We were looking through the Save the Morrisville School blog and came across an interesting letter that Marlys Mihok, the secretary(paid) of the Morrisville School Board, had written just before the May 2009 primary. Here is the link:Marlys' letter to the bcct
What is interesting is how Marlys seems to always be on a rant about "aides, aides, and more aides", and how the district spends too much money on salaries. Ok Marlys, perhaps if you have some time in between free luncheons, you could explain yourself.
In this letter Marlys says "Morrisville has been top heavy with highly paid administrators for decades." Marlys just recently, within the past year voted to increase the salaries of the principal, business administrator, and the head of the special education.All while saying the "district spends too much on salaries". Oh and add another $25k on top of the previously mentioned raises and you will see that Marlys is really not trying to control salaries at all. This makes your slashing of 75% of a coaches stipend appear even more personal, and vindictive.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Shouldn't "up to $25k" P.W. be responsible enough to put out accurate info
After reading this article it proves our reservations about P.W., our now infamous "communications director". P.W. is quoted in the article saying that Bill Hellmann ran on the "Stay on Track" ticket. Perhaps she was too busy ghost writing Marlys' letters or putting out inaccurate phony news letters just before the November election. Its clear that P.W. is a political operative who is there to serve/and mastermind their continued presence on the board.
from buckslocalnews.com:
Morrisville School Board passes budget with no tax increase
Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010
By Petra Chesner Schlatter, BucksLocalNews.com
The Morrisville School Board approved an $18.3-million final budget on Wednesday, June 23 without raising taxes for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
“This marks the third consecutive year Morrisville has not increased school taxes,” according to Pat Wandling, spokesperson for the Morrisville School District. “Furthermore, the school board decreased taxes in the previous two years.”
Wandling said the step is “unprecedented. Nobody’s ever done that.”
She noted that Elizabeth Yonson, Morrisville School District superintendent, has said that no educational programs were cut with the final budget.
Morrisville School Board President Bill Hellmann said, “We have stayed on track this year with the approval of this budget. I also am pleased to report the budget is nearly $85,000 less than the amount we anticipated spending this year.”
Hellmann, who ran on the “Stay on Track” ticket, is a certified public accountant. “He is always talking ‘efficiencies,’” Wandling noted.
The board president has issued an open letter to residents, which was read at the school board meeting. He said that no service or educational program has been adversely affected by the board’s “economic efficiencies.”
He said the dilemma most school districts in the region are facing is how to hold the line on taxes and pay for rising costs, contractual agreements and fluctuations in state funding, as well as state-mandated programs.
“We are not unusual in wanting to provide quality education and still keep taxes low,” Hellmann said. “Morrisville also deals with these same issues and so we work very hard to manage taxpayers’ money wisely. As always, this board directs its efforts toward making our small school district run as efficiently as possible.”
Morrisville School District has 1,037 students, including outside placement.
The annual cost per pupil is $12,052.89 for an elementary school student and $17,158.35 for a secondary school student.
In comparison, the cost is higher than in the Pennsbury School District where the per pupil expenditure is $10,695.94 for an elementary school student and $13,030.66 for a secondary school students.”
Wandling said the cost to educate a student in Morrisville is higher than elsewhere in the county “because of the smallness of it. The district has to do everything the state mandates and then they have to find the money for it.”
Currently at Grandview Elementary School work is being done on HVAC, electrical, conversion to gas, windows and doors and removal of oil tanks. That is costing more than $2 million.
Renovations were done last summer at the high school, including HVAC, windows and electrical work. That cost was more than $4 million.
The Morrisville School Board has no scheduled meetings in July.
from buckslocalnews.com:
Morrisville School Board passes budget with no tax increase
Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010
By Petra Chesner Schlatter, BucksLocalNews.com
The Morrisville School Board approved an $18.3-million final budget on Wednesday, June 23 without raising taxes for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
“This marks the third consecutive year Morrisville has not increased school taxes,” according to Pat Wandling, spokesperson for the Morrisville School District. “Furthermore, the school board decreased taxes in the previous two years.”
Wandling said the step is “unprecedented. Nobody’s ever done that.”
She noted that Elizabeth Yonson, Morrisville School District superintendent, has said that no educational programs were cut with the final budget.
Morrisville School Board President Bill Hellmann said, “We have stayed on track this year with the approval of this budget. I also am pleased to report the budget is nearly $85,000 less than the amount we anticipated spending this year.”
Hellmann, who ran on the “Stay on Track” ticket, is a certified public accountant. “He is always talking ‘efficiencies,’” Wandling noted.
The board president has issued an open letter to residents, which was read at the school board meeting. He said that no service or educational program has been adversely affected by the board’s “economic efficiencies.”
He said the dilemma most school districts in the region are facing is how to hold the line on taxes and pay for rising costs, contractual agreements and fluctuations in state funding, as well as state-mandated programs.
“We are not unusual in wanting to provide quality education and still keep taxes low,” Hellmann said. “Morrisville also deals with these same issues and so we work very hard to manage taxpayers’ money wisely. As always, this board directs its efforts toward making our small school district run as efficiently as possible.”
Morrisville School District has 1,037 students, including outside placement.
The annual cost per pupil is $12,052.89 for an elementary school student and $17,158.35 for a secondary school student.
In comparison, the cost is higher than in the Pennsbury School District where the per pupil expenditure is $10,695.94 for an elementary school student and $13,030.66 for a secondary school students.”
Wandling said the cost to educate a student in Morrisville is higher than elsewhere in the county “because of the smallness of it. The district has to do everything the state mandates and then they have to find the money for it.”
Currently at Grandview Elementary School work is being done on HVAC, electrical, conversion to gas, windows and doors and removal of oil tanks. That is costing more than $2 million.
Renovations were done last summer at the high school, including HVAC, windows and electrical work. That cost was more than $4 million.
The Morrisville School Board has no scheduled meetings in July.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Potpourri for 6/27-7/3
We are back and will be updating the blog more frequently. Keep the comments coming!!
Pension crisis a costly matter
Pension crisis a costly matter
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
Local property owners face hefty tax increases to pay for underfunded state retirement benefits over the next several years.
As school district officials across the county were approving final budgets this month, they weren't just thinking about the next school year.
Even though Neshaminy and Bristol Township school districts still have to approve their budgets this week, administrators have also been trying to plan what to do for at least the next several years because of a looming state pension crisis.
Many districts are stockpiling money in rainy day funds to make up for stock market losses and contribution rate spikes to the Public School Employee Retirement System of between 16 percent and 35 percent from 2012 to 2016.
But with the size of the storm that's brewing, school officials are worried that it won't be enough without legislative action.
The increases translate to tax hikes of anywhere from $200 to $2,000 a year over the next several years, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. This means current tax bills could double or triple by the end of the coming spike in retirement costs.
For instance, a homeowner with a Neshaminy School District tax bill of $4,400 this year could see it go up to almost $5,000 by 2015, officials said.
"Local districts will be able to pass this added funding burden onto the local taxpayers, who will be powerless to stop it," said Council Rock taxpayer John Rasiej, who lives in Wrightstown . "And it's not a one-time hike.
"I'm gearing up for a tax increase of 10 percent next year," he said. "I wonder how much more I'll have to trim from the (family) budget in the coming years. I know a lot of people are going to be in the same boat."
And coming up with the funds to cover the increasing pension cost is still a hazy proposition, said Isabel Miller, Pennsbury's business administrator.
"We're all struggling to figure out how we can plan for it in the long run," she said.
In Pennsbury, when the PSERS rate jumps from 10.59 to 29.22 percent, or an additional 6.1 mills to 16.6 mills, the tax increase will go from $190 to $521 in a single year. The district has set aside $1.2 million to help cover the cost.
"No other issue affects homeowners as much as this one over the next five years," said Tim Allwein of PSBA, an advocacy group for the state's school boards.
Besides increasing school district contributions by more than 700 percent between now and 2014-15, the pension crisis also creates a long-term problem in which those rates will remain abnormally high for another 20 years. That's partly because a 2001 law increased pensions, but deferred the bill until 2012.
Legislators recently approved House Bill 2497, which would cap taxpayer payments for the next several years and defer higher costs to future years.
If it is also approved by the Senate, the legislation would reduce pensions for employees hired after Jan. 1. It would also push the retirement age to 65, eliminate lump sum payouts and push the time frame for workers to become 100 percent vested workers from five years to 10, officials said.
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-31, said the bill is a necessary step.
"We have to do this," said Santarsiero, a former teacher. "If we don't, we're looking at a huge burden for all of us in the future. That's unacceptable."
Santarsiero has co-sponsored House Bill 2559, which would create a public employee pension commission to prepare a report within six months recommending long-term changes to the system.
PSBA has backed House Bill 2135, which would transform the pension program from a defined benefit to a defined contribution program, That would take it from a 100-percent employer-funded plan in which retirement pay is based on salary history and length of employment to a combination of that and a program in which school employee and employer contributions would be deposited into individual accounts and invested for each member.
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Local school board members have said that bill doesn't do enough. They want to see the pension system become more of a 401(k) plan, to which employees and employers would both contribute.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association believes the bill could harm the state's ability to attract and retain quality teachers because the current plan encourages people to become and remain educators in the state's public schools. But PSBA also believes the state needs another source of funding as well as changes in the structure for future employees.
Liquor taxes an answer?
State Rep. Frank Farry, R-142,
doesn't believe deferring higher costs goes far enough. In about two weeks, he hopes to unveil his own plan, which would dedicate some liquor taxes to help school districts pay pension costs.
Farry estimates that about $300 million would be distributed to districts based on their individual PSERS obligations. He said it's difficult to predict whether that amount would cover every penny of every district's retirement obligation, but it would make a deep dent.
"This bill is geared toward preventing districts from having to raise taxes to cover their retirement responsibilities. It would make the pension fund healthier and would protect the property taxpayers from increases," Farry said.
Many school districts are adding money to their fund balances, or savings accounts, to try to ease potential tax increases, including: $3.8 million in Bensalem; $2.4 million in Centennial; $6 million in Council Rock; and $250,000 in Morrisville.
And some say they expect to add more.
"If and when the rate goes up, we will have to access how the shortfall, if any, will be addressed," said Tim Vail, Centennial's business administrator.
Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein said the pension crisis won't only affect taxes. There will be other changes to the budget, he said.
The problem also affects contributions to Bucks County Technical High School, charter schools and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit No. 22, which provides special education services to Bucks County schools, said Jack Myers, director of Bensalem's business operations.
Factoring in the PSERS rate would cost that district double what it pays for 430 charter school students, which is currently $162,200, Myers said.
In Neshaminy, the pension issue will mean looking at every program, said Joseph Paradise, that district's business administrator.
"We will need to ensure that we consider increased efficiencies by consolidating buildings, and doing whatever we can to lower our payroll costs in order to survive the sudden and extended increase of PSERS payments," Paradise said.
Middletown resident Larry Pastor, who's also chairman of Taxpayers for a Fair Neshaminy School District Budget, has been campaigning for a zero percent budget increase. Pastor said he supports a two-step solution: extending liability and redirecting revenue sources. He also believes the retirement age needs to be raised, employee contributions need to be increased and the pension system needs to be reformed to a 401(k) for new employees.
Any way you look at it, there will be no relief without legislative action, said Jill Ruch, Palisades' business administrator.
That's why PSBA is trying to raise awareness, Allwein said.
"Taxpayers and school boards really need to put the pressure on," he said. "Get educated and contact legislators."
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
Local property owners face hefty tax increases to pay for underfunded state retirement benefits over the next several years.
As school district officials across the county were approving final budgets this month, they weren't just thinking about the next school year.
Even though Neshaminy and Bristol Township school districts still have to approve their budgets this week, administrators have also been trying to plan what to do for at least the next several years because of a looming state pension crisis.
Many districts are stockpiling money in rainy day funds to make up for stock market losses and contribution rate spikes to the Public School Employee Retirement System of between 16 percent and 35 percent from 2012 to 2016.
But with the size of the storm that's brewing, school officials are worried that it won't be enough without legislative action.
The increases translate to tax hikes of anywhere from $200 to $2,000 a year over the next several years, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. This means current tax bills could double or triple by the end of the coming spike in retirement costs.
For instance, a homeowner with a Neshaminy School District tax bill of $4,400 this year could see it go up to almost $5,000 by 2015, officials said.
"Local districts will be able to pass this added funding burden onto the local taxpayers, who will be powerless to stop it," said Council Rock taxpayer John Rasiej, who lives in Wrightstown . "And it's not a one-time hike.
"I'm gearing up for a tax increase of 10 percent next year," he said. "I wonder how much more I'll have to trim from the (family) budget in the coming years. I know a lot of people are going to be in the same boat."
And coming up with the funds to cover the increasing pension cost is still a hazy proposition, said Isabel Miller, Pennsbury's business administrator.
"We're all struggling to figure out how we can plan for it in the long run," she said.
In Pennsbury, when the PSERS rate jumps from 10.59 to 29.22 percent, or an additional 6.1 mills to 16.6 mills, the tax increase will go from $190 to $521 in a single year. The district has set aside $1.2 million to help cover the cost.
"No other issue affects homeowners as much as this one over the next five years," said Tim Allwein of PSBA, an advocacy group for the state's school boards.
Besides increasing school district contributions by more than 700 percent between now and 2014-15, the pension crisis also creates a long-term problem in which those rates will remain abnormally high for another 20 years. That's partly because a 2001 law increased pensions, but deferred the bill until 2012.
Legislators recently approved House Bill 2497, which would cap taxpayer payments for the next several years and defer higher costs to future years.
If it is also approved by the Senate, the legislation would reduce pensions for employees hired after Jan. 1. It would also push the retirement age to 65, eliminate lump sum payouts and push the time frame for workers to become 100 percent vested workers from five years to 10, officials said.
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-31, said the bill is a necessary step.
"We have to do this," said Santarsiero, a former teacher. "If we don't, we're looking at a huge burden for all of us in the future. That's unacceptable."
Santarsiero has co-sponsored House Bill 2559, which would create a public employee pension commission to prepare a report within six months recommending long-term changes to the system.
PSBA has backed House Bill 2135, which would transform the pension program from a defined benefit to a defined contribution program, That would take it from a 100-percent employer-funded plan in which retirement pay is based on salary history and length of employment to a combination of that and a program in which school employee and employer contributions would be deposited into individual accounts and invested for each member.
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Local school board members have said that bill doesn't do enough. They want to see the pension system become more of a 401(k) plan, to which employees and employers would both contribute.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association believes the bill could harm the state's ability to attract and retain quality teachers because the current plan encourages people to become and remain educators in the state's public schools. But PSBA also believes the state needs another source of funding as well as changes in the structure for future employees.
Liquor taxes an answer?
State Rep. Frank Farry, R-142,
doesn't believe deferring higher costs goes far enough. In about two weeks, he hopes to unveil his own plan, which would dedicate some liquor taxes to help school districts pay pension costs.
Farry estimates that about $300 million would be distributed to districts based on their individual PSERS obligations. He said it's difficult to predict whether that amount would cover every penny of every district's retirement obligation, but it would make a deep dent.
"This bill is geared toward preventing districts from having to raise taxes to cover their retirement responsibilities. It would make the pension fund healthier and would protect the property taxpayers from increases," Farry said.
Many school districts are adding money to their fund balances, or savings accounts, to try to ease potential tax increases, including: $3.8 million in Bensalem; $2.4 million in Centennial; $6 million in Council Rock; and $250,000 in Morrisville.
And some say they expect to add more.
"If and when the rate goes up, we will have to access how the shortfall, if any, will be addressed," said Tim Vail, Centennial's business administrator.
Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein said the pension crisis won't only affect taxes. There will be other changes to the budget, he said.
The problem also affects contributions to Bucks County Technical High School, charter schools and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit No. 22, which provides special education services to Bucks County schools, said Jack Myers, director of Bensalem's business operations.
Factoring in the PSERS rate would cost that district double what it pays for 430 charter school students, which is currently $162,200, Myers said.
In Neshaminy, the pension issue will mean looking at every program, said Joseph Paradise, that district's business administrator.
"We will need to ensure that we consider increased efficiencies by consolidating buildings, and doing whatever we can to lower our payroll costs in order to survive the sudden and extended increase of PSERS payments," Paradise said.
Middletown resident Larry Pastor, who's also chairman of Taxpayers for a Fair Neshaminy School District Budget, has been campaigning for a zero percent budget increase. Pastor said he supports a two-step solution: extending liability and redirecting revenue sources. He also believes the retirement age needs to be raised, employee contributions need to be increased and the pension system needs to be reformed to a 401(k) for new employees.
Any way you look at it, there will be no relief without legislative action, said Jill Ruch, Palisades' business administrator.
That's why PSBA is trying to raise awareness, Allwein said.
"Taxpayers and school boards really need to put the pressure on," he said. "Get educated and contact legislators."
Committe to consider contract proposal (Bucks County Tech School)
Committee to consider contract proposal
By: JOAN HELLYER
Bucks County Courier Times
bucks county technical high school
The state-appointed fact-finder suggests 2.5 percent salary increases for union members who continue their education.
The Bucks County Technical High School joint board committee will Monday consider a fact-finder's recommendation that it approve a new two-year labor contract with the teachers union.
State-appointed fact-finder Francis T. McGrath suggests a two-year deal, as initially proposed by the joint board. The board didn't want a longer term agreement because of current economic conditions. The Bucks County Technical High School Education Association initially proposed a five-year deal.
A two-year pact, to be effective July 1, would give the two sides enough time to determine the direction of the economy, McGrath said in the report.
The fact-finder also suggested a 2.5 percent salary increase for teachers who earn credit for additional educational courses. McGrath suggested no pay increases for cost of living or years of service for each year of the deal.
If the board agrees to the arrangement, the starting salary for a union member would be $42,997 in 2010-2011, said Sharon Rendeiro. She's the business administrator at the comprehensive tech school that serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts. The top salary would be $92,872 for union members with a masters' equivalency plus 30 credits, she said.
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McGrath suggested union members pay more toward their health insurance.
The fact-finder also gave his opinion on a variety of other issues, ranging from union members having to clock in when they arrive to giving special education teachers more preparation time.
The complete report is posted on the state's labor and industry department's website.
The union, representing 120 technical and academic teachers, guidance counselors, a school nurse, a psychologist and a librarian, accepted McGrath's report shortly after it was released in May.
The joint board hasn't met as a whole since mid-May, around the time the non-binding recommendations were issued. Given the inaction, the state has declared that the joint board has rejected the report.
The joint board will decide whether or not to accept the report at its Monday night meeting, school officials said.
June 27, 2010 02:21 AM
By: JOAN HELLYER
Bucks County Courier Times
bucks county technical high school
The state-appointed fact-finder suggests 2.5 percent salary increases for union members who continue their education.
The Bucks County Technical High School joint board committee will Monday consider a fact-finder's recommendation that it approve a new two-year labor contract with the teachers union.
State-appointed fact-finder Francis T. McGrath suggests a two-year deal, as initially proposed by the joint board. The board didn't want a longer term agreement because of current economic conditions. The Bucks County Technical High School Education Association initially proposed a five-year deal.
A two-year pact, to be effective July 1, would give the two sides enough time to determine the direction of the economy, McGrath said in the report.
The fact-finder also suggested a 2.5 percent salary increase for teachers who earn credit for additional educational courses. McGrath suggested no pay increases for cost of living or years of service for each year of the deal.
If the board agrees to the arrangement, the starting salary for a union member would be $42,997 in 2010-2011, said Sharon Rendeiro. She's the business administrator at the comprehensive tech school that serves the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts. The top salary would be $92,872 for union members with a masters' equivalency plus 30 credits, she said.
Advertisement
McGrath suggested union members pay more toward their health insurance.
The fact-finder also gave his opinion on a variety of other issues, ranging from union members having to clock in when they arrive to giving special education teachers more preparation time.
The complete report is posted on the state's labor and industry department's website.
The union, representing 120 technical and academic teachers, guidance counselors, a school nurse, a psychologist and a librarian, accepted McGrath's report shortly after it was released in May.
The joint board hasn't met as a whole since mid-May, around the time the non-binding recommendations were issued. Given the inaction, the state has declared that the joint board has rejected the report.
The joint board will decide whether or not to accept the report at its Monday night meeting, school officials said.
June 27, 2010 02:21 AM
Friday, June 25, 2010
"I will continue to be there for my Color Guard Squad"
The following is a comment from Donna Wilson , the girls Color Guard coach, whose stipend was reduced by 75% with no explanation from the board this past Wed evening. We have decided to give it its own post. Donna, the community will rally behind you and your squad, just as we always have! Here is Donna's comment:
"Just to be clear, this is my first comment on this site. My name is Donna Wilson. I want to say that I am very disappointed of the out come at the meeting on Wednesday night. However, it was not enough to break me. I will continue to be there for my Color Guard squad. They are a great bunch of girls who have worked hard to get to where they are. I am very proud of them. I have no idea why the board has it out for me. However, taking it out on me through my stipen was aimed at me, but the girls on the squad were the one that were hurt by the actions. When you hurt their coach, you hurt them. We are all for one and one for all. They were able to see first hand that people with vendettas will strike out no matter who is in their way. I have only tried, in the past four years to be a positive mentor for the students on my squad, as well as the rest of the students that I know. I will continue to have a positive attitude for my squad. I do appologize for my outburst as I left the meeting. It was not necessary. Unfortunatly I let my frustration take over. My appology is meant for my squad. It was not a good example set by myself for them. It is something I will discuss with them.
The Morrisville High School Color Guard Squad and myself would like to thank those who care for their continued support. We will be working hard over the summer to give you a great halftime program next year. Looking forward to seeing all of those who care in the stands in the fall."
"Just to be clear, this is my first comment on this site. My name is Donna Wilson. I want to say that I am very disappointed of the out come at the meeting on Wednesday night. However, it was not enough to break me. I will continue to be there for my Color Guard squad. They are a great bunch of girls who have worked hard to get to where they are. I am very proud of them. I have no idea why the board has it out for me. However, taking it out on me through my stipen was aimed at me, but the girls on the squad were the one that were hurt by the actions. When you hurt their coach, you hurt them. We are all for one and one for all. They were able to see first hand that people with vendettas will strike out no matter who is in their way. I have only tried, in the past four years to be a positive mentor for the students on my squad, as well as the rest of the students that I know. I will continue to have a positive attitude for my squad. I do appologize for my outburst as I left the meeting. It was not necessary. Unfortunatly I let my frustration take over. My appology is meant for my squad. It was not a good example set by myself for them. It is something I will discuss with them.
The Morrisville High School Color Guard Squad and myself would like to thank those who care for their continued support. We will be working hard over the summer to give you a great halftime program next year. Looking forward to seeing all of those who care in the stands in the fall."
Thursday, June 24, 2010
School Board meeting recap
We kind of find it hard to believe that this is all that the reporter from the bcct chooses to report. Unless it is reported elsewhere, and we missed it, why is there no mention of the shady activity by Marlys Mihok. Ms. Mihok as board secretary(a paid position), changed Donna Wilson's stipend as the color guard coach from $1,000 on the board agenda minutes, to $250 on the meeting packet that is handed out to the public. Once again Marlys avoids following the law to get her way. In addition, not every board member knew of this change. Again, this is not a way to build trust, Marlys and her cronies once again let all of Morrisville down with their despicable behavior and disregard for the law. We would like to thank board member John Dewilde who did stick up for Donna Wilson and her color guard team. We wish more Board members would do the same.
We are hearing that Bill Farrell was up on his soapbox once again speaking how we all need to work together and put our differences behind us. We have two words for you Mr. Farrell......ENOUGH ALREADY!! Are you not watching what takes place at these meetings. How can the parents of this district trust anything your friends on the board do? Shame on you and your ignorance!
from the bcct:
Board OKs budget with no tax increase
By: MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
Morrisville School District residents will pay no tax increase next year.
Voting 6-0, the school board approved an $18.3 million budget Wednesday night that balances the budget using $250,000 from the fund balance. That fund, which totals about $3 million, includes money left in savings from the previous year.
Board members Robin Reithmeyer, Brenda Worob and Gloria Heater were absent.
Business administrator Paul DeAngelo said he has earmarked another $250,000 from the fund balance to help pay for the Public School Employees' Retirement System. Retirement rates are expected to increase dramatically over the next five years.
The same millage rate of 177.3 will apply once again, and the average resident will pay about $3,191 in taxes. It's the third year in a row without a tax increase. In fact, taxes decreased in the previous two years.
The administration has said that no educational programs or services will be adversely affected by the $84,500 decrease in the spending plan.
About 60 percent of district expenses for 2010-11 will go toward salaries and benefits, which are contractual obligations. Other uncontrollable factors include special education and transportation services.
The bulk of the revenue is coming from local sources. State and federal funding, teacher retirements and efficiencies in energy and other areas are contributing to the savings in expenditures.
"We are not unusual in wanting to provide quality education and still keep taxes low. As always, this board directs its efforts toward making our small school district run as efficiently as possible," said board President William Hellmann.
Details of the budget are available at www.mv.org. Click on "Business Office" in the "District" pull-down menu.
We are hearing that Bill Farrell was up on his soapbox once again speaking how we all need to work together and put our differences behind us. We have two words for you Mr. Farrell......ENOUGH ALREADY!! Are you not watching what takes place at these meetings. How can the parents of this district trust anything your friends on the board do? Shame on you and your ignorance!
from the bcct:
Board OKs budget with no tax increase
By: MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
Morrisville School District residents will pay no tax increase next year.
Voting 6-0, the school board approved an $18.3 million budget Wednesday night that balances the budget using $250,000 from the fund balance. That fund, which totals about $3 million, includes money left in savings from the previous year.
Board members Robin Reithmeyer, Brenda Worob and Gloria Heater were absent.
Business administrator Paul DeAngelo said he has earmarked another $250,000 from the fund balance to help pay for the Public School Employees' Retirement System. Retirement rates are expected to increase dramatically over the next five years.
The same millage rate of 177.3 will apply once again, and the average resident will pay about $3,191 in taxes. It's the third year in a row without a tax increase. In fact, taxes decreased in the previous two years.
The administration has said that no educational programs or services will be adversely affected by the $84,500 decrease in the spending plan.
About 60 percent of district expenses for 2010-11 will go toward salaries and benefits, which are contractual obligations. Other uncontrollable factors include special education and transportation services.
The bulk of the revenue is coming from local sources. State and federal funding, teacher retirements and efficiencies in energy and other areas are contributing to the savings in expenditures.
"We are not unusual in wanting to provide quality education and still keep taxes low. As always, this board directs its efforts toward making our small school district run as efficiently as possible," said board President William Hellmann.
Details of the budget are available at www.mv.org. Click on "Business Office" in the "District" pull-down menu.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
School Board Meeting Tonight
There are items on the agenda that have never been discussed before and some programs in jeopardy. Such as, a rule that there must be six kids participating in a sport. This "new" rule puts both the color guard (where it is stated on the agenda)and the cross country team on the chopping block. Are the coaches even aware of this?Evidently, the thought is cut instead of recruit.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Grant for the riverfront
Grant will help improve riverfront
By: PETER HALL
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville will receive a small grant from Bucks County to improve a parcel of riverfront land that local environmentalists say will provide a major benefit for the borough.
The Bucks County Commissioners on Wednesday approved the $15,595 grant through the county's municipal open space program to help towards the eradication of invasive plant species on an 8.7-acre parcel of land at the borough's south end.
The commissioners also approved a $261,558 natural areas grant to purchase development rights on a 48-acre property in Springfield Township.
Debby Colgan, a member of the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council, said the borough-owned riverfront property has the potential to become a unique outdoor resource for the heavily developed community.
"Morrisville is such a small borough and we don't have that much land to acquire. We're pretty much built out," she said.
The environmental advisory council envisions the property as a place for people to walk by the river, fish and for outdoor education.
"This is going to be a very good spot for school kids. It will be an outdoor classroom," Colgan said.
Colgan said the borough is also exploring the possibility of adding an access point for canoeists and kayakers to put their boats in the river.
But before any of that can happen, the borough must remove thickets of Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that has taken over the property and made walking trails impassable, Colgan said.
The borough will pay a contractor to spray the plants with herbicide two years in a row and then work with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network to introduce native plant species. Delaware Riverkeeper Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Delaware River watershed.
The grant provided by Bucks County is 75 percent of the project's cost. Morrisville will provide the other 25 percent, Colgan said.
Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia praised borough officials and the environmental advisory council for their work to obtain the grant.
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"I know that they've worked long and hard to get this in front of you," she said. "We don't always get that many from the lower end (of the county), so this is nice."
Open Space coordinator Kristine Kern said the grant for Morrisville was made available through a new element of the municipal open space program that allows townships and boroughs to apply for money to improve open space that they already own.
The improvement program was added to encourage more participation from municipalities in the more densely developed southern end of Bucks County, Kern said.
Springfield Township will receive 50 percent of the cost of a conservation easement for the 48-acre Harhigh property on Richlandtown Pike west of Springtown.
Laura Baird, resource protection specialist at the Heritage Conservancy, said the Harhigh family and Springfield Township worked closely with the Heritage Conservancy to preserve the property. The process took about 10 years, Baird said.
Baird said the family, which has owned the land for more than 50 years, applied to the Bucks County Farmland Preservation Program, but the property was ranked very low because it did not fit many of the program's parameters.
Because the property was identified as an ecologically valuable site, the township persevered in efforts to preserve it and worked with the Heritage Conservancy to find a program that would be a good fit.
The property includes some farmland where crops are grown, mature forest and wetlands.
Baird said the Harhigh property contains the headwaters of Cooks Creek, a stream recognized for its exceptional water quality by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The property also includes habitat for a number sensitive species, Baird said.
The property is close to a number of other preserved properties. Its preservation will create a 320-acre area of preserved land in the federally designated Highlands Corridor.
By: PETER HALL
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville will receive a small grant from Bucks County to improve a parcel of riverfront land that local environmentalists say will provide a major benefit for the borough.
The Bucks County Commissioners on Wednesday approved the $15,595 grant through the county's municipal open space program to help towards the eradication of invasive plant species on an 8.7-acre parcel of land at the borough's south end.
The commissioners also approved a $261,558 natural areas grant to purchase development rights on a 48-acre property in Springfield Township.
Debby Colgan, a member of the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council, said the borough-owned riverfront property has the potential to become a unique outdoor resource for the heavily developed community.
"Morrisville is such a small borough and we don't have that much land to acquire. We're pretty much built out," she said.
The environmental advisory council envisions the property as a place for people to walk by the river, fish and for outdoor education.
"This is going to be a very good spot for school kids. It will be an outdoor classroom," Colgan said.
Colgan said the borough is also exploring the possibility of adding an access point for canoeists and kayakers to put their boats in the river.
But before any of that can happen, the borough must remove thickets of Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that has taken over the property and made walking trails impassable, Colgan said.
The borough will pay a contractor to spray the plants with herbicide two years in a row and then work with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network to introduce native plant species. Delaware Riverkeeper Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Delaware River watershed.
The grant provided by Bucks County is 75 percent of the project's cost. Morrisville will provide the other 25 percent, Colgan said.
Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia praised borough officials and the environmental advisory council for their work to obtain the grant.
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"I know that they've worked long and hard to get this in front of you," she said. "We don't always get that many from the lower end (of the county), so this is nice."
Open Space coordinator Kristine Kern said the grant for Morrisville was made available through a new element of the municipal open space program that allows townships and boroughs to apply for money to improve open space that they already own.
The improvement program was added to encourage more participation from municipalities in the more densely developed southern end of Bucks County, Kern said.
Springfield Township will receive 50 percent of the cost of a conservation easement for the 48-acre Harhigh property on Richlandtown Pike west of Springtown.
Laura Baird, resource protection specialist at the Heritage Conservancy, said the Harhigh family and Springfield Township worked closely with the Heritage Conservancy to preserve the property. The process took about 10 years, Baird said.
Baird said the family, which has owned the land for more than 50 years, applied to the Bucks County Farmland Preservation Program, but the property was ranked very low because it did not fit many of the program's parameters.
Because the property was identified as an ecologically valuable site, the township persevered in efforts to preserve it and worked with the Heritage Conservancy to find a program that would be a good fit.
The property includes some farmland where crops are grown, mature forest and wetlands.
Baird said the Harhigh property contains the headwaters of Cooks Creek, a stream recognized for its exceptional water quality by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The property also includes habitat for a number sensitive species, Baird said.
The property is close to a number of other preserved properties. Its preservation will create a 320-acre area of preserved land in the federally designated Highlands Corridor.
Potpourri for 6/20-6/26
We are way overdue for an update here on "the blog"! This week on Tues the 22nd, is the monthly Community Advisory Committee meeting. If possible try to come out to the meeting. So far lots of dialogue has been exchanged in a positive atmosphere. Also on the 23rd is the monthly School Board meeting. The agenda has some interesting items on that are up for renewal, such as the summer band program, weight room program, and the cross country program. If you support athletics or the arts come out and show your support for these activities! The kids needs you now!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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