Two items from the BCCT this morning
Closing the Gateway
Morrisville might have acted hastily.
Not much good comes of impatience. What grandmother hasn’t given that advice?
And so the developer of the proposed Morrisville Gateway Center has been given an early hook by borough council members. Impatiently, the developer asked for a show of support before investing in the nuts and bolts of a formal development plan. Instead, he was shown the door. Council members could come to regret their own impatience. Morrisville is in dire need of new businesses to share the tax load with overburdened homeowners. Additionally, the center was expected to bring 180 new jobs to the beleaguered borough. It could use them. What Morrisville doesn’t need is the message the chairman of the local economic development corporation said that council members sent: “Don’t come to Morrisville.”
They deny that. Members opposed to the center, much as like-minded citizens, fretting about the loss of borough-owned green space. Then there were the usual concerns about parking and traffic.
We’re not sure how Morrisville expects to re-energize its town center without attracting more traffic to local roads. Sounds like council members need to figure out where they want the borough to go and then agree on how to get there. No doubt there will be disagreements along the way, but there should be some consensus about destination.
As for the Gateway proposal, a show of interest might have moved the project forward without committing to anything. It just seems to us that it deserved a closer look.
Project would have been a gateway to more troubles
Morrisville Council members did the right thing when they saved a piece of land lying on the south end of Williamson Park from development into the so-called Gateway Center.
The borough has made several compromises over the years that proved to be detrimental to the existing neighborhood known as The Island within Williamson Park. The neighborhood is touted by many a proud old-timer for being a small riverside neighborhood where several generations of the same family can be found living on two narrow, sycamore-lined streets that were once surrounded by water.
Several of those community members were devastated when the Delaware River flooded. Many were on hand for the weeklong clean-up that exhausted borough workers as they pumped the trapped water around the clock from a land area that has been transformed into a virtual fish bowl; and residents along the length of the levee were devastated by standing water that simply could not recede along with the cresting waters of the Delaware.
Allowing more development would further interrupt the already insufficient land area needed for natural percolation, and subject the land area to even more water as runoff is diverted away from the busy roadways. Residents met with the mayor and council members to discuss the faulty drainage systems currently in place, and how to improve police coverage due to security issues that arose when residents lost power and were evacuated. They also talked about how unchangeable factors of land elevation and fluctuating river levels leave this neighborhood at risk regardless of changes and interventions that would divert flood water into other areas.
In subsequent years, flooding issues threatened the neighborhood again, and when river water began leeching through the earthen levee, borough workers and civil engineers were called in to assess and address the situation. Additionally, this entire area of land is officially designated as a flood plain, and all of the residents carrying a mortgage are required to obtain flood insurance.
I understand the developer proposed a green building, a roof that holds rainwater and special asphalt that allows the penetration of rainwater may be available, affordable and is successfully being used on other buildings. However, allowing development in a flood plain would have been a contradiction in itself, as the addition of fill material would push more flood water into homes that already exist on the island.
While environmental issues were my primary concern, they weren’t my only concern. No council member is a stranger to the traffic nightmare that occurs each workday as people migrate over the three bridges on their way to and from Trenton. As workers leave their offices and business during the afternoon rush hour, they sit in a long line of traffic making its way to Pennsylvania. Bridge Street is no exception.
On several occasions I have been approaching, or sitting in the lefthand turn lane at the top of Central Avenue when impatient drivers coming from New Jersey swing out into oncoming traffic hoping to bypass a few motorists making the afternoon crawl through Morrisville. Others squeeze between the through-traffic and curb, and push their way toward a right-turn lane that allows them to speed down Delmorr Avenue and bypass traffic by racing up Union Street, (past our police station) and down Pennsylvania Avenue.
As cars ride slowly down Bridge Street, they must proceed with caution to avoid being cut off by drivers hastily coming and going from cigarette wholesalers. If they are lucky, they might be able to sit through the light at our own town square. Here they can sit for a minute or two and enjoy our statue of Robert Morris, the historic Morrisville Bank, and a little hair salon called Hairgasm.
Were we really considering adding a burlesque house to our community gathering point? What message would that send? What do we hope to look like 10 or 15 years from now?
With so many empty, underused, and misused buildings, our community could not afford to add yet another complex. This one would have come at the cost of valuable, and limited open space, and also the peace of mind and security of residents on the flood plain. It would have forced even more traffic on to our small, fast-moving, and busy narrow roads.
I commend council members for taking a hometown stand for our small town community. This decision will help ensure that we maintain a high quality of life for all of our citizens.
Dina M. Tanzillo, Morrisville, is a special education teacher and longtime resident.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
News From the Budget Meeting
Special education to be cut! Apparently the new Morrisville School Board slogan is "Bring out the Hellmann's and screw the kids!"
Let's hear from the people who SUPPORT the Emperor. How is this sitting with you?
Residents angered by proposals
Battling over budget
By MANASEE WAGH
STAFF WRITER
In an effort to further reduce costs for the upcoming school year, the Morrisville school board agreed 6-0 Wednesday night to consider trimming proposed increases in funding for special education and alternative and charter schools next year.
If the proposals are finalized, the expected increase for special education could be reduced by more than $91,000, or 40 percent. The anticipated increase in charter school funding would be cut by almost $59,000, or 40 percent. Likewise, alternative school funding would be cut by more than $114,000, or 54 percent of the expected increase.
In addition, the board will consider eliminating several positions.
The proposals did not sit well with the approximately 50 residents who attended Wednesday night’s meeting.
“These changes seem to directly impact our children,” said Ann Perry, a resident with children in the district.
On Tuesday, board President William Hellmann directed district Business Administrator Reba Dunford to incorporate the suggested changes into the board’s proposed 2008-09 school budget.
Hellmann’s proposals would reduce expenses by about $1.57 million, but would also reduce revenue by about $150,000 because of less money from taxes.
According to the proposals, the average property tax next year would be $3,371 on an average $18,000 property assessment. Without the changes Hellmann requested, taxes would be $3,416, still less than the average tax of $3,692 this year.
While the proposed changes would reduce the millage rate by 17.8 mills to a 2008-09 total of 187.3, the administration on Wednesday warned board members that this kind of reduction would make the following year’s taxes skyrocket.
District Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson advised the board against cutting the proposed increases.
The state requires that school districts fund whatever special education services are necessary for all special education students.
“We’d get sued if we didn’t pay for special education costs,” Dunford said.
According to Dunford, the Pennsylvania Department of Education would remove charter school tuition from the state subsidy that Morrisville would get next year, so the district has no choice about paying the tuition.
Other ways Hellmann wants to cut expenses is to eliminate staff positions, including the principal’s position from M. R. Reiter Elementary School. Principal Karen Huggins recently retired from the school. Getting rid of the position would save the district more than $128,000.
In a related move, the board also wants to eliminate a teacher position, which would save the district $68,200.
According to Dunford, the grant writer’s position would be dissolved as well, netting the district about another $72,000.
Johanny Manning, another resident with children in the district, wanted to know how one principal would take over the duties for two schools. She and about five other speakers expressed outrage about cutting special education and money for charter and alternative schools.
“How are we going to survive?” she asked. “What happens when we know we need the funding? Because we will.”
Hellmann had no response to the public comments.
At that, board member Joseph Kemp was incensed.
“Not to respond to these parents, these concerned citizens, is really disrespectful,” he told Hellmann. He went on, “These cuts will take money from those who need it most,” referring to the planned special education reductions.
The deadline for final changes to the budget is June 25. The board will have until then to tweak the plan.
Let's hear from the people who SUPPORT the Emperor. How is this sitting with you?
Residents angered by proposals
Battling over budget
By MANASEE WAGH
STAFF WRITER
In an effort to further reduce costs for the upcoming school year, the Morrisville school board agreed 6-0 Wednesday night to consider trimming proposed increases in funding for special education and alternative and charter schools next year.
If the proposals are finalized, the expected increase for special education could be reduced by more than $91,000, or 40 percent. The anticipated increase in charter school funding would be cut by almost $59,000, or 40 percent. Likewise, alternative school funding would be cut by more than $114,000, or 54 percent of the expected increase.
In addition, the board will consider eliminating several positions.
The proposals did not sit well with the approximately 50 residents who attended Wednesday night’s meeting.
“These changes seem to directly impact our children,” said Ann Perry, a resident with children in the district.
On Tuesday, board President William Hellmann directed district Business Administrator Reba Dunford to incorporate the suggested changes into the board’s proposed 2008-09 school budget.
Hellmann’s proposals would reduce expenses by about $1.57 million, but would also reduce revenue by about $150,000 because of less money from taxes.
According to the proposals, the average property tax next year would be $3,371 on an average $18,000 property assessment. Without the changes Hellmann requested, taxes would be $3,416, still less than the average tax of $3,692 this year.
While the proposed changes would reduce the millage rate by 17.8 mills to a 2008-09 total of 187.3, the administration on Wednesday warned board members that this kind of reduction would make the following year’s taxes skyrocket.
District Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson advised the board against cutting the proposed increases.
The state requires that school districts fund whatever special education services are necessary for all special education students.
“We’d get sued if we didn’t pay for special education costs,” Dunford said.
According to Dunford, the Pennsylvania Department of Education would remove charter school tuition from the state subsidy that Morrisville would get next year, so the district has no choice about paying the tuition.
Other ways Hellmann wants to cut expenses is to eliminate staff positions, including the principal’s position from M. R. Reiter Elementary School. Principal Karen Huggins recently retired from the school. Getting rid of the position would save the district more than $128,000.
In a related move, the board also wants to eliminate a teacher position, which would save the district $68,200.
According to Dunford, the grant writer’s position would be dissolved as well, netting the district about another $72,000.
Johanny Manning, another resident with children in the district, wanted to know how one principal would take over the duties for two schools. She and about five other speakers expressed outrage about cutting special education and money for charter and alternative schools.
“How are we going to survive?” she asked. “What happens when we know we need the funding? Because we will.”
Hellmann had no response to the public comments.
At that, board member Joseph Kemp was incensed.
“Not to respond to these parents, these concerned citizens, is really disrespectful,” he told Hellmann. He went on, “These cuts will take money from those who need it most,” referring to the planned special education reductions.
The deadline for final changes to the budget is June 25. The board will have until then to tweak the plan.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
URGENT ACTION TONIGHT!
I'm not sure what is going on here, but I received this email from two separate sources that I trust. I would suggest monitoring this school board carefully. Their truthfulness and transparency is severely compromised and I would put nothing past these knuckleheads.
I have been told there will be "devastating information" released this evening at the school board budget meeting. I do not know any further details nor do I want to speculate because my mind only goes from bad things to even worse.
Meeting begins at 6:30 in the LGI room at the high school.
Please plan to attend.
I have been told there will be "devastating information" released this evening at the school board budget meeting. I do not know any further details nor do I want to speculate because my mind only goes from bad things to even worse.
Meeting begins at 6:30 in the LGI room at the high school.
Please plan to attend.
Teacher Negotiations and Secrecy
The BCCT opines on teacher negotiations and secrecy. I'm not taking any stance one way or another on this at present except to note that the taxpayers do not have a direct say in this particular scenario, and the board members do.
It also goes on to talk about how secrecy is applied: Tell the people about an hour beforehand and then approve it. What the public says at the microphone is irrelevant to the process.
That may be a surprise to the rest of the world, but it's routinely how business is done in Morrisville. The public can talk all they want, but they are irrelevant to the process. And yet, the only people who can change this are the people themselves.
Teacher contract talks Dealing in the dark
Public oversight would quicken the pace of negotiations and produce more reasonable demands and offers.
So teacher contract talks are “moving slowly” in Neshaminy. That’s what our headline said because that’s what the people involved in the talks told our reporter. And that’s all they’d say.
One of the problems with the way teacher contract negotiations are handled in Pennsylvania is the secrecy in which they’re shrouded. What teachers demand and what school districts offer remains a mystery to the people who have to pay for whatever the two sides ultimately agree to — taxpayers.
And taxpayers don’t find out how much they’ve been obligated to ante up until a deal is done. Oh, they’ll get a peek, as they did in Pennsbury a few years ago when copies of the tentative contract were made available about an hour before the school board voted on the pact.
In other words, it was a done deal. Didn’t matter what the people thought. The opportunity to comment was strictly token and, therefore, meaningless. Message to the people: You don’t count!
Look, we understand why contract negotiations are conducted in secret. And that’s fine in the private sector. But teachers don’t work for a private employer whose bottom line has little impact on the general public. They work for taxpayers. And tax payers ought to be able to monitor the process, if not have a say.
In fact, citizen oversight might quicken the pace of negotiations and foster more thoughtful settlements. Under the glare of a spotlight, neither side would want to appear unreasonable.
And just consider the impact of a teacher contract. Millions of taxpayer dollars are at stake, not to mention the impact on the quality of education.
Think about it this way. Would we want local government officials to go behind closed doors to decide the fate of, say, a development project — only to emerge after a deal is done? Traffic, road, pollution, neighborhood impact and all other issues decided without citizen input or even awareness?
Here you go. Don’t like it? Who cares?
We don’t and wouldn’t tolerate that. And we shouldn’t tolerate secret contract negotiations for teachers.
Local activist Simon Campbell is pushing legislation that among other things would expose teacher contract negotiations to public oversight. It’s a good idea.
Back to Neshaminy. The last secretly negotiated contract in the district produced free benefits for teachers. Except for a co-pay on prescription drugs, Neshaminy teachers contribute nothing toward their health benefits.
We’d bet nobody working in the private sector has such a deal. We’d also bet that Neshaminy’s current contract would not include free benefits had negotiations been open to public scrutiny.
Any takers?
It also goes on to talk about how secrecy is applied: Tell the people about an hour beforehand and then approve it. What the public says at the microphone is irrelevant to the process.
That may be a surprise to the rest of the world, but it's routinely how business is done in Morrisville. The public can talk all they want, but they are irrelevant to the process. And yet, the only people who can change this are the people themselves.
Teacher contract talks Dealing in the dark
Public oversight would quicken the pace of negotiations and produce more reasonable demands and offers.
So teacher contract talks are “moving slowly” in Neshaminy. That’s what our headline said because that’s what the people involved in the talks told our reporter. And that’s all they’d say.
One of the problems with the way teacher contract negotiations are handled in Pennsylvania is the secrecy in which they’re shrouded. What teachers demand and what school districts offer remains a mystery to the people who have to pay for whatever the two sides ultimately agree to — taxpayers.
And taxpayers don’t find out how much they’ve been obligated to ante up until a deal is done. Oh, they’ll get a peek, as they did in Pennsbury a few years ago when copies of the tentative contract were made available about an hour before the school board voted on the pact.
In other words, it was a done deal. Didn’t matter what the people thought. The opportunity to comment was strictly token and, therefore, meaningless. Message to the people: You don’t count!
Look, we understand why contract negotiations are conducted in secret. And that’s fine in the private sector. But teachers don’t work for a private employer whose bottom line has little impact on the general public. They work for taxpayers. And tax payers ought to be able to monitor the process, if not have a say.
In fact, citizen oversight might quicken the pace of negotiations and foster more thoughtful settlements. Under the glare of a spotlight, neither side would want to appear unreasonable.
And just consider the impact of a teacher contract. Millions of taxpayer dollars are at stake, not to mention the impact on the quality of education.
Think about it this way. Would we want local government officials to go behind closed doors to decide the fate of, say, a development project — only to emerge after a deal is done? Traffic, road, pollution, neighborhood impact and all other issues decided without citizen input or even awareness?
Here you go. Don’t like it? Who cares?
We don’t and wouldn’t tolerate that. And we shouldn’t tolerate secret contract negotiations for teachers.
Local activist Simon Campbell is pushing legislation that among other things would expose teacher contract negotiations to public oversight. It’s a good idea.
Back to Neshaminy. The last secretly negotiated contract in the district produced free benefits for teachers. Except for a co-pay on prescription drugs, Neshaminy teachers contribute nothing toward their health benefits.
We’d bet nobody working in the private sector has such a deal. We’d also bet that Neshaminy’s current contract would not include free benefits had negotiations been open to public scrutiny.
Any takers?
Pay Now. Discussion Later
Scott Parks, the executive director of the BCTHS is quoted in the BCCT as saying that Morrisville and Bensalem need to step up and approve this year's budget, and the funding formula for the 2009-2010 year can be discussed later at a joint business managers meeting over the summer.
Why does this sound like something a used car salesman would say?
Anyone know what the Emperor and the Court of Toadies want to do? Either they or the Bensalem board need to approve the budget to make it operational. Sounds like the Prisoner's Dilemma at work.
It also sounds like one of the unanticipated expenses that a bare bones budget has no room to handle.
BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Funding formula to be re-examined
The joint board committee wants to see if actual usage charges could be used to cover mainstream and special education student expenses.
By JOAN HELLYER
Local school officials will meet this summer to see if they can come up with a new way to fund Bucks County Technical High School.
Joint board committee members of the tech school agreed Tuesday to meet with business managers from the six sending districts to look at actual usage costs for all students, not just special education students.
That meeting will likely take place in July, said Scott Parks, administrative director of the comprehensive high school off Wistar Road in Bristol Township.
The committee previously asked business managers to examine expenses for the school that serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury districts.
The finance officers suggested districts pay for their special education students on a per usage basis, instead of splitting the costs among the districts, as they do now.
Had that system been in place this school year, Bristol Township would have paid about $500,000 less and Neshaminy would have paid about $450,000 more, officials said.
Neshaminy representatives have protested the potential funding formula change. They said before anything is revised, the joint board should consider changing the formula so districts would pay actual usage for both mainstream and special education students.
Joint board members agreed to the summer meeting to discuss that possibility with business managers.
Controversy surrounding the revised funding formula, which would not be put into place until 2009-2010, has slowed approval of next school year’s budget.
At least one more sending school board and two more school board members from the districts served by BCTHS have to vote in favor of the estimated $21.7 million budget before it can be enacted.
Parks urged representatives of the Bensalem and Morrisville boards, which delayed votes on the 2008-2009 financial plan, to encourage their respective governing bodies to vote on it. The boards have until June 30 to act on the proposed tech school budget.
Why does this sound like something a used car salesman would say?
Anyone know what the Emperor and the Court of Toadies want to do? Either they or the Bensalem board need to approve the budget to make it operational. Sounds like the Prisoner's Dilemma at work.
It also sounds like one of the unanticipated expenses that a bare bones budget has no room to handle.
BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Funding formula to be re-examined
The joint board committee wants to see if actual usage charges could be used to cover mainstream and special education student expenses.
By JOAN HELLYER
Local school officials will meet this summer to see if they can come up with a new way to fund Bucks County Technical High School.
Joint board committee members of the tech school agreed Tuesday to meet with business managers from the six sending districts to look at actual usage costs for all students, not just special education students.
That meeting will likely take place in July, said Scott Parks, administrative director of the comprehensive high school off Wistar Road in Bristol Township.
The committee previously asked business managers to examine expenses for the school that serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury districts.
The finance officers suggested districts pay for their special education students on a per usage basis, instead of splitting the costs among the districts, as they do now.
Had that system been in place this school year, Bristol Township would have paid about $500,000 less and Neshaminy would have paid about $450,000 more, officials said.
Neshaminy representatives have protested the potential funding formula change. They said before anything is revised, the joint board should consider changing the formula so districts would pay actual usage for both mainstream and special education students.
Joint board members agreed to the summer meeting to discuss that possibility with business managers.
Controversy surrounding the revised funding formula, which would not be put into place until 2009-2010, has slowed approval of next school year’s budget.
At least one more sending school board and two more school board members from the districts served by BCTHS have to vote in favor of the estimated $21.7 million budget before it can be enacted.
Parks urged representatives of the Bensalem and Morrisville boards, which delayed votes on the 2008-2009 financial plan, to encourage their respective governing bodies to vote on it. The boards have until June 30 to act on the proposed tech school budget.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Postgame Analysis
Now that Gateway is deader than a doornail, it's time to look ahead.
According to the Bucks County website, here are the municipal results from the 2007 election:
Knowing full well that someone will correct me if this information is in error, Sherlock (W2), Panzitta (W2), Bolos (W3), and Rivella (W4) were elected for terms from 2008 to 2012. This should mean that a full slate of anti-Gateway council members are up for election in 2009: Burger (W3), Worob (W4), Dreisbach (W1), and Ledger (W1).
Let's start right now to ensure that these four vision-less "leaders" be defeated.
According to the Bucks County website, here are the municipal results from the 2007 election:
Knowing full well that someone will correct me if this information is in error, Sherlock (W2), Panzitta (W2), Bolos (W3), and Rivella (W4) were elected for terms from 2008 to 2012. This should mean that a full slate of anti-Gateway council members are up for election in 2009: Burger (W3), Worob (W4), Dreisbach (W1), and Ledger (W1).
Let's start right now to ensure that these four vision-less "leaders" be defeated.
Budget Work Session Wed May 21
Let's not forget that the long awaited budget needs preliminary final approval. It has to be up and out in public for 30 days of scrutiny before it can be made final final with a deadline of June 30, 2008. Here's the proposed 2008-2009 budget.
Unless a special meeting is scheduled in June, the June 25 meeting would be the date to approve the 2008-2009 budget. That means the preliminary budget needs to be out and on display by May 26, 2008.
Come on out and find out how much your tax cut is going to be this year. Then ask "What's Next?" to try and find out how three aging schools will be handled with a bare bones budget and no more bond money in 2008, 2009, 2010...
Board of Ed
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Budget Work Session
Notice is hereby given that the School District of Borough of Morrisville, Morrisville, PA, will hold a Budget Work session on Wednesday, May 7 and May 21, 2008 at 6:30 pm in the LGI Room of the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA.
Marlys Mihok, Secretary
Site: HS
Time: 6:30PM
Unless a special meeting is scheduled in June, the June 25 meeting would be the date to approve the 2008-2009 budget. That means the preliminary budget needs to be out and on display by May 26, 2008.
Come on out and find out how much your tax cut is going to be this year. Then ask "What's Next?" to try and find out how three aging schools will be handled with a bare bones budget and no more bond money in 2008, 2009, 2010...
Board of Ed
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Budget Work Session
Notice is hereby given that the School District of Borough of Morrisville, Morrisville, PA, will hold a Budget Work session on Wednesday, May 7 and May 21, 2008 at 6:30 pm in the LGI Room of the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School, 550 W. Palmer St., Morrisville, PA.
Marlys Mihok, Secretary
Site: HS
Time: 6:30PM
The Morning After
It seems pretty fitting that the front page of the BCCT this morning portrays Morrisville so similarly in two completely unrelated stories. Morrisville this morning awakens to find that it is nothing more than a dump. It's a place where dead bodies are dumped for convenience, and it's a place where progress goes to die.
R.I.P. Gateway. I doubt that most other developers would have stayed around long enough to endure the abuse that PJP has taken for the past two years. That building should be ready to rent by now. Instead the community that should have celebrated the new business remains sitting there in the quiet dead splendor of a long interred and long forgotten cemetery. A place where nothing ever happens. And nothing ever will. There's Morrisville's ignominious future. Graveyard to the region.
Remember the names of the council members who want Morrisville to remain dead: David Rivella, Rita Ledger, Kathryn Panzitta, Jane Burger, Steven Worob, Eileen Dreisbach.
All six of you: What's next? Like your brethren on the school board, what are you doing now to improve Morrisville?
R.I.P. Gateway. I doubt that most other developers would have stayed around long enough to endure the abuse that PJP has taken for the past two years. That building should be ready to rent by now. Instead the community that should have celebrated the new business remains sitting there in the quiet dead splendor of a long interred and long forgotten cemetery. A place where nothing ever happens. And nothing ever will. There's Morrisville's ignominious future. Graveyard to the region.
Remember the names of the council members who want Morrisville to remain dead: David Rivella, Rita Ledger, Kathryn Panzitta, Jane Burger, Steven Worob, Eileen Dreisbach.
All six of you: What's next? Like your brethren on the school board, what are you doing now to improve Morrisville?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Gateway Vote Tonight. Call your council member.
Below is an email I received from Dan Jones, the developer of the Gateway project. While it was not asked of me to forward this, I believe it is important for everyone to understand the level of commitment Mr. Jones has for the project and for Morrisville.
Call your council member and let them know you want the Gateway project to continue.
Ladies and gentlemen –
Monday evening, May 19, 2008, 7:30 PM will be a pivotal and historic moment for the Borough of Morrisville. Don’t miss it.
After two years, the Borough Council will vote “yes or no” on the Gateway Center. I truly believe that a “yes” vote will mean a historic turning point for the Borough. But it will only happen if those who support the project are at the meeting.
Attend Monday night’s meeting. If you feel comfortable speaking at the public comment, do so and make a difference. If you do not feel comfortable speaking, cheer on those that do, and make a difference.
For the first time in two years the goal line is in sight. Be a part of this historic moment. In five years when you look at a wonderfully transformed Bridge Street, be able to smile and say,” I was there and I made a difference.”
Thanks to all for their continued support of the Morrisville Gateway Center.
Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (O)
(267) 799-4482 (F)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com
And another letter I received
Tonight at Boro Hall, council will be voting to show their interest (or lack of) in continuing to move forward with the Gateway project. Please come out and support this project and consider speaking at the mic. As many of us are busy with our daily lives, if you can't make the meeting, please call your ward officials and the ones outside of your ward too.
This will be the night when the naysayers will be strong. Don't let them outvoice us and allow them to force us to be silent once more. If you have never spoken before, now is especially your time to speak up. The more different faces and voices we have only show the support is larger than the usual suspects (on both sides of the fence).
Meeting starts at 7:30. Interviews for the Economic Development Council begin at 7:00.
Phone numbers to call:
MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439
COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008
President:
Ward 2: Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264
Vice President:
Ward 2: Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264
Ward 3: George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Ward 3: Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Ward 1: Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Ward 1: Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
Ward 4: David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Ward 4: Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987
Call your council member and let them know you want the Gateway project to continue.
Ladies and gentlemen –
Monday evening, May 19, 2008, 7:30 PM will be a pivotal and historic moment for the Borough of Morrisville. Don’t miss it.
After two years, the Borough Council will vote “yes or no” on the Gateway Center. I truly believe that a “yes” vote will mean a historic turning point for the Borough. But it will only happen if those who support the project are at the meeting.
Attend Monday night’s meeting. If you feel comfortable speaking at the public comment, do so and make a difference. If you do not feel comfortable speaking, cheer on those that do, and make a difference.
For the first time in two years the goal line is in sight. Be a part of this historic moment. In five years when you look at a wonderfully transformed Bridge Street, be able to smile and say,” I was there and I made a difference.”
Thanks to all for their continued support of the Morrisville Gateway Center.
Dan Jones
Penn Jersey Real Properties, LLC
56 E. Bridge Street, Suite One
Morrisville, PA 19067
(267) 799-4481 (O)
(267) 799-4482 (F)
danieljones@pennjerseyproperties.com
And another letter I received
Tonight at Boro Hall, council will be voting to show their interest (or lack of) in continuing to move forward with the Gateway project. Please come out and support this project and consider speaking at the mic. As many of us are busy with our daily lives, if you can't make the meeting, please call your ward officials and the ones outside of your ward too.
This will be the night when the naysayers will be strong. Don't let them outvoice us and allow them to force us to be silent once more. If you have never spoken before, now is especially your time to speak up. The more different faces and voices we have only show the support is larger than the usual suspects (on both sides of the fence).
Meeting starts at 7:30. Interviews for the Economic Development Council begin at 7:00.
Phone numbers to call:
MAYOR
Tom Wisnosky: 215-295-0439
COUNCIL MEMBERS 2008
President:
Ward 2: Nancy Sherlock 215-736-1264
Vice President:
Ward 2: Kathryn Panzitta 215-295-1264
Ward 3: George Bolos: 215-428-0667
Ward 3: Jane Burger: 215-736-1321
Ward 1: Eileen Dreisbach: 215-295-1914
Ward 1: Rita Ledger: 215-295-4344
Ward 4: David Rivella: 215-295-5030
Ward 4: Stephen Worob: 215-736-2987
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Gateway Vote Monday Evening
I wish I could have said it first. Check out the comment on the BCCT news blog entry about the borough council voting on Gateway tomorrow night.
Concerned Mom Says:
May 14th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
These Borough Officials of ours couldn’t vote themselves out of a paper bag - they are scared of making ANY decision that means “progress” in Morrisville. WAKE UP PEOPLE! All you need to do is rely on our Borough Solicitor to draft your motion for Monday’s meeting; do you really think he would draft something that would not protect you and hang you out to dry? I don’t think so…. Stop being such cowards up there on your thrones and do what you were SUPPOSED to do when we vopted for you: REPRESENT YOUR CONSTITUENTS and VOTE “YES” — a “YES” vote for a “concept” … and let the process of Zoning, Land Development, etc. that we have in place here take care of all the rest!!! COME ON AND GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!! UGH….
Concerned Mom Says:
May 14th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
These Borough Officials of ours couldn’t vote themselves out of a paper bag - they are scared of making ANY decision that means “progress” in Morrisville. WAKE UP PEOPLE! All you need to do is rely on our Borough Solicitor to draft your motion for Monday’s meeting; do you really think he would draft something that would not protect you and hang you out to dry? I don’t think so…. Stop being such cowards up there on your thrones and do what you were SUPPOSED to do when we vopted for you: REPRESENT YOUR CONSTITUENTS and VOTE “YES” — a “YES” vote for a “concept” … and let the process of Zoning, Land Development, etc. that we have in place here take care of all the rest!!! COME ON AND GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!! UGH….
Bucks a pricey place to live for seniors
Another dispatch from the front lines of everyday life posted by Captain Obvious. I sit here watching the gas prices approach and overwhelm the $4.00 mark. When the oil company comes to fill my fuel oil tank, I wonder if they should be wearing a mask and carrying a gun. Ditto for the cashier at the local grocery store. It's not just an "elderly" problem, but it hits the fixed income people pretty hard.
I'm not indifferent to the plight of the elderly. I once lived next door to an old widow. She had been in her home since the mid 1940s, and alone since her husband died in the mid 1970s. I knew her for about the last ten years of her life. My family, and the other neighbors, did what we could. We made sure her walks and driveway were shoveled and the grass mowed. We invited her to dinners in a round robin format so that at least one or two full meals a week were a guarantee, in addition to the Meals on Wheels she received. We did repairs on her house as if it was our own.
She should have moved into an assisted living facility, but the waiting list was too long and once she got to the top, even with selling her house, the price was too much to bear. She was not on good terms with her children and steadfastly refused the many entreaties from them for her to come live with them. It would have meant a move to Kentucky or Oregon depending on the child she chose, but she wanted her own home.
Was that a smart decision? I don't know. It wasn't my decision to make. I think emotion played a much larger role in this decision than a clearheaded and sober evaluation of the realities.
Retirement planning is a tricky piece of work. Many a nest egg was wiped out in the Great Depression, the 1970s recession, and other lesser economic downturns. It will be no different this time around. The economic laws are pretty brutal and inflexible.
Retirement is something that lives in a galaxy far, far away. Until the day it knocks on the door and shouts, "Surprise!" Americans in general are the proverbial grasshopper, not saving for a rainy day, but existing in the present. As the Boomers edge into retirement, I wonder how many of them are ready. I've already seen too many people mentioning that they will need to work until they die.
The answer is not to starve and to price fixed income seniors out of their own homes. But is the answer to provide handouts at the expense of the rest of the community? The Social Security taxes I pay are crippling on their own, and what will be my return on that money? My estimates are zero, and falling. The home mortgage speculators are looking for government handouts to bail them out of their greedy short sighted decisions. The homeowners who bought more house than they could afford also need to be held accountable. I'd like to tell them all to take a flying leap. They made their beds and didn't share the gains when times were good. Why do they want a handout now when times are bad?
Do you have any solutions?
Bucks a pricey place to live for seniors
By CRISSA SHOEMAKER DEBREE
Bucks County Courier Times
Senior citizens living in Bucks and Montgomery counties need almost twice their annual Social Security payments to live comfortably in their homes — and that's if they're healthy.
In fact, the two counties are behind only Chester as the most expensive counties for seniors to live in, according to the Elder Economic Security Standard, a joint publication between a national nonprofit group and university researchers.
You don't have to tell Pauline Bailey that. The 83-year-old widow from Warrington relies solely on Social Security.
“I cut down on what I can,” she said. “But you can only do so much.”
Bailey volunteers at the Benjamin Wilson Senior Community Center in Warminster, where she goes twice a week for lunch. She keeps the heat low and has cut back on errands.
But that doesn't help when she's paying $4.79 a gallon for heating oil. It cost her almost $800 to fill half a tank — and gasoline is just as high.
According to the Elder Economic Security Standard, a Bucks County resident like Bailey — a single senior living in a home she owns mortgage-free — needs $20,701 a year just to pay basic living expenses. The average Social Security payment, meanwhile, is $14,053.
“This is as fixed [an income] as you can get,” said Neil Fisher, director of the Warminster senior center.
Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania and Union County in central Pennsylvania were the cheapest counties in the state to live in. An individual senior still paying a mortgage could get by in both counties with $18,324 a year. A couple in the same situation would need $26,491. Both those amounts are still several thousand dollars more than the average Social Security payment, the index says.
Wider Opportunities for Women, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, launched the Elder Economic Security Initiative in 2005. The ultimate goal is to have a national database on living costs for every county in the U.S., said Ramsey Alwin, the initiative's director.
The index was developed by the organization and the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
In Pennsylvania, the organization is partnered with Pathways PA and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
For seniors in good health, the greatest expense is housing, Alwin said. But their costs of living can triple quickly if they fall ill, she said. Adding home-based assistance or going into a nursing home can add $6,514 to $35,241 a year to a senior's cost in Bucks County, the index shows.
“Some of this data oftentimes is not a surprise to some of the direct-service providers,” Alwin said. “But it does quantify what they've known to be true for a long time, and plays a critical role in helping seniors identify [that] it's not their fault. They're suffering in silence, not wanting to go get help. It's very clear that their incomes are coming up short.”
Alwin said the index doesn't include small luxuries like leisure spending.
“It is a barebones budget,” she said. “It doesn't include gifts for the grandchildren, a night out for pizza, or [a movie at] Blockbuster. It's true income and health security.”
Brian Duke, director of the Area Agency on Aging in Bucks County, said the number of seniors struggling financially is increasing. The agency connects them to services for help.
“We have heard stories of people that have been challenged with day-to-day living expenses,” he said. “We try to assist them here.”
Alwin said the goal of the initiative is to help seniors make informed financial decisions, and to help policy makers shape programs to assist seniors.
Daniel Goldsmith of Horsham said something has to be done about gas prices.
The 76-year-old retiree said it's becoming increasingly difficult to live on what he gets from Social Security, a pension from Lockheed Martin and interest on savings.
The pension never increases, the interest on his savings is decreasing and Social Security isn't rising fast enough to cover price increases in food and other necessities, he said.
“I have enough to survive, but it's becoming tougher and tougher and tougher,” he said. “Everything is going up. But my income is not increasing that much. At some point, I'm not going to be able to make ends meet anymore. Then what will I do?”
Where to get help
If you're a senior in need of financial or other assistance, contact the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging at 215-348-0510 or the Montgomery County Office of Aging and Adult Services at 610-278-3601.
On the Web
Find out more about the Elder Economic Security Initiative at http://www.pathwayspa.org/.
I'm not indifferent to the plight of the elderly. I once lived next door to an old widow. She had been in her home since the mid 1940s, and alone since her husband died in the mid 1970s. I knew her for about the last ten years of her life. My family, and the other neighbors, did what we could. We made sure her walks and driveway were shoveled and the grass mowed. We invited her to dinners in a round robin format so that at least one or two full meals a week were a guarantee, in addition to the Meals on Wheels she received. We did repairs on her house as if it was our own.
She should have moved into an assisted living facility, but the waiting list was too long and once she got to the top, even with selling her house, the price was too much to bear. She was not on good terms with her children and steadfastly refused the many entreaties from them for her to come live with them. It would have meant a move to Kentucky or Oregon depending on the child she chose, but she wanted her own home.
Was that a smart decision? I don't know. It wasn't my decision to make. I think emotion played a much larger role in this decision than a clearheaded and sober evaluation of the realities.
Retirement planning is a tricky piece of work. Many a nest egg was wiped out in the Great Depression, the 1970s recession, and other lesser economic downturns. It will be no different this time around. The economic laws are pretty brutal and inflexible.
Retirement is something that lives in a galaxy far, far away. Until the day it knocks on the door and shouts, "Surprise!" Americans in general are the proverbial grasshopper, not saving for a rainy day, but existing in the present. As the Boomers edge into retirement, I wonder how many of them are ready. I've already seen too many people mentioning that they will need to work until they die.
The answer is not to starve and to price fixed income seniors out of their own homes. But is the answer to provide handouts at the expense of the rest of the community? The Social Security taxes I pay are crippling on their own, and what will be my return on that money? My estimates are zero, and falling. The home mortgage speculators are looking for government handouts to bail them out of their greedy short sighted decisions. The homeowners who bought more house than they could afford also need to be held accountable. I'd like to tell them all to take a flying leap. They made their beds and didn't share the gains when times were good. Why do they want a handout now when times are bad?
Do you have any solutions?
Bucks a pricey place to live for seniors
By CRISSA SHOEMAKER DEBREE
Bucks County Courier Times
Senior citizens living in Bucks and Montgomery counties need almost twice their annual Social Security payments to live comfortably in their homes — and that's if they're healthy.
In fact, the two counties are behind only Chester as the most expensive counties for seniors to live in, according to the Elder Economic Security Standard, a joint publication between a national nonprofit group and university researchers.
You don't have to tell Pauline Bailey that. The 83-year-old widow from Warrington relies solely on Social Security.
“I cut down on what I can,” she said. “But you can only do so much.”
Bailey volunteers at the Benjamin Wilson Senior Community Center in Warminster, where she goes twice a week for lunch. She keeps the heat low and has cut back on errands.
But that doesn't help when she's paying $4.79 a gallon for heating oil. It cost her almost $800 to fill half a tank — and gasoline is just as high.
According to the Elder Economic Security Standard, a Bucks County resident like Bailey — a single senior living in a home she owns mortgage-free — needs $20,701 a year just to pay basic living expenses. The average Social Security payment, meanwhile, is $14,053.
“This is as fixed [an income] as you can get,” said Neil Fisher, director of the Warminster senior center.
Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania and Union County in central Pennsylvania were the cheapest counties in the state to live in. An individual senior still paying a mortgage could get by in both counties with $18,324 a year. A couple in the same situation would need $26,491. Both those amounts are still several thousand dollars more than the average Social Security payment, the index says.
Wider Opportunities for Women, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, launched the Elder Economic Security Initiative in 2005. The ultimate goal is to have a national database on living costs for every county in the U.S., said Ramsey Alwin, the initiative's director.
The index was developed by the organization and the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
In Pennsylvania, the organization is partnered with Pathways PA and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
For seniors in good health, the greatest expense is housing, Alwin said. But their costs of living can triple quickly if they fall ill, she said. Adding home-based assistance or going into a nursing home can add $6,514 to $35,241 a year to a senior's cost in Bucks County, the index shows.
“Some of this data oftentimes is not a surprise to some of the direct-service providers,” Alwin said. “But it does quantify what they've known to be true for a long time, and plays a critical role in helping seniors identify [that] it's not their fault. They're suffering in silence, not wanting to go get help. It's very clear that their incomes are coming up short.”
Alwin said the index doesn't include small luxuries like leisure spending.
“It is a barebones budget,” she said. “It doesn't include gifts for the grandchildren, a night out for pizza, or [a movie at] Blockbuster. It's true income and health security.”
Brian Duke, director of the Area Agency on Aging in Bucks County, said the number of seniors struggling financially is increasing. The agency connects them to services for help.
“We have heard stories of people that have been challenged with day-to-day living expenses,” he said. “We try to assist them here.”
Alwin said the goal of the initiative is to help seniors make informed financial decisions, and to help policy makers shape programs to assist seniors.
Daniel Goldsmith of Horsham said something has to be done about gas prices.
The 76-year-old retiree said it's becoming increasingly difficult to live on what he gets from Social Security, a pension from Lockheed Martin and interest on savings.
The pension never increases, the interest on his savings is decreasing and Social Security isn't rising fast enough to cover price increases in food and other necessities, he said.
“I have enough to survive, but it's becoming tougher and tougher and tougher,” he said. “Everything is going up. But my income is not increasing that much. At some point, I'm not going to be able to make ends meet anymore. Then what will I do?”
Where to get help
If you're a senior in need of financial or other assistance, contact the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging at 215-348-0510 or the Montgomery County Office of Aging and Adult Services at 610-278-3601.
On the Web
Find out more about the Elder Economic Security Initiative at http://www.pathwayspa.org/.
BCTHS Funding Discussion
Proposed funding formula revisions to be discussed Tuesday
Posted in News
on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 4:36 pm by Joan Hellyer
Members of the Bucks County Technical High School’s governing body will try Tuesday night to make some progress on revising the comprehensive tech school’s funding formula.
A proposal has been under consideration for several months where the special education part of the formula would go from a charge for each sending district based on a percentage to a charge based on actual usage. But not all of the six sending districts are in favor of the change.
BCTHS serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy, and Pennsbury school districts.
The joint board’s implementation/assessment committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the tech school off Wistar Road in Bristol Township to see what can be done to try to reach some resolution, officials said.
The implementation/assessment meeting will be followed at 8 p.m. by the joint board committee’s regular voting session. Call 215-949-1700 for more information.
Posted in News
on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 4:36 pm by Joan Hellyer
Members of the Bucks County Technical High School’s governing body will try Tuesday night to make some progress on revising the comprehensive tech school’s funding formula.
A proposal has been under consideration for several months where the special education part of the formula would go from a charge for each sending district based on a percentage to a charge based on actual usage. But not all of the six sending districts are in favor of the change.
BCTHS serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy, and Pennsbury school districts.
The joint board’s implementation/assessment committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the tech school off Wistar Road in Bristol Township to see what can be done to try to reach some resolution, officials said.
The implementation/assessment meeting will be followed at 8 p.m. by the joint board committee’s regular voting session. Call 215-949-1700 for more information.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Congrats Matt Miller
From the BCCT today.
Miller earns national honor
Matt Miller, a senior and threesport star at Morrisville High School, received a Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame (Philadelphia Chapter). He was presented with the award at a reception at Villanova University.
His picture will be posted at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.
Miller is the valedictorian for Morrisville’s Class of 2008 and also was chosen as one of 6ABC’s “Best and Brightest.” He played football and soccer for the Bulldogs in the fall and is currently a member of the varsity baseball team.
Starting next fall, Miller will study elementary education, with a concentration in math, at Kutztown University.
“Matt has been an exceptional student both in and out of the classroom,” Morrisville football coach Jim Gober said. “He is very dependable and dedicated in all of his academic and athletic endeavors. He will be sorely missed at Morrisville.”
Miller earns national honor
Matt Miller, a senior and threesport star at Morrisville High School, received a Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame (Philadelphia Chapter). He was presented with the award at a reception at Villanova University.
His picture will be posted at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.
Miller is the valedictorian for Morrisville’s Class of 2008 and also was chosen as one of 6ABC’s “Best and Brightest.” He played football and soccer for the Bulldogs in the fall and is currently a member of the varsity baseball team.
Starting next fall, Miller will study elementary education, with a concentration in math, at Kutztown University.
“Matt has been an exceptional student both in and out of the classroom,” Morrisville football coach Jim Gober said. “He is very dependable and dedicated in all of his academic and athletic endeavors. He will be sorely missed at Morrisville.”
Schools News Around the Blogosphere
Report: City schools unsafe, unjust
Philadelphia Inquirer
The district safe-schools advocate said the lack of discipline violates the law.
Philadelphia public schools are unsafe places where students who commit violent crimes are rarely punished and rehabilitated and with a disciplinary system that is "dysfunctional and unjust," according to a report by the district's safe-schools advocate.
Some of California's most gifted students are being ignored, advocates say
Los Angeles Times
Highly intelligent, talented students need special programs to keep them engaged and challenged. But experts say too often they aren't even identified -- especially in low-income and minority schools.
Improving our school systems starts with valuing our teachers
Arizona Republic
Raising expectations for K-12 learners starts with valuing teachers. Members of the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, or ABEC, recently joined other Arizona residents for the 92nd Arizona Town Hall focused on the teaching profession. We also conducted our own "Crash Course on Teacher Quality" last week for members of the business and education communities.
Half of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019
Virtual schools see strong growth, calls for more oversight
Christian Science Monitor
Half of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019, predicts a new report. Meridian, Idaho - Rather than send her kids off on the yellow bus, Briana LeClaire has school come to her home. Her kids attend a virtual public school, connecting online to teachers and coursework. Everything from books to microscopes to radish seeds arrives via brown trucks.
Rhee Targets 26 D.C. Schools for Overhaul
Washington Post
D.C. school chief plans to replace principals and teachers, hire private education-management firms and install instructional programs to boost student achievement.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The district safe-schools advocate said the lack of discipline violates the law.
Philadelphia public schools are unsafe places where students who commit violent crimes are rarely punished and rehabilitated and with a disciplinary system that is "dysfunctional and unjust," according to a report by the district's safe-schools advocate.
Some of California's most gifted students are being ignored, advocates say
Los Angeles Times
Highly intelligent, talented students need special programs to keep them engaged and challenged. But experts say too often they aren't even identified -- especially in low-income and minority schools.
Improving our school systems starts with valuing our teachers
Arizona Republic
Raising expectations for K-12 learners starts with valuing teachers. Members of the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, or ABEC, recently joined other Arizona residents for the 92nd Arizona Town Hall focused on the teaching profession. We also conducted our own "Crash Course on Teacher Quality" last week for members of the business and education communities.
Half of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019
Virtual schools see strong growth, calls for more oversight
Christian Science Monitor
Half of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019, predicts a new report. Meridian, Idaho - Rather than send her kids off on the yellow bus, Briana LeClaire has school come to her home. Her kids attend a virtual public school, connecting online to teachers and coursework. Everything from books to microscopes to radish seeds arrives via brown trucks.
Rhee Targets 26 D.C. Schools for Overhaul
Washington Post
D.C. school chief plans to replace principals and teachers, hire private education-management firms and install instructional programs to boost student achievement.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Leadership
This is nice. I'll usually get one unsolicited email on a particular topic of interest to the reader. Two unsolicited emails on the same subject are a rare occurrence. Today, I got three. I think that says more about the person than we can really put into words. Here's real leadership in action.
Get well soon, Ed.
Get well soon, Ed.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Community Day
Don't forget the fun at Community Day at Williamson Park Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.
7th annual Community Day to feature food and fun for all
By DANNY ADLER STAFF WRITER
Get ready for a day of fun Saturday at Williamson Park with Morrisville’s seventh annual Community Day.
The event, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park on Delmorr Avenue, will feature local crafters and vendors, games, entertainment and food, organizers said.
A moon bounce, slide and funhouse will be on hand for the kids, too.
Community Day is sponsored by Morrisville Borough, the Morrisville YMCA and Air Products and Chemicals of Morrisville.Rain date is set for May 24, same time and place.
Air Products is an international company that produces industrial gases, gas processing equipment and chemicals used in adhesives, paints and other products, with a branch in Morrisville that has been a Community Day sponsor for years.
New this year, Student Venture and the Solid Rock Youth Center are holding a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for boys and a girls softball tournament for kids in seventh to 12th grades. The tournaments are set for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tourney registrations begin at 12:30 p.m. that day alongside the courts at the park.
Community Day, which often attracts a crowd of hundreds, is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the Morrisville YMCA at 215-428-2598.
7th annual Community Day to feature food and fun for all
By DANNY ADLER STAFF WRITER
Get ready for a day of fun Saturday at Williamson Park with Morrisville’s seventh annual Community Day.
The event, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park on Delmorr Avenue, will feature local crafters and vendors, games, entertainment and food, organizers said.
A moon bounce, slide and funhouse will be on hand for the kids, too.
Community Day is sponsored by Morrisville Borough, the Morrisville YMCA and Air Products and Chemicals of Morrisville.Rain date is set for May 24, same time and place.
Air Products is an international company that produces industrial gases, gas processing equipment and chemicals used in adhesives, paints and other products, with a branch in Morrisville that has been a Community Day sponsor for years.
New this year, Student Venture and the Solid Rock Youth Center are holding a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for boys and a girls softball tournament for kids in seventh to 12th grades. The tournaments are set for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tourney registrations begin at 12:30 p.m. that day alongside the courts at the park.
Community Day, which often attracts a crowd of hundreds, is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the Morrisville YMCA at 215-428-2598.
Gateway Vote on Monday
Monday May 19, 2008. 7:30 P.M. at Borough Hall, Union Street.
Borough council to vote on Gateway Center proposal
Developers still need 2,000 square feet of land from the borough for the building to fit.
By DANNY ADLER STAFF WRITER
Morrisville’s council has scheduled a vote for Monday on the controversial Morrisville Gateway Center.
Such a motion would not make the project a shoo-in, however. It would simply say that the council likes the concept or it doesn’t. The developer would still have to go through the borough’s regular planning process, officials said.
But Penn Jersey Real Properties needs the borough vote because the project will require some borough-owned land and the developer can’t submit plans for land it doesn’t own.
The proposed Gateway Center on East Bridge Street between North Delmorr and Central avenues, if approved, is expected to bring about 180 jobs to the borough, Penn Jersey’s Dan Jones said. The 49,680-square-foot building would need at least 2,000 square feet of borough-owned land.
The developer would also need an agreement to either purchase or lease another 2 acres of borough land at the south end of Williamson Park for a parking lot, or to build a parking lot for the borough there and then license it from the borough.
The borough council met Tuesday night with the developer and the Morrisville economic development corporation at an agenda meeting, where it agreed to put a motion on next week’s agenda.
“Let’s not drag it out,” said EDC attorney John Warenda. “If you don’t like it, just say no.”
David Truelove, an attorney representing Penn Jersey, asked a similar question: “Do you want it to move forward or not?”
Morrisville’s borough solicitor, James Downey III, urged the council not to vote on anything more than “I like it or I don’t like it.”
On April 14, Morrisville’s EDC and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission came to an agreement of sale for 1 acre of bridge commission land on East Bridge Street, where most of the actual building will be built.
According to the agreement with the bridge commis sion, Penn Jersey needs to submit plans to the borough by mid-June and needs all borough approvals within 180 days after that, EDC officials said. If these restrictions are not met, the agreement is void and the land goes back to the bridge commission.
Some Morrisville residents have praised the proposed center, saying it could assist in Morrisville’s revitalization and bring in more tax money. Opponents are against the developer’s request to buy or lease about 2 acres of unused land at the south end of Williamson Park and are concerned about traffic and environmental issues.
Resident Patricia Schell urged the council not to sell any borough land to Penn Jersey. “If you sell the land, you give someone else control of the land,” she said.
Johanny Manning, a resident and former school board member, said the building would help the community.
“We need that building on that spot,” Manning said.
Morrisville’s regular council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at borough hall, 35 Union St.
Borough council to vote on Gateway Center proposal
Developers still need 2,000 square feet of land from the borough for the building to fit.
By DANNY ADLER STAFF WRITER
Morrisville’s council has scheduled a vote for Monday on the controversial Morrisville Gateway Center.
Such a motion would not make the project a shoo-in, however. It would simply say that the council likes the concept or it doesn’t. The developer would still have to go through the borough’s regular planning process, officials said.
But Penn Jersey Real Properties needs the borough vote because the project will require some borough-owned land and the developer can’t submit plans for land it doesn’t own.
The proposed Gateway Center on East Bridge Street between North Delmorr and Central avenues, if approved, is expected to bring about 180 jobs to the borough, Penn Jersey’s Dan Jones said. The 49,680-square-foot building would need at least 2,000 square feet of borough-owned land.
The developer would also need an agreement to either purchase or lease another 2 acres of borough land at the south end of Williamson Park for a parking lot, or to build a parking lot for the borough there and then license it from the borough.
The borough council met Tuesday night with the developer and the Morrisville economic development corporation at an agenda meeting, where it agreed to put a motion on next week’s agenda.
“Let’s not drag it out,” said EDC attorney John Warenda. “If you don’t like it, just say no.”
David Truelove, an attorney representing Penn Jersey, asked a similar question: “Do you want it to move forward or not?”
Morrisville’s borough solicitor, James Downey III, urged the council not to vote on anything more than “I like it or I don’t like it.”
On April 14, Morrisville’s EDC and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission came to an agreement of sale for 1 acre of bridge commission land on East Bridge Street, where most of the actual building will be built.
According to the agreement with the bridge commis sion, Penn Jersey needs to submit plans to the borough by mid-June and needs all borough approvals within 180 days after that, EDC officials said. If these restrictions are not met, the agreement is void and the land goes back to the bridge commission.
Some Morrisville residents have praised the proposed center, saying it could assist in Morrisville’s revitalization and bring in more tax money. Opponents are against the developer’s request to buy or lease about 2 acres of unused land at the south end of Williamson Park and are concerned about traffic and environmental issues.
Resident Patricia Schell urged the council not to sell any borough land to Penn Jersey. “If you sell the land, you give someone else control of the land,” she said.
Johanny Manning, a resident and former school board member, said the building would help the community.
“We need that building on that spot,” Manning said.
Morrisville’s regular council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at borough hall, 35 Union St.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Paging George Bailey
Long around December each year, the classic "It's A Wonderful Life" makes its way to the TV screens. We all know the story: Good guy George Bailey sees the impact his one life has had on the town and the people around him. For good measure, Clarence the angel powers up the De Lorean to take George back to the future to see good old Bedford Falls without George's influence. The result: POTTERSVILLE.
Quite unexpectedly, I received an email from a reader who evoked the memories of this film and compared Morrisville today to fictional Bedford Falls/Potterville. In my storage house of unposted stories was one doing just that. I always through it was too corny to actually post until today. Maybe if George would stand up, Morrisville can remain Bedford Falls, and not complete the metamorphosis into Pottersville.
Do you recall the movie "It's A Wonderful Life"? This is where the power of just one man is graphically shown through the intercessions of an angel in training. George Bailey is at the lowest point in his life and he's ready to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. Clarence shows George the before and after of Bedford Falls without George. As usual, all turns out well in the end. The evildoers are foiled, the good guys come out on top, and Clarence gets his wings. There's even an urban legend that Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver are the inspiration for two of Sesame Street's favorite characters.
Inside the schmaltz is the absolutely incontrovertible truth that one man can make a difference. The only question is how much of a difference and in what direction.
We are watching Morrisville slide into Pottersville status. The Bedford Falls home we know has been in a slow decline since our epic 1955 Little League Championship season. Our main tax generating businesses have folded up and left town. We've become progressively more and more taxed to the point of exasperation and desperation. City services and general maintenance have been cut and curbed and curtailed so much that our schools are on the verge of collapse, we can't agree on new construction to jump start a renaissance, and we're actually contemplating opening a strip club in town.
Take a look back at the history of the town where one man made a difference. Two rather notable examples spring to mind. Robert Morris stood up and became the financier of the American Revolution. Without him, there would be no United States of America. Thomas Stockham was a civic leader, an engineer, an architect, land developer and business leader. He was mayor of Morrisville for sixteen years, and served six terms as Bucks County's member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
There's two examples of men who stood up and had the vision and the guts to make that vision into reality. I'm sure each of you could think of other examples.
It's too much of a blanket statement to say that our local elected leaders today are all vision-less souls. That's not the case at all. There are some fine elected and appointed leaders in town. They are plenty of other leaders who lead by example without an office.
But they have mostly been beaten into submission and irrelevance by the constant barrage of soul-less and vision-less "leaders" who use bullying tactics to keep Morrisville mired in mediocrity. They treat their position as a rationale to keep Morrisville just the way it is, and if you don't like that, we'll hound you until you give up or leave.
How is that leadership? Leadership is pointing the way and bringing the people along with you. Robert Kennedy's often used quote was "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not." That's leadership. Seeing the future and making that potential into a reality.
Instead we have those who see reality and want to freeze-frame it forever. That does nothing but ensure that this town remains trapped like a prehistoric fly in the amber of time.
It's not going to be pretty. We need to have the George Baileys of today stand firm with the few visionary leaders in this town and boot out these soulless hacks. Do you know a George Bailey who might need some help? Coax him out. Support him. Are you a potential George Bailey? Stand up. Let your voice be heard.
Ladies: I've used the masculine consistently here because George is a male character in the movie. There's nothing stopping any of you from being George either.
Does anyone want the part?
Quite unexpectedly, I received an email from a reader who evoked the memories of this film and compared Morrisville today to fictional Bedford Falls/Potterville. In my storage house of unposted stories was one doing just that. I always through it was too corny to actually post until today. Maybe if George would stand up, Morrisville can remain Bedford Falls, and not complete the metamorphosis into Pottersville.Do you recall the movie "It's A Wonderful Life"? This is where the power of just one man is graphically shown through the intercessions of an angel in training. George Bailey is at the lowest point in his life and he's ready to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. Clarence shows George the before and after of Bedford Falls without George. As usual, all turns out well in the end. The evildoers are foiled, the good guys come out on top, and Clarence gets his wings. There's even an urban legend that Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver are the inspiration for two of Sesame Street's favorite characters.
Inside the schmaltz is the absolutely incontrovertible truth that one man can make a difference. The only question is how much of a difference and in what direction.
We are watching Morrisville slide into Pottersville status. The Bedford Falls home we know has been in a slow decline since our epic 1955 Little League Championship season. Our main tax generating businesses have folded up and left town. We've become progressively more and more taxed to the point of exasperation and desperation. City services and general maintenance have been cut and curbed and curtailed so much that our schools are on the verge of collapse, we can't agree on new construction to jump start a renaissance, and we're actually contemplating opening a strip club in town.
Take a look back at the history of the town where one man made a difference. Two rather notable examples spring to mind. Robert Morris stood up and became the financier of the American Revolution. Without him, there would be no United States of America. Thomas Stockham was a civic leader, an engineer, an architect, land developer and business leader. He was mayor of Morrisville for sixteen years, and served six terms as Bucks County's member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
There's two examples of men who stood up and had the vision and the guts to make that vision into reality. I'm sure each of you could think of other examples.
It's too much of a blanket statement to say that our local elected leaders today are all vision-less souls. That's not the case at all. There are some fine elected and appointed leaders in town. They are plenty of other leaders who lead by example without an office.
But they have mostly been beaten into submission and irrelevance by the constant barrage of soul-less and vision-less "leaders" who use bullying tactics to keep Morrisville mired in mediocrity. They treat their position as a rationale to keep Morrisville just the way it is, and if you don't like that, we'll hound you until you give up or leave.
How is that leadership? Leadership is pointing the way and bringing the people along with you. Robert Kennedy's often used quote was "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not." That's leadership. Seeing the future and making that potential into a reality.
Instead we have those who see reality and want to freeze-frame it forever. That does nothing but ensure that this town remains trapped like a prehistoric fly in the amber of time.
It's not going to be pretty. We need to have the George Baileys of today stand firm with the few visionary leaders in this town and boot out these soulless hacks. Do you know a George Bailey who might need some help? Coax him out. Support him. Are you a potential George Bailey? Stand up. Let your voice be heard.
Ladies: I've used the masculine consistently here because George is a male character in the movie. There's nothing stopping any of you from being George either.
Does anyone want the part?
School Funding Fight
Today the BCCT prints an editorial on the school funding crisis in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on the same plan back on May 4.
There's plenty to see at the PDE's website covering the 2008-2009 budget proposals.
What are the Emperor and his accomplices constructively doing about school funding? Are they pressuring the Rendell Administration? Lobbying our senator and state representative? Have they passed any resolutions declaring support or even opposition to this plan and sent the resolution to Harrisburg?
I'm asking because of the Allentown Morning Call (SW's favorite newspaper, don't forget) published an article April 11 that pointed out the problem of politicians: They don't wanna do nothin'. Once they commissioned the study that showed Pennsylvania schools are underfunded, they were left holding a political hot potato. So they are going to study the study and kill it with time and studied indifference.
We need to contact our representatives in Harrisburg. So do our elected school board members: clearly, vocally, and publicly.
Or are they just content with publicly whining about how unfair the current funding plan is and not following through with the hard work of making proposals become reality?
While I think about it, someone got up at a recent school board meeting and said, "Someone needs to do something" about the tax situation. Well, DUH. Talk about a stroke of the blinding obvious.
First off, I remember very well who said that from the audience. Now it's time to pay up. Congratulations! YOU, sir, are that someone. Introduce a resolution in the borough council supporting this tax plan. Get one introduced in the school board. Pass them both unanimously and present them tied with red ribbons and bows to Governor Rendell, Senator McIlhenney, and Representative Galloway.
We the public are keeping you accountable as local officeholders so you can keep our state officials accountable. Step up to the plate. Are you going to hit, or just take four pitches and hope for a walk? And if you can't or won't do it, let's all step up to the microphone at Union St and shout "Shame on You!"
Pay now, or pay later: School funding formula needs updating.
We go on and on about equal opportunity in this country. It’s ingrained in our thinking. Unfortunately, we don’t practice what we preach. Consider education.
Because Pennsylvania schools are largely funded with property taxes, wealthy school districts provide more and better educational opportunities than lowincome districts. A lot more. Try an annual expenditure of $21,399 per student in Lower Merion vs. $9,727 in Upper Darby.
No wonder there are vast differences in test scores and graduation rates around the state.
Harrisburg is supposed to even out things via a funding formula for rationing out state education money. But the formula is woefully out of date and is not getting the job done.
The governor’s proposed education budget, now under consideration by state lawmakers, proposes a new formula based on the Legislature’s own “Costing-Out Study.” Among the study’s findings was this shocker: Of Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts, 474 are underfunded. It also found that the state picks up just more than one-third of the cost of public education vs. the national average of nearly 50 percent.
We urge lawmakers to approve the governor’s updated funding formula.
If education is the key to success, every child deserves an “equal” opportunity to succeed.
The state can pay now and reap the benefits of its educated citizens’ success, or pay later to rescue those who fail.
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on the same plan back on May 4.
School Funding: A fairer plan
It's past time for Pennsylvania to enact a new formula to fund public schools.
The legislature should approve Gov. Rendell's plan to change how state aid is allocated and boost education funding by $291 million.
It's not the complete funding overhaul that many education advocates want, but it puts the state on the right course.
The six-year plan would increase the state's share of education costs from the current 37 percent - among the lowest in the country - to about 44 percent.
Taxpayers should be relieved to know that the proposal calls for no broad-based tax increases.
The plan would increase state funding by 6 percent above the nearly $5 billion currently allocated to public schools. Similar annual increases would occur until Rendell leaves office in 2011.
In the biggest change, Rendell wants to distribute the new aid based on a formula that gives more money to the neediest districts - those with the largest numbers of students living in poverty and students learning English as a second language.
New Jersey began using a similar approach this year. It makes sense, given that it does cost more to educate students with special needs.
Last year's "costing out" study commissioned by the legislature recommended the new formula. The study also concluded that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded by $4.38 billion.
Some districts may remain underfunded under Rendell's plan, but his proposed increases will be an improvement, and they will help bridge the spending disparities between the state's poor and wealthy districts.
For example, Lower Merion spends more than $21,000 per student, while Upper Darby spends $9,889. Getting a high-quality public education shouldn't depend on where you live.
Under the governor's formula, Upper Darby would get an increase of $4.9 million, or 22.4 percent, the largest percentage jump in the state.
Philadelphia, the state's largest district and one of the poorest, would get an additional $86 million, a 9.6 percent increase. That money is sorely needed; district officials are projecting at least a $39 million deficit.
Even the most affluent districts in the state would receive at least a 1.5 percent increase in aid. Rendell's plan also increases spending for special education, pre-kindergarten and charter school tuition reimbursements.
House Republicans argue that money alone won't fix public education. They're right, but it is absolutely essential for the many Pennsylvania districts with needs that truly require more spending.
Greater accountability is essential, too. One need only look at the Chester Upland district, taken over by the state years ago, to see an example of a lack of adequate oversight in the past.
But neither does accountability alone complete the equation that produces good schools.
Too many school districts have been underfunded by the state for too long, placing an unfair burden on local property taxpayers who must make up the difference. The governor's new funding formula should be approved.
Allentown Morning Call
Rendell calls legislators' bluff on school funds April 11, 2008
Last year, state lawmakers received the results of a study they had authorized to find out what it should cost to achieve a quality education in public school. Pennsylvania and Congress have demanded that schools do a better job, that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. But no one ever determined what doing that would cost.
It turned out that providing a quality education isn't cheap. And, it didn't really surprise many that the Costing-Out Study found that Pennsylvania isn't spending enough -- in either state or local dollars in the vast majority of school districts -- to get the job done. The real cost is about $4 billion more than the state currently spends.
This is all relevant because after everyone's attention shifts from the state's April 22 presidential primary, state lawmakers will refocus on the task of approving a state budget by June 30. This year, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed making a $2.6 billion, six-year commitment to live up to the findings of the Costing-Out Study.
Gov. Rendell admits he was surprised lawmakers ever commissioned the report. It's implications are political dynamite. For years, Pennsylvanians have suspected that state government wasn't adequately funding education. For years, Pennsylvanians have complained about their local school property taxes going up every budget cycle. The report documented this reality, and in doing so, tossed the responsibility about doing something about it back onto lawmakers.
But lawmakers did what they often do when they're not sure what to do. They decided to study the study. Right after the report was released last fall, state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, proposed forming a commission to draft a new public education funding formula. It has languished in the Senate Education Committee ever since. In January, the House overwhelmingly approved formation of such a panel. Doing so will ultimately be necessary. However, delaying action until lawmakers study the implications of the Costing-Out Study just pushes off the job of helping public schools do a better job for at least another year. Then, 2014 will be one year closer.
Give Gov. Rendell credit for calling the General Assembly's bluff with his proposed education budget. He has ventured a first step. His approach isn't perfect and doesn't completely close the so-called ''adequacy gap'' between what school districts spend and what they should be spending. But, it has been embraced, with some recommendations, by 26 groups of educators and education advocates allied in the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign. As lawmakers begin budget talks, they should heed the campaign's advice.
For instance, the Governor's plan would increase the state subsidy for 137 districts beyond a 4.4 percent inflation index. But all of those districts would have the added paperwork burden of proving to the Department of Education that 80 percent of the additional subsidy would go to programs to improve student performance. But, only 48 of those districts aren't meeting their Annual Yearly Progress goals. The campaign suggests limiting the extra accountability measures to just those districts.
Second, the campaign recommends basing state subsidies mostly on a district's wealth rather than its tax effort. Doing so would make greater strides to correcting the economic disparities between rich and poor districts.
Third, the campaign recommends that all districts at least receive a 2 percent increase in their state subsidy -- something that's often called ''hold harmless.'' Gov. Rendell has proposed a 1.5 percent minimum increase. However, under the requirements of Act 1, all 501 school districts have already built an expected 2 percent increase into their budgets. A 2 percent minimum increase is just basic fairness.
Finally, the campaign recommends at least talking about doing a better job funding special education, one of public education's fastest increasing costs. While the federal government has failed to live up to its obligations on special education, school districts still are mandated to provide programs to ever-increasing numbers of students.
All of these recommendations deserve the General Assembly's conscientious consideration.
There's plenty to see at the PDE's website covering the 2008-2009 budget proposals.
What are the Emperor and his accomplices constructively doing about school funding? Are they pressuring the Rendell Administration? Lobbying our senator and state representative? Have they passed any resolutions declaring support or even opposition to this plan and sent the resolution to Harrisburg?
I'm asking because of the Allentown Morning Call (SW's favorite newspaper, don't forget) published an article April 11 that pointed out the problem of politicians: They don't wanna do nothin'. Once they commissioned the study that showed Pennsylvania schools are underfunded, they were left holding a political hot potato. So they are going to study the study and kill it with time and studied indifference.
We need to contact our representatives in Harrisburg. So do our elected school board members: clearly, vocally, and publicly.
Or are they just content with publicly whining about how unfair the current funding plan is and not following through with the hard work of making proposals become reality?
While I think about it, someone got up at a recent school board meeting and said, "Someone needs to do something" about the tax situation. Well, DUH. Talk about a stroke of the blinding obvious.
First off, I remember very well who said that from the audience. Now it's time to pay up. Congratulations! YOU, sir, are that someone. Introduce a resolution in the borough council supporting this tax plan. Get one introduced in the school board. Pass them both unanimously and present them tied with red ribbons and bows to Governor Rendell, Senator McIlhenney, and Representative Galloway.
We the public are keeping you accountable as local officeholders so you can keep our state officials accountable. Step up to the plate. Are you going to hit, or just take four pitches and hope for a walk? And if you can't or won't do it, let's all step up to the microphone at Union St and shout "Shame on You!"
Pay now, or pay later: School funding formula needs updating.
We go on and on about equal opportunity in this country. It’s ingrained in our thinking. Unfortunately, we don’t practice what we preach. Consider education.
Because Pennsylvania schools are largely funded with property taxes, wealthy school districts provide more and better educational opportunities than lowincome districts. A lot more. Try an annual expenditure of $21,399 per student in Lower Merion vs. $9,727 in Upper Darby.
No wonder there are vast differences in test scores and graduation rates around the state.
Harrisburg is supposed to even out things via a funding formula for rationing out state education money. But the formula is woefully out of date and is not getting the job done.
The governor’s proposed education budget, now under consideration by state lawmakers, proposes a new formula based on the Legislature’s own “Costing-Out Study.” Among the study’s findings was this shocker: Of Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts, 474 are underfunded. It also found that the state picks up just more than one-third of the cost of public education vs. the national average of nearly 50 percent.
We urge lawmakers to approve the governor’s updated funding formula.
If education is the key to success, every child deserves an “equal” opportunity to succeed.
The state can pay now and reap the benefits of its educated citizens’ success, or pay later to rescue those who fail.
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized on the same plan back on May 4.
School Funding: A fairer plan
It's past time for Pennsylvania to enact a new formula to fund public schools.
The legislature should approve Gov. Rendell's plan to change how state aid is allocated and boost education funding by $291 million.
It's not the complete funding overhaul that many education advocates want, but it puts the state on the right course.
The six-year plan would increase the state's share of education costs from the current 37 percent - among the lowest in the country - to about 44 percent.
Taxpayers should be relieved to know that the proposal calls for no broad-based tax increases.
The plan would increase state funding by 6 percent above the nearly $5 billion currently allocated to public schools. Similar annual increases would occur until Rendell leaves office in 2011.
In the biggest change, Rendell wants to distribute the new aid based on a formula that gives more money to the neediest districts - those with the largest numbers of students living in poverty and students learning English as a second language.
New Jersey began using a similar approach this year. It makes sense, given that it does cost more to educate students with special needs.
Last year's "costing out" study commissioned by the legislature recommended the new formula. The study also concluded that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded by $4.38 billion.
Some districts may remain underfunded under Rendell's plan, but his proposed increases will be an improvement, and they will help bridge the spending disparities between the state's poor and wealthy districts.
For example, Lower Merion spends more than $21,000 per student, while Upper Darby spends $9,889. Getting a high-quality public education shouldn't depend on where you live.
Under the governor's formula, Upper Darby would get an increase of $4.9 million, or 22.4 percent, the largest percentage jump in the state.
Philadelphia, the state's largest district and one of the poorest, would get an additional $86 million, a 9.6 percent increase. That money is sorely needed; district officials are projecting at least a $39 million deficit.
Even the most affluent districts in the state would receive at least a 1.5 percent increase in aid. Rendell's plan also increases spending for special education, pre-kindergarten and charter school tuition reimbursements.
House Republicans argue that money alone won't fix public education. They're right, but it is absolutely essential for the many Pennsylvania districts with needs that truly require more spending.
Greater accountability is essential, too. One need only look at the Chester Upland district, taken over by the state years ago, to see an example of a lack of adequate oversight in the past.
But neither does accountability alone complete the equation that produces good schools.
Too many school districts have been underfunded by the state for too long, placing an unfair burden on local property taxpayers who must make up the difference. The governor's new funding formula should be approved.
Allentown Morning Call
Rendell calls legislators' bluff on school funds April 11, 2008
Last year, state lawmakers received the results of a study they had authorized to find out what it should cost to achieve a quality education in public school. Pennsylvania and Congress have demanded that schools do a better job, that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. But no one ever determined what doing that would cost.
It turned out that providing a quality education isn't cheap. And, it didn't really surprise many that the Costing-Out Study found that Pennsylvania isn't spending enough -- in either state or local dollars in the vast majority of school districts -- to get the job done. The real cost is about $4 billion more than the state currently spends.
This is all relevant because after everyone's attention shifts from the state's April 22 presidential primary, state lawmakers will refocus on the task of approving a state budget by June 30. This year, Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed making a $2.6 billion, six-year commitment to live up to the findings of the Costing-Out Study.
Gov. Rendell admits he was surprised lawmakers ever commissioned the report. It's implications are political dynamite. For years, Pennsylvanians have suspected that state government wasn't adequately funding education. For years, Pennsylvanians have complained about their local school property taxes going up every budget cycle. The report documented this reality, and in doing so, tossed the responsibility about doing something about it back onto lawmakers.
But lawmakers did what they often do when they're not sure what to do. They decided to study the study. Right after the report was released last fall, state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, proposed forming a commission to draft a new public education funding formula. It has languished in the Senate Education Committee ever since. In January, the House overwhelmingly approved formation of such a panel. Doing so will ultimately be necessary. However, delaying action until lawmakers study the implications of the Costing-Out Study just pushes off the job of helping public schools do a better job for at least another year. Then, 2014 will be one year closer.
Give Gov. Rendell credit for calling the General Assembly's bluff with his proposed education budget. He has ventured a first step. His approach isn't perfect and doesn't completely close the so-called ''adequacy gap'' between what school districts spend and what they should be spending. But, it has been embraced, with some recommendations, by 26 groups of educators and education advocates allied in the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign. As lawmakers begin budget talks, they should heed the campaign's advice.
For instance, the Governor's plan would increase the state subsidy for 137 districts beyond a 4.4 percent inflation index. But all of those districts would have the added paperwork burden of proving to the Department of Education that 80 percent of the additional subsidy would go to programs to improve student performance. But, only 48 of those districts aren't meeting their Annual Yearly Progress goals. The campaign suggests limiting the extra accountability measures to just those districts.
Second, the campaign recommends basing state subsidies mostly on a district's wealth rather than its tax effort. Doing so would make greater strides to correcting the economic disparities between rich and poor districts.
Third, the campaign recommends that all districts at least receive a 2 percent increase in their state subsidy -- something that's often called ''hold harmless.'' Gov. Rendell has proposed a 1.5 percent minimum increase. However, under the requirements of Act 1, all 501 school districts have already built an expected 2 percent increase into their budgets. A 2 percent minimum increase is just basic fairness.
Finally, the campaign recommends at least talking about doing a better job funding special education, one of public education's fastest increasing costs. While the federal government has failed to live up to its obligations on special education, school districts still are mandated to provide programs to ever-increasing numbers of students.
All of these recommendations deserve the General Assembly's conscientious consideration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)