Sunday, May 22, 2011

Potpourri 5/22-5/28

Please continue to check the Morrisville's Future blog for updates. We intend to keep the blog going.

Friday, May 20, 2011

From buckslocalnews.com
PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS: Yardley-Makefield area races - Yardley News - Bucks Local News

MORRISVILLE BOROUGH

WARD 2 – Former council president Nancy Sherlock and Jeffrey S. Johnson won a three-way race on the Democratic ballot for two open seats on council, besting Graeme Thomson.

WARDS 3 & 4 – Both Rhonda Davis (D) and current Council President Dave Rivella (D) ran in uncontested primaries for the 3rd and 4th wards, respectively.

MORRISVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

SCHOOL BOARD (4-YEAR SEAT) – In the race for five, 4-year seats on the school board, newly-appointed Board Member Stephen Worob led everyone with 12.2 percent (561 votes) while Board President Bill Hellmann came in second with 11.6 percent (532 votes) of the final tally. The rest of the results are as follows: Marlys Mihok, 11.4 percent; Alfred Radosti, 11.3 percent; Damon Miller, 11.3 percent; Dave Stoneburner, 10.7 percent; Wanda Kartal, 10.6 percent; Yvonne Ruthrauff, 10.4 percent; and Ted Parker, 10.1 percent. All candidates were cross-filed. Democratic nominees will be Damon Miller, David Stoneburner, Ted Parker and Wanda Kartal - all member of Morrisville Matters - as well as Stephen Worob. The Republican nominees will be the "Stay On Course" team of Marlys Mihok, Alfred Radosti, Bill Hellmann and Yvonne Ruthrauff. Stephen Worob also received enough votes to be on the Republican ticket as well.

SCHOOL BOARD (2-YEAR SEAT) – Alina Marone ran cross-filed and unopposed.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

PennDOT OKs limits on brake retarders

from the bcct:

PennDOT OKs limits on brake retarders

By GEMA MARIA DUARTE staff writer | 0 comments

Morrisville - Truck drivers, take notice. Signs in Morrisville will soon be going up to let you know that brake retarders are prohibited on certain borough streets.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation gave Morrisville its blessing to stop the use of brake retarders on portions of state-owned streets - Delmorr, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Trenton avenues and Bridge Street.

Morrisville followed in the footsteps of Bristol and Yardley, where similar requests were made and permission granted from the state agency after residents complained of the loud noise the braking system makes. Brake retarders, commonly known as Jake brakes and used to save costly wear on conventional brake pads, can create a loud chattering or "machine gun" exhaust noise. The braking system installed on some diesel engines uses a blast of compressed air from engine exhaust valves to slow a moving truck.

"I did previously state that it was in PennDOT's hands, but I had a good feeling that they would grant us permission," Morrisville council President Dave Rivella said. "I believe that PennDOT made the right call on this, after all when you think about Morrisville's roads they are pretty flat. If we had steep hills then I could see for safety reasons that the big trucks may need to use a Jake brake but that's not the case here and I agree that we should be able to regulate them."

Because the streets are state-owned, Morrisville needed PennDOT's approval, according to Pennsylvania law. PennDOT approved the request in a letter dated April 25, after conducting a study of the streets. From that study, PennDOT is allowing Morrisville to prohibit the use of Jake brakes on:

n North Pennsylvania Avenue from Ridge Avenue to Bridge Street

n South Pennsylvania Avenue from Ridge Avenue to Post Road

n North Delmorr Avenue from East Trenton Avenue to East Bridget Street

n West Philadelphia Avenue from South Pennsylvania to Wright Avenue

n East Philadelphia Avenue from South Delmorr to South Pennsylvania

n East Bridge Street from the Trenton-Makes (Lower) Bridge to Pennsylvania Avenue

n West Bridge Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Althea Avenue

n East Trenton Avenue from Calhoun Street Bridge to Pennsylvania Avenue

n West Trenton Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue to Route 13.

The borough will be responsible for enacting an ordinance to prohibit the use of Jake brakes, as well as its enforcement, the letter reads. It will also be the responsibility of Morrisville to purchase and erect the appropriate signs prohibiting the braking system. The maintenance of those signs will also fall on the borough.

"While the borough will be responsible for the signs that get posted I believe it is in the best interest of our borough to move forward on this," Rivella said.

He added that a vote to move the ordinance forward will take place at the May 16 council meeting.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Potpourri 5/1-5/7

Just a little over 2 weeks till the May 17 primary. S.O.C. seems to be running scared while the Morrisville Matters campaign keeps the pressure on. Its going to be an interesting 2 weeks for sure. Dont forget to get out and vote on the 17th of May!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Who are you voting for and why?

With just over 2 weeks to go till the primary, we would like to know who you are voting for and why? We dont want to hear why you are NOT voting for someone, just why you ARE voting for someone.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

State of the blog....part 2

Officially we never stopped the blog. We just have not made any new posts. What we did do was change the settings, so that you would need to sign in to make a comment. This was a failed experiment, that will be changed shortly.

In addition we would like to go on the record and say that no deal was done between us and any SOC board member or candidate in order to save a program.

We look forward to you following Morrisvilles Future!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Potpourri for 4/10-4/16

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Funding formula makeover pitched

from the bcct:

Funding formula makeover pitched

By CHRIS ENGLISH, staff writer | 0 comments

Bucks County Technical High School - The best way to come up with a fairer way to fund the Bucks County Technical High School is to start from scratch and negotiate a new formula, the leaders of four area school districts said at a meeting Tuesday night at the technical school in Bristol Township.

The school, a fulltime institution which provides both academic and vocational instruction, is funded by the six school districts that send students there: Bristol, Bristol Township, Bensalem, Morrisville, Pennsbury and Neshaminy.

Any change in the funding formula would require unanimous approval from the school boards of all six sending districts, according to the technical school's articles of agreement with the six sending districts.

That will never happen because any change that benefits one district would likely hurt another, said Pennsbury Chief Executive Officer Paul Long.

Instead, the six sending districts should agree to dissolve the articles of agreement, the document that includes the funding formula, effective at a certain future date, possibly in a year or two. That way, representatives from the six districts could start from the beginning and formulate new articles of agreement fair to all six districts before the current document expires.

Superintendents Lou Muenker of Neshaminy and William Gretzula of Bensalem, and Morrisville Acting Superintendent Bill Ferrara, all agreed with Long.

"We're being held hostage by the articles of agreement," said Gretzula.

"I'd like to get to something that will not hurt anybody and be even for everybody," added Ferrara.

Tuesday night's meeting included technical school joint school board members and board members and top administrators from the six sending districts.

The technical school is funded under a formula that assigns each district a certain fixed percentage of the school's fixed costs, and a variable payment that depends on the number of students the district sends to the technical school in any given year.

Representatives from Morrisville and Bristol, the two smallest school districts sending students to BCTHS, feel the formula places an especially heavy financial burden on their districts. Morrisville is holding most of its scheduled $767,000 payment to BCTHS this year in escrow in protest of the funding formula.

A hearing on the Morrisville funding dispute will be held before the state Department of Education, said BCTHS Administrative Director Leon Poeske. No date for the hearing has been set, he added.

Chris English can be reached at 215-949-4193 or cenglish@phillyBurbs.com Follow Chris on Twitter at Twitter.com/courier.c

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

State of the Blog...

With the upcoming primary election, we have decided that we will neither promote, nor denounce any candidate, or slate running for election. The purpose of this blog going forward will be to promote positivity, and create awareness of community events that are taking place in and around Morrisville. We will continue to post various newspaper articles and events from organizations within the community. We are asking both the Morrisville Matters, and Stay on Course campaigns to refrain from bashing each other on this blog. If it gets out of hand we will be shutting the blog down. We understand this may upset some of you, but we ask you to respect our position. We are doing what we feel is best for the blog and the community.

Tech school offers retirement incentives for teachers

from the bcct:

Vo-tech offers retirement incentives for teachers CHRIS ENGLISH, staff writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

Bucks County Technical High School - Officials at the Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township are hoping to save at least $200,000 by offering a retirement incentive to teachers.

The school would save that much if four teachers take advantage of the offer, BCTHS Administrative Director Leon Poeske said after the joint school board committee approved the incentive recently. At least four must retire for the program to be implemented, he added. There was no indication how many teachers beyond the minimum four would be allowed to accept the incentive.

The incentive would pay each teacher retiring this year $7,400 a year toward medical insurance until the retiree is eligible for Medicare at age 65 or for 10 years, whichever comes first. Normally, the school doesn't contribute anything toward a retiring teacher's health insurance.

Also, anyone taking the retirement incentive would be paid $125 per unused sick day; the usual payout is $52.50.

Teachers are eligible to retire after 35 years of service, or at age 60 with 30 years of service. There is no mandatory retirement age for teachers.

The $200,000 in savings would be realized because four retiring teachers near the top of the salary scale would be replaced by teachers earning much less. Starting teachers at BCTHS earn $41,946 a year. The maximum annual salary is $90,607.

It's also possible that some teachers who take advantage of the retirement incentive might not be replaced at all, depending on enrollment in the subject they teach, Poeske said.

The joint school board recently decided to lay off a teacher in the automotive technology program, effective at the end of this school year, because of declining enrollment in that program. That move will save about $100,000 a year in salary and benefits, BCTHS officials said.

"The retirement incentive provides financial savings to the school," said Theresa Prato, teachers union president at BCTHS. "Employees that would have otherwise waited to retire are provided assistance with health care costs while the school reduces its overall costs."

The technical school is a full-time institution with both academic and vocational instruction drawing students from the Bristol, Bristol Township, Bensalem, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school districts.

Chris English can be reached at 215-949-4193 or cenglish@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Chris on Twitter at Twitter.com/courierc

Districts avoiding referendums

from the bcct:
Districts avoiding referendums
JOHN ANASTASI, staff writer Calkins Media, Inc.

Even in a year in which Bucks and Montgomery County school districts are scrambling to overcome the loss of state funding, none plan to take their budgets before the voters.

The deadlines to add voter referendums to the May primary election ballots have passed and neither county board of elections received a single question from a school district or municipality. School districts that plan to raise taxes above a state index must get voters to approve the increases in a referendum.

"We would've had to have known in February and that was before we knew what the (state) budget projections would be," said Robert Schoch, director of business administration for the North Penn School District.

The state index this year is about 1.4 percent for most school districts. Districts that want to raise taxes above the 1.4 percent threshold must pass preliminary budgets in February and apply for exemptions allowing higher tax rates if the money is needed to cover certain costs, including special education and retirement.

Even if Gov. Tom Corbett had announced the details of his budget before March 8, Schoch said it probably would not have made a difference. Very few Pennsylvania districts - about 10, he estimated - have taken budgets to the voters since 2006, when the state passed Act 1, which included the requirement.

Central Bucks School District Business Administrator David Matyas said his district has worked hard to live within the index in part because officials there have a pretty good idea of what the voters would say if it sought a higher tax increase.

"In the last several years, with a bad economy, there's no way the local community would vote for a tax increase," he said. "So why do that? Why go through the referendum process?"

Instead, Matyas said, the district has tried to cut costs, eliminate spending increases, reduce staffing levels, renegotiate debt and freeze hiring "unless there's an absolute need to fill the position."

"The school district reflects the community," he said. "If we're hurting financially then we know the community is hurting financially."

Central Bucks did not seek exemptions this year, but Schoch said North Penn's exemptions would allow the district to raise taxes by up to 3.4 percent. He added the school board would ultimately decide what the tax increase would be.

Both Schoch and Matyas said they expected more districts to go to referendum in the coming years. Corbett would like to eliminate the exemptions and Matyas suggested that the state index could drop even further in the next few years.

"It's as low now as it's ever been, but it may be lowered further, so we might see more next year," he said.

At the Council Rock School District, school board President Kyle McKessy said the district was working hard under "very challenging circumstances" to minimize the financial burden on taxpayers without unduly impacting the quality of the education it provides.

"The Council Rock Board of School Directors and the Administration is acutely aware of the financial burden facing our community as a result of this distressed economy," she said in a written statement. "Seeking referendum to exceed the Act 1 Index would have added to existing pressures."

John Anastasi can be reached at 215-345-3067 or at janastasi@phillyBurbs.com Follow John on Twitter at twitter.com/buckscountybeat

Potpourri for 4/3-4/9

Sorry for the delay..

Friday, April 1, 2011

Upcoming Events Sponsored By Morrisville First

MORRISVILLE FIRST, A PROGRAM OF THE BUCKS COUNTY HOUSING GROUP, IS SPONSORING THE FOLLOWING **FREE** WORKSHOPS TO ALL BUCKS COUNTY RESIDENTS. WORKSHOPS BEGIN AT 6:30pm AT THE Morrisville Free Library Community Room, 300 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Morrisville. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL WORKSHOPS.

ALL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.MORRISVILLEFIRST.COM UNDER THE “WHAT’S HAPPENING” LINK. PLEASE REGISTER BY THE NOTED REGISTRATION DATE BY CONTACTING DONNA GRIFF, 215-598-3566, EXT. 115, OR BY EMAIL DGRIFF@BCHG.ORG. AS A SECOND ALTERNATIVE, THE MORRISVILLE LIBRARY WILL ALSO ACCEPT REGISTRATIONS.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

PLANNED PARENTHOOD ASSOCIATION OF BUCKS COUNTY will offer three separate workshops for young adults of 14-18 years old. Parent/Legal Guardian permission slip is required to attend (available from the Morrisville First website or from the Morrisville Library). Young adults can attend any or all free workshops.

APRIL 13: BIRTH CONTROL (REGISTER BY APRIL 11)
APRIL 20: SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (REGISTER BY APRIL 18)
APRIL 27: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS (REGISTER BY APRIL 25)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

CERTIFIED HOUSING COUNSELORS OF BUCKS COUNTY HOUSING GROUP WILL BE PRESENTING THE FOLLOWING FREE WORKSHOPS:

MORTGAGE MAINTENANCE – MAY 12, 6:30pm (register by May 5th)

This workshop is intended for general information and will cover ways to prevent foreclosure. Review of the foreclosure process timeline and resources available to avoid foreclosure will be covered. *You DON’T have to be experiencing difficulty in making mortgage payments to attend. This informational workshop could help you share the resource information with someone who may need the help.

First time homebuyer overview – May 18, 6:30PM (register by May 11th)

Think you’re ready to buy your first home? This is an introductory review of preparing for home ownership - obtaining a mortgage, shopping for a home, and other topics. State and county programs available to qualified first time home buyers will also be introduced.

BCCC hikes tuition

from the bcct:

BCCC hikes tuition
By NAILA FRANCIS, Staff Writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Full-time county students attending Bucks County Community College next year will pay $10 more per credit.

The college's board of trustees in a special meeting Thursday unanimously approved the hike, which includes a $6 jump in tuition per credit, from $105 to $111, and an increase of $4 per credit for the student technology fee, up from $26 to $30.

That means a typical student taking 12 credits a semester will pay $3,384 during the 2011-12 academic year, an increase of $240.

For out-of-county students, the tuition will increase $12 per credit, from $210 to $222.

Chairman J. Peter Dominick called the increase a "reasonable route to take" in the face of a $2 million loss to BCCC with Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget cuts in education. Yet he also acknowledged that "$10 is an important and a big number for a number of our constituents."

"It's sad to do that to some people," said trustee Garney Morris, "but that was what we had to do."

Following the meeting, Dominick said the decision to raise tuition and fees by 7.6 percent was one of the most difficult he's had to make in his time on the board and was reached after a "knock-down, drag-out discussion." The board had postponed making such a decision at its regular meeting earlier in March.

For years, the trustees have maintained a policy of incremental increases, with tuition hiked by $7 the last two years in a row. In 2008, costs jumped $2 per credit and $3 per credit in technology fees, while the board approved a $1 hike in 2007, the smallest amount in eight years.

Considering such modest boosts, Dominick noted that even with this year's slightly higher increase, students at Bucks still fare better than those at neighboring colleges and universities.

"We continue to feel that this is still a very good education bargain and investment for our residents," he said.

College President James J. Linksz noted that under normal circumstances, the tuition and fees would have gone up $7. The slightly higher jump was necessitated by Corbett's proposed 10 percent reduction in funding to the state's community colleges, combined with expected increases in health care costs, salaries that have already been negotiated and increases in fixed expenses such as insurance, utilities and contracted services. The state's budget cuts also don't take into account the millions in dried-up federal stimulus funding to community colleges over the last two years.

In reality, those circumstances would have required a tuition increase of almost $26 per credit, but considering per credit costs would have risen by about $7 anyway, the new rates in effect represent only a $3 increase, Linksz said.

The tuition hike is in line with national trends. According to The College Board, tuition and fees at public two-year colleges rose an average of 6 percent during the 2010-11 academic year. BCCC's increase was 5.6 percent, while the new rates are in line with higher projections for the upcoming year.

As other colleges across the region are considering capping student enrollment, curtailing programs and services, freezing salaries and other cost-cutting measures in addition to raising tuition, Linksz is looking to make significant cuts from the school's budget to keep tuition increases fairly stable.

With personnel accounting for 80 percent of the college's $85 million operating budget, he plans to trim expenses in that area by eliminating unfilled vacant positions, which will also result in a savings in benefits. Fifty percent of the salary for full-time employees goes toward benefits, he said. He also noted the potential for layoffs but said he would prefer to avoid them.

Reductions also will be made for "non-personnel items," such as trips or trainings that can be deferred.

Even though the $2 million loss in state aid accounts for only 3 percent of the budget - and is not as severe a hit as the cuts of more than 50 percent being faced by the 14 state-owned universities - it is still part of a frustrating trend. As enrollment at the nation's 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges have been soaring, funding by the state and local government sponsors has remained stagnant.

Dennis Matthews, BCCC's CFO, said that student tuition accounts for 48 percent of the school's budget, with 27 percent coming from the state, 15 percent from the county and another 10 percent attributable to miscellaneous income, such as sales from the bookstore and cafeteria.

Yet, in the early 1960s, the Pennsylvania Legislature created a formula to pay for community colleges that required the state, county and students to each contribute one-third toward funding.

According to Linksz, that formula has since shifted. In the 1990s, the commonwealth agreed to instead pay a certain amount per student, and then in 2005 put a cap on that figure.

Still, he insisted, "The state has been the most consistent partner for community colleges. Each of the 14 (colleges) has routinely received close to what was the statutory amount."

The county commissioners' appropriation, which is not based on a student count, has remained fixed for the last 10 years.

According to Linksz, this year, the college received $23.1 million from the state. The county provided $13 million, an amount projected to remain the same in the coming year.

"The county hasn't cut its budget to us at all," he said.

The problem is that state and county sponsors aren't sharing fully in the proportional increases in the cost of education.

"This is a particularly complicated time," said Linksz. "We really don't think we're going to recover as fast as we went downhill. The consensus among the 14 community college leaders is that this is a long-term problem."

Trustees S. W. Calkins, Madeline Kemper and Thomas Skiffington were absent from Thursday's meeting.

Naila Francis can be reached at 215-345-3149 or nfrancis@phillyBurbs.com Follow Naila on Twitter at twitter.com/Naila_Francis

Morrisville Matters campaigns for a 'more balanced' school board in Morrisville School District

From buckslocalnews.com

Morrisville Matters campaigns for a 'more balanced' school board in Morrisville School District

By John Williams
BucksLocalNews.com

MORRISVILLE BOROUGH – “The district needs a vision,” Damon Miller, candidate for Morrisville School Board, said in a straightforward tone about the existing arrangement of the school board.

“A long-term vision,” seconded two of Miller’s running mates, Wanda Kartal and Ted Parker.

“And direction, of course,” chimed in Dave Stoneburner, also a candidate for school board.

Miller, Kartal, Parker and Stoneburner are all members of Morrisville Matters, an independent group of Morrisville locals with a mission of “bringing balance” to the representatives of the school board of the Morrisville School District.

“The mindset right now is just chop, chop, chop,” Kartal, a graduate of Morrisville High and life-long resident, asserted, “and that’s not the only answer to our problems.”

“The entire community has no idea whether there is going to be a policy change. We usually hear about something through rumor,” Miller, who has unsuccessfully run for school board in the past, said. “With committee meetings no longer happening, you have no idea what is going on in the schools now.”

The group strongly believes that the current school board needs management experience. It’s the value judgments, not the cost judgments, they all agree, that distinguishes a proactive board from a passive board. It’s the implications of your judgments the ultimately matters.

“One person is a business man,” said Miller, “Mr. Hellmann. He has his own business. What Morrisville needs is community input, interest, involvement and the board needs to be responsive to all of this.”

A board that questions itself and doesn’t just deliberate contentious issues behind closed doors, but rather in a formal, community session, Stoneburner explained, is a board that has effectively done its job.

“Right now, it’s about the bottom line – the numbers behind the program,” he said.

“When you make a decision you need to ask yourself, ‘What is this going to save us,’ or ‘How is it going to save us money,’ and ‘What affect is it going to have on our children?’”

All four said the reason they’re running is to change the course the district is on.

“Going forward,” stated Parker, who is a native of Staten Island, N.Y., “I understand school budgets are going to be smaller. I think they [the board] lack the creativity to get the best bang for their buck. They’re out of touch with the end product of their decisions – the children.”

Stoneburner wants to see more booster support, which he said doesn’t cost the school district a dime. It is volunteerism and will bolster pride in the community.

“We need to find a way to reach out to those people, even if it is one time a week,” Miller offered.

“Or even one time a month,” proposed Stoneburner.

Kartal said she remembers the day’s when community members used to proudly affirm, “I bleed blue and gold,” and the camaraderie with being a “Bulldog.” A moniker closely aligned with Penn State University’s “I bleed blue and white.”

“The town needs to be alive and vibrant again,” she said.

Kartal is a mother of two boys who are students in the Morrisville School District. Tyler, a sophomore at the Bucks County Technical High School, participates in sports and is enrolled in the Automotive Technology program and already holds some certifications. Her youngest, Wesley, is in the sixth grade and is an active member of the music department as well as the Service Leadership Club.

"I wanted my kids to experience my small town,” she said. “That’s important to me. It’s been a wonderful experience. As far as the accessibility of the teachers, I have had no problem with any of them, whatsoever.”

Miller said they’ve been going door-to-door, talking with residents and said they’re “in the community.” He found that most residents are looking for value in their school district, regardless of the tax structure.

“They don’t want the money wasted,” he said. “They just don’t want to pay money into a system that’s not producing kids that are capable of going out and providing for betterment of the area.”

“You can make cuts, but if you don’t have a sense/vision of what those cuts can or will do, that’s no good,” Parker said.

They said the district must continue to find out what colleges are looking for in incoming students, effectively booster, create a dialogue within the community by once again holding community involvement meetings and urge basic input of opposing ideas even if it they aren’t popular.

As Miller described, “It’s one of those things where you ask yourself, ‘Where is the value?’ If my car keeps on breaking down, I’m not going to keep putting money into it if I know I will have to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

“For the amount of money were spending, I don’t believe there’s a good majority of people in the town that think they’re getting their money’s worth out of the district. And they’re right and we’re hear to change that,” he avowed.

Originally published Thursday, March 31.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Teacher to be laid off at the Tech School

Tech School teacher to be laid off
Posted: Monday, March 28, 2011 10:10 pm | Updated: 10:17 pm, Mon Mar 28, 2011.
By: Chris English Staff Writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

The Bucks County Technical High School joint school board committee Monday night voted to lay off a teacher in the automotive technology program because of declining enrollment.

The action, effective at the end of the school year, will reduce the number of teachers in the program from three to two. Total enrollment has fallen from 98 students in 2006-2007 to 75 this year, a 23 percent drop, said BCTHS Administrative Director Leon Poeske.

The move will save about $100,000 a year in salary and benefits, he said.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Thank you Ted!

from the bcct:

Resident honored for volunteer efforts

Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2011 12:00 am | Updated: 9:26 am, Sun Mar 27, 2011.

Resident honored for volunteer efforts By GEMA MARIA DUARTE, staff writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

Morrisville - Edgar C. "Ted" Fletcher has invested considerable personal time and energy in Morrisville.

And it hasn't gone unnoticed.

"Ted's focus is and always has been the betterment of Morrisville and its residents. He works tirelessly for many facets of Morrisville," wrote the Morrisville Landmark Towns Committee, which nominated Fletcher for the third annual Community Achievement Awards being hosted by Landmark Towns of Bucks County this week.

In addition to being a member of the Morrisville Business Association for eight years and a member of the Rotary Club for 10 years, Fletcher has been a volunteer and carpenter for the ActorsNET of Bucks County for 10 years, just to name a few of his volunteer efforts.

"Ted Fletcher is always full of energy and enthusiasm for any project he is involved with," the committee wrote. "Ted continues to serve others by volunteering on a daily basis and he constantly works towards the success of Morrisville."

With help from PECO, Landmark Towns will honor Fletcher and other nominees during the 2011 Community Achievement Awards starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Occasions, 560 Union Square Drive in New Hope.

The awards recognize outstanding contributions by individuals, businesses and organizations volunteering or operating within the Landmark Towns - Bristol, Morrisville, New Hope and Yardley.

The reception will start with the display of artwork by Bucks County artists and a silent auction; a buffet dinner and the awards ceremony will follow.

This year, a portion of the night will be dedicated to Bill Winslade, who died suddenly on March 21. The 55-year-old Yardley manager was chairman of the event the last two years and also this year. His participation with Landmark Towns was one of many volunteer efforts Winslade was involved with in the area.

"As far as being a supporter of Landmark Towns, he really got it - the idea of the four towns working together for the greater good of the region. He was a huge supporter of me and a tremendous help. I will miss him dearly - already do," said Donna Boone, regional Main Street coordinator for Landmark Towns.

Each borough has a Volunteer of the Year. The other awards include Outstanding Retail Event, Outstanding Preservation Success Story and Small Business Excellence Award.

Bill Gehrman, owner of En-route Marketing and former marketing director of Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be the keynote speaker. Gehrman will share his marketing expertise in the tourism industry.

The event is $55 per person and is open to the public. For tickets or event information, log on to www.LandmarkTowns.com or call 215-781-2605.

Landmark Towns, a project of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, is a regional revitalization initiative of the four boroughs along the Delaware Canal. The boroughs have traditional downtown business districts, into which the Landmark Towns project is designed to breathe renewed economic life, while preserving and enhancing industrial and cultural heritage.

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor fosters stewardship of historical, cultural and natural resources along the early canal and railroad systems that carried anthracite coal from mine to market in eastern Pennsylvania.

The contract, which all four towns signed, called for each to make five installment payments over five years. The payment increments were: $1,250 for the first year; $6,250 the second year; $7,500 the third year; $8,750 the fourth year; and $10,000 the fifth year.

This year, all but Morrisville will make the $10,000 contribution. Though Landmark Towns will complete several projects under way, the organization won't initiate new projects if sufficient funding support is not made available, Boone has said.

Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte

Canal cleanup is April 9

from the bcct:

Volunteers sought to help clear canal

By GEMA MARIA DUARTE, staff writer | 0 comments

Spring cleaning along the Delaware Canal is about to be sprung.

The Friends of the Delaware Canal is sponsoring the annual cleanup on April 9. Volunteers are needed to help clear trash, debris and brush from the historic waterway and towpath that runs from Easton to Bristol.

This year's Clean-Up Day efforts will target the Morrisville to Bristol stretch of the canal. The 9-mile-long area still is awaiting adoption by Canal Tenders, who can be individuals, families, or groups that volunteer to care for specific sections of the waterway throughout the year, said Susan Taylor, director of the group.

The cleanup will begin at 9 a.m. and volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, long-handled rakes, boots and branch snipers. Trash bags will be provided.

Volunteers should choose a location to clean up and then contact the area coordinator, who will provide details of the day's activities. (See related list.)

Although the canal suffered some damage from the floods earlier this month, those areas will not be targeted during the cleanup.

There is no damage south of Bowman's Hill, Taylor said.

"The Friends will probably have one or two clear-off-the-towpath sessions in the flood-washed areas, which will be fairly impromptu and announced by email," she said.

The Friends of the Delaware Canal is an independent, not-for-profit organization working to restore, preserve and improve the canal and its surroundings. Its primary goals are to ensure that the canal is fully watered from Easton to Bristol and that the towpath trail is useable for recreational purposes over its entire length.

For more information on Clean-Up Day, a full report on damages or other Friends activities, call 215-862-2021, email friends@fodc.org, or visit www.fodc.org.

Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com

Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Potpourri for 3/27-4/2

Friday, March 25, 2011

Morrisville district officials seek mediation in tech school dispute

from the bcct

Morrisville district officials seek mediation in tech school dispute

Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 12:00 am

Morrisville district officials seek mediation in tech school dispute By GEMA MARIA DUARTE STAFF WRITER Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

Morrisville officials say the school is overcharging the district for educating 52 borough students who attend the occupational school full time.

Morrisville School District officials want to mediate the payment battle they have going with Buck County Technical High School. They also plan to attend an April meeting to discuss potential funding formula changes.

The board voted Wednesday to request that the Pennsylvania Department of Education appoint a mediator to help solve the conflict, which has Morrisville putting its share of tech school funding into an escrow account.

The tech school joint board committee is expected to take similar action at its meeting on Monday.

Morrisville officials say the tech school is overcharging the district for educating 52 borough students who attend the occupational school full time.

Bucks County Technical High School serves students in the Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Morrisville school districts. Students sent there attend both academic and vocational classes.

Each district's share is based on a somewhat complicated formula, which takes into account fixed and variable costs at BCTHS and the number of students each district sends there.

That formula will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. April 5 at the tech school, 610 Wistar Road, Bristol Township. The meeting is open to the public. Business managers, superintendents and school board presidents from each district will attend. For the formula to change, all six districts have to agree.

The articles of agreement among the technical school and its six sending districts require each district to contribute its share as long as the BCTHS budget is approved by the joint school board committee and four of the six school boards at sending districts.

In February, Morrisville stopped a scheduled $151,914 tech school payment and instead put it in escrow. The same was done with payments due in October and December, and is expected to be done with this year's last payment - about $200,000 due in April, board directors have said. Only the first payment was released to the tech school in August.

Morrisville is being charged about $740,000 this school year for borough students attending the academic vocational school, much more than officials have said the district should be paying. Until the school adjusts its charge downward, Morrisville plans to withhold payments.

Dividing the share of the total operating budget of the technical school by the number of students it sends to the tech school, Morrisville pays $14,765 per student; Bristol, $16,044; Pennsbury, $13,937; Bensalem, $12,473; Bristol Township, $13,350; and Neshaminy, $15,176.

The Morrisville school board last year voted against funding its share of the tech school's $21.54 million budget for this school year.

The mediator idea came about earlier this month after a conference call that included representatives from the tech school, Morrisville School District and its solicitor, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The call was held after BCTHS solicitor Ellis Katz filed a petition with the education department seeking payment of funds owed by Morrisville.

Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Bargain rate: Morrisville getting plenty for its money

A readers voice from the bcct:
Bargain rate: Morrisville getting plenty for its money

By CURT MCCAY Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

I graduated from Bucks County Technical High School many years ago, and I have always credited "tech school" with being the solid foundation of everything I ever accomplished in my working life. My teacher at tech school was the best I ever had and that includes high school, college and the military. Recently, I volunteered as a judge for the Skills USA competition at the school and NOCTI testing. I also agreed to serve on a course curriculum advisory committee. It is with this view that I have been following the financial dispute between the Morrisville School District and the technical high school.

As I read a recent editorial in the Courier Times about the conflict, several things jumped out at me.

First, Morrisville's "total yearly bill" is $767,000; if you divide that by 51 students, the cost per student is approximately $15,000, the figure quoted. Therefore, if it costs $17,000 for Morrisville to educate a student, then the district actually saved $102,000 by sending these 51 students to the technical school.

Second, as far as the technical high school meeting its academic requirements, it should be apparent to anyone reading the editorial that if the technical high school has to have a "freshman academy" to provide intensive instruction in math and reading to incoming students who do not score at the state proficient level - the bigger problem is at the home district, not at the tech school. This reminds me of colleges that have to require remedial courses for incoming college freshman; who gets the blame for that? The technical high school has much less time to fix proficiency problems than the home school did to create them. Morrisville complaining about academic requirements is rather disingenuous.

The last thing that bothered me was the editorial using the term "morphed" when describing the change of the school from a part-time to a comprehensive school. Reading that you might think that one day all of these home districts woke up and presto-change-o they had a full-time school on their hands.

All of the sending districts have representation on the board that oversees the technical high school and they would have had to vote on the change. At the time, they must have seen a need; otherwise, why expend millions of dollars to implement a large undertaking like that? Could it have been they saw an opportunity to obtain more funding by moving some of their problems somewhere else, and now the calculus has changed because of federal and state cutbacks?

The actual question here is who really is the end customer? Is it the Morrisville School District, or the students and parents who are sending their children to the technical school? I've never read where they are complaining. Based on enrollment figures (2009) these 51 students represent approximately 17 percent of Morrisville's total high school population, ninth to 12th grade. It would seem the 51 customers voted and did what customers do when they are dissatisfied; they voted with their feet.

I am tired of officials who know the "price" of everything and the "value" of nothing. We must develop a manufacturing base in this country again if we are ever to move forward and grow the economy. We need more engineers, technicians, and trades people; we have enough CPAs and lawyers.

The technical high school is educating/training the types of people this country needs. I'm only sorry the school is not twice the size with twice as many students.

Curt McCay, Middletown, worked in the technical field for 40 years and was employed by U.S. Steel and Westinghouse. He retired as a manager of electronics and ride controls for Six Flags Great Adventure.

Funding cuts stuns school districts

from the bcct:
Funding cut stuns school districts
By GARY WECKSELBLATT, staff writer Calkins Media, Inc.

Gov. Corbett's new Social Security reimbursement formula means even more money must be made up by local taxpayers.

Gov. Tom Corbett is looking to change the way school districts are reimbursed for Social Security expenses, deepening the financial challenges faced by educators already dealing with the new governor's plans to slice $550 million in basic education funding.

Corbett's plan would cost local taxpayers the most as North Penn ($2.3 million), Central Bucks ($1.9 million) and Council Rock ($1.5 million) would have to pony up more than any of the state's 500 districts.

Of the $40 million in increased costs to schools statewide, $17 million would come from districts in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

"We are disproportionately affected by this change," said state Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151, whose five areas districts would receive nearly $5 million less in state funding. "I spoke with the governor this morning on this issue. I plan to discuss this with my leadership. I will try to remedy this situation for my districts."

Robert Reichert, director of business affairs for Hatboro-Horsham, which will lose $453,000, said the funding shortage "hits us right between the eyes."

Currently, districts are reimbursed for half of their Social Security payments. Corbett wants to lower that to a formula based on something called Market Value/Personal Income Aid Ratio.

It includes things like the taxable real estate of a district and its student enrollment compared to the state's taxable real estate and student enrollment. A similar calculation is done for personal income per student in a district and statewide.

Places like Council Rock, New Hope-Solebury and Palisades have the lowest ratio - 0.1500, meaning the state will pick up 15 percent of their Social Security reimbursements, rather than 50 percent.

Less affluent areas, such as Bristol (0.5775) and Bristol Twp. (0.5075) won't be impacted because of their higher ratios. Any district above 0.5 will be reimbursed at the higher number.

Dave Matyas, business administrator for Central Bucks, said "Southeast Pennsylvania is getting hammered because relative to the rest of the state we're wealthy."

Of his district's $1.9 million revenue setback, he said, "We had no idea that was happening."

That was a common refrain among the people that put together school budgets.

Robert Reinhart, director of business administration for Council Rock, said he didn't learn of the change until the day after Corbett's March 8 budget address to the General Assembly.

The item was "in the weeds of the document, so it was a surprise to me," he said.

Reinhart was informed of Corbett's plan in an e-mail from Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.

Himes' group is calling on members to call their lawmakers and oppose "any amendments to the Retirement Code that would change how Social Security reimbursements have been made since 1995."

State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-31, is against Corbett's Social Security proposal, claiming it "further penalizes districts in the suburbs."

Santarsiero again called for a tax on Marcellus Shale and the closing of the "Delaware Loophole," saying the combination would bring $800 million into state coffers in the first year.

"We can't ignore the revenue side when a free pass is given to gas companies and multinational corporations," he said.

State Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, said: "It's going to put more pressure on the school districts I represent. My desire is to report back to school officials that we could remediate some of these cuts."

Clymer calls Corbett's budget, a $27.3 billion plan that cuts spending 3 percent, "the first shot across the bow. The seas are rough. The ship of state is going to be blown about but we haven't gone under. It's not going to be an easy voyage."

A spokeswoman with the governor's press office and a spokesman with the state Department of Education took a reporter's questions but neither responded with any answers.

Reichert, Hatboro-Horsham's business director, said his district could raise $800,000 by raising taxes the maximum 1.4 percent under the state's Act 1 initiative. But with the state cutting revenues by $1.2 million "it just doesn't add up + even after reducing a lot of expenses in other areas of the budget."

Stephens, the freshman Montgomery County lawmaker, said he met with four of the five school superintendents he represents days after Corbett's budget unveiling.

"They had no indication this was going to occur," he said. "This drop in revenues just dropped in their lap. I'm hopeful we can restore this funding."

Gary Weckselblatt can be reached at 215-345-3169, gweckselblatt@phillyBurbs.com and at twitter.com/gweckselblatt

School Board meeting tonight

Don't forget that tonight the monthly business meeting will be held at 7:30 in the LGI room of the IS/HS.

Monday, March 21, 2011

And the field is set...

From the bcct:

Nine residents run for five seats
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE, staff writer
Morrisville schools - Nine Morrisville residents are vying for five open seats on the Morrisville school board.
In the May 17 primary, veteran candidates will be joined by two newcomers - Wanda Kartal and Ted Parker - on the ballot.

Incumbents seeking re-election are Bill Hellmann, Alfred Radosti and Marlys Mihok. Stephen Worob and Yvonne Ruthrauff, who were appointed to the board this school year, also are looking to retain their seats.
Ruthrauff replaced Robin Reithmeyer in late 2010 after the board ousted the school director because of poor attendance. In February, Worob replaced his wife, Brenda Worob, who died in late January.
Candidates David Stoneburner and Damon Miller have made unsuccessful runs for board seats in the past. Both also had applied to be appointed to Reithmeyer's seat, and Miller also wanted the appointment for Worob's seat.
All nine candidates are cross-filed, meaning they are on both the Democrat and Republican tickets.
An issue pressing the board lately is closing a more than $2 million hole in the preliminary budget for the upcoming school year. The board also is withholding payments to the Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township, saying the district is overcharged for the students it sends there. Most likely the issue will be mediated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Also facing the school board is the future of Reiter Elementary. Reiter was one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008.
Board members moved grades four and five into the same building as middle and high school students after the explosion. Students in lower grades were sent to Grandview Elementary.
Parents at meetings have asked about the future of Reiter, but the board still is undecided. Some have concerns about the mixture of younger students with the older students at the high school.
Kartal, Parker, Stoneburner and Miller are parents of students attending district schools. They are part of a group of parents who regularly attend meetings, during which they ask questions and usually don't get answers from the board.
Hellmann, Radosti, Mihok, Worob and Ruthrauff run a board that allows residents to speak for three minutes apiece during public comment. More often than not, directors don't provide feedback to the public and quickly move on to the next agenda item. Critics complain that members sometimes discuss agenda items among themselves during public meetings but with few details.
Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Potpourri for 3/20-3/26

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tech school wants money owed by Morrisville

This is the longer version of the recent article in the bcct:

Tech school wants money owed by Morrisville

By CHRIS ENGLISH, staff writer | 0 comments

Bucks County Technical High School - Morrisville contends that its share of the tech school's budget is disproportionate.

Bucks County Technical High School is upping the ante in an effort to get Morrisville to kick in its share of the local funding pot.

Leon Poeske, administrative director at the comprehensive technical school in Bristol Township, said Wednesday that BCTHS solicitor Ellis Katz has filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Department of Education seeking payment of funds owed by Morrisville.

Morrisville is one of six school districts that send students to the technical school and share its expenses. However, Morrisville is holding about $450,000 of the $767,000 it owes the tech school this year in escrow in protest over what Morrisville officials consider an unfair funding formula at BCTHS.

"They're welcome to do that," Morrisville school board member Jack Buckman said of the tech school's action. He's also Morrisville's representative on the BCTHS joint school board committee.

"It's within their rights to do that," he continued. "If the department of education is going to look at this, then we'll do whatever we have to do to take action in response."

At Wednesday's school board work session, Morrisville district officials agreed to vote next week on whether to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Education to appoint a mediator to assist with the payment dispute.

The idea of a mediator came about last week after a conference call that included representatives from the tech school, Morrisville School District and its solicitor, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, William Ferrara, acting superintendent said after the meeting.

Morrisville has 52 students at the tech school this year. The Morrisville school board voted against funding its share of the tech school's $21.54 million budget this year.

The articles of agreement between the technical school and its six sending districts require each district to contribute its share as long as the BCTHS budget is approved by the joint school board committee and four of the six sending districts.

Morrisville's school board voted down its share of the technical school budget May 26, with all six board members who were present - including Buckman - voting no.

Each district's share is based on a somewhat complicated formula that takes into account fixed and variable costs at BCTHS and the number of students each district sends there. In addition to Morrisville, the tech school draws students from the Bristol, Bristol Township, Bensalem, Pennsbury and Neshaminy school districts.

Officials from the two smallest districts - Morrisville and Bristol - have long maintained that the financial burden for funding the technical school falls especially hard on them.

"It's really been inequitable ever since the technical school was built in 1958, but it's gotten even worse since it became a full-time technical high school with academics (about 10 years ago)," said Buckman. "Funding for the tech school has gotten way out of proportion, as far as Morrisville is concerned. We just want the smaller districts like Bristol and Morrisville to get a fair shake. Hopefully, this can be settled."

Dividing the share of the budget by the number of students it sends to the tech school, Morrisville pays $14,765 per student; Bristol, $16,044; Pennsbury, $13,937; Bensalem, $12,473; Bristol Township, $13,350; and Neshaminy, $15,176.

Poeske had no further comment on the matter, other than to say he hoped for a resolution with Morrisville.

But Bensalem school board and BCTHS joint school board member Harry Kramer questioned Morrisville's strategy of holding back money.

"I don't think they can legally withhold money when they are part of the articles of agreement," he said. "Everyone has concerns about school expenses, but the funding formula is part of the agreement that Morrisville inherited just like the rest of us, and they're sending kids to the tech school. They're like someone who sits down at a restaurant and eats an entire meal, and then tells the waiter they didn't like it and they aren't going to pay the bill."

Tech school pushes for Morrisville funding

By: Chris English Staff Writer | 0 comments

Bucks County Technical High School is upping the ante in an effort to get Morrisville to kick in its share of the pot.

Morrisville is one of six school districts that send students to the technical school and share in the expenses there. However, Morrisville is holding about $450,000 of the $767,000 it owes the tech school this year in escrow in protest over what Morrisville officials consider an unfair funding formula at BCTHS.

Morrisville has 52 students at the tech school this year.

Kindergarten vote expected next week

From the bcct:
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE |

Morrisville School District officials are considering offering half day kindergarten next school year instead of full days due to proposed state budget cuts.

That would mean no recess, lunch or special classes such as art and music, officials said after the Wednesday's agenda meeting.

The vote to go half day is expected at next week's regular school board meeting.

Morrisville Schools May Soon Be Getting a Mediator for Tech School Dispute

From the bcct:
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE |

Morrisville School District directors are expected to approve that the Pennsylvania Department of Education appoint a mediator to assist with the payment dispute with Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township.

Morrisville is holding about $450,000 of the $767,000 it owes to the tech school this year in escrow because district officials believe the tech school is overcharging Morrisville for educating 52 borough students who attend the occupational school full time.

The idea of a mediator came about last week after a conference call that included representatives from the tech school, Morrisville School District - including the solicitor - and the PDE, officials said.

The final vote to allow a mediator is expected at next week's regular school board meeting.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Thoughts and observations from the 3/16 agenda meeting.

Share your thoughts and observations from the 3/16 agenda meeting here.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Potpourri for 3/13-3/19

Monday, March 7, 2011

A few reminders

Dont forget this Wed there is a middle school cheerleading competition being held from 2-5 pm in the HS gym.

Also on Wed evening at 6:30 in the LGI, Superintendent Bill Ferrara will be holding a forum to answer questions regarding the tech school. His monthly Superintendent meeting will follow immediately after.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Potpourri for 3/6-3/12

This should be an interesting week. We are hearing that there was a great turnout for Bingo night last Friday. Nice job PTO!

Friday, March 4, 2011

The 6 point plan

1. Stop the new school. Complete

2. Close M. R. Reiter via neglect, and putting children in harms way. Complete

3. Cram and pack remaining students into the H.S. and Grandview buildings. Complete

4. Aviod tax increases by eliminating anything not mandated by the state .Ongoing

5. Do not take responsibility for any actions the board may take, rather blame it on "tough economic conditions." Ongoing

6. Appoint "friends" to the board who will not challenge your actions , "robots" if you will. Create a "PR" position to put a positive spin on all you do. Complete

This regime fronted by Bill Hellmann CPA, but run by none other than Marlys Mihok,(who by Hellmann's definition "has no skin in the game", since she is a renter) is systematically destroying our School District. They may have saved a few bucks on our taxes, but they have made our property values PLUMMET!! Think about it next time you drive through any neighbor hood in Morrisville. Why are there so many home for sale? Homeowners property values have sunk tremendously in the past 4 years under this Mihok led regime, homes are difficult to sell, and with a school district run by incompetent, backward thinking individuals, young families are choosing to move elsewhere. They are only concerned with lowering taxes, nothing else, children are a tax liability to them.

Why would they do this you ask? Well for one they are hoping that either the state comes in and takes the district over, or they are waiting for some sort of state mandated consolidation plan to take effect. Or there is always the pipe dream that we could merge with Pennsbury.

So when you see either Mihok, or Hellmann, or any of their "robots", ask them why they are destroying our school district. Ask them why through their actions, are they fascinated with sticking it to the hard working parents of this district, and to the homeowners of Morrisville.

Regime Change is needed. Think about it people in Egypt and Libya are fighting and dying for what they believe in. It's time the citizens of Morrisville stand up and take action against the tyranny WE have lived with for the past 4 years.

Manor Park building aka "The Lair"

The rumors of the Manor Park building being used for an Administration building are beginning to pick up steam. In typical stay on track fashion , mum's the word on this. However, given Bill Hellmann's dire straights outlook on finances, this move would be just foolish at this point. Think, about it. Two buildings would have to be retrofitted in some way. And you would be operating yet another building, with no additional income coming to the district. It still is possible that this Mihok led train of destruction could make this happen. After all it wouldn't be the first time they put themselves before the children.

Think about this also, what would really be happening is we would have a stay on track "lair", or "clubhouse", being used under the guise of a, administration building. Ok, enough conspiracy theories for now.

All this talk is probably just smoke and mirrors for what this uninspiring, crony infected board will do next.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Outsourcing and Early retirement

Attn Bill Hellmann, you can't complain about salaries and such when you give generous salary increases to members of the administration. We the taxpayer are also left paying Dr. Yonson's salary, whom you ran out of town. Your scare tactics are not working anymore Billy, hang it up. Oh yea...you too Marlys.

From the bcct:

Early retirement, outsourcing being considered

Early retirement, outsourcing being considered for budget

Posted: Thursday, March 3, 2011 12:00 am
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE staff writer | 0 comments
morrisville
An anticipated $2 million budget deficit in the coming school year is forcing the district to cut costs, says the school board president.

Morrisville School District is offering an early retirement plan to its teachers and considering outsourcing custodial services to cut costs.
The measures are necessary because district spending is "is out of control" due to increases in salaries, benefits and pensions, said board President Bill Hellmann.
"We need to go out to bid on custodial services in order to determine what the cost would be per the market. This will allow us to be in a better negotiating position," said Hellmann. "We have to control our costs of operating this school district. The annual employee raises, health insurance and pension increases will really hurt our town.
"We are offering an (early retirement incentive plan) to our teachers. We appreciate the work that they do but again, the cost of operating our school district is out of control. We will know how many are taking this option by March 31. The expensive pension increases approved by our state legislators back in 2001 will wind up hurting education across the state and is the same everywhere around the country," he said.
Such board action comes at a time when the district faces a deficit of more than $2 million, according to preliminary budget figures for the 2011-12 school year.
To help reduce costs, the district has taken up a financial fight with Bucks County Technical High School, accusing directors of the Bristol Township school with overcharging for its education services for the 51 Morrisville students who attend the school full time.
Officials say Morrisville's cost has increased about $400,000 for this school year and what is projected for the coming school year. As a result, the district has refused payment to the tech school until the two educational institutions figure out a cost solution.
Parent Jon Perry appreciates the officials' efforts to keep costs as low as possible for Morrisville taxpayers, but he has concerns about the proposed spending plan for the next school year.
"Looking at the preliminary budget, special education is up by almost $1 million, to nearly $4 million," he said. "This a 32 percent increase - much bigger than any other budget increase. It's five times bigger than the tech school increase. "
Perry noticed that two-thirds of the increase is not on salaries and/or benefits, it's from increased services, he said.
Hellmann said Wednesday, "The special education budget is a conservative budget based on our projected special education population."
Perry added the business office budget is up 16 percent, to almost half a million dollars.
"The new hire in the business office is an intern only at $12 per hour. The business office will also not be implementing some optional software upgrades due to budget constraints," Hellmann said,
Hellmann didn't go into detail about the business office increase, but he added "this is only a preliminary budget and we will work to get it more in line with our available revenues with a mind towards quality education also" and "what we have here is a perfect storm. Declining revenues due to a poor economy and escalating costs due mainly to labor contracts that were in place prior to this board's arrival."
Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte
Copyright 2011 phillyBurbs.com . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Withholding payment

The online version didn't have the author when we posted the piece. If anyone knows the author, please let us know so we may credit them.

Witholding payment

Unsatisfied customer
Morrisville raises legitimate concerns about costs and outcomes at the technical high school.

When you don't get what you're paying for, stop paying. That's what smart consumers do. And if Morrisville school board President Bill Hellman is anything - and he's been called lots of things - he's a smart consumer.
To that end, the Morrisville School District has stopped payments to Bucks County Technical High School, which charges Morrisville roughly $15,000 for each of the 51 students Morrisville sends to the tech school. (Next September that bill rises to $18,000 per student.)
No, the district hasn't chosen to become a deadbeat; it will simply put its next payment to the tech school in an escrow account. Call Morrisville an unsatisfied customer.
Hellman's gripe is twofold: 1. The tech school is too expensive; and 2. It's not doing the job academically.
First issue first: Hellman points out that Morrisville's payments to the school "for last year and projected for the next year (2011-12) + has increased approximately $400,000. + That is an approximately 76 percent increase in two years."
A whopping increase for sure, bringing Morrisville's total yearly bill to $767,000. (Remember, that number will go up next year.)
Hellman, who is a certified public accountant, knows a thing or two about finances. And in his estimation, all of the technical school's sending districts - six counting Morrisville - could save a combined $15 million annually if the tech school operated solely as a part-time "technical" school.
That's what it used to be. Time was students attended the school for a technical education only, rotating back to their home school every two weeks for academic instruction. That system changed a few years ago when the tech school morphed into a comprehensive school, meaning it provides academic instruction as well as vocational training. It also operates full time.
That brings us to Hellman's other issue: that the technical school isn't meeting its academic requirements.
To their credit, technical school officials have come up with a plan to remedy that shortcoming. Just this week the school unveiled plans for a "freshman academy" beginning next year. Under the plan, intensified instruction in reading and math will be provided to incoming students who did not score at the proficient level in state assessment tests.
Our compliments to tech school officials for recognizing a need and coming up with a plan to address it. Still, Hellman's complaints merit some attention.
As he points out, the county's other two technical high schools remain part-time institutions. Did the Lower Bucks school make a mistake going full time? It's a debate worth having, especially with school districts facing huge financial challenges, including significant reductions in state and federal funding. Would the $15 million Hellman cited come in handy at this time?
For the record, Morrisville spends approximately $17,000 a year per student at the district high school. So the tech school's cost won't be dramatically higher next year - just $1,000 more per student. What's worrisome is the dramatic increase in the technical school's costs over the past two years, at least in Morrisville's case.
Hellman is right to sound an alarm and, as any smart consumer would do, withhold payment if costs aren't contained and service doesn't improve.
Copyright 2011 phillyBurbs.com . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.