. "We have our own set of problems and issues and we are working very hard to solve them. We simply cannot add to our list of challenges right now."
The question is whether Pennsbury facilities can handle the additional students. Space constraints are a concern, according to the school board president.
"Prior to the addition and renovations at Pennsbury High School West, we were experiencing space problems," Lucidi explained. "We added to the school and our student population now fits comfortably in the space available.
"Adding 300 students to the school would in my opinion cause us to be right back where we were before the additional space was added," he wrote.
When asked whether the issue should go to voter referendum, Lucidi said, "Unfortunately, we cannot use voter referendum to make our decisions for us. We were elected by the public to make and enforce school policy.
"We do take public comments into consideration when making decisions, but ultimately it's based upon what we believe to be in the best interests of both our students and our taxpayers," he maintained.
"If our state representatives want to get involved in this issue, they should work directly with Morrisville to help them solve their problems instead of shifting the burden to neighboring districts," he wrote.
The cost to educate a secondary-level student in Pennsbury School District is $12,011. In Morrisville, it is $14,215.
Pennsbury says 'no' to Morrisville kids
Pennsbury School District rejected taking Morrisville high school students.
By Petra Chesner Schlatter Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2009
Morrisville School District is searching for another school district to take its high school students on a tuition basis.When asked to comment on the issue, Elizabeth Yonson, superintendent of Morrisville School District, deferred the question to Morrisville Borough Council Solicitor Mike Fitzpatrick and School Board President Bill Hellman. Neither could be reached for comment.
Pennsbury CEO Paul Long said "the Pennsbury solicitor, Michael Kristofco, has recently communicated with the Morrisville solicitor on this topic.
"Also, the Pennsbury School Board and administration are aware of the difficulties that the Borough of Morrisville School District face," Long said. "However, as far as I know there are not any official initiatives or proposals to consider at this time."
Greg Lucidi, president of the Pennsbury School Board, responded via e-mail on Jan. 27 about Morrisville's invitation for Pennsbury to accept the borough's 9th-to 12th-graders.
"Morrisville is in an extremely difficult situation and I really wish we could help, but Pennsbury is not in the position to absorb 300 additional students at our high school," Lucidi responded.
The Pennsbury High School campus has room for 3,414 students and is approaching that limit with roughly 3,400 students currently enrolled.
"I really do not believe this idea is feasible at Pennsbury," he continued. "We have our own set of problems and issues and we are working very hard to solve them. We simply cannot add to our list of challenges right now."
The question is whether Pennsbury facilities can handle the additional students. Space constraints are a concern, according to the school board president.
"Prior to the addition and renovations at Pennsbury High School West, we were experiencing space problems," Lucidi explained. "We added to the school and our student population now fits comfortably in the space available.
"Adding 300 students to the school would in my opinion cause us to be right back where we were before the additional space was added," he wrote.
When asked whether the issue should go to voter referendum, Lucidi said, "Unfortunately, we cannot use voter referendum to make our decisions for us. We were elected by the public to make and enforce school policy.
"We do take public comments into consideration when making decisions, but ultimately it's based upon what we believe to be in the best interests of both our students and our taxpayers," he maintained.
"If our state representatives want to get involved in this issue, they should work directly with Morrisville to help them solve their problems instead of shifting the burden to neighboring districts," he wrote.
The cost to educate a secondary-level student in Pennsbury School District is $12,011. In Morrisville, it is $14,215.
Asbestos? Yes. Is there a Danger? Um...
From the BCCT.
School is open today.
School will be open for students at MSHS
February 10, 2009
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today, I closed the Middle/Senior High School when I was informed that an electrical contractor working in the building may have drilled into asbestos above the ceiling tiles in two different areas of the school. I took this proactive move because I felt it was important to bring in our environmental consultant to test the surface and air quality in the building.
This evening around 8:45 p.m. I spoke with our environmental consultants who reported that all air samples taken within the impacted areas revealed concentrations well less than the clearance criteria established by the EPA. Additionally, surface samples collected in the same impact areas revealed levels of none detected for asbestos content.
Based on the discussion with our environmental consultant, the Middle/Senior High School will reopen tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11.
The environmental consultant will provide a written report tomorrow by noon. You will be able to review the document in the business office. I will also have the report posted on the district’s website.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience that you experienced today because of the closing. I appreciate your continued support.
Sincerely, Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson Superintendent Morrisville School District
Three schools built in the 1950's? It's a pretty certain bet that there's asbestos present. Let's see the district's asbestos management plan.
Ask the board members themselves at the Infrastructure Committee meeting tonight. The meeting is only a few doors away from the administration offices. They should be able to pull out that plan in a jiffy.
Asbestos concern sends students home early
By MANASEE WAGH
The high school will reopen today, one day after it was discovered that electrical work in the building has dislodged asbestos. The district superintendent said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
Morrisville students had to deal with another interruption to their educations Tuesday.
The kids were sent home early after electrical work in the high school dislodged asbestos within the building's walls.
A contractor doing wiring work in Morrisville Middle/Senior High School bored six small holes high inside walls he reached behind ceiling tiles in two hallways Monday night.
The incident came to light during a construction meeting Tuesday morning. The contractor told officials he didn't tell anyone Monday because he didn't know he had penetrated the asbestos-containing material.
After a precautionary test by the Trenton firm Environmental Connections showed positive for asbestos later Tuesday morning, the school district dismissed students for the day. Parents were notified by phone and e-mail of the early dismissal.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said late Tuesday night the school will reopen today after further air and surface test reports by Environmental Connections revealed no asbestos danger in the building.
Yonson said the school district also contacted an asbestos specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bucks County Health Department and Bob Seward, the code official for the borough.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Seward, health department or EPA officials for comment Tuesday.
"The environmental guy says it's nothing," Yonson said, because it appears the asbestos fibers didn't migrate from inside the wall. Because of that, she said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
She also said it couldn't have gotten into the ventilation system because the building uses unit ventilators in each room, and there was no ductwork involved. Yonson said the school was evacuated and a contractor started cleaning the area as a precaution.
The EPA started doing surface and air testing Tuesday afternoon, said Tim Lastichen, the school district's director of facilities.
"We have taken a very proactive approach. The health and welfare of our students and staff are very important to us and we have done everything possible to ensure that the building is safe," Yonson said Tuesday afternoon.
Asbestos is a fibrous natural mineral that was used as insulation for many years before its dangers were known.
It becomes dangerous when microscopic particles flake off and become airborne, lodging in the lungs.
Asbestos exposure can lead to lung scarring and lung cancers, although that is most common among people who have worked with the substance for an extended period.
Dave May, the school district's head of public safety, said the evacuation went quickly and smoothly and children were dispatched home safely.
Some elementary students were also in the building, where they've been placed for the rest of the school year after M.R. Reiter Elementary was closed due to a December furnace explosion.
Pam Scott, the parent of an eighth-grade student attending classes in the high school, was distressed after hearing that the district didn't discover the asbestos problem until Tuesday morning.
She has four other children who will attend the high school in the future.
"This involves small children. I'm so upset [about asbestos] just being in the building. The contractors should know this stuff; they should be aware of it," she said.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools, many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools,many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
THE ASBESTOS HAZARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT RULES REQUIRE SCHOOLS WHERE ASBESTOS MATERIALS ARE PRESENT TO TAKE ACTIONS TO:
Perform an original inspection and re-inspection every three years of asbestos-containing material
Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the school
Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations regarding the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement actions taken or planned in the school
Designate a contact person to ensure the responsibilities of the local education agency are properly implemented
Perform periodic surveillance of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material
Ensure that properly accredited professionals perform inspections and response actions and prepare management plans
Provide custodial staff with asbestos-awareness training
Schools also must comply with the Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants which requires that owners or operators of facilities notify the appropriate authority (usually the state air pollution control agency) before demolishing or renovating facilities.
If minimum amounts of regulated asbestos will be removed or disturbed, the owner/operator must adequately wet and carefully remove the asbestos components, keeping them wet until collected for disposal, and then disposing of the asbestos waste in accordance with the regulations.
Parents, teachers, and school employees, or their representatives, have the right to inspect the school’s asbestos management plan. The school must make the plan available within a reasonable amount of time.
The asbestos management plan must be updated with information collected during periodic surveillance every 6 months, re-inspections every 3 years, and every time a response action is taken within the school.Also, records of annual notifications to parents, teachers, and staff concerning the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan must be included within the asbestos management plan files.
Federal law only requires testing following an asbestos repair or removal activity to determine whether the activity has been properly completed. This is done by measuring the amount of asbestos in the air where the repair or removal activity has taken place.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
School is open today.
School will be open for students at MSHS
February 10, 2009
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today, I closed the Middle/Senior High School when I was informed that an electrical contractor working in the building may have drilled into asbestos above the ceiling tiles in two different areas of the school. I took this proactive move because I felt it was important to bring in our environmental consultant to test the surface and air quality in the building.
This evening around 8:45 p.m. I spoke with our environmental consultants who reported that all air samples taken within the impacted areas revealed concentrations well less than the clearance criteria established by the EPA. Additionally, surface samples collected in the same impact areas revealed levels of none detected for asbestos content.
Based on the discussion with our environmental consultant, the Middle/Senior High School will reopen tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11.
The environmental consultant will provide a written report tomorrow by noon. You will be able to review the document in the business office. I will also have the report posted on the district’s website.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience that you experienced today because of the closing. I appreciate your continued support.
Sincerely, Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson Superintendent Morrisville School District
Three schools built in the 1950's? It's a pretty certain bet that there's asbestos present. Let's see the district's asbestos management plan.
Ask the board members themselves at the Infrastructure Committee meeting tonight. The meeting is only a few doors away from the administration offices. They should be able to pull out that plan in a jiffy.
Asbestos concern sends students home early
By MANASEE WAGH
The high school will reopen today, one day after it was discovered that electrical work in the building has dislodged asbestos. The district superintendent said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
Morrisville students had to deal with another interruption to their educations Tuesday.
The kids were sent home early after electrical work in the high school dislodged asbestos within the building's walls.
A contractor doing wiring work in Morrisville Middle/Senior High School bored six small holes high inside walls he reached behind ceiling tiles in two hallways Monday night.
The incident came to light during a construction meeting Tuesday morning. The contractor told officials he didn't tell anyone Monday because he didn't know he had penetrated the asbestos-containing material.
After a precautionary test by the Trenton firm Environmental Connections showed positive for asbestos later Tuesday morning, the school district dismissed students for the day. Parents were notified by phone and e-mail of the early dismissal.
Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said late Tuesday night the school will reopen today after further air and surface test reports by Environmental Connections revealed no asbestos danger in the building.
Yonson said the school district also contacted an asbestos specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bucks County Health Department and Bob Seward, the code official for the borough.
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Seward, health department or EPA officials for comment Tuesday.
"The environmental guy says it's nothing," Yonson said, because it appears the asbestos fibers didn't migrate from inside the wall. Because of that, she said it's "highly unlikely" any children would have breathed in the toxic substance.
She also said it couldn't have gotten into the ventilation system because the building uses unit ventilators in each room, and there was no ductwork involved. Yonson said the school was evacuated and a contractor started cleaning the area as a precaution.
The EPA started doing surface and air testing Tuesday afternoon, said Tim Lastichen, the school district's director of facilities.
"We have taken a very proactive approach. The health and welfare of our students and staff are very important to us and we have done everything possible to ensure that the building is safe," Yonson said Tuesday afternoon.
Asbestos is a fibrous natural mineral that was used as insulation for many years before its dangers were known.
It becomes dangerous when microscopic particles flake off and become airborne, lodging in the lungs.
Asbestos exposure can lead to lung scarring and lung cancers, although that is most common among people who have worked with the substance for an extended period.
Dave May, the school district's head of public safety, said the evacuation went quickly and smoothly and children were dispatched home safely.
Some elementary students were also in the building, where they've been placed for the rest of the school year after M.R. Reiter Elementary was closed due to a December furnace explosion.
Pam Scott, the parent of an eighth-grade student attending classes in the high school, was distressed after hearing that the district didn't discover the asbestos problem until Tuesday morning.
She has four other children who will attend the high school in the future.
"This involves small children. I'm so upset [about asbestos] just being in the building. The contractors should know this stuff; they should be aware of it," she said.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools, many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
All about asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber, once widely used in building materials for its thermal insulating properties and fire resistance. Although the removal of asbestos from school buildings is an option for schools,many schools and local education agencies have chosen to manage some asbestos-containing building material in place. A number of building materials still in use today contain asbestos. Asbestos remains in use as an acoustic insulator, and in thermal insulation, fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials.
Exposure Risk: Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.
Friable asbestos, or asbestos that can be broken by hand pressure, is of greatest concern because these fibers can most easily be released into the air and inhaled into the lungs. Examples of potentially hazardous materials include: friable asbestos-containing boiler wrap, pipe wrap insulation, ceiling tiles, and wallboard.
Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis (lung scarring), and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung cavity lining). There is a long latency period for these diseases. It could be 30 years after exposure before symptoms of disease begin. The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke.
THE ASBESTOS HAZARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACT RULES REQUIRE SCHOOLS WHERE ASBESTOS MATERIALS ARE PRESENT TO TAKE ACTIONS TO:
Perform an original inspection and re-inspection every three years of asbestos-containing material
Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the school
Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations regarding the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan and any asbestos abatement actions taken or planned in the school
Designate a contact person to ensure the responsibilities of the local education agency are properly implemented
Perform periodic surveillance of known or suspected asbestos-containing building material
Ensure that properly accredited professionals perform inspections and response actions and prepare management plans
Provide custodial staff with asbestos-awareness training
Schools also must comply with the Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants which requires that owners or operators of facilities notify the appropriate authority (usually the state air pollution control agency) before demolishing or renovating facilities.
If minimum amounts of regulated asbestos will be removed or disturbed, the owner/operator must adequately wet and carefully remove the asbestos components, keeping them wet until collected for disposal, and then disposing of the asbestos waste in accordance with the regulations.
Parents, teachers, and school employees, or their representatives, have the right to inspect the school’s asbestos management plan. The school must make the plan available within a reasonable amount of time.
The asbestos management plan must be updated with information collected during periodic surveillance every 6 months, re-inspections every 3 years, and every time a response action is taken within the school.Also, records of annual notifications to parents, teachers, and staff concerning the availability of the school’s asbestos management plan must be included within the asbestos management plan files.
Federal law only requires testing following an asbestos repair or removal activity to determine whether the activity has been properly completed. This is done by measuring the amount of asbestos in the air where the repair or removal activity has taken place.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Bristol Township School District asbestos abatement project
From the BCCT.
Ironic?
Bristol Township School District to begin five-year asbestos abatement project
Posted in News on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm by Joan Hellyer
The Bristol Township School District plans this summer to begin a five-year asbestos-removal effort in several of its schools, a district spokeswoman said today.
The school system did most of its asbestos abatement in the 1970s by removing all asbestos insulation and some tile flooring, Spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher said. However, some asbestos-containing tiles remain in the floors of Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School and the district’s nine elementary schools.
The asbestos, once widely used in building materials, can become hazardous and pose an increased health risk if its fibers become airborne, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“[In Bristol Township’s case], the tiles are less than one percent asbestos and are only a concern when they are cracked or broken,” Kelliher said. “Nevertheless, we will be treating their removal with the utmost care, using the services and advice of experts in this field.”
The plan is to do two schools each summer break over the next five years. Clara Barton and Maple Shade elementary schools are set to undergo the asbestos removal this summer, officials said.
It should cost about $52,000 to do the abatement at Barton and about $120,000 for the older Maple Shade, said district officials during the school board’s planning session Monday night
The board will be asked during its Feb. 23 meeting to let administrators solicit bids for the project, according to an agenda reviewed by board members Monday night.
Ironic?
Bristol Township School District to begin five-year asbestos abatement project
Posted in News on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm by Joan Hellyer
The Bristol Township School District plans this summer to begin a five-year asbestos-removal effort in several of its schools, a district spokeswoman said today.
The school system did most of its asbestos abatement in the 1970s by removing all asbestos insulation and some tile flooring, Spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher said. However, some asbestos-containing tiles remain in the floors of Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School and the district’s nine elementary schools.
The asbestos, once widely used in building materials, can become hazardous and pose an increased health risk if its fibers become airborne, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“[In Bristol Township’s case], the tiles are less than one percent asbestos and are only a concern when they are cracked or broken,” Kelliher said. “Nevertheless, we will be treating their removal with the utmost care, using the services and advice of experts in this field.”
The plan is to do two schools each summer break over the next five years. Clara Barton and Maple Shade elementary schools are set to undergo the asbestos removal this summer, officials said.
It should cost about $52,000 to do the abatement at Barton and about $120,000 for the older Maple Shade, said district officials during the school board’s planning session Monday night
The board will be asked during its Feb. 23 meeting to let administrators solicit bids for the project, according to an agenda reviewed by board members Monday night.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Asbestos Confirmed
Check out the Channel 6 story and video.
MORRISVILLE, Pa. - February 10, 2009 - (WPVI) -- Investigators confirmed Tuesday that asbestos was found inside Morrisville High School in Bucks County.
Now, students and parents wait for word of how serious the threat may be.
Air tests are underway to find out how much of the asbestos is airborne. That will go a long way to determining how long the school wil be closed.
Parents were alerted right around noon that Morrisville High School was under an evacuation order.
It turns out construction workers inside the school came upon a sizable amout of an exposed substance they believed to be asbestos.
The concern over the finding forced an early dismissal at Morrisville Middle-Senior High Tuesday.
But here's the twist: This past December, M.R. Reiter Elementary School's boiler broke down and it has yet to be repaired.
So, the students from Reiter Elementary were already scattered to other schools in the district, including the first, second, and fifth graders who've been going to the high school for class since last month.
Now, Morrisville is two schools down, and parents are getting frustrated.
"It's just ridiculous. The state needs to do something, somebody needs to do something for us. It's just crazy. My hands are tied. What am I going to do?" said parent Kathleen Wetheril.
"We're probably going to head to the next school board meeting and voice our concerns, and from there, if nothing else happens, we'll take it further up," said parent Katlyn Dunstan.
MORRISVILLE, Pa. - February 10, 2009 - (WPVI) -- Investigators confirmed Tuesday that asbestos was found inside Morrisville High School in Bucks County.
Now, students and parents wait for word of how serious the threat may be.
Air tests are underway to find out how much of the asbestos is airborne. That will go a long way to determining how long the school wil be closed.
Parents were alerted right around noon that Morrisville High School was under an evacuation order.
It turns out construction workers inside the school came upon a sizable amout of an exposed substance they believed to be asbestos.
The concern over the finding forced an early dismissal at Morrisville Middle-Senior High Tuesday.
But here's the twist: This past December, M.R. Reiter Elementary School's boiler broke down and it has yet to be repaired.
So, the students from Reiter Elementary were already scattered to other schools in the district, including the first, second, and fifth graders who've been going to the high school for class since last month.
Now, Morrisville is two schools down, and parents are getting frustrated.
"It's just ridiculous. The state needs to do something, somebody needs to do something for us. It's just crazy. My hands are tied. What am I going to do?" said parent Kathleen Wetheril.
"We're probably going to head to the next school board meeting and voice our concerns, and from there, if nothing else happens, we'll take it further up," said parent Katlyn Dunstan.
Action News LIVE at 5:30
Channel 6 has a teaser for a live report from the high school at 5:30 tonight
MHS Closed for Asbestos
Thanks to all the emailers with this breaking information.From the school website.
That's two down. How is Grandview doing these days?
February 10, 2009
The Morrisville Middle/Senior High School has been closed as of 12:15 pm today, February 10, 2009. The Middle/Senior High School will remain closed on Wednesday due to an environmental situation. The district has an electrical contractor performing work in the evening as not to disturb the educational process. They reported to us this morning that suspected asbestos containing materials were impacted during their work. As a result, the district contacted our environmental consultant. Samples were taken immediately. The samples were sent to a nationally accredited laboratory and results were received at 11:15 am. Accordingly, we are dismissing the students. Subsequent to the students’ release, air and surface sampling will be performed to determine what, if any, impact may have occurred within specific areas of the school. When we receive the results I will again do a phone blast to give you an update. However, the students who attend the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School will not have school tomorrow, February 11, 2009.
Keeping up to code proving costly
From the BCCT.
What's the lesson here for the Morrisville renovations?
No, "let Pennsbury deal with it" was not the lesson. Try again.
Keeping up to code proving costly
By ANNIE TASKER
Upper Moreland School District officials took care to plan a large-scale, $34.5 million high school renovation project.
They didn’t expect to be caught off guard by extra exit signs.
Halfway through the project, some district officials are frustrated by the mounting cost of last-minute township code inspector requirements.
Unexpected mandates for additional signage, security equipment and other fire safety initiatives have cost nearly $75,000 to date, said district business manager Michael Braun. School board member Donald Warner, who said he sought an architect’s second opinion on some of the extra measures, said some of his irritation stems from the fact that the previous township fire marshal signed off on the renovation plans before construction began.
The school district will always err on the side of caution, and every township safety order will be followed to the letter, Braun said.
“We just wish we’d known about this ahead of time so we could have designed better,” he said.
That $75,000 is not much in the scheme of the multimillion-dollar project, especially considering that the district has used only about a quarter of its $1.5 million project contingency fund. The change orders aren’t breaking the bank, “but it’s still frustrating,” Warner said.
Braun said different township inspectors have been sent to review the construction progress, and each had an eye out for something a little different. An extra $27,522 for fire alarms was required at one point; the district learned late in the game that exit signs were required above every classroom door in the science wing, which added another $10,250 to the tab.
Had the extra materials been included in the bid specifications, the district may have been able to buy them at a better price, Braun said — but the piecemeal change orders have started to add up.
To date, renovations have included a new science wing and renovations to classrooms, a multipurpose wrestling room and an administrative suite. More classroom work is set for the second half of the project. Upper Moreland waived permit fees for the Terwood Road school project.
Warner said he wants someone in charge at the township to start rattling some cages, since the money funding the change orders comes out of the same taxpayer pockets.
But the people in charge said they didn’t know there were cages to rattle.
Upper Moreland township Manager David Dodies said he hadn’t heard about the district’s issues with the inspections, and Commissioner President Stacey Efkowitz said she knew of some conflicts around the time school started, but thought they’d been resolved.
What's the lesson here for the Morrisville renovations?
No, "let Pennsbury deal with it" was not the lesson. Try again.
Keeping up to code proving costly
By ANNIE TASKER
Upper Moreland School District officials took care to plan a large-scale, $34.5 million high school renovation project.
They didn’t expect to be caught off guard by extra exit signs.
Halfway through the project, some district officials are frustrated by the mounting cost of last-minute township code inspector requirements.
Unexpected mandates for additional signage, security equipment and other fire safety initiatives have cost nearly $75,000 to date, said district business manager Michael Braun. School board member Donald Warner, who said he sought an architect’s second opinion on some of the extra measures, said some of his irritation stems from the fact that the previous township fire marshal signed off on the renovation plans before construction began.
The school district will always err on the side of caution, and every township safety order will be followed to the letter, Braun said.
“We just wish we’d known about this ahead of time so we could have designed better,” he said.
That $75,000 is not much in the scheme of the multimillion-dollar project, especially considering that the district has used only about a quarter of its $1.5 million project contingency fund. The change orders aren’t breaking the bank, “but it’s still frustrating,” Warner said.
Braun said different township inspectors have been sent to review the construction progress, and each had an eye out for something a little different. An extra $27,522 for fire alarms was required at one point; the district learned late in the game that exit signs were required above every classroom door in the science wing, which added another $10,250 to the tab.
Had the extra materials been included in the bid specifications, the district may have been able to buy them at a better price, Braun said — but the piecemeal change orders have started to add up.
To date, renovations have included a new science wing and renovations to classrooms, a multipurpose wrestling room and an administrative suite. More classroom work is set for the second half of the project. Upper Moreland waived permit fees for the Terwood Road school project.
Warner said he wants someone in charge at the township to start rattling some cages, since the money funding the change orders comes out of the same taxpayer pockets.
But the people in charge said they didn’t know there were cages to rattle.
Upper Moreland township Manager David Dodies said he hadn’t heard about the district’s issues with the inspections, and Commissioner President Stacey Efkowitz said she knew of some conflicts around the time school started, but thought they’d been resolved.
Pennsbury contract extension
From the BCCT.
It looks like our new school district overlords are annoying the BCCT editorial board.
Pennsbury contract extension
Information freeze
Before approving a tentative teacher contract extension, officials should have asked taxpayers what they think.
The pay freeze that isn’t really a pay freeze will come up for a vote at Pennsbury’s Feb. 19 school board meeting.
Otherwise known as a teacher contract extension, the pact, if extended, will grow the payroll nearly $2 million. Lucky for taxpayers, who are facing a whopping 10 percent tax hike, the expected retirements of 20 teachers could cut that increase down to about $1.1 million.
Still, the pay freeze will hardly stunt salary increases.
That’s because so-called step increases for years of service and educational attainment will still result in raises for more than half the teachers not at the top of the pay scale, which peaks at $98,222. What’s frozen is the annual acrossthe-board percentage increase.
This has not been the subject of public discussion and won’t be until the teachers ratify the secret agreement. Two points: Why weren’t taxpayers asked what they think before board members decided behind the public’s back to pursue a contract extension? And why is it OK for teachers to discuss the issue but not taxpayers?
District CEO Paul Long, the de facto superintendent, refused to talk to our reporter until teachers ratify the tentative agreement. Nice.
Here’s our suggestion.
Maybe Long won’t talk about the proposed contract extension, but that shouldn’t stop taxpayers from showing up at the next meeting and offering their thoughts. Turns out the next meeting is Feb. 12, this Thursday, at which board members will vote on a revised version of the preliminary budget that includes the pay increase for teachers — which, you know, isn’t really a pay increase.
Can’t make the meeting? Call Long at 215-428-4100, extension 10001, and tell him what you think. Or show up at Fallsington Elementary School, 8 p.m., this Thursday.
Keep this in mind. Not only are real pay freezes happening in the private sector, workers are being hit with pay cuts and layoffs. And every year the cost of health insurance goes up, with most workers now covering 25 to 30 percent of the cost of employer-provided health benefits. At 10 percent, Pennsbury teachers are in a rarified category.
School board members may not be doing taxpayers any favors by extending such a generous deal.
It looks like our new school district overlords are annoying the BCCT editorial board.
Pennsbury contract extension
Information freeze
Before approving a tentative teacher contract extension, officials should have asked taxpayers what they think.
The pay freeze that isn’t really a pay freeze will come up for a vote at Pennsbury’s Feb. 19 school board meeting.
Otherwise known as a teacher contract extension, the pact, if extended, will grow the payroll nearly $2 million. Lucky for taxpayers, who are facing a whopping 10 percent tax hike, the expected retirements of 20 teachers could cut that increase down to about $1.1 million.
Still, the pay freeze will hardly stunt salary increases.
That’s because so-called step increases for years of service and educational attainment will still result in raises for more than half the teachers not at the top of the pay scale, which peaks at $98,222. What’s frozen is the annual acrossthe-board percentage increase.
This has not been the subject of public discussion and won’t be until the teachers ratify the secret agreement. Two points: Why weren’t taxpayers asked what they think before board members decided behind the public’s back to pursue a contract extension? And why is it OK for teachers to discuss the issue but not taxpayers?
District CEO Paul Long, the de facto superintendent, refused to talk to our reporter until teachers ratify the tentative agreement. Nice.
Here’s our suggestion.
Maybe Long won’t talk about the proposed contract extension, but that shouldn’t stop taxpayers from showing up at the next meeting and offering their thoughts. Turns out the next meeting is Feb. 12, this Thursday, at which board members will vote on a revised version of the preliminary budget that includes the pay increase for teachers — which, you know, isn’t really a pay increase.
Can’t make the meeting? Call Long at 215-428-4100, extension 10001, and tell him what you think. Or show up at Fallsington Elementary School, 8 p.m., this Thursday.
Keep this in mind. Not only are real pay freezes happening in the private sector, workers are being hit with pay cuts and layoffs. And every year the cost of health insurance goes up, with most workers now covering 25 to 30 percent of the cost of employer-provided health benefits. At 10 percent, Pennsbury teachers are in a rarified category.
School board members may not be doing taxpayers any favors by extending such a generous deal.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Consolidation debated
From the Scranton Times-Tribune.
Consolidation debated
BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Published: Monday, February 09, 2009
Updated: Monday, February 9, 2009 4:13 AM EST
The 28,250 students in Lackawanna County are enrolled in 10 school districts — each with its own superintendent and administration.
Those superintendents’ salaries total more than $1 million, and the salaries of other administrators — such as business managers, human resource directors and special education supervisors — total millions more.
Gov. Ed Rendell wants to dramatically change that.
In his 2009-10 budget released last week, the governor proposed creating a commission to study how to consolidate the state’s 500 school districts into no more than 100.
Area educators, while not totally opposed to saving money and sharing resources, are questioning the scope of the plan. Others say the benefits would outweigh any costs.
“There’s no doubt there are definite cost savings and benefits for consolidation,” William King, Scranton School District acting superintendent, said. “But ultimately, I think the question is, ‘What is the optimal size so you can deliver the highest-quality education?’ ”
This is not the first time consolidation has been discussed in Pennsylvania. In 1955, there were 2,700 school districts before the Legislature authorized consolidations. By 1962, there were 600. After the Center Area and Monaca school districts in western Pennsylvania voluntarily merge July 1, there will be 500.
Under the governor’s proposal to create a legislative commission to study consolidation, he touts that merging districts would relieve local property tax burdens.
Only 10 states in the country have more school districts, and more than 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s districts have fewer than 2,000 students. Eighty percent educate fewer than 5,000 students.
Reducing the number of districts would not necessarily mean schools would close, but could “instead improve the effectiveness and efficiency of education through other means,” according to the Department of Education.
The proposed commission would have 12 voting members appointed by the General Assembly and would have one year to develop a plan, including optimal enrollment size, boundaries and a plan for implementation.
After two merger plans are adopted by the commission, the Legislature will vote. If the Legislature rejects both plans, the state Board of Education would have authority to implement a plan.
The response to the governor’s proposal has been positive, said Michael Race, Department of Education spokesman.
“It taps into a sentiment out there that there are too many school districts and too much bureaucracy,” he said.
When school districts are bigger entities, they will have larger negotiating powers for contracts from vendors — which equals savings in the budget, Mr. Race added.
District concerns
Area superintendents are concerned with the state making quick decisions and not involving enough people with the planning.
“For us to be disbanded would be overwhelming and an enormous concern to our community,” Michael Mahon, Ph.D., Abington Heights superintendent, said. “If a hypothetical district has taken good care of its buildings, has made prudent financial decisions over time ... for that district to be shut down, and perhaps combined with districts who have done none of that, brings up the question of equity.”
Mr. King said while he thinks there is a “definite need for consolidation,” the size of new school districts must be manageable.
“They’re always preaching, ‘every child by name.’ When you’re running a school district of 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 students, that takes away that possibility,” Mr. King said.
If only 100 school districts are created — the number Mr. Rendell wants — the average district would have 17,000 students.
Joseph Daley, Valley View School District superintendent, said many things need to be analyzed before a consolidation happens, from equalizing employee salaries and who owns school buildings and equipment, to what happens to district athletic teams.
Timothy Allwein, assistant executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said the issue of consolidation often rises when budgets are tight.
The association is researching the idea, but warns “larger school districts give you a larger bureaucracy,” Mr. Allwein said. While only one superintendent may be needed, there will be a need for more supervisors and directors, he added.
Research by the PSBA has shown little benefit to consolidation, Mr. Allwein said.
In 2007, Standard & Poor’s made a presentation to the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on school consolidation. The research group found districts with no more than 3,000 students may be more likely to save money than if districts had more than 3,000 students.
Possible benefits
Many states, including North Carolina and Maryland, have school districts on a county-wide basis.
“It’s certainly not a foreign concept, and it’s a step in the right direction,” said Teri Ooms, executive director of the Wilkes-Barre-based Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. “I just hope it’s taken seriously and moved forward. I’m really a firm believer that this is a more positive thing for this region.”
Schools would still be able to keep their own identities, and it would bring the opportunities and benefits that are occurring in the wealthier school districts to the others, she said.
Along with cost-sharing, local real estate values would equalize, said John Cognetti, president of Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate.
When buying a home, many parents consider the school district in which home is located. If all of the county, or other large area is one school district, home values in an area with what is now a better district will equalize to those homes now located in poorer districts, Mr. Cognetti said.
“It equalizes the whole county, revitalizes all areas,” he said. “It’s long overdue.”
Consolidation debated
BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Published: Monday, February 09, 2009
Updated: Monday, February 9, 2009 4:13 AM EST
The 28,250 students in Lackawanna County are enrolled in 10 school districts — each with its own superintendent and administration.
Those superintendents’ salaries total more than $1 million, and the salaries of other administrators — such as business managers, human resource directors and special education supervisors — total millions more.
Gov. Ed Rendell wants to dramatically change that.
In his 2009-10 budget released last week, the governor proposed creating a commission to study how to consolidate the state’s 500 school districts into no more than 100.
Area educators, while not totally opposed to saving money and sharing resources, are questioning the scope of the plan. Others say the benefits would outweigh any costs.
“There’s no doubt there are definite cost savings and benefits for consolidation,” William King, Scranton School District acting superintendent, said. “But ultimately, I think the question is, ‘What is the optimal size so you can deliver the highest-quality education?’ ”
This is not the first time consolidation has been discussed in Pennsylvania. In 1955, there were 2,700 school districts before the Legislature authorized consolidations. By 1962, there were 600. After the Center Area and Monaca school districts in western Pennsylvania voluntarily merge July 1, there will be 500.
Under the governor’s proposal to create a legislative commission to study consolidation, he touts that merging districts would relieve local property tax burdens.
Only 10 states in the country have more school districts, and more than 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s districts have fewer than 2,000 students. Eighty percent educate fewer than 5,000 students.
Reducing the number of districts would not necessarily mean schools would close, but could “instead improve the effectiveness and efficiency of education through other means,” according to the Department of Education.
The proposed commission would have 12 voting members appointed by the General Assembly and would have one year to develop a plan, including optimal enrollment size, boundaries and a plan for implementation.
After two merger plans are adopted by the commission, the Legislature will vote. If the Legislature rejects both plans, the state Board of Education would have authority to implement a plan.
The response to the governor’s proposal has been positive, said Michael Race, Department of Education spokesman.
“It taps into a sentiment out there that there are too many school districts and too much bureaucracy,” he said.
When school districts are bigger entities, they will have larger negotiating powers for contracts from vendors — which equals savings in the budget, Mr. Race added.
District concerns
Area superintendents are concerned with the state making quick decisions and not involving enough people with the planning.
“For us to be disbanded would be overwhelming and an enormous concern to our community,” Michael Mahon, Ph.D., Abington Heights superintendent, said. “If a hypothetical district has taken good care of its buildings, has made prudent financial decisions over time ... for that district to be shut down, and perhaps combined with districts who have done none of that, brings up the question of equity.”
Mr. King said while he thinks there is a “definite need for consolidation,” the size of new school districts must be manageable.
“They’re always preaching, ‘every child by name.’ When you’re running a school district of 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 students, that takes away that possibility,” Mr. King said.
If only 100 school districts are created — the number Mr. Rendell wants — the average district would have 17,000 students.
Joseph Daley, Valley View School District superintendent, said many things need to be analyzed before a consolidation happens, from equalizing employee salaries and who owns school buildings and equipment, to what happens to district athletic teams.
Timothy Allwein, assistant executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said the issue of consolidation often rises when budgets are tight.
The association is researching the idea, but warns “larger school districts give you a larger bureaucracy,” Mr. Allwein said. While only one superintendent may be needed, there will be a need for more supervisors and directors, he added.
Research by the PSBA has shown little benefit to consolidation, Mr. Allwein said.
In 2007, Standard & Poor’s made a presentation to the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on school consolidation. The research group found districts with no more than 3,000 students may be more likely to save money than if districts had more than 3,000 students.
Possible benefits
Many states, including North Carolina and Maryland, have school districts on a county-wide basis.
“It’s certainly not a foreign concept, and it’s a step in the right direction,” said Teri Ooms, executive director of the Wilkes-Barre-based Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. “I just hope it’s taken seriously and moved forward. I’m really a firm believer that this is a more positive thing for this region.”
Schools would still be able to keep their own identities, and it would bring the opportunities and benefits that are occurring in the wealthier school districts to the others, she said.
Along with cost-sharing, local real estate values would equalize, said John Cognetti, president of Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate.
When buying a home, many parents consider the school district in which home is located. If all of the county, or other large area is one school district, home values in an area with what is now a better district will equalize to those homes now located in poorer districts, Mr. Cognetti said.
“It equalizes the whole county, revitalizes all areas,” he said. “It’s long overdue.”
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Creative Funding for Schools
From Education Week.
Creative Solutions Eyed in Bids to Avoid Layoffs, Spare Crucial Programs
By Michele McNeil
At a time when states, collectively, face more than $30 billion in budget gaps, school districts are scrounging for money and for creative ideas they hope will allow them to hold on until the economy recovers.
In an effort to avoid, or mitigate, teacher layoffs and drastic cuts to politically sensitive programs, districts are aggressively raising money from private sources, upping their fees, and squeezing savings from existing budgets.
High schools in Daytona Beach later this year are going to charge $1 per ticket and $5 per car for parking at graduation. A donation of $3,000 from a dental office paid for this year’s science fair at Vista Magnet Middle School for Technology, Science & Math near San Diego. And the Clark County, Nev., school board, in Las Vegas, is debating whether to charge students an activity fee to take part in sports and other extracurricular activities.
In perhaps one of the more dire reports of a school in need, the Academy of the Americas school in the Detroit district has sent a letter asking for donations for school staples: light bulbs, pencils—and even toilet paper.
But some educators warn that there may be a limit to the utility of such methods that, while often more palatable to the public, may not generate as much money or do so as quickly as more-drastic measures.
“I know school districts are doing everything they can to raise funds,” said Daniel A. Domenech, the executive director of the Arlington, Va.-based American Association of School Administrators. “Revenue generation will help in some areas, but it’s not going to raise money to the level that we need, given that this is by far the worst economic situation that I can recall.”
As Mr. Domenech pointed out, these are “one-shot deals. ... The money isn’t going to be there next year.”
Forecast Darkens
Next school year, the fiscal situation could get worse. Already, 31 states face $30 billion in fiscal 2009 budget gaps and are cutting spending, including on K-12 education. Thirteen states have already made a total of $3.6 billion in midyear cuts to their fiscal 2009 budgets. ("Budget Pain Dampening K-12 Efforts," Jan. 7, 2009.)
In Florida, for example, education will be among the program areas most heavily hit by the $1.2 billion in budget cuts approved by state lawmakers on Wednesday to help plug the state’s projected $2.3 billion deficit. Although lawmakers backed off on the possibility of pay cuts for teachers and other employees, the cuts will reduce per-pupil spending statewide by an average of about 2 percent overall.
For districts facing significant cuts, every penny in savings is important.
The Sarasota County school system in Florida will likely have to slice $40 million—or nearly 10 percent—out of its $425 million general fund budget next school year.
With such a deep cut to the 42,000-student Sarasota County district, a mixture of staff cuts, budget savings, and revenue-raising measures will be needed, said Scott Lempe, the chief operating officer.
So far, the district is squeezing $3 million in savings, or 30 percent, from its energy budget by putting in automated thermostats and even taking the light bulbs out of the front of vending machines.
“We’re spending $10 million a year on energy; that’s too big a piece of the budget to not say there’s a better way,” Mr. Lempe said.
To help cut its custodial budget by nearly $3 million over the last three years, the district bought a special cleaning machine that allows custodians to spray down and clean an entire multi-stall school restroom in seven minutes.
Over the past year, the district has saved $1.5 million in construction fees by negotiating with city and county governments to waive fees for building permits, water hookups, and other add-ons. And, the district saved $250,000 on criminal-background checks on volunteers by purchasing a subscription to a national crime database and doing the checks in-house, rather than having the state run a background check on every volunteer, every year.
On the revenue side, the district raised its rates, by as much as triple, for private groups’ rental of facilities such as cafeterias and auditoriums. And in the 2007-08 school year, the Sarasota County Schools Education Foundation raised $1.2 million for the district to fund innovative classroom projects.
Such revenue-raising measures will be central to weathering the fiscal storm, said John Musso, the executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International, based in Reston, Va.
“We’re telling people they need to look at revenue generation in addition to spending cuts,” he said. That includes school fees, whether they be charges for parking, athletics, parking, or textbooks, Mr. Musso said.
“At this point, nothing is sacred,” he said.
His organization, ASBO, is working on a tool kit for school business officers, with ideas on how to bring in new revenue rather than make across-the-board cuts to programs. One emphasis will be on venture philanthropy, which supports targeted programs with a hands-on approach.
Calling on Parents
Sometimes, the situation calls for an emergency appeal.
When the 15,000-student Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California sent out 266 pink slips last spring to teachers, threatening to drive up class sizes, parents rallied. A fundraising drive by the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation, which asked parents to donate $400 per child to the cause, raised a whopping $1 million in two weeks—money explicitly used to keep teachers on staff for one more year.
“A lot of people were skeptical about whether parents and the community should really be offsetting the budget like this,” said Stacey Flynn, the foundation’s executive director. “But I felt like this was an emergency situation.”
She said the foundation tries not to rely too much on parents. It also holds community fundraisers such as golf tournaments or raffles to pay for such costs as music programs and teacher supplies.
Faced with a threat of teacher layoffs, however, the foundation felt compelled to appeal directly to parents to raise money aimed at keeping class sizes stable for their children. Ms. Flynn cautioned, though, that the foundation can’t sustain such fundraising momentum.
“I can run around and raise money like a madwoman,” she said, “but it’s just a Band-Aid.”
Creative Solutions Eyed in Bids to Avoid Layoffs, Spare Crucial Programs
By Michele McNeil
At a time when states, collectively, face more than $30 billion in budget gaps, school districts are scrounging for money and for creative ideas they hope will allow them to hold on until the economy recovers.
In an effort to avoid, or mitigate, teacher layoffs and drastic cuts to politically sensitive programs, districts are aggressively raising money from private sources, upping their fees, and squeezing savings from existing budgets.
High schools in Daytona Beach later this year are going to charge $1 per ticket and $5 per car for parking at graduation. A donation of $3,000 from a dental office paid for this year’s science fair at Vista Magnet Middle School for Technology, Science & Math near San Diego. And the Clark County, Nev., school board, in Las Vegas, is debating whether to charge students an activity fee to take part in sports and other extracurricular activities.
In perhaps one of the more dire reports of a school in need, the Academy of the Americas school in the Detroit district has sent a letter asking for donations for school staples: light bulbs, pencils—and even toilet paper.
But some educators warn that there may be a limit to the utility of such methods that, while often more palatable to the public, may not generate as much money or do so as quickly as more-drastic measures.
“I know school districts are doing everything they can to raise funds,” said Daniel A. Domenech, the executive director of the Arlington, Va.-based American Association of School Administrators. “Revenue generation will help in some areas, but it’s not going to raise money to the level that we need, given that this is by far the worst economic situation that I can recall.”
As Mr. Domenech pointed out, these are “one-shot deals. ... The money isn’t going to be there next year.”
Forecast Darkens
Next school year, the fiscal situation could get worse. Already, 31 states face $30 billion in fiscal 2009 budget gaps and are cutting spending, including on K-12 education. Thirteen states have already made a total of $3.6 billion in midyear cuts to their fiscal 2009 budgets. ("Budget Pain Dampening K-12 Efforts," Jan. 7, 2009.)
In Florida, for example, education will be among the program areas most heavily hit by the $1.2 billion in budget cuts approved by state lawmakers on Wednesday to help plug the state’s projected $2.3 billion deficit. Although lawmakers backed off on the possibility of pay cuts for teachers and other employees, the cuts will reduce per-pupil spending statewide by an average of about 2 percent overall.
For districts facing significant cuts, every penny in savings is important.
The Sarasota County school system in Florida will likely have to slice $40 million—or nearly 10 percent—out of its $425 million general fund budget next school year.
With such a deep cut to the 42,000-student Sarasota County district, a mixture of staff cuts, budget savings, and revenue-raising measures will be needed, said Scott Lempe, the chief operating officer.
So far, the district is squeezing $3 million in savings, or 30 percent, from its energy budget by putting in automated thermostats and even taking the light bulbs out of the front of vending machines.
“We’re spending $10 million a year on energy; that’s too big a piece of the budget to not say there’s a better way,” Mr. Lempe said.
To help cut its custodial budget by nearly $3 million over the last three years, the district bought a special cleaning machine that allows custodians to spray down and clean an entire multi-stall school restroom in seven minutes.
Over the past year, the district has saved $1.5 million in construction fees by negotiating with city and county governments to waive fees for building permits, water hookups, and other add-ons. And, the district saved $250,000 on criminal-background checks on volunteers by purchasing a subscription to a national crime database and doing the checks in-house, rather than having the state run a background check on every volunteer, every year.
On the revenue side, the district raised its rates, by as much as triple, for private groups’ rental of facilities such as cafeterias and auditoriums. And in the 2007-08 school year, the Sarasota County Schools Education Foundation raised $1.2 million for the district to fund innovative classroom projects.
Such revenue-raising measures will be central to weathering the fiscal storm, said John Musso, the executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International, based in Reston, Va.
“We’re telling people they need to look at revenue generation in addition to spending cuts,” he said. That includes school fees, whether they be charges for parking, athletics, parking, or textbooks, Mr. Musso said.
“At this point, nothing is sacred,” he said.
His organization, ASBO, is working on a tool kit for school business officers, with ideas on how to bring in new revenue rather than make across-the-board cuts to programs. One emphasis will be on venture philanthropy, which supports targeted programs with a hands-on approach.
Calling on Parents
Sometimes, the situation calls for an emergency appeal.
When the 15,000-student Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California sent out 266 pink slips last spring to teachers, threatening to drive up class sizes, parents rallied. A fundraising drive by the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation, which asked parents to donate $400 per child to the cause, raised a whopping $1 million in two weeks—money explicitly used to keep teachers on staff for one more year.
“A lot of people were skeptical about whether parents and the community should really be offsetting the budget like this,” said Stacey Flynn, the foundation’s executive director. “But I felt like this was an emergency situation.”
She said the foundation tries not to rely too much on parents. It also holds community fundraisers such as golf tournaments or raffles to pay for such costs as music programs and teacher supplies.
Faced with a threat of teacher layoffs, however, the foundation felt compelled to appeal directly to parents to raise money aimed at keeping class sizes stable for their children. Ms. Flynn cautioned, though, that the foundation can’t sustain such fundraising momentum.
“I can run around and raise money like a madwoman,” she said, “but it’s just a Band-Aid.”
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Exemption Junction, What's Your Function?
From the BCCT.
It looks like Centennial and Pennsbury may need the lifelines that the Morrisville school board cut away.
That leaves the question: Are you happier having a low or no tax increase, or an above index raise? If we were part of Pennsbury today [Hail Pennsbury! The salvation of Morrisville!], we'd be preparing for our wallets for a major hull breach. Red Alert, Mr. Sulu!
See? Being part of Pennsbury isn't the magic cure-all for what ails us. It's merely trading one set of problems for a completely new set.
Do you want the Morrisville school district being handled right here in Morrisville, with Sandy Gibson, Bill Hellmann, or the next president running things where nine of your neighbors are representing you? Or do you want maybe one school board seat [maybe even NONE!] representing you?
Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
Districts will decide on state exemptions
By MANASEE WAGH
This week, the Centennial and Pennsbury school boards will vote on applying for state exemptions to allow them to raise the tax increase past the Act 1 mandate of 4.1 percent.
Applying for exemptions allows districts to prevent possible financial emergencies in next year's budget if unforeseen emergencies arise, such as unexpected high special education costs or a lack of state funding, said board President Gregory Lucidi.
Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the limit. They no longer can apply for exemptions.
Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is dedicated to keeping taxes at or below the limit. The board will get a look at the revised preliminary budget on Thursday and work on looking at all areas of district operations to trim expenditures, he said.
Centennial board members have made similar statements about the desire to keep taxes lower than the state limit. On Tuesday, the board will vote on adopting its 2009-2010 preliminary budget.
It looks like Centennial and Pennsbury may need the lifelines that the Morrisville school board cut away.
That leaves the question: Are you happier having a low or no tax increase, or an above index raise? If we were part of Pennsbury today [Hail Pennsbury! The salvation of Morrisville!], we'd be preparing for our wallets for a major hull breach. Red Alert, Mr. Sulu!
See? Being part of Pennsbury isn't the magic cure-all for what ails us. It's merely trading one set of problems for a completely new set.
Do you want the Morrisville school district being handled right here in Morrisville, with Sandy Gibson, Bill Hellmann, or the next president running things where nine of your neighbors are representing you? Or do you want maybe one school board seat [maybe even NONE!] representing you?
Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
Districts will decide on state exemptions
By MANASEE WAGH
This week, the Centennial and Pennsbury school boards will vote on applying for state exemptions to allow them to raise the tax increase past the Act 1 mandate of 4.1 percent.
Applying for exemptions allows districts to prevent possible financial emergencies in next year's budget if unforeseen emergencies arise, such as unexpected high special education costs or a lack of state funding, said board President Gregory Lucidi.
Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the limit. They no longer can apply for exemptions.
Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is dedicated to keeping taxes at or below the limit. The board will get a look at the revised preliminary budget on Thursday and work on looking at all areas of district operations to trim expenditures, he said.
Centennial board members have made similar statements about the desire to keep taxes lower than the state limit. On Tuesday, the board will vote on adopting its 2009-2010 preliminary budget.
So, HAVING Money is Bad Too?
From the BCCT
School district sees huge losses
By JOAN HELLYER
The district could lose as much as $2.2 million in interest income alone during the coming school year.
The recession likely will cost Council Rock between $5.4 million and $7.3 million in lost revenue during the coming school year, a district official told the school board.
The funds would have come from four areas where the district had experienced annual financial gains, said Robert Schoch, district business administration director.
This is the second year district officials are projecting a smaller revenue growth percentage than previously for its real estate and local income taxes, realty transfers and interest income, he said Thursday.
The real estate tax revenue, for example, will increase just a half percent over its current rate, instead of the normal 2 percent the district experienced prior to the recession, Schoch said.
He gave "best case" and "worst case" scenarios of the potential loss for each revenue source:
? The best case scenario for real estate revenue losses is about $900,000 and the worst case is $1.5 million.
? Lost interest income will be between $2 million and $2.2 million.
? Realty transfers will be between $1.7 million and $2.3 million less than what would have previously been collected.
? In terms of local income tax revenue, the best case scenario is a loss of $750,000 and the worst case is $1.27 million.
District officials are trying to figure out how the revenue losses will impact the 2009-10 budget, Schoch said.
In an effort to offset that impact, the district is trying to keep as many contracts as possible at the same rate as the current year, Schoch said.
School district sees huge losses
By JOAN HELLYER
The district could lose as much as $2.2 million in interest income alone during the coming school year.
The recession likely will cost Council Rock between $5.4 million and $7.3 million in lost revenue during the coming school year, a district official told the school board.
The funds would have come from four areas where the district had experienced annual financial gains, said Robert Schoch, district business administration director.
This is the second year district officials are projecting a smaller revenue growth percentage than previously for its real estate and local income taxes, realty transfers and interest income, he said Thursday.
The real estate tax revenue, for example, will increase just a half percent over its current rate, instead of the normal 2 percent the district experienced prior to the recession, Schoch said.
He gave "best case" and "worst case" scenarios of the potential loss for each revenue source:
? The best case scenario for real estate revenue losses is about $900,000 and the worst case is $1.5 million.
? Lost interest income will be between $2 million and $2.2 million.
? Realty transfers will be between $1.7 million and $2.3 million less than what would have previously been collected.
? In terms of local income tax revenue, the best case scenario is a loss of $750,000 and the worst case is $1.27 million.
District officials are trying to figure out how the revenue losses will impact the 2009-10 budget, Schoch said.
In an effort to offset that impact, the district is trying to keep as many contracts as possible at the same rate as the current year, Schoch said.
Pennsbury Teacher Contract
From the BCCT.
Why do I keep hearing the same John Williams music in the background that I hear when I'm taking a swim at the shore?
Vote to extend teachers contract coming
By MANASEE WAGH
The board says it's determined to keep next year's tax hike to a maximum of 4.1 percent, said board President Gregory Lucidi.
Teachers and board members will soon vote on extending the current teacher contract in Pennsbury for another year, which would cost taxpayers an additional $1.1 million.
If the board and more than 800 Pennsbury teacher union members ratify the tentative agreement, it would mean freezing cost-of-living raises for a year. Teachers would still get longevity and educational attainment pay increases dictated by the pay scale. They also would retain a benefit package that requires them to contribute 10 percent toward their health care benefits.
The board plans to vote on the contract extension Feb. 19, some time after the teachers act on it, officials said.
At an average teacher salary of $77,524, Pennsbury ranks in the top 10 of 501 school districts in the state. Teacher salaries start at about $41,176 and peak at roughly $98,222.
"The people at the top of the scale - between 54 and 56 percent - would not receive an increase," said board President Gregory Lucidi on Friday about longevity and educational attainment pay increases.
Based on previous estimates, the rough additional costs in the coming school year under an extended contract would be an average of about $1.4 million for longevity, and educational attainment increases would count for about $500,000, he said.
Lucidi said the district expects about 20 retirements, which would save it $800,000, assuming it hires replacements at the lowest salary level. So the net effect would be a $1.1 million increase, he said.
Pennsbury's business administrator, Isabel Miller, wasn't in the office Friday to answer questions about how much of the total budget goes to teacher salaries and benefits. District CEO Paul Long said he didn't want to comment on teacher contracts before the tentative agreement is ratified, he said.
According to an initial budget draft, the district is facing a $12.2 million deficit - not including a 10 percent tax increase. The board will be approving a revised version of the preliminary $180 million budget at a Feb. 12 special meeting.
Without knowing if the district could face an emergency between now and the June 30 deadline for final budget approval, the administration recommends following through with the Act 1 budget process, including applying for exemptions to raise taxes above the state-imposed limit of 4.1 percent.
That doesn't mean the district will necessarily use the exemptions. Applying for them prevents possible financial emergencies that could arise later, Lucidi said. The board is likely to approve applying for exemptions at the Feb. 12 meeting, he said.
The Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the 4.1 percent limit.
Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is also determined to keep taxes at or below the limit. The district is looking at all areas of district operations to trim the budget, he said.
"We're required by Act 1 to approve a preliminary budget. It's nothing more than an estimate. There is absolutely no way the board would approve a 10 percent tax hike. The maximum tax increase would be the index. And we're trying to get it well below that," he said.
Why do I keep hearing the same John Williams music in the background that I hear when I'm taking a swim at the shore?
Vote to extend teachers contract coming
By MANASEE WAGH
The board says it's determined to keep next year's tax hike to a maximum of 4.1 percent, said board President Gregory Lucidi.
Teachers and board members will soon vote on extending the current teacher contract in Pennsbury for another year, which would cost taxpayers an additional $1.1 million.
If the board and more than 800 Pennsbury teacher union members ratify the tentative agreement, it would mean freezing cost-of-living raises for a year. Teachers would still get longevity and educational attainment pay increases dictated by the pay scale. They also would retain a benefit package that requires them to contribute 10 percent toward their health care benefits.
The board plans to vote on the contract extension Feb. 19, some time after the teachers act on it, officials said.
At an average teacher salary of $77,524, Pennsbury ranks in the top 10 of 501 school districts in the state. Teacher salaries start at about $41,176 and peak at roughly $98,222.
"The people at the top of the scale - between 54 and 56 percent - would not receive an increase," said board President Gregory Lucidi on Friday about longevity and educational attainment pay increases.
Based on previous estimates, the rough additional costs in the coming school year under an extended contract would be an average of about $1.4 million for longevity, and educational attainment increases would count for about $500,000, he said.
Lucidi said the district expects about 20 retirements, which would save it $800,000, assuming it hires replacements at the lowest salary level. So the net effect would be a $1.1 million increase, he said.
Pennsbury's business administrator, Isabel Miller, wasn't in the office Friday to answer questions about how much of the total budget goes to teacher salaries and benefits. District CEO Paul Long said he didn't want to comment on teacher contracts before the tentative agreement is ratified, he said.
According to an initial budget draft, the district is facing a $12.2 million deficit - not including a 10 percent tax increase. The board will be approving a revised version of the preliminary $180 million budget at a Feb. 12 special meeting.
Without knowing if the district could face an emergency between now and the June 30 deadline for final budget approval, the administration recommends following through with the Act 1 budget process, including applying for exemptions to raise taxes above the state-imposed limit of 4.1 percent.
That doesn't mean the district will necessarily use the exemptions. Applying for them prevents possible financial emergencies that could arise later, Lucidi said. The board is likely to approve applying for exemptions at the Feb. 12 meeting, he said.
The Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville School Districts have passed resolutions promising not to raise property taxes for 2009-10 more than the 4.1 percent limit.
Lucidi stressed that Pennsbury is also determined to keep taxes at or below the limit. The district is looking at all areas of district operations to trim the budget, he said.
"We're required by Act 1 to approve a preliminary budget. It's nothing more than an estimate. There is absolutely no way the board would approve a 10 percent tax hike. The maximum tax increase would be the index. And we're trying to get it well below that," he said.
Another Look at Rendell Merge Plan
From Education Week.
If consolidation "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools", doesn't that run against the goal of a Pennsbury-Morrisville assimilation?
Unsurprisingly, the teachers union is not too sure either.
This is good. This is the way things should happen. Discuss the plans in the light of day, allow everyone to have their say, and find the compromise that will work. Everyone will suffer some and everyone will benefit some.
Too bad that's too much to ask for in Morrisville. The board majority is all about secrecy and surprise moves.
Published Online: February 5, 2009
Rendell Calls for 'Full-Scale' School Mergers
By The Associated Press
Gov. Ed Rendell called Wednesday for the first state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts in at least 40 years, saying that fewer districts would mean a lighter local tax burden on property owners.
His proposal will probably meet resistance from local school boards whose members fear that mergers would close some schools and cause overcrowding in those that remain.
Rendell said during his state budget address that he wants a legislative commission to develop a plan to reduce the state's 500 public school districts to no more than 100, ideally. He is asking the Legislature to include money for the study in the 2009-10 budget.
The last major state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts occurred in the 1960s, when the state had more than 2,000 districts.
Merging more districts would enable schools to operate more efficiently and spread the local share of school costs over a wider range of property owners in each of the remaining districts, he said.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state — each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," Rendell said.
More than 40 percent of the state's school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.
The current number of 501 school districts is expected to drop to 500 in July, when the Center Area and Monaca school districts northwest of Pittsburgh complete a merger. Declining enrollments have forced both districts to limit the types of courses they can offer to students.
Some other small districts that have explored dissolving boundaries with a neighbor have concluded that the costs of merging outweigh the benefits.
Officials in the rural Halifax and Millersburg school districts north of Harrisburg recently decided that a merger would not produce substantial savings, even though they already share some sports teams and academic programs.
Certain costs would increase because programs offered in just one school district would have to be made available throughout the newly merged school district, said Halifax superintendent Robert Hassinger.
For example, Halifax offers full-day kindergarten and preschool classes, while Millersburg provides only half-day kindergarten, he said.
Residents also feared a loss of community identity if any schools were required to close, Hassinger said. A summary of Rendell's proposal said the consolidations "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools."
"The assumption that bigger is better is incorrect," Hassinger said. "In smaller communities, where there is more connection, a sense of belonging is so essential."
Tim Allwein, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said his organization hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district mergers save large amounts of money. A merged school district might need to hire additional central-office administrators to oversee programs, he said.
"They're going to need to take a look at the supposed savings that would occur," Allwein said.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, has many questions, "not the least of which is how the goal of creating 100 districts from 500 was established," spokesman Wythe Keever said.
The commission would have one year to adopt as many as two merger plans and submit them to the Legislature for approval. If lawmakers reject both options, then the State Board of Education would have the authority to consolidate school districts.
Lawmakers said the idea of getting more school districts to consolidate was worth exploring.
Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the commission would probably have to recommend abolishing local school property taxes because differences in local tax rates often impede mergers.
"I'm hopeful, but it's a long-range project, and it's good that the governor is getting started on that," said Piccola, R-Dauphin.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi acknowledged that the prospect of dissolving boundaries is a "very sensitive political issue" for school districts.
"People have a strong identity with their local school district, and local control is ... an aspect of local school districts that is prized by Pennsylvanians," said Pileggi, R-Delaware. "But in this day and age, in 2009, to have 501 superintendents and assistant superintendents and curriculum directors is a very inefficient way to deliver educational services across the state."
If consolidation "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools", doesn't that run against the goal of a Pennsbury-Morrisville assimilation?
Unsurprisingly, the teachers union is not too sure either.
This is good. This is the way things should happen. Discuss the plans in the light of day, allow everyone to have their say, and find the compromise that will work. Everyone will suffer some and everyone will benefit some.
Too bad that's too much to ask for in Morrisville. The board majority is all about secrecy and surprise moves.
Published Online: February 5, 2009
Rendell Calls for 'Full-Scale' School Mergers
By The Associated Press
Gov. Ed Rendell called Wednesday for the first state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts in at least 40 years, saying that fewer districts would mean a lighter local tax burden on property owners.
His proposal will probably meet resistance from local school boards whose members fear that mergers would close some schools and cause overcrowding in those that remain.
Rendell said during his state budget address that he wants a legislative commission to develop a plan to reduce the state's 500 public school districts to no more than 100, ideally. He is asking the Legislature to include money for the study in the 2009-10 budget.
The last major state-ordered consolidation of Pennsylvania school districts occurred in the 1960s, when the state had more than 2,000 districts.
Merging more districts would enable schools to operate more efficiently and spread the local share of school costs over a wider range of property owners in each of the remaining districts, he said.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state — each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," Rendell said.
More than 40 percent of the state's school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.
The current number of 501 school districts is expected to drop to 500 in July, when the Center Area and Monaca school districts northwest of Pittsburgh complete a merger. Declining enrollments have forced both districts to limit the types of courses they can offer to students.
Some other small districts that have explored dissolving boundaries with a neighbor have concluded that the costs of merging outweigh the benefits.
Officials in the rural Halifax and Millersburg school districts north of Harrisburg recently decided that a merger would not produce substantial savings, even though they already share some sports teams and academic programs.
Certain costs would increase because programs offered in just one school district would have to be made available throughout the newly merged school district, said Halifax superintendent Robert Hassinger.
For example, Halifax offers full-day kindergarten and preschool classes, while Millersburg provides only half-day kindergarten, he said.
Residents also feared a loss of community identity if any schools were required to close, Hassinger said. A summary of Rendell's proposal said the consolidations "would not necessitate the closure of individual schools."
"The assumption that bigger is better is incorrect," Hassinger said. "In smaller communities, where there is more connection, a sense of belonging is so essential."
Tim Allwein, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said his organization hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district mergers save large amounts of money. A merged school district might need to hire additional central-office administrators to oversee programs, he said.
"They're going to need to take a look at the supposed savings that would occur," Allwein said.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, has many questions, "not the least of which is how the goal of creating 100 districts from 500 was established," spokesman Wythe Keever said.
The commission would have one year to adopt as many as two merger plans and submit them to the Legislature for approval. If lawmakers reject both options, then the State Board of Education would have the authority to consolidate school districts.
Lawmakers said the idea of getting more school districts to consolidate was worth exploring.
Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the commission would probably have to recommend abolishing local school property taxes because differences in local tax rates often impede mergers.
"I'm hopeful, but it's a long-range project, and it's good that the governor is getting started on that," said Piccola, R-Dauphin.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi acknowledged that the prospect of dissolving boundaries is a "very sensitive political issue" for school districts.
"People have a strong identity with their local school district, and local control is ... an aspect of local school districts that is prized by Pennsylvanians," said Pileggi, R-Delaware. "But in this day and age, in 2009, to have 501 superintendents and assistant superintendents and curriculum directors is a very inefficient way to deliver educational services across the state."
Friday, February 6, 2009
Consolidation plan has support, critics
From the BCCT
As long as the plan doesn't turn out like this commentary from "Frazz"...
Consolidation plan has support, critics
Gov. Ed Rendell proposed studying whether the number of districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.
By GARY WECKSELBLATT
Ronald Stockham’s ancestors settled in Pennsylvania before William Penn.
A 10th-generation Morrisville resident, he has a historical perspective on the challenges faced by the tiny Morrisville School District of 831 students, which has tried to merge with neighboring Pennsbury.
The move may have gained steam this week when Gov. Ed Rendell proposed creating a commission to study whether the number of school districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.
“We need to find more effective ways to make education more efficient,” state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said. “If you really study it, you can determine if there are savings to be gained.”
Stockham, 66 and a Morrisville attorney, is all for a merger with Pennsbury’s 11,064 student body.
“I support and applaud Gov. Rendell’s proposal,” he said. “It’s not efficient to keep throwing money for duplication and services. It’s about time ... long overdue.”
Back in 1933, when Stockham’s mother taught at Morrisville High School, the surrounding school districts of Fallsington, Lower Makefield and Yardley sent their high school students to Morrisville High on a tuition basis.
In the late 1950s, when Stockham attended Morrisville High, Pennsbury High School used Morrisville’s Robert Morris Athletic Field for its home football games and track meets.
“Both historical precedent and current economic conditions indicate that the Morrisville School District and Pennsbury School District should be entering into mutually beneficial arrangements as the right thing to do,” he said.
Back in the 1950s, when it was home to the second shopping center on the east coast, Morrisville had a strong economic base. At that time, Pennsbury sought a merger.
“They’ve been talking about this for decades,” said Mike Fitzpatrick, Morrisville’s solicitor. “It’s never had the support of both districts at the same time.”
Recently, Fitzpatrick has asked Pennsbury and other local districts to consider taking about 300 students in grades nine through 12 on a tuition basis.
Fitzpatrick called Rendell’s plan an affirmation of Morrisville’s recent actions and intent to partner with neighboring districts.
“The Commonwealth can be a partner to assist economically fragile districts by providing incentives for neighboring larger districts to partner with smaller ones.” he said.
Linda Palsky, a member of the Pennsbury School Board, said she’s “very interested” to hear more of Rendell’s plan because “some smaller school districts throughout the state could be better served” by merging.
“But my number one concern is the quality of education for Pennsbury students and the cost to taxpayers, especially as we approach some very, very difficult financial times.”
Rendell contends that fewer districts would mean less of a local tax burden on property owners by spreading the share of school costs over a larger number of people.
It’s been done before. Back in the 1960s, when the Commonwealth had more than 2,000 districts, the state ordered districts to consolidate.
Still, more than 40 percent of the state’s school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.
“Almost everyone agrees that Pennsylvania has too many school districts,” Rendell said during Wednesday’s budget address. “This means that we have ever-increasing pressure to increase local property taxes.”
Locally, after Morrisville, Bristol Borough [1,193], New Hope Solebury [1,551], Palisades [1,990] and Upper Moreland [3,041] are the only districts with fewer than 5,000 students. The largest are Central Bucks [20,359], North Penn [12,772], and Pennsbury.
In 2007, Standard & Poor’s reported to the state’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the cost-effectiveness of consolidating school districts. It estimated savings would be more likely if the combined enrollments were less than 3,000 students.
Palisades superintendent Francis Barnes, who previously held Zahorchak’s job, questioned whether consolidation actually saves the money it promises.
“It’s a noble goal, but I don’t understand how that would do it,” he said.
Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, told The Associated Press his organi zation hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district merg ers save large amounts of money
As long as the plan doesn't turn out like this commentary from "Frazz"...
Consolidation plan has support, critics
Gov. Ed Rendell proposed studying whether the number of districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.
By GARY WECKSELBLATT
Ronald Stockham’s ancestors settled in Pennsylvania before William Penn.
A 10th-generation Morrisville resident, he has a historical perspective on the challenges faced by the tiny Morrisville School District of 831 students, which has tried to merge with neighboring Pennsbury.
The move may have gained steam this week when Gov. Ed Rendell proposed creating a commission to study whether the number of school districts in Pennsylvania can be slashed from 501 to 100.
“We need to find more effective ways to make education more efficient,” state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said. “If you really study it, you can determine if there are savings to be gained.”
Stockham, 66 and a Morrisville attorney, is all for a merger with Pennsbury’s 11,064 student body.
“I support and applaud Gov. Rendell’s proposal,” he said. “It’s not efficient to keep throwing money for duplication and services. It’s about time ... long overdue.”
Back in 1933, when Stockham’s mother taught at Morrisville High School, the surrounding school districts of Fallsington, Lower Makefield and Yardley sent their high school students to Morrisville High on a tuition basis.
In the late 1950s, when Stockham attended Morrisville High, Pennsbury High School used Morrisville’s Robert Morris Athletic Field for its home football games and track meets.
“Both historical precedent and current economic conditions indicate that the Morrisville School District and Pennsbury School District should be entering into mutually beneficial arrangements as the right thing to do,” he said.
Back in the 1950s, when it was home to the second shopping center on the east coast, Morrisville had a strong economic base. At that time, Pennsbury sought a merger.
“They’ve been talking about this for decades,” said Mike Fitzpatrick, Morrisville’s solicitor. “It’s never had the support of both districts at the same time.”
Recently, Fitzpatrick has asked Pennsbury and other local districts to consider taking about 300 students in grades nine through 12 on a tuition basis.
Fitzpatrick called Rendell’s plan an affirmation of Morrisville’s recent actions and intent to partner with neighboring districts.
“The Commonwealth can be a partner to assist economically fragile districts by providing incentives for neighboring larger districts to partner with smaller ones.” he said.
Linda Palsky, a member of the Pennsbury School Board, said she’s “very interested” to hear more of Rendell’s plan because “some smaller school districts throughout the state could be better served” by merging.
“But my number one concern is the quality of education for Pennsbury students and the cost to taxpayers, especially as we approach some very, very difficult financial times.”
Rendell contends that fewer districts would mean less of a local tax burden on property owners by spreading the share of school costs over a larger number of people.
It’s been done before. Back in the 1960s, when the Commonwealth had more than 2,000 districts, the state ordered districts to consolidate.
Still, more than 40 percent of the state’s school districts enroll fewer than 2,000 students each, and more than 80 percent enroll fewer than 5,000.
“Almost everyone agrees that Pennsylvania has too many school districts,” Rendell said during Wednesday’s budget address. “This means that we have ever-increasing pressure to increase local property taxes.”
Locally, after Morrisville, Bristol Borough [1,193], New Hope Solebury [1,551], Palisades [1,990] and Upper Moreland [3,041] are the only districts with fewer than 5,000 students. The largest are Central Bucks [20,359], North Penn [12,772], and Pennsbury.
In 2007, Standard & Poor’s reported to the state’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the cost-effectiveness of consolidating school districts. It estimated savings would be more likely if the combined enrollments were less than 3,000 students.
Palisades superintendent Francis Barnes, who previously held Zahorchak’s job, questioned whether consolidation actually saves the money it promises.
“It’s a noble goal, but I don’t understand how that would do it,” he said.
Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, told The Associated Press his organi zation hopes to work with the commission but is not convinced that school district merg ers save large amounts of money
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Stockham Strip Club Update
From BucksLocalNews.com
Council discusses strip club lawsuit
President says burlesque-style theater not in the mix for downtown
By Petra Chesner Schlatter, Posted on Wed, Jan 28, 2009
Morrisville Borough Council's executive session on Jan. 20 dealt with litigation regarding the constitutional right to operate a gentleman's club in Morrisville.
Todd Colarusso, a principal in the New Jersey-based Stockham Interests LLC, is suing the borough, claiming Morrisville zoning ordinances "impose restrictions and prohibitions on First Amendment protected expression."
Neither Colarusso nor his lawyer, Luke Lirot of Tampa, Fla., could be reached for comment.
The site of the club was proposed for Bridge Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the ailing downtown business district.
The developer wants to put a burlesque-style theater in the . Other proposed uses in the building would be a health club and a restaurant. The Morrisville Zoning Hearing Board unanimously rejected Colarusso's application for a strip club in May 2008.
While adult entertainment use is not allowed in the commercial district, it is permitted in Morrisville's industrial zones.
According to James Downey, borough council solicitor, there are no state regulations or guidelines about how far away an adult entertainment establishment can be situated from a school or church.
The daughter of a local Baptist minister said at the hearing last year that youths would walk by the strip club on their way to and from school. Her father spoke out against adult entertainment in his church's neighborhood.
The pastor of the Catholic school quoted the Bible, stating a man "looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery."
The borough's insurance company is handling the litigation. Initially, the borough filed a motion to dismiss the claim. The federal judge in Philadelphia threw out some of the claims, but let stand the First Amendment challenge.
Solicitor Downey said the normal approach is to take a matter like this to the Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown.
"They didn't do it - they took it straight to federal court," he emphasized.
Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock said the Stockham Building is in the center of town. "Our hope was for the revitalization of Morrisville's downtown," she said. "I speak for myself at this time, but I believe it is the consensus of borough council that a burlesque establishment was not in that mix."
Since the 1970s, Sugar and Spice, a local strip club, has existed on South Pennsylvania Avenue, Sherlock noted.
"I think that we struggle with an image," she said. "A lot of people aren't familiar with the bright side of Morrisville. We have beautiful tree-lined streets.
"We have residents, who are very proud of their homes. They take care of their homes. There are many attractive homes in Morrisville," Sherlock noted.
The council president said an issue that needs to be addressed is the fact that a crossing guard stands at the intersection and crosses the children. "I know that Pastor [Gary] Taylor from the Baptist Church was adamant," Sherlock said. "It is close to his church and he said it would be detrimental to his church's members."
Sherlock said she could not comment specifically about the litigation. The matter is discussed in executive session because it is a legal matter.
"We will see what happens," she said.
Council Member Jane Burger explained the that zoning hearing board heard the request. "They denied it for several reasons," she said. "[The developer] failed to show hardship that they could not rent to tenants of any of the types of businesses allowed in the C-2 commercial district," Burger added.
Council discusses strip club lawsuit
President says burlesque-style theater not in the mix for downtown
By Petra Chesner Schlatter, Posted on Wed, Jan 28, 2009
Morrisville Borough Council's executive session on Jan. 20 dealt with litigation regarding the constitutional right to operate a gentleman's club in Morrisville.
Todd Colarusso, a principal in the New Jersey-based Stockham Interests LLC, is suing the borough, claiming Morrisville zoning ordinances "impose restrictions and prohibitions on First Amendment protected expression."
Neither Colarusso nor his lawyer, Luke Lirot of Tampa, Fla., could be reached for comment.
The site of the club was proposed for Bridge Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the ailing downtown business district.
The developer wants to put a burlesque-style theater in the . Other proposed uses in the building would be a health club and a restaurant. The Morrisville Zoning Hearing Board unanimously rejected Colarusso's application for a strip club in May 2008.
While adult entertainment use is not allowed in the commercial district, it is permitted in Morrisville's industrial zones.
According to James Downey, borough council solicitor, there are no state regulations or guidelines about how far away an adult entertainment establishment can be situated from a school or church.
The daughter of a local Baptist minister said at the hearing last year that youths would walk by the strip club on their way to and from school. Her father spoke out against adult entertainment in his church's neighborhood.
The pastor of the Catholic school quoted the Bible, stating a man "looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery."
The borough's insurance company is handling the litigation. Initially, the borough filed a motion to dismiss the claim. The federal judge in Philadelphia threw out some of the claims, but let stand the First Amendment challenge.
Solicitor Downey said the normal approach is to take a matter like this to the Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown.
"They didn't do it - they took it straight to federal court," he emphasized.
Morrisville Borough Council President Nancy Sherlock said the Stockham Building is in the center of town. "Our hope was for the revitalization of Morrisville's downtown," she said. "I speak for myself at this time, but I believe it is the consensus of borough council that a burlesque establishment was not in that mix."
Since the 1970s, Sugar and Spice, a local strip club, has existed on South Pennsylvania Avenue, Sherlock noted.
"I think that we struggle with an image," she said. "A lot of people aren't familiar with the bright side of Morrisville. We have beautiful tree-lined streets.
"We have residents, who are very proud of their homes. They take care of their homes. There are many attractive homes in Morrisville," Sherlock noted.
The council president said an issue that needs to be addressed is the fact that a crossing guard stands at the intersection and crosses the children. "I know that Pastor [Gary] Taylor from the Baptist Church was adamant," Sherlock said. "It is close to his church and he said it would be detrimental to his church's members."
Sherlock said she could not comment specifically about the litigation. The matter is discussed in executive session because it is a legal matter.
"We will see what happens," she said.
Council Member Jane Burger explained the that zoning hearing board heard the request. "They denied it for several reasons," she said. "[The developer] failed to show hardship that they could not rent to tenants of any of the types of businesses allowed in the C-2 commercial district," Burger added.
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Thanks to the emailer to sent me this information on the Education Policy and Leadership Center at eplc.org. They have a look at Gov. Rendell's 2009-2010 budget from the education point of view.
There's links to other budgets going back to 2003-2004 and a lot of good info to check out.
There's links to other budgets going back to 2003-2004 and a lot of good info to check out.
Rendell wants to consolidate 400 PA school districts
From the Inquirer.
OK. Let's look at consolidations. There's a lot of benefits and drawbacks whichever way we choose to go.
Rendell wants to consolidate 400 PA school districts
By Dan Hardy and Kristen A. Graham Posted on Wed, Feb. 4, 2009
Gov. Rendell wants to slash the number of school districts statewide, eliminating about 400 of the current 501 Pennsylvania public school systems.
The controversial proposal would make a more efficient public education system, he said.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate school districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," the governor said in his budget address.
Rendell wants a legislative committee to study consolidation and return recommendations within a year.
The revelation came as Rendell proposed to increase Pennsylvania's public school funding by $265.3 million, a 2.8 increase over last year's budget. That's amid proposed cuts in many other state budget items.
"Even in these difficult times, we must not lose sight of the fact that every additional dollar we allocate to public education will benefit our children even as it helps relieve the burden of local property taxes," Rendell said in his budget address today.
Rendell also hopes to provide $550 million in tuition relief to Pennsylvania students who attend state-system schools or community colleges, an initiative he'd like to fund by legalizing video-poker machines at restaurants, private clubs and corner bars.
For basic education funding - the largest portion of the state education budget - the governor proposes an increase of $300 million.
The total proposed budget for public schools is $9.9 billion, which would make up 37 percent of the proposed $26.6 billion budget - the largest single item.
Special education funding would remain flat; money for charter schools and transportation would increase; most other programs would be cut.
Rendell also proposed relieving the burden of school taxes on local residents by drastically cutting the number of school districts, from 500 to no more than 100. A 12-member commission would develop a consolidation plan within a year, under his proposal, with the legislature voting on which of two proposals to accept. If it turned down both, the Department of Education would decide.
"Full-scale school consolidation provides a very effective way to relieve the local property tax burden all across Pennsylvania," Rendell told the legislature. "There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs."
Last year, Rendell proposed to increase state education funding by $2.6 billion over six years to bring all school district up to the level at which they could provide an adequate education for their students. At the urging of the Rendell administration, the legislature enacted a new funding plan for public schools, based on a state study that established the cost of providing an adequate education for all students. The plan set a goal of ramping up basic education subsidies by enough so that within six years, every school district could provide an adequate education to its students.
Basic education funding was increased by $274 million for this school year, the largest dollar increase since 1991, as the first step toward that objective. The Rendell administration set a goal of increasing the subsidy by $2.6 billion by 2013-14.
The formula established a basic per-student payment, then adjusted it to take into account poverty, the number of limited education students, a district's size and its geographic location. Districts with high tax rates and low wealth received more.
To stay on track for delivering the $2.6 billion increase, Rendell had planned to increase basic education funding in this year's budget by $418 million.
The governor is proposing using the same funding formula this year, but, he said, "sadly, we can no longer afford this level of increase, though the need for this funding is no less compelling than before."
The Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign, a coalition of groups that pushed for state funding increases, said in a statement that it supports the governor's proposal.
"It is an important commitment in light of the current economic climate, cuts in other areas of the state budget, and education cuts in other states," said Ron Cowell, president of the Education Policy and Leadership Center and a member of the School Funding Campaign steering Committee.
OK. Let's look at consolidations. There's a lot of benefits and drawbacks whichever way we choose to go.
Rendell wants to consolidate 400 PA school districts
By Dan Hardy and Kristen A. Graham Posted on Wed, Feb. 4, 2009
Gov. Rendell wants to slash the number of school districts statewide, eliminating about 400 of the current 501 Pennsylvania public school systems.
The controversial proposal would make a more efficient public education system, he said.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate school districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs," the governor said in his budget address.
Rendell wants a legislative committee to study consolidation and return recommendations within a year.
The revelation came as Rendell proposed to increase Pennsylvania's public school funding by $265.3 million, a 2.8 increase over last year's budget. That's amid proposed cuts in many other state budget items.
"Even in these difficult times, we must not lose sight of the fact that every additional dollar we allocate to public education will benefit our children even as it helps relieve the burden of local property taxes," Rendell said in his budget address today.
Rendell also hopes to provide $550 million in tuition relief to Pennsylvania students who attend state-system schools or community colleges, an initiative he'd like to fund by legalizing video-poker machines at restaurants, private clubs and corner bars.
For basic education funding - the largest portion of the state education budget - the governor proposes an increase of $300 million.
The total proposed budget for public schools is $9.9 billion, which would make up 37 percent of the proposed $26.6 billion budget - the largest single item.
Special education funding would remain flat; money for charter schools and transportation would increase; most other programs would be cut.
Rendell also proposed relieving the burden of school taxes on local residents by drastically cutting the number of school districts, from 500 to no more than 100. A 12-member commission would develop a consolidation plan within a year, under his proposal, with the legislature voting on which of two proposals to accept. If it turned down both, the Department of Education would decide.
"Full-scale school consolidation provides a very effective way to relieve the local property tax burden all across Pennsylvania," Rendell told the legislature. "There is nothing sacrosanct about the need to maintain 500 separate schools districts across the state - each with its own staggering, and growing, administrative costs."
Last year, Rendell proposed to increase state education funding by $2.6 billion over six years to bring all school district up to the level at which they could provide an adequate education for their students. At the urging of the Rendell administration, the legislature enacted a new funding plan for public schools, based on a state study that established the cost of providing an adequate education for all students. The plan set a goal of ramping up basic education subsidies by enough so that within six years, every school district could provide an adequate education to its students.
Basic education funding was increased by $274 million for this school year, the largest dollar increase since 1991, as the first step toward that objective. The Rendell administration set a goal of increasing the subsidy by $2.6 billion by 2013-14.
The formula established a basic per-student payment, then adjusted it to take into account poverty, the number of limited education students, a district's size and its geographic location. Districts with high tax rates and low wealth received more.
To stay on track for delivering the $2.6 billion increase, Rendell had planned to increase basic education funding in this year's budget by $418 million.
The governor is proposing using the same funding formula this year, but, he said, "sadly, we can no longer afford this level of increase, though the need for this funding is no less compelling than before."
The Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign, a coalition of groups that pushed for state funding increases, said in a statement that it supports the governor's proposal.
"It is an important commitment in light of the current economic climate, cuts in other areas of the state budget, and education cuts in other states," said Ron Cowell, president of the Education Policy and Leadership Center and a member of the School Funding Campaign steering Committee.
Lawmakers take a look at spending plan
From the BCCT.
"Morrisville must be absorbed." "Resistance is futile." Pass it on.
Lawmakers take a look at spending plan
By GARY WECKSELBLATT
As he listened to Gov. Ed Rendell give his budget address Wednesday, state Rep. Scott Petri couldn’t help but think back to the old comedy team of Laurel and Hardy.
“Oh, boy, what a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into, Ollie,” Petri said from Harrisburg, where Rendell unveiled his $29 billion spending plan.
“I just don’t believe he cuts enough to get the job done,” said Petri, R-178. “We have to do what every household is doing right now, tighten our belts as much as we can. That’s not easy, but nothing can be excluded.”
Local legislators reacted to Rendell’s proposal, which comes at a time of a deepening economic recession that has left most states facing spending cuts and hoping for a federal monetary injection.
Pennsylvania is no different, expecting $2.4 billion in stimulus money from Washington to help overcome a shrinking economic base due to rising unemployment.
Among the highlights likely to spark debate:
Rendell would spend $130 million this year to shrink the cost of college education for students who attend the 14 public universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges. For example, a student in a family making $60,000 a year would have tuition dropped from $12,010 to $4,750.
Funding the program could be problematic. Rendell suggests video poker games in bars, taverns, restaurants and private clubs — establishments with liquor licenses.
Rendell would cut $218 million, or 35 percent, for the Community and Economic Development Department that gives grants and aid to local governments, community organizations and businesses.
The governor is also suggesting eliminating 400 of the state’s 501 school districts to make public education more efficient.
While there would be no broad-based tax increases, the state cigarette tax would rise 10 cents a pack to $1.45.
There would be a tax on other tobacco products, including cigars, snuff and pipe tobacco — 36 cents an ounce for smokeless and loose tobacco and 36 cents per 10 cigars or cigarillos.
“He made a lot of very bold and courageous statements today,” said Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10. “He put some stuff out there that’s very valuable and worth looking at.”
State Rep. John Galloway, a Democrat like Rendell, is all for the measure to merge districts. In Galloway’s 140th District is the Morrisville School District. Saddled with worn-out buildings and high taxes, the district has tried to be absorbed by neighboring Pennsbury.
“It’s an idea I fully support,” he said. “We could get down to 200 school districts and save taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s the smart way to go.”
Sate Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, disagreed. “I’m opposed to it,” he said. “To be bigger is not always better. It would take away community pride. Teachers teach better when they’re in schools they’re accustomed to. I think students will get lost in this process. You lose a sense of history and pride and what you’re about as a community.”
McIlhinney wasn’t ready to commit. He said as Rendell spoke, “I tried to picture how it would work. Could we get to 100 school districts? I don’t know. Do we have some with 600 students that shouldn’t be there? Probably.”
Clymer, a critic of legalized gambling, reserved his real venom for Rendell’s plan to legalize video poker.
Citing 107,000 slot machines in Las Vegas that Pennsylvania can top under Rendell’s guidelines, Clymer said “he’s trying to turn us into Las Vegas. But we’re not a travel destination like Las Vegas. The people who gamble here are from here. The money we’re getting to feed this program is Pennsylvania money.”
Clymer lamented that gambling studies show it’s the poor and less educated who gamble. “Now you have the poor being lured into bars and taverns. The mixture of alcohol and gambling is lethal to begin with.”
A point seconded by Petri.
“In this economy do you want people to go to a bar and come home with no paycheck at all?” he asked. “And what does this do to the gaming industry that was supposed to give us property tax relief? And what does it do to the lottery fund (that pays for senior programs)?
“Every action has a consequence. This is over the top.”
While saying gambling is not a panacea, Galloway said the money should not be used for student aid. “I think it should be used for property taxes to directly affect the people in those municipalities (where the machines are located).
McIlhinney called the tuition plan “rather ambitious, but you can’t dismiss anything on day one. But as I’m sitting here now I’m leaning against it.”
Of cuts to local governments, Clymer said there’s going to be “universal pain. We have to balance the budget and work together as never before.”
Petri, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said in the coming weeks he’ll be “digging through every line item and looking for every savings and dollar I can find. We must expand the base of people who are employed. That’s what our mantra has to be.”
Said Galloway, “It’s my contention we should go even further and fundamentally change the way we do business here. I see this as an opportunity. This could be one of our better days in Harrisburg. We’ve taken our hits here, and rightfully so. Hopefully we’re up to the task.”
McIlhinney represents Falls, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, Tullytown, Newtown, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, Yardley, 20 municipalities in Central and Upper Bucks, 2 Montgomery County communities. Petri’s district includes Northampton, Wrightstown, Ivyland, portions of Upper Makefield, Upper Southampton, Warwick. Galloway represents Bristol, Morrisville, Tullytown, Falls, 2 districts in Bristol Township, 1 district in Middletown. Clymer represents 14 municipalities in Upper Bucks.
"Morrisville must be absorbed." "Resistance is futile." Pass it on.
Lawmakers take a look at spending plan
By GARY WECKSELBLATT
As he listened to Gov. Ed Rendell give his budget address Wednesday, state Rep. Scott Petri couldn’t help but think back to the old comedy team of Laurel and Hardy.
“Oh, boy, what a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into, Ollie,” Petri said from Harrisburg, where Rendell unveiled his $29 billion spending plan.
“I just don’t believe he cuts enough to get the job done,” said Petri, R-178. “We have to do what every household is doing right now, tighten our belts as much as we can. That’s not easy, but nothing can be excluded.”
Local legislators reacted to Rendell’s proposal, which comes at a time of a deepening economic recession that has left most states facing spending cuts and hoping for a federal monetary injection.
Pennsylvania is no different, expecting $2.4 billion in stimulus money from Washington to help overcome a shrinking economic base due to rising unemployment.
Among the highlights likely to spark debate:
Rendell would spend $130 million this year to shrink the cost of college education for students who attend the 14 public universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges. For example, a student in a family making $60,000 a year would have tuition dropped from $12,010 to $4,750.
Funding the program could be problematic. Rendell suggests video poker games in bars, taverns, restaurants and private clubs — establishments with liquor licenses.
Rendell would cut $218 million, or 35 percent, for the Community and Economic Development Department that gives grants and aid to local governments, community organizations and businesses.
The governor is also suggesting eliminating 400 of the state’s 501 school districts to make public education more efficient.
While there would be no broad-based tax increases, the state cigarette tax would rise 10 cents a pack to $1.45.
There would be a tax on other tobacco products, including cigars, snuff and pipe tobacco — 36 cents an ounce for smokeless and loose tobacco and 36 cents per 10 cigars or cigarillos.
“He made a lot of very bold and courageous statements today,” said Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10. “He put some stuff out there that’s very valuable and worth looking at.”
State Rep. John Galloway, a Democrat like Rendell, is all for the measure to merge districts. In Galloway’s 140th District is the Morrisville School District. Saddled with worn-out buildings and high taxes, the district has tried to be absorbed by neighboring Pennsbury.
“It’s an idea I fully support,” he said. “We could get down to 200 school districts and save taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s the smart way to go.”
Sate Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, disagreed. “I’m opposed to it,” he said. “To be bigger is not always better. It would take away community pride. Teachers teach better when they’re in schools they’re accustomed to. I think students will get lost in this process. You lose a sense of history and pride and what you’re about as a community.”
McIlhinney wasn’t ready to commit. He said as Rendell spoke, “I tried to picture how it would work. Could we get to 100 school districts? I don’t know. Do we have some with 600 students that shouldn’t be there? Probably.”
Clymer, a critic of legalized gambling, reserved his real venom for Rendell’s plan to legalize video poker.
Citing 107,000 slot machines in Las Vegas that Pennsylvania can top under Rendell’s guidelines, Clymer said “he’s trying to turn us into Las Vegas. But we’re not a travel destination like Las Vegas. The people who gamble here are from here. The money we’re getting to feed this program is Pennsylvania money.”
Clymer lamented that gambling studies show it’s the poor and less educated who gamble. “Now you have the poor being lured into bars and taverns. The mixture of alcohol and gambling is lethal to begin with.”
A point seconded by Petri.
“In this economy do you want people to go to a bar and come home with no paycheck at all?” he asked. “And what does this do to the gaming industry that was supposed to give us property tax relief? And what does it do to the lottery fund (that pays for senior programs)?
“Every action has a consequence. This is over the top.”
While saying gambling is not a panacea, Galloway said the money should not be used for student aid. “I think it should be used for property taxes to directly affect the people in those municipalities (where the machines are located).
McIlhinney called the tuition plan “rather ambitious, but you can’t dismiss anything on day one. But as I’m sitting here now I’m leaning against it.”
Of cuts to local governments, Clymer said there’s going to be “universal pain. We have to balance the budget and work together as never before.”
Petri, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said in the coming weeks he’ll be “digging through every line item and looking for every savings and dollar I can find. We must expand the base of people who are employed. That’s what our mantra has to be.”
Said Galloway, “It’s my contention we should go even further and fundamentally change the way we do business here. I see this as an opportunity. This could be one of our better days in Harrisburg. We’ve taken our hits here, and rightfully so. Hopefully we’re up to the task.”
McIlhinney represents Falls, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, Tullytown, Newtown, Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, Yardley, 20 municipalities in Central and Upper Bucks, 2 Montgomery County communities. Petri’s district includes Northampton, Wrightstown, Ivyland, portions of Upper Makefield, Upper Southampton, Warwick. Galloway represents Bristol, Morrisville, Tullytown, Falls, 2 districts in Bristol Township, 1 district in Middletown. Clymer represents 14 municipalities in Upper Bucks.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
From the BCCT.
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
Five districts are hoping state-authorized exemptions will allow them to exceed the property tax increase limit.
By JOAN HELLYER
School boards in Lower Bucks County will, once again, avoid asking voters for approval to raise property taxes above a pre-determined state limit for the next school year, district officials said.
The boards had until Jan. 29 to decide if voters’ approval to go above the limit would be needed during the May primary, according to the state’s property tax relief law.
Most districts are allowed to raise taxes 4.1 percent above their current millage rate, according to the state. Bristol’s index is 5.3 percent, and Bristol Township can raise taxes 5.2 percent without voter approval. The amount of increase allowable for each district is calculated by averaging the statewide average weekly wage with employment cost index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials said.
Local districts have not had to go to referendum since the tax relief law known as Act 1 went into effect in 2006. However, this year it was a close call for several districts struggling to cover projected expenses in the midst of the economic downturn.
To make ends meet, the Bensalem, Bristol, Centennial, Neshaminy and Pennsbury boards are considering a suggested tax increase that combines the district’s predetermined index rate with different exemptions.
The exemptions include expenses such as special education, health benefits and debt service costs incurred before Act 1 went into effect, officials said.
Bensalem, for instance, is asking the state for permission to claim exemptions for special education and health benefits. Those exemptions would push the district’s total tax increase to 6 percent of the current millage of 130.4 mills.
That equates to 7.77 mills and would mean the owner of the average property in the district would pay $170 more in taxes in 2009-10 should the board impose the maximum increase possible without voter approval.
As per Act 1, the five area districts looking to combine the index increase with exemptions have until mid February to adopt a preliminary budget specifying how they expect to cover 2009-10 costs.
The other three area boards, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville, have passed resolutions promising to keep any property tax increases for 2009-10 to the state-imposed limit.
Those school boards have until late May to adopt a preliminary budget. All districts have until June 30 to adopt their 2009-10 final budgets.
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
Five districts are hoping state-authorized exemptions will allow them to exceed the property tax increase limit.
By JOAN HELLYER
School boards in Lower Bucks County will, once again, avoid asking voters for approval to raise property taxes above a pre-determined state limit for the next school year, district officials said.
The boards had until Jan. 29 to decide if voters’ approval to go above the limit would be needed during the May primary, according to the state’s property tax relief law.
Most districts are allowed to raise taxes 4.1 percent above their current millage rate, according to the state. Bristol’s index is 5.3 percent, and Bristol Township can raise taxes 5.2 percent without voter approval. The amount of increase allowable for each district is calculated by averaging the statewide average weekly wage with employment cost index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials said.
Local districts have not had to go to referendum since the tax relief law known as Act 1 went into effect in 2006. However, this year it was a close call for several districts struggling to cover projected expenses in the midst of the economic downturn.
To make ends meet, the Bensalem, Bristol, Centennial, Neshaminy and Pennsbury boards are considering a suggested tax increase that combines the district’s predetermined index rate with different exemptions.
The exemptions include expenses such as special education, health benefits and debt service costs incurred before Act 1 went into effect, officials said.
Bensalem, for instance, is asking the state for permission to claim exemptions for special education and health benefits. Those exemptions would push the district’s total tax increase to 6 percent of the current millage of 130.4 mills.
That equates to 7.77 mills and would mean the owner of the average property in the district would pay $170 more in taxes in 2009-10 should the board impose the maximum increase possible without voter approval.
As per Act 1, the five area districts looking to combine the index increase with exemptions have until mid February to adopt a preliminary budget specifying how they expect to cover 2009-10 costs.
The other three area boards, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville, have passed resolutions promising to keep any property tax increases for 2009-10 to the state-imposed limit.
Those school boards have until late May to adopt a preliminary budget. All districts have until June 30 to adopt their 2009-10 final budgets.
Parents criticize board in writing
From the BCCT.
Parents criticize board in writing
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville residents have written letters to school officials expressing fears for the district’s future.
“I demand to know what is in store for my children’s education and most importantly their proper safety?!” parent Tammi Bresnen wrote.
Five people responded to district solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick’s encouragement for additional written testimony after a Jan. 29 public hearing about the closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary School.
“It’s not a lot, but it’s not bad,” board member John Buckman said of the number of people who wrote.
Bresnen and other residents criticized the board for poor communication with the public.
“This board has shown time and time again that it does not act with a publicly discussed, debated, and enacted long-term strategic plan in place. It acts in fits and starts without an overarching goal,” wrote parent Kevin Leather.
The board plans to refurbish Grandview, the district’s other elementary school, and it’s investigating putting grades kindergarten through eight in the high school building. Leather called those two initiatives “opposing avenues of action.”
Resident Carol J. Bargery proposed renovating Reiter and selling Grandview. Morrisville could send grades kindergarten through eight to the high school and grades nine through 12 to Reiter, she wrote. The district should hold a public referendum before closing Reiter or any other building, she suggested.
About 250 students attend Morrisville Middle/Senior High School in grades nine through 12. Until a December furnace explosion, Reiter housed more than 250 students.
They are sharing space currently with other students in various district buildings for at least the rest of the school year. The explosion is not the sole rationale for closing the school. Board members had planned to close at least one elementary school in the district and use the money from its sale to renovate the district’s two other school buildings. The Reiter incident and an earlier evaluation of the building provided the board justification to pick Reiter for closing.
About 20 people expressed their opinions verbally at the public hearing. Then residents had until 3 p.m. on Feb. 2 to submit written opinions as part of the public hearing record.
Representatives from Vitetta, the engineering and architectural firm hired to evaluate the district schools, said at the public hearing that Reiter was in worse shape than Grandview Elementary. It has serious cracking in the walls and water seepage indoors.
“To fix that building doesn’t seem too probable at this point. Whatever the testimony’s saying, we have to look at the problems,” said Buckman. He said he sympathized with parents who expressed frustration with Reiter’s issues.
Morrisville is installing eight modular units on Grandview’s property this month to give some of the displaced students their own space. Bad weather has delayed the units’ installation, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said last week.
The district has reserved $7.4 million for renovations to the high school and one elementary school.
Vitetta is about to start the design phase of window and boiler renovations for the high school. The work shouldn’t cost more than $4.8 million, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo.
Since Reiter may be closed, Grandview is next on the list to be renovated. Vitetta’s current estimate for fixing the smaller Grandview is $2.6 million. Resolving Reiter’s problems would cost about $4 million, according to the company.
The board can only make a decision about closing a school building 90 days after the public hearing, according to school code.
“Our board will come to a well thought out decision about what is best for our educational program, the children and the taxpayers and hopefully satisfy most of the community,” board President William Hellmann wrote in an e-mail exchange Tuesday.
Bargery hopes the board will be more candid about its thinking.
“Maybe if you would be more open and forthright with the community the community would reach out, and when Americans work together there is nothing we can’t do,” she wrote.
Parents criticize board in writing
By MANASEE WAGH
Morrisville residents have written letters to school officials expressing fears for the district’s future.
“I demand to know what is in store for my children’s education and most importantly their proper safety?!” parent Tammi Bresnen wrote.
Five people responded to district solicitor Michael Fitzpatrick’s encouragement for additional written testimony after a Jan. 29 public hearing about the closing of M.R. Reiter Elementary School.
“It’s not a lot, but it’s not bad,” board member John Buckman said of the number of people who wrote.
Bresnen and other residents criticized the board for poor communication with the public.
“This board has shown time and time again that it does not act with a publicly discussed, debated, and enacted long-term strategic plan in place. It acts in fits and starts without an overarching goal,” wrote parent Kevin Leather.
The board plans to refurbish Grandview, the district’s other elementary school, and it’s investigating putting grades kindergarten through eight in the high school building. Leather called those two initiatives “opposing avenues of action.”
Resident Carol J. Bargery proposed renovating Reiter and selling Grandview. Morrisville could send grades kindergarten through eight to the high school and grades nine through 12 to Reiter, she wrote. The district should hold a public referendum before closing Reiter or any other building, she suggested.
About 250 students attend Morrisville Middle/Senior High School in grades nine through 12. Until a December furnace explosion, Reiter housed more than 250 students.
They are sharing space currently with other students in various district buildings for at least the rest of the school year. The explosion is not the sole rationale for closing the school. Board members had planned to close at least one elementary school in the district and use the money from its sale to renovate the district’s two other school buildings. The Reiter incident and an earlier evaluation of the building provided the board justification to pick Reiter for closing.
About 20 people expressed their opinions verbally at the public hearing. Then residents had until 3 p.m. on Feb. 2 to submit written opinions as part of the public hearing record.
Representatives from Vitetta, the engineering and architectural firm hired to evaluate the district schools, said at the public hearing that Reiter was in worse shape than Grandview Elementary. It has serious cracking in the walls and water seepage indoors.
“To fix that building doesn’t seem too probable at this point. Whatever the testimony’s saying, we have to look at the problems,” said Buckman. He said he sympathized with parents who expressed frustration with Reiter’s issues.
Morrisville is installing eight modular units on Grandview’s property this month to give some of the displaced students their own space. Bad weather has delayed the units’ installation, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson said last week.
The district has reserved $7.4 million for renovations to the high school and one elementary school.
Vitetta is about to start the design phase of window and boiler renovations for the high school. The work shouldn’t cost more than $4.8 million, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo.
Since Reiter may be closed, Grandview is next on the list to be renovated. Vitetta’s current estimate for fixing the smaller Grandview is $2.6 million. Resolving Reiter’s problems would cost about $4 million, according to the company.
The board can only make a decision about closing a school building 90 days after the public hearing, according to school code.
“Our board will come to a well thought out decision about what is best for our educational program, the children and the taxpayers and hopefully satisfy most of the community,” board President William Hellmann wrote in an e-mail exchange Tuesday.
Bargery hopes the board will be more candid about its thinking.
“Maybe if you would be more open and forthright with the community the community would reach out, and when Americans work together there is nothing we can’t do,” she wrote.
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