Morrisville, Pennsbury can't overcome differences

From the Inquirer.

Morrisville, Pennsbury can't overcome differences

[Also printed in the BCCT]

[Also printed in the Trentonian with a great "stay on track" front page picture of desolation and despair]


You talkin about me? Our plight, and our shame, has gone national.

KATHY MATHESON Posted on Sat, May. 2, 2009
The Associated Press

MORRISVILLE, Pa. - From the outside, the M.R. Reiter Elementary School looks like any other school tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood , except there are no kids on the playground, no swings on the swing set, no flag on the flagpole. It's been closed since a boiler exploded in December.

No one was injured, but the explosion seemed to some to be another indication that the Morrisville School District needs to get out of the education business. Despite having one of the highest school tax rates in Bucks County, students learn in aging facilities and have less-than-stellar test scores to show for it.

Even school board president Bill Hellmann says tiny Morrisville, with only 825 students, is too small to have its own district.

"It's kind of ridiculous," Hellmann said.

Some think Morrisville would be a perfect candidate for a merger under Gov. Ed Rendell's push to save money by consolidating the state's 500 districts into 100. The problem is that Morrisville's nearest neighbor, the more affluent Pennsbury School District, isn't interested.

Headquartered about 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia in Fallsington, Pennsbury has about 11,500 students and much higher SAT scores, a broader curriculum and better facilities , including two pools and a football stadium.

But Pennsbury also has problems. Its 3,400-student high school is near capacity, three of its 15 schools are striving to meet all federal educational standards and officials are trying to close a $12 million gap in next year's budget.

"We're struggling as it is to try to meet the needs of our students and be responsible to our tax base," said Pennsbury school board president Greg Lucidi.

Morrisville is a 2-square-mile borough just across the Delaware River from Trenton, N.J. Its $20 million annual school budget pays to operate a combined middle school/high school and two elementary schools, though elementary students are temporarily consolidated on one campus.

The local rubber plant and steel mill have closed, leaving its 10,000 residents with little commercial or industrial tax revenue and meager room for growth. As a result, its school tax rate is 29 percent higher than Pennsbury's.

The Pennsbury district's $174 million budget covers 15 schools across a large swath of Bucks County and is supported by a broad tax base, from manicured subdivisions and office parks to farmland and shopping centers.

Talk of merging the two districts goes back decades, but money, logistics and emotions have always gotten in the way.

In 1956, the Pennsylvania Economy League determined that Morrisville would benefit from a merger in part because of projected financial difficulties. Those problems were evident by 1971, when then-Superintendent Paul Phillips warned that Morrisville students would be shortchanged unless the district reorganized.

"Our program will deteriorate ... because of the tremendous demands which will be placed on the schools by society for a better educational program, as well as by state regulations," he wrote in a memo to the school board. "It cannot be provided with a small financial base which now exists in our town."

A 1986 Morrisville study suggested that sending its 7th through 12th graders to Pennsbury on a tuition basis "could be the best of all worlds." But it never happened; Pennsbury was experiencing explosive growth at the time as developers built up farmland in its bedroom communities for Philadelphia, New York and Princeton, N.J.

In 2004, the Pennsbury board refused to participate in a merger study, leaving it unclear what costs or savings might be realized through consolidation.

Some suggest the resistance stems in part from race and class tensions. About half of Morrisville students are minority, compared with about 12 percent of Pennsbury students.

Lucidi disputes that.

"We're not rich," he said. "We have a diversity of students and a diversity of taxpayers in our district."

But there are other obstacles to a merger: transportation costs, since Morrisville doesn't use buses; teacher salaries, if lower-paid Morrisville teachers join the Pennsbury union; and concern over disparities in standardized test scores.

"Adding a whole new population of students that haven't been through our processes could be detrimental to our scores," Lucidi said.

Pennsbury's average 1040 SAT score dwarfs Morrisville's 810. But on state assessments, 74 percent of Morrisville students scored proficient or better in math compared with 79 percent of Pennsbury students; in reading, Morrisville scored 68 percent proficient to Pennsbury's 80 percent.

Some have suggested the state could grant Pennsbury "test amnesty," allowing it to omit Morrisville students' scores for a given number of years, if the districts merged.

Morrisville tried to reinvent itself by building a new K-12 campus a few years ago, but taxpayer acrimony led to the plan being scrapped. Sandy Gibson, a former Morrisville board president, left town because of that and what she calls a lack of commitment to the students.

"Morrisville is never, ever going to invest in itself," she said.

So while Pennsbury solicits bids to turn one of its 11 elementary schools into a "green" building, Morrisville may permanently close M.R. Reiter. Asbestos was dislodged when the boiler exploded.

Officials in both communities say a merger will only happen if Harrisburg forces it , and helps finance it.

State Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, said it's not clear that Pennsbury would be the best fit for Morrisville, and that perhaps it's the wrong question to be asking.

"The question is whether or not Morrisville can sustain a school district," Galloway said. "Half the people in that town believe they can sustain a school district. The other half believe Morrisville's in a lot of trouble."

Quid Pro Quo

We continue our look at the royal email chain, and this one is a doozy.

Does anyone remember the Emperor's warm endorsement of Bill Ferrara as a wonderful principal who would make a fine superintendent some day?

It's backed up by this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: bill hellmann [mailto:bill hellmann cpa@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 10:55 AM
To: Heater, Gloria
Cc: bill hellmann
Subject: RE: engineering services, high school boilers
i am the one that stirs the drink. if i sit there, yonson's spending
will kill this town. she has two puppet board members that do whatever
she tells them, and the TINY pro-schoolers crew. ha ha ha! they are all
sand pounders. ha ha ha !
one by one they are either leaving or being replaced. soon, yonson will
be by herself. i have been talking to bill farrara and i like him and
so do other board members. he likes the consolidation we are talking
about (tuitioning out). i assured him we will always need a super and
at least one principal.
i know i am not polite at the meetings. i will work on that and try to
be more patient and respectful to the other fools. my problem is i
have little patience for incompetence and i am surrounded by those
types of people up there.

That, my friends, is a "quid pro quo". You support my tuitioning out scheme and I'll make sure you have a job.

You've seen the quid pro quo in action most recently in Illinois as Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached for his attempt to sell the open U.S. Senate seat previously occupied by Barack Obama. You make a donation to me, I'll get a Senate seat for you.

I have only heard and seen good things with Mr. Ferrara, which is what makes this all the more tragic. Roland Burris, from all accounts, is a good man too.

It's also clear that they shortened Dr. Yonson's contract from five to three years "safe" in the knowledge that the Emperor had already identified her successor.

To our readers outside of the Morrisville area: Our apologies for putting on such a good show. It makes us look like a bunch of rubes who couldn't govern an ice cream truck without help. But if our bad example stops you from committing the same mistakes, you're welcome.

Parents and friends: If this does not make you think twice about what "keep on track" means, then I'm not sure what will. Keep on track is a vote for Hellmann and everything he has done.

Another probable swine flu case in PA

From the BCCT.

Another probable swine flu case in PA
By: JO CIAVAGLIA
Bucks County Courier Times

Pennsylvania health officials aren’t sure when they’ll receive advanced testing kits that would allow faster confirmation of suspected swine flu cases, as the number of probable cases in the state continues growing.

Health officials anticipated the first shipment would be received by Monday at the latest, but with the number of states and cases growing by the hour, the CDC is prioritizing distribution to states with confirmed swine flu cases.

Pennsylvania had no confirmed swine flu cases as of Friday, though two more suspicious cases were added Friday.

“We’re not sure when they will be coming in,” state health spokeswoman Holli Senior said Friday.

The specialized test kits allow state health officials to confirm swine flu cases without forwarding the specimens to CDC labs, which has been overwhelmed with suspected positive samples.

Meanwhile, local county officials are stepping up surveillance efforts.

The Bucks health department is requiring schools to track and forward daily absences among students and staff involving flu-like symptoms. In Montgomery County, 9-1-1 callers can expect to be asked if anyone at the caller’s location is experiencing flu-like symptoms so that first responders can take appropriate precautions if necessary.

As of Friday, Pennsylvania had six unconfirmed swine flu cases — two in Montgomery and four in Philadelphia.

At least five cases were described as mild infections and the patients have recovered or recovering, health officials said. State health officials had no details for the latest case involving a 39 year-old woman.

Those suspected cases are the only ones with unknown genetic fingerprints among more than 100 positive type A flu samples the state tested last week, state health spokeswoman Stacy Kriedeman said.

Locally, Doylestown Hospital tested at least 25 people with flu-like symptoms since Monday, and Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township tested at least 22, hospital officials said. Only one Lower Bucks patient was positive, but for influenza type B, spokesman John Coffman said.

Medical and public health officials are following a three-step process for confirming a person is infected with the new swine flu, which health officials are now calling the 2009 H1N1.

If a rapid flu test is positive for type A influenza, the most common flu virus, the specimen is forwarded to the state department of health for further analysis.

Scientists then look for specific genetic fingerprints known as virus subtypes. If the subtype is unknown, swine flu is suspected and the specimen is sent to the CDC for conclusive testing, Kriedeman said.

Adding to challenges facing public health workers is the regular flu season hasn’t ended, meaning those viruses, which include a human type A H1N1 subtype, are still circulating. Also, false-positive influenza test results are more likely to occur when disease prevalence is low, which is generally at the beginning and end of the influenza season, according to the CDC.

Montgomery County officials reported a second probable swine flu case Friday involving a 28 year-old Lower Merion man who became sick on April 28. The man had not traveled in the last month and he had no known contact with ill people, according to county health officials.

The four other probable cases involve three Philadelphia residents, a 25-year-old man and 46-year-old female, and 2-year-old child and a 31-year-old Mexican man visiting Upper Merion.

The unidentified visitor, who had a valid work visa, reportedly became ill as he was traveling to the U.S. from Mexico last weekend, said Mike Baysinger, Montgomery County’s deputy director of personal health services.

The man was traveling alone and did not interact with people after he became ill, Baysinger said. He became sick on April 25, but has since completely recovered.

Probable swine flu cases are recommended to self-isolate at their homes and complete appropriate anti-viral treatment.

At least 17 U.S. states have confirmed more than 150 swine flu cases and one death, according to state and federal counts. Some scientists Friday said the virus is showing little staying power in the cities with the most cases and suggested that it may lack the genetic guts of previous killer bugs.

The identical, previously unseen flu virus has spread to at least 12 countries, though most infected were only mildly sickened. In Mexico, where the virus originated, it is suspected of sickening more than 3,000 people and killing for than 160.

The official world count for the fast-spreading 2009 H1N1 influenza, virus was almost 600 confirmed cases in 12 countries with 10 deaths, the World Health Organization said Friday, though the number is believed to be much larger.

Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at 215 949-4181 or jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com. For more health and fitness information, visit Jo’s blog at www.phillyburbs.com/opinions/blogs/courier_blogs/jo_ciavaglia



FLU CLUES
? Human influenza virus usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known Influenza A virus subtypes currently circulating among humans.
? Influenza Type A is the most common and also the scariest of the three influenzas, causing the most serious epidemics in history. H1N1 flu strains caused roughly half of all flu infections in 2006.
? Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs and birds.
? Four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1, however most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.
? The H1N1 swine flu virus circulating globally now is not the same as human H1N1 viruses, meaning that the vaccines for human seasonal flu won’t provide protection from swine flu viruses. But the swine flu bug circulating does respond successfully to antiviral treatment.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Galloway: Pensions a 'snowballing crisis'

From the BCCT.

Kudos to Rep. Galloway for hearing the outcry and starting a legislative response.

Sen. McIlhinney believes "the state needs to do something." That's a bold call for action..NOT. Even our school board members think the state should so something. The difference here, sir, is that you're one of the ones who is a "do-somethinger" in this mess. Let's get your do-something machine in gear sometime this decade, if you would?

Contact Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R-PA 10th) and Representative John T. Galloway (D-PA 140th)

Galloway: Pensions a 'snowballing crisis'
By: JAMES MCGINNIS
Bucks County Courier Times

The pension fund for school employees reported a loss of $1.7 billion. The fund for state workers said it lost $11 billion.

The global recession has only added to a "snowballing crisis" with state pensions and, without a special commission, it's only going to get worse for taxpayers, state Rep. John Galloway, D-140, said Thursday.

Galloway has joined a long line of Pennsylvania lawmakers to ring alarm bells over two pensions - one for Pennsylvania's teachers and the other for all state workers. He sent a letter this week to the speaker of House of Representatives, calling for a commission on the pensions.

Each fund lost billions of dollars in 2008 and, unless the economy turns around, Pennsylvania could be forced by law to raise taxes to support those funds in 2012, lawmakers said.

The Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System reported a loss of $1.7 billion in 2008. There's about $60 billion left.

The state workers pension fund reported a loss of $11 billion, leaving $24 billion in the fund at the beginning of 2009.

Galloway said he believes the traditional legislative process of sending such matters to a committee for research and consideration simply wasn't going to work this time.

"I think the problem is so large - it's not something that we can just deal with in committee," he said. We need to act on this, and a (traditional) committee might never even come to the floor (of the House).

"A speaker's commission would bring in all the different committees and put more pressure on us to act," Galloway continued. "We're getting a lot of pressure to just do nothing and wait and see if the economy can just turn this around."

"But what if it doesn't?" Galloway said.

State Rep. Scott Petri, R-178, said he "would not oppose anything that brings more attention and urgency to this problem. Waiting and knowing, and just letting it stew is not resolving it.

"Before the recession, it looked like we were starting to build a way out of this hole - at least a way to make the hole smaller," Petri added. "But then the economy made a turn for the worse."

A number of state lawmakers are trying to secure federal stimulus funds to try and plug that hole, Petri added.

While he would support a speaker's commission, state Rep. Tony Melio, D-141, said lawmakers can't seriously consider any ideas that cost Pennsylvania more money.

"We had a meeting with the appropriations chairman, who told us that we just don't have any money and we can't spend any more money," Melio said. "Until we get the stimulus fund figured out, we just can't do anything."

State Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10, said he supported the need for a special convention on the pension and considers it a crisis. The state needs to do something, he said.

State Rep Gene DiGirolamo, R-18, was less certain of the need for a speaker's commission and he disagreed with Galloway's remarks about the committee process.

"I don't know if I agree with the idea that if it goes into a committee that it would just die in there. I think the committees would have to be part of this process also.

"Whether this is a crisis or not is going to depend on the economy over the next couple of years," DiGirolamo continued. "It's something that we certainly should be studying. What he's proposing - I'm not sure if that's the right approach."

The Pennsylvania school pension fund serves more than 600,000 current and former school employees in Pennsylvania, according to its Web site. The Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System has about 219,000 members, officials said.

Bensalem: No KOIZ

From the BCCT.

No tax zone for Horizon center
By: MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times

The Bensalem school board Wednesday night failed to approve a Keystone Opportunity Zone designation for part of the Horizon Corporate Center near the Neshaminy Mall. The five board members present refused to make a motion to consider the issue, so their inaction amounted to a failed vote.

The KOZ program offers tax relief to companies, typically allowing them to pay no property taxes on future development. Tenants also could get waivers from certain business taxes.

Brian O'Neill, who owns O'Neill Properties on Horizon land, gave an impassioned speech claiming that the KOZ designation would draw more business and potentially 2,000 construction jobs to the area during the next few years.

About 100 construction trades union members supported O'Neill at the meeting and left sorely disappointed.

Opponent George Flocco, executive director of Bensalem Economic Development Corp., said the tax breaks would only force township residents to bear an additional tax burden.

If the board had voted for the KOZ proposal, O'Neill Properties would have gone to the township today to get the next part of the needed approvals. Township, county and school district approvals are all needed to allow a property to take advantage of a KOZ.

Board members said it didn't make sense to allow prime real estate like the Horizon Corporate Center to get a break on taxes.

Express Scripts in Bensalem recently got KOZ status in Bristol, making it exempt from several forms of state business taxes through 2020. Its employees would still pay wage taxes to the communities where they live or work.

Dr. Yonson: Say It Ain't So!

From Montgomery Media.

Public meets with finalists for school district superintendent
Published: Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Elizabeth Yonson. Sun staff photos by BOB RAINES
By Nick Malinowski
Staff Writer

With the search for the next Springfield Township School District Superintendent down to two candidates, the school board hosted community meetings Tuesday and Wednesday evening to give resident a chance to examine the finalists.

Superintendent Roseann Nyiri is retiring in July after seven years on the job.

On Tuesday, Elizabeth Yonson, currently the superintendent of the Morrisville School District, spent the day in Springfield, meeting teachers, administrators, staff and students before addressing parents and answering their questions in the high school auditorium.

The Morrisville district has a student enrollment of 1,050 and an annual budget of about $19 million.

Yonson told the 25 parents in attendance at the high school auditorium Tuesday that Springfield, which is larger than Morrisville yet more intimate than other districts, would allow her to be personally involved with the staff, a prospect she found attractive.

Of her five years at Morrisville, Yonson said she was most proud of raising the proficiency levels and closing the achievement gap between white students and students of many minority groups.

Questions from parents included concerns about Yonson’s commitment to the position, planned curriculum changes and goals, the importance of athletics and afterschool activities and ways to save money.

On Wednesday, Wendy Royer, director of elementary education in the West Shore School District in New Cumberland, was asked most of the same questions as well as additional ones, many focusing on her lack of experience as a superintendent at another school district.

Royer explained that because of West Shore’s size — 8,000 students — and her work on curricular programs for multiple buildings, she had gained leadership skills that would translate to Springfield.

Both candidates said they appreciated the strong community support for the Springfield School District and would make gaining a firm understanding of the needs of the constituents a priority before looking to make any changes.

Following Wednesday’s meeting with Royer, Laurie Kristiniak, president of the High School/Middle School PTA, said the meetings were a poor forum for parents to get to know the candidates, and that it was impossible to make substantial judgments about either one because many of the questions demanded precise and thoughtful answers that the format did not allow.

The search would have been better had a parent group had the opportunity to meet with each candidate in face-to-face interviews, she said.

“In no way did the search team replace the stakeholders,” she said. “We felt our insight as parents is an insight a majority of the board members don’t have. How can that not be important?”

Fifty-seven candidates applied for the position, and the school board reviewed 16 applications, interviewing six candidates before arriving at two, school board President Malcolm Gran said Wednesday.

The public, teachers and staff were not included in earlier steps of the recruitment process to preserve confidentially, so that rejected candidates were not put in an awkward position within their current districts, Gran said.

Yonson and Royer were eventually selected because of their track records of creating strong curricula and improving their schools, he said.

Although both candidates were relatively local, Yonson from Bucks County and Royer from just outside Harrisburg, Gran said that the national search was necessary.

“We had some fascinating candidates from, really, around the world, one from Italy, one from Canada,” he said.

The board is not required by law to do any type of candidate search, he said.

To decide between Yonson and Royer, the board will again meet with each candidate and go through responses prompted by this week’s meetings from the community and teachers.

A hiring date has not been set, but residents should contact the board with reactions by Sunday, Gran said following Wednesday’s meeting.

Schools Monitoring Flu Progress

From the BCCT.

Link to the Morrisville District website and specific swine flu recommendations.

Schools closely monitoring situation
If a student is infected with swine flu, the county health department would recommend closing the school for seven days, a county spokeswoman said.
FROM STAFF REPORTS

With Pennsylvania reporting its first probable case of swine flu in Philadelphia Wednesday, local school administrators and public health officials are closely watching the outbreak sweeping across the United States.

Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are among the states with unconfirmed swine flu reports, while 11 states have confirmed at least 93 cases and one death, a toddler from Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The World Health Organization has raised the swine flu alert level to five, the second highest level meaning it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent. The identical virus has spread to at least seven countries, though most were mildly sickened; Mexico, where the virus originated, is the hardest hit with more than 2,400 sickened and more than 150 deaths.

The suspected first Pennsylvania case occurred in a 2-year old child in Philadelphia who became ill on March 23, according to the state department of health. The child has no known risk factors for exposure to swine flu and he has fully recovered.

With the virus moving human-to-human, national attention has focused on schools where health officials worry it can spread quickly. Most of the U.S. cases so far are connected with two schools in New York City.

President Barack Obama said public health officials are recommending schools with confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu “strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible.”

The CDC said more U.S. cases have required hospitalizations and a pattern of more severe illness associated with the virus may be emerging in the United States. Typically 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population is infected and 36,000 deaths are blamed on seasonal flu annually.

Pennsylvania health officials have maintained contact with schools this week to keep them updated, spokeswoman Holli Senior said. School districts do not currently submit emergency preparedness plans to the state Department of Education.

If a student is infected with swine flu, the county health department would recommend closing a school for seven days, the infection’s incubation period, Bucks spokeswoman Stacey Hajdak said. But the final decision would be left with the superintendent, she added.

In Bucks County, schools have posted basic swine flu prevention information on Web sites. Public, parochial and private school officials are also monitoring CDC updates and student and staff illnesses, as well as updating parents, officials said.

“As a proactive measure, we will be meeting with all of our staff this week to go over our procedures,” said Leon Poeske, acting director of the Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township.

Neshaminy Superintendent Louis Muenker said his schools would follow county and state health department recommendations, unless a national directive requires other action.

Council Rock School District is reevaluating field trips scheduled for cities and other high population areas.

“While we are not taking a position on these trips at this time, changes in the concentration or severity of this reported outbreak will likely force the district to eliminate some or all of these trips,” according to a letter to parents.

Holy Ghost Preparatory High School in Bensalem reported it has an emergency response plan in case a swine flu situation should arise, said Ken Ferrara, the school’s executive director of Institutional Advancement. He doesn’t expect that the school to close because of an outbreak.

The Philadelphia Archdiocese’s superintendent for Catholic education Wednesday sent health department guidelines to its elementary and high school principals, but left it to the administrators’ discretion to forward it to school families, spokeswoman Donna Farrell said.

She added the archdiocese would likely follow the same protocol it uses during the regular flu season.

“We have schools that sometimes have to close because so many teachers are sick, so it is something we’re prepared to deal with,” Farrell said.

Bucks County Community College, which has three campuses, incorporated a pandemic flu response plan into its emergency preparedness manual two years ago, during the avian flu scare.

If a local, state or federal health agency declares a local flu or viral outbreak, which could potentially affect the college, college administrators meet and decide the course of action, according to the manual.

Decisions may include: Closure of the campus in whole or part, delayed semester start, cancellation of a semester, opening up campus as a temporary health facility, continuing college business as usual but taking precautionary medical measures, etc.

Ongoing training of college administrators and information dissemination to campus users will be part of the college’s response to addressing the potential for a pandemic flu, viral outbreak, or other health related emergency.
Staff writers Manasee Wagh, Jo Ciavaglia, Rachel Canelli and Joan Hellyer contributed to this story.

Tech school budget approved

From the BCCT.

(NOTE TO DESK - MIGHT WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK YOU REMOVED ALL THE NOTES BEFORE POSTING THE STORY. PRINTER DEVILS HAVE NOW GONE DIGITAL. THX STS)

Tech school budget wins approval
By: JOAN HELLYER
Bucks County Courier Times

Three sending districts will pay more in 2009-10 and the other three will pay less based on the school's funding formula.

By Joan Hellyer

Bucks County Technical High School operations in 2009-10 will be financed with a $22.4 million budget approved by a majority of governing bodies of the sending school districts.

The technical high school's bylaws call for at least four school boards from the sending districts and at least 28 board members of the governing panels to approve the proposed budget.

The Neshaminy school board on Tuesday night pushed the approval process across the finish line with a 7-2 vote in favor of the budget for the school off Wistar Road in Bristol Township.

The Bristol, Morrisville and Pennsbury boards previously approved the "bare bones" budget with 26 members of those governing bodies voting in favor of it.

Bensalem's school board was scheduled Wednesday night to vote on the tech school budget.

The Bristol Township board, however, rejected the financial plan to protest the 15 percent increase its district will pay in 2009-10. The added costs are needed to cover recent enrollment increases of Bristol Township students at the tech school, BCTHS representatives said.

Bensalem and Bristol also will pay more in the coming year while Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury will pay less based on the school's funding formula, officials said.

Bensalem will pay $3,135,268, Bristol's charge is $733,313, Bristol Township's share is $6,503,272, Morrisville will be charged $528,077, Neshaminy's cost is $3,921,993 and Pennsbury will pay $3,643,532, said officials.

Overall, the budget is 2.9 percent greater than the 2008-09 budget, said administrators, who are moving forward to enact the financial plan effective July 1.

(NOTE TO DESK - MIGHT WANT TO CHECK WITH MANASEE WHO IS COVERING BENSALEM MEETING TONIGHT TO SEE WHAT THAT BOARD DECIDES - RIGHT NOW I JUST HAVE IT THAT "BENSALEM'S SCHOOL BOARD WAS SCHEDULED WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO VOTE ON THE TECH SCHOOL BUDGET." THX, JH)

Top Republican assails Gov. Rendell's budget

From the Inquirer.

Top Republican assails Gov. Rendell's budget
By Angela Couloumbis Posted on Tue, Apr. 28, 2009
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG - A top Senate Republican yesterday set the stage for a budget showdown with the Rendell administration, saying that the governor's plan reflected "short-term thinking" and that he could not support it without major changes.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Jake Corman (R., Centre) said the Republican-controlled Senate would soon pass a counterproposal that would call for spending 5 percent less than Gov. Rendell's $29 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

The Republican alternative also would not increase any taxes, he said.

"If we were to adopt [the governor's] plan, we in the legislature would be committing something akin to budgetary malpractice," Corman said at the monthly press club luncheon in Harrisburg.

Corman did not say how Republicans would achieve their spending cuts. He and others have said those details would be released early next month.

Corman said the Republican plan called for reducing Rendell's proposed budget to close to $27.5 billion. While the GOP plan would include the roughly $2 billion in federal stimulus aid that Rendell's budget relies on, it would reject Rendell's proposal to add taxes on tobacco sales, natural-gas extraction, and health-insurance premiums.

Corman acknowledged that reducing Rendell's budget "does not come without pain and does not come without political peril."

"But we absolutely have to do it, and we have to do it now to get our economic house in order," he said.

Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo yesterday countered that "at a time when more Pennsylvanians are looking to government for essential services, it appears the senator's proposal will provide less of them."

He added that "the governor's vision for the commonwealth's future has been endorsed by the electorate twice," and that "the time for rhetorical flourish is long past - it's time to do the hard work necessary to craft a responsible budget."

The deadline to pass the budget is July 1. Since Rendell took office in 2003, no budget has been passed on time.

This year appears no different, with Republicans once again showcasing wide ideological and fiscal differences with the administration.

Rendell's proposed budget includes no broad-based tax increases, but it does seek a 10-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and new levies on smokeless tobacco and natural-gas reserves.

While education, welfare, corrections, and probation and parole would receive budget increases, every other department faces cuts.

Rendell has proposed eliminating funding for 101 state programs, including schools for the deaf and children of military veterans, and trimming spending for 346.

Neshaminy: Busy Signal, Please Try Again

From the BCCT.

Board members won't be allowed to call in votes
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times

A motion to allow school board directors to cast their votes by phone narrowly failed.

A policy that would've allowed Neshaminy school board members to participate in meetings by phone was disconnected Tuesday night.

The vote failed 4-5 with only board members William O'Connor, William Spitz, Susan Cummings and Joseph Blasch voting yes.

The process would've let no more than one director per meeting call into a public board meeting and vote via phone. And each board member would have been able to make such a request only once a year through the board president or superintendent, according to the policy.

O'Connor, who works in sales and marketing, requested the guideline so he wouldn't have to miss too many board meetings for unexpected business trips. He wanted the rule to allow two directors per meeting to vote by phone twice a year since his job takes him a few times a year to places like South Carolina, Puerto Rico and Germany. O'Connor said he missed two or three meetings in the last year.

Board member Richard Eccles expressed concerns that board members would miss too many meetings. But district solicitor Thomas J. Profy III said it wouldn't count as an absence if a board member participated via phone.

The policy would've given the board the ability to increase those numbers in the future, administrators said.

Profy also said the board member participating remotely could not have been used to reach a quorum. At least five other board members must be present to hold a meeting, said Profy.

Board member William Spitz favored the remote participation, which he believed could be monitored and adjusted to avoid abuse.

The concept already is used in some districts, including Council Rock, where a board member recently participated by phone for more than one meeting after having surgery, officials said.

And Neshaminy allowed board member Blasch to attend an executive session by phone, Blasch said.

Representatives of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said 35 school districts across the state have adopted similar protocols.

After not allowing a councilman who was on military duty overseas to vote from his post, the Tullytown council later agreed to let members on active military duty vote by phone early last year.

But Neshaminy board member Frank Koziol argued the policy isn't necessary. By his calculations, only five votes out of more than 200 in the past few years failed due to a director's absence.

Board President Ritchie Webb said he could see why the policy might be beneficial, but he voted against the policy, too, because voting over the phone doesn't allow directors to look residents in the eyes. Webb was also concerned about members hearing public comment.

Pa. senator pushes bill on school district mergers

From the Inquirer.

Pa. senator pushes bill on school district mergers
The Associated Press Posted on Tue, Apr. 28, 2009

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A western Pennsylvania state senator wants a government commission to study how to consolidate many of Pennsylvania's 500 public school districts.

Cambria County Democrat John Wozniak said Tuesday the state should begin a process he says could take years but result in better academic programs and substantial cost savings.

Wozniak's proposal is similar to an idea Gov. Ed Rendell introduced during his February budget address.

Wozniak wants a 15-member commission that would hold 20 public hearings around the state before putting forward a plan to realign districts.

Rendell said the state should aim for about 100 school districts, but Wozniak isn't setting a goal yet.

Economics 101: Supply and Demand

Here's an idea from an emailer. What do you think?

I have driven past several businesses in Morrisville that are displaying their red "Stay on Track" campaign signs and was wondering if you could start a new thread on the blog where we can keep track of which businesses they are. I am not asking for a boycott, but I am personally interested in knowing which business owners in my town reject my kids' education. Then, with this knowledge I can decide which businesses I will continue to support and which I will not.

To date, I have seen the red signs in front of:

* Hellmann, CPA (of course)
* The Squirrels Nest
* A-Z Music

Anyone see any others? Please post them here.

Added April 29 4:30 P.M. I received an email suggestion that these "Stay on Track" sign sightings should be photographed. I received photos from Hellmann, Squirrels Nest, Colonial Hair, and A-Z Music. Do NOT photograph or report residences. I have removed one reported sighting and the comment for a private residence.

The Emperor's Mailbag

Our series on the Emperor's released emails continues with a look that is all too familiar to us.

From: bill hellmann
> [mailto:bill_hellmannXXXXX@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 12:02 PM
> To: Heater, Gloria
> Subject: RE: COMPETITION ON HEALTH AND OTHER
> BENEFITS
>>
i am not trying to show up the admin. i want them do
> do their job, that is all. they won't do their job
> unless i bully them first, it seems. i think they do
> not think i am serious about it because they never
> faced it before, i guess? kind of weird?
> i want to live in peace and educate the kids at a
> cost
> the town can afford instead of getting blasted each
> july.
>>
see you tonight!!
>
> bill

Oh dear. Isn't this in violation of Morrisville School District policy 252?

Then there's the Emperor's take on the pro-schoolers. (I guess I'm one of them.)

From: bill hellmann [mailto:bill_hellmann_cpa@yahoo.com)
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 1:19 PM
To: Heater, Gloria
Cc: bill hellmann
Subject: RE: FW: Notes from last meeting
well if i am not the boss how am i to get anything done? you sound like ole
mrs. reithmeyer. i need four other votes, remember? what was my promise,
please refresh my memory. i believe it was only on the tuitioning out
referendum, correct?
NOT on a k-12 consolidated school? i do not care. if this town wants to keep
the school the same, fine, but get ready to get crushed on july 1 each year.
you worry about politics all the time. let me tell you, you have not seen
anything yet as far as the public when you have to vote on the projected tax
increases the next few years. these pro-new schoolers you are afraid of will
be nothing compared to that.
these pro-new schoolers do not bother me one iota!!!!!!
if you can not take the heat, get out of the kitchen, because it will get
hotter this time next year. mark my words!!!!!!!!!

Let's have a refresher course in how to identify abusive leadership styles.

Going the Extra Step

Thanks to the emailer who sent this in:

This reminds me of our board of education. They're just concerned with the quick fix and not willing to do the real work to make it right.

Neshaminy: Layoffs Coming

From the BCCT.

Business administrator recommends layoffs
About 65 positions would be eliminated under the potential budget changes.
By RACHEL CANELLI

With a somber tone, business administrator Joseph Paradise Tuesday night forecasted Neshaminy School District’s financial future: layoffs.

After months of trying to find ways to cut the projected $14 million deficit and avoid a $500 tax hike, Paradise recommended many budget changes to the Neshaminy school board, which included eliminating about 65 positions.

Paradise said the administration’s suggestions are made “with great sadness … but little choice.”

“Many of these cuts reduce … spending to their bare minimum,” Paradise read from a prepared statement. “It will not be business as usual next year in Neshaminy … there will be few dollars to do anything other than what’s legally required.”

To fill the holes between an estimated $167 million spending plan and $153 in projected revenues, Paradise described how officials found more than $10 million mostly through employee jobs.

That would reduce the average tax increase from 12.5 percent to 3.6 percent, which is under the Act 1 4.1 percent limit, administrators said.

If approved, at least two cabinet-level spots, including one in human resources, won’t be filled, saving roughly $300,000. By moving the ninth grade to the renovated high school next year, more than 27 positions would be eliminated, said Paradise.

And, so far, about 25 support staff jobs could be lost, officials said.

Administrators recommended saving $637,000 of the $10.6 million transportation budget by eliminating the mid-day kindergarten bus run, as well as reducing late day transportation routes and consolidating pick-up and drop-off spots.

Paradise strongly suggested that the board seriously consider establishing a committee to close an elementary school next year.

Travel and support staff ’s overtime would be reduced by 50 percent, officials said. Administrators said they can more efficiently schedule music, art, and languages.

Officials also recommended increasing facilities usage fees, gather $250,000 through establishing to-be-determined fees for extra-curricular activities to cover a portion of the $1.6 million activities budget, saving $114,000 by canceling the summer work program and eliminating the long term service awards ceremony.

While some residents continued petitioning the board for no tax and budget increase, others, including senior citizens, said they supported Paradise’s recommendations. They also suggested forging business partnerships, being more energy efficient, creating a budget committee and seeking corporate sponsorships, specifically for sports.

Since officials used $8.8 million of the district’s savings in the last two years — more than Neshaminy’s history — administrators suggested avoiding what’s left of the dwindling $1.2 million fund balance to bridge the gap.

Officials said they’d continue to review the budget.

“It’s with heavy heart that we have to have this conversation tonight,” said Superintendent Lou Muenker. “Every number comes with a story, a face and a family. But these recommendations don’t come without a lot of sleepless nights.”

Dubious Budget Congratulations

From the BCCT.

Let's not go this far just yet. The first paragraph, "undisclosed unilateral decisions by the board chairman, secret discussions about shipping high school students to another district, and other shenanigans" speaks volumes by chapter and verse regarding the track this school board is traveling.

There's a lack of ethics at work here on a 24/7 basis.

So while the numbers may add up, does the action those budget numbers represent also add up? A stopped clock is wrong twice a day and every yin must have some yang.

With all due respect to the esteemed Dr. Yonson, the Emperor has very little use for her in public and in private. Perhaps we should recognize that she and her staff have done wonders with what little she has to work with rather than using her endorsement as proof the budget, and the strategy behind it, is sound.

Incredible shrinking budget
Here’s one you don’t hear very often.

Morrisville school board members have taken a lot of flack in the last year or so — from the community and also from us. They deserved most of it: Undisclosed unilateral decisions by the board chairman, secret discussions about shipping high school students to another district, and other shenanigans have earned the board majority just and heated criticism.

But board members deserve credit as well. We refer to this recent headline: “No tax increase for district.”

When was the last time you read that one?

Credit the board’s focus on cutting expenses. Admittedly, board members have gotten help via the departure of high-salaried administrators who have not been replaced, and the shuttering of an elementary school after a boiler fire. But a concerted effort to identify and end wasteful practices such as the extraneous use of paper helped produce a budget that proposes spending a million dollars less than last year.

The motivations driving this board often are wrong-headed. So while there is good reason to remain skeptical of almost anything this board does, it’s reassuring that Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson has given the zero-tax increase spending plan her seal of approval.

“I can assure you all the cuts will not change any of the programs we’ve been doing,” Yonson said.

We’re glad to hear it. Morrisville students and parents have been through enough.

Neshaminy: Now WE Want a School Board Just Like Morrisville

From the BCCT.

First Pennsbury, now Neshaminy...

"Vote on May 19 for candidates who support taxpayers." What ever happened to the children in this equation? Take this fight to Harrisburg. Stop making the children pay alongside the rest of us. Call your state senator and representative.

Contracts made when times were better are going to look lavish when compared to today. Similarly, they would look shabby against a healthy economy.

Personnel costs are an immense cost in every business, not just teaching. But teaching is a very high "face time" profession, requiring 1 on 25 group interaction (pick your teacher to class ratio as you will), and the necessary 1 on 1 interactions. No computer program in existence today can replace the teacher-student time.

Teachers are well educated people and they deserve a real salary based on their past experience, their current workload, and the night education they are receiving to become better at their job. Do not read that to mean I stand for unlimited and excessive pay. I've signed payrolls in the past. Fair pay for fair work, but remember that one man's fair is another's foul.

Another local school board, another local taxpayer riot. Been there, done that. Our wreckage is still bouncing from the collapse, and the occasional heater explosion.

Are you sure you want to go down this extremist road?

Tell irresponsible unions, school boards our pockets are empty

The moment of truth is approaching. This was announced at the Neshaminy board meeting when Joe Paradise, the school district’s business manager, stated, “The preliminary budget will be out April 28 and there will be something for everyone to hate in this budget.” As the guardian of spending no one understands the tyranny of the numbers better.

When he says “everyone,” I have more than a suspicion that he means every one of us taxpayers will yet again shoulder the pain caused by past and current failures in fiscal responsibility.

However, taxpayers need to understand the reason our budget is so painful. Escalating personnel costs in our district now comprise nearly 80 percent of the expense. This is predominately unionized personnel, aka teachers and staff. Their excessive past contracts, including rich benefits, have put us in a $14 million deficit and this will likely be severely exasperated by the outrageous demands in the next contract.

Read every page of the last collective bargaining agreement (an extension of the 1998 contract) from 2002 and you will see contracted pay, benefits and perks that will absolutely drive you crazy — especially now. Amazingly, in the ongoing renegotiation, the most highly compensated teachers and staff in Bucks County (top 10 in Pennsylvania), now are demanding much more.

When he says “something,” we ALL will hate, it is code for the draconian cuts the board will be forced to make to close the budget gaps resulting from the elephant in the room — out of control employee costs. The teachers rejected a perfectly decent offer the board made last year and one the administrators recently accepted. This included a generous 3 percent annual increase and a diminished yet still rich benefits package. They should have grabbed it since now, given the deteriorating economy, this package is now even more unaffordable for the district.

The National Federation of Teachers and its members didn’t compromise, but instead insisted on demanding a 4 percent increase plus steps totaling 6 percent annually, zero employee contribution to the exponentially increasing budget health care costs, continued defined benefit retirement plan, including full non-participatory health care in retirement, retirement bonuses of $30,000 vs. the current $27,000 (who gets this in the real world?), a longevity bonus (WHAT? You have to be kidding?) and many other benefits that no other Pennsylvania district still provides.

Just think, if the offer the board made is unaffordable, what if they now get a compromised middle ground deal or worse, their demands? You won’t be able to cut enough elsewhere and we will be in deeper deficit spending and escalating annual tax increases as far as the eye can see.

A petition circulating in the district on behalf of taxpayers for a Fair Neshaminy Budget, so far signed by several hundred taxpayers and growing, has demanded the board withdraw its offer and make a significantly reduced one with much lower long-term cost to taxpayers. Many more are speaking up at school board meetings.

When the board recommends cuts in programs that will negatively impact the children of the district (remember them?), don’t direct all your displeasure at board members. Their hands have been tied by unions and lawmakers so they do what state laws permit. Instead, focus blame on the teachers and union leaders. The possible reduction in educational quality will now rest with them as they make their needs preeminent to ours.

Many are uncomfortable that these facts are being called out publicly, but unfortunately this powerful group has brought it on themselves as they simply have no defense of the demands. Please know that if the union wins, everyone else loses. It will lead not only to continued massive tax increases, but also to potentially major reductions in very popular programs. Ironically, to secure their demands, union leadership will throw some teachers over the side due to program elimination.

I don’t know about you, but I have had it with irresponsible unions, school boards and politicians who assume our pockets are deep enough to pay all the bills they sign up for? People continue to fatten up at the public trough when the rest of us can now least afford it. Fair compensation in line with current private sector offerings is acceptable but communities should no longer have to subsidize the excessive packages that teachers and other public workers demand through their powerful unions. If the madness doesn’t stop, our children and grandchildren will be left with the increasingly noncompetitive public education system we have now — and taxes that make Europe look like a bargain.

Join the fight. Speak at tonight’s board meeting. Vote on May 19 for candidates who support taxpayers.

Where's the plan?

For a while now, Morrisville residents have eagerly awaited the "six point plan" put forward by the Emperor, but safely hidden from the public's scrutiny and debate.

One parent has now gone to the state to force the Emperor to make the plan public. Kate Fratti has a blog entry about it.

My reading of the PA state right to know law exceptions says that this is not likely to prevail.

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

What's the plan, Mr. Hellman?
By: Kate Fratti

In Morrisville, a parent applied to receive a copy of "a six point plan," authored by School Board President Bill Hellmann and has been denied. Kevin Leather has appealled under the right to know laws. Here's hoping he's successful. Folks have a right to know what their elected leaders are planning. Or in this case, should the word be plotting? Why else would leaders be so secretive?

April 20, 2009 05:35 PM

Mayoral Discussion?

Thanks to the emailer who sent this.

The Grandview Greats deserve a big round of applause, along with their teachers, coaches, and parents.

We can talk about the mayoral and borough council races. They are as important as the school board elections.

We had a visit from candidate Graeme Thomson earlier but I think we scared him off. His message did leave some items out for open discussion.

This might be a good time to mention that I will post in its entirety, anything any announced candidate for mayor, council, or school board, would care to provide.

Scanned copies of campaign literature dropped off at your doorstep are also welcomed.

I will not claim to post without comment. I know some of the readership would probably comment also.

Two things:
Reading Olympics
The fourth and fifth graders won a blue ribbon at the annual Reading Olympics held at Bensalem High School in April. There were over 100 schools represented. Not only did the Morrisville team (Grandview Greats) win a blue ribbon, they scored 60 points - only a handful of schools earned sixty or over. I was there. One of the moderators complimented our kids for their behavior and courtesy. They were so impressive. Worked so well together, all participated, they were respectful and considerate, applauded the other teams, etc. They worked all year preparing for this event, just like any other sports team preparing for a tournament.
These 13 kids are our future high schoolers! We can't let them down!

Mayoral Candidates
Will we be discussing the candidates on this blog?

Recession may teach lesson no job is safe

From the Allentown Morning Call.

Recession may teach lesson no job is safe
Easton Area is talking staff cuts that could bring ruling on state law

By Scott Kraus | and Christopher Baxter Of The Morning Call April 26, 2009

Teaching jobs have long been thought of as safe havens from economic uncertainty, insulated from the ups and downs of the financial markets.

That has been especially true in Pennsylvania, where state law makes it difficult, if not impossible, for school districts to balance budgets with teacher layoffs.

The Easton Area School District made a move to change that last week, warning that it might join financially strapped school districts in California and Washington in handing teachers pink slips.

Facing a budget shortfall, and unhappy with the cost of the five-year teachers contract the school board approved unanimously in 2007, district officials asked the union Tuesday to reopen the deal or face job cuts.

''I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't see some number of school districts feel like they had no choice but to try to open those deals back up,'' said Kent McGuire, dean of Temple University's College of Education. ''At least they want to take credit for having tried to have that conversation.''

While even the threat of mass teacher layoffs is new to Pennsylvania, the economy has pushed schools elsewhere to take the drastic step.

The number of districts planning staff cuts quadrupled in the past year to 44 percent nationwide, a March study by the American Association of School Administrators found. Teachers made up about 40 percent of those targeted.

The Easton Area Education Association has asked the district to tap some of the $5.1 million in proceeds it expects to get from the federal economic stimulus to stave off the cuts. But the district so far has balked at the idea.

Can they or can't they?

The question is whether Pennsylvania's restrictions on layoffs make Easton's warning that it may cut 45 to 60 teaching jobs a hollow threat.

Districts can lay off teachers only if enrollment drops or if an educational program is discontinued. The state prohibits layoffs just to balance the budget.

If Easton Area goes ahead with the layoffs, it may face a battle from the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which says it will fight any effort to lay off teachers for financial reasons.

''I think they are grandstanding,'' said PSEA President James Testerman. ''It is inappropriate and illegal and most importantly sad for the kids Â… We will use every legal means to make sure they are complying with Pennsylvania law.''

The ability to let teachers go for financial reasons is something school districts would like to have, said Sean Fields, Pennsylvania School Boards Association attorney.

''There are enumerated reasons teachers can be suspended, but those reasons are not specifically economic reasons,'' Fields said.

The school boards association wants to change that. It spelled out its reasoning in an education reform proposal to state lawmakers earlier this year.

''Every other public and private sector employer except for school districts has the prerogative to make adjustments to its work force when hard economic times hit,'' the proposal reads.

But Easton believes a decision to make cuts is on firm ground. Easton Area business manager Marie Guidry said the district's solicitor has assured administrators they can make teacher cuts.

The district plans to rely on a provision in the Pennsylvania School Code that says schools can suspend teachers ''as a result of substantial decline in class or course enrollments,'' she said.

The state Department of Education must approve such suspensions to prevent districts from slashing courses and teachers simply to save money, said Leah Harris, spokeswoman for the department.

So far this school year, the state has approved 17 of 18 of school district requests, Harris said, most recently for the Pottstown School District, which cut a swimming program for Grades 1 to 6.

Most have involved just one or two positions.

A plan such as Easton's to cut dozens of teachers -- a move Guidry says would save $4 million in salaries and benefits -- would be unusual, if not unprecedented, Harris said.

Quality debate

Easton Area plans to argue that it is simply carrying out a policy that scraps classes that fail to draw more than 10 students, said Superintendent Susan McGinley. The district also plans to increase class sizes and freeze hiring for all but state-required courses.

High school electives would be most affected under the 10-student rule, said union President Kevin Deely. And cutting only those would fall far short of the district's goal, he said.

Just the prospect of class eliminations has alarmed students, who have started a Facebook group to fight the cuts.

Deely said the district cannot afford to slice the jobs without hurting education quality. Easton's student-to-teacher ratio is about 12-1, comparable with other Lehigh Valley districts and liable to rise to 13-1 with layoffs.

''I think the district is still understaffed,'' Deely said, adding that it is among those needing ''corrective action'' -- a label the state gives to districts that are academically struggling. Easton Area High School has struggled to meet benchmarks for the reading and math portions of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams.

Stimulus to the rescue?

Deely wants the district to use federal stimulus money to maintain staffing.

Before the stimulus passed, the National Education Association projected 2009 could bring as many as 600,000 school personnel layoffs, said spokesman Bill Parker.

''We're predicting this recovery bill is going to save almost all of those jobs, it will just vary from state to state,'' Parker said.

All $5.1 million of Easton Area's projected stimulus share can be used to ''avert layoffs and promote reform,'' said U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman Sandra Abrevaya.

About $814,000 of Easton's stimulus package is expected to come in the form of stabilization dollars, which are specifically targeted to avoid layoffs, said state Department of Education spokesman Mike Race.

The rest of the money comes with some restrictions, but could be used in ways that would preserve jobs, he said.

Guidry, who said previously that the district might use some stimulus money to install energy-efficient doors and windows, said the district doesn't want to tap the stimulus for salaries.

''That stimulus money will be only for the next two years,'' she said. ''After that we would be looking at a larger deficit.''

District officials say their efforts to gain concessions is driven by grim fiscal realities: declining property tax receipts, plunging investment earnings and rising pension costs.

That contrasts with 2007, when the district signed the five-year contract, and experts were still debating whether the slowing economy would turn into a recession in 2008.

The contract's annual raises of 4.9 percent were similar to those in the Parkland and Nazareth Area school districts.

Easton Area School Board ratified the deal by a vote of 6-0, with two abstentions. Board President Patricia Fisher has since said she and her colleagues did not fully understand its costs.

Former business manager Jeffrey Bader predicted at the time that the pact would save the district money through early retirements, but Guidry said the sagging economy has prompted many teachers to put off retiring.

Easton Area teachers are far from the state's highest paid. The average teacher earned $49,422 in the 2006-07 school year – the most recent state Department of Education survey -- ranking 404th out 727 districts in the state. This school year, the average Easton teacher earned $53,644, according to the district.

The district's 2008-09 maximum salary of $70,050 for teachers with a master's degree is higher than 57 percent of districts in the commonwealth, while its starting salary of $41,300 is higher than 76 percent of districts, according to the school boards association.

In Pennsylvania, those wages have come with a measure of job security that's not available in many other states, said Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.

Far from being immune to economic stress, financial problems in public education usually lag the national economy by about a year, he said.

''The story I am hearing pretty regularly everywhere I go Â… there's going to be a lot of elimination of positions,'' he said. ''And under the best of circumstances, it is going to be done through attrition.''