From the bcct:
Nine residents run for five seatsBy 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
