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."
