Morrisville's Future

Potpourri 5/22-5/28

2011-05-22T17:23:00.001-04:00

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

PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

2011-05-20T12:41:00.000-04:00

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.

PennDOT OKs limits on brake retarders

2011-05-03T07:47:00.002-04:00

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.

Potpourri 5/1-5/7

2011-05-01T08:31:00.001-04:00

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!

Who are you voting for and why?

2011-04-30T09:33:00.001-04:00

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.

State of the blog....part 2

2011-04-28T10:35:00.001-04:00

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!

Potpourri for 4/10-4/16

2011-04-10T09:11:00.001-04:00

Funding formula makeover pitched

2011-04-06T07:50:00.002-04:00

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

State of the Blog...

2011-04-05T09:15:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-05T07:53:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-05T07:50:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-05T07:38:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the delay..

Upcoming Events Sponsored By Morrisville First

2011-04-01T16:35:00.000-04:00

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)

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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

2011-04-01T08:19:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-01T07:58:00.002-04:00

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.

Teacher to be laid off at the Tech School

2011-03-29T07:31:00.001-04:00

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.

Thank you Ted!

2011-03-28T07:43:00.003-04:00

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

2011-03-28T07:35:00.005-04:00

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

Potpourri for 3/27-4/2

2011-03-27T09:08:00.000-04:00

Morrisville district officials seek mediation in tech school dispute

2011-03-25T07:50:00.001-04:00

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

Bargain rate: Morrisville getting plenty for its money

2011-03-23T08:38:00.002-04:00

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

2011-03-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-23T08:07:00.002-04:00

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

And the field is set...

2011-03-21T19:14:00.006-04:00

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

Potpourri for 3/20-3/26

2011-03-20T20:05:00.000-04:00

Tech school wants money owed by Morrisville

2011-03-17T09:22:00.002-04:00

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

2011-03-17T07:49:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-17T07:45:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-17T07:42:00.001-04:00

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.

Thoughts and observations from the 3/16 agenda meeting.

2011-03-16T19:19:00.001-04:00

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

Potpourri for 3/13-3/19

2011-03-13T08:35:00.000-04:00

A few reminders

2011-03-07T21:22:00.001-05:00

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.

Potpourri for 3/6-3/12

2011-03-06T07:28:00.001-05:00

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

The 6 point plan

2011-03-04T10:38:00.003-05:00

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"

2011-03-04T08:02:00.001-05:00

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.

Outsourcing and Early retirement

2011-03-03T05:06:00.001-05:00

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.

Withholding payment

2011-03-02T05:07:00.000-05:00

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.

School develops plan to meet federal guidelines

2011-03-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

School develops plan to meet federal guidelines

School develops plan to meet federal guidelines
By: CHRIS ENGLISH
Bucks County Courier Times
bucks county technical high school

Increased math and reading instruction for ninth-graders who need it is part of a freshman academy being created at the school.

Bucks County Technical High School is changing the way it does business in an effort to improve academic performance and reverse a trend that has seen the school in Bristol Township fail to meet federal Adequate Yearly Progress standards the last three years.

At Monday night's joint school board meeting, Principal Connie Rinker and a team of teachers gave a presentation on the creation of a freshman academy at the comprehensive technical school starting next year.

The idea behind the academy is to provide intensified instruction in reading and mathematics to freshmen who did not score at a proficient level in their eighth-grade PSSA exams in those subjects.

"They will be getting 90 minutes of math and 90 minutes of reading every day," said Rinker. That's about twice the amount freshmen who need remedial help in those subjects are getting now, she added.

Those who have scored at a proficient level on their eighth-grade PSSAs will move into the regular freshman schedule at the school, she said.

The plan is to have about 12 academic teachers at the school work exclusively with freshmen, Rinker said.

"If they are not proficient in their eighth-grade PSSAs, we will give them extra support as freshmen," she said. "What we're trying to do is make this AYP thing go away by filling in gaps these students come to us with."

The school is a full-time educational facility where students drawn from the Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Bristol Township, Bensalem, Bristol and Morrisville districts receive both academic and vocational instruction. The technical school gets students from 27 different public, parochial and private schools within those districts, said Rinker.

About 48 percent of incoming freshmen at the technical school are reading at a level at least two grades below the grade they are in, said Rinker. About 51 percent do not meet proficiency standards in math, she added.

"So this will be an intensified academic experience to build a base?" asked joint school board member Gene Dolnick.

Yes, said Rinker.

Bob Harvie, a teacher and chairman of the social studies department at the technical school, said the team that developed the freshman academy idea is also working on a school homework policy it will be submitting to the joint school board for approval in May or June.

"There has been a lot of attention paid to how we can help our students improve," he said.

A meeting to explain the new freshman academy for parents of students who will be ninth-graders next year will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the school, 610 Wistar Road, Fairless Hills.

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

March 01, 2011 02:01 AM

Potpourri for 2/27-3/5

2011-02-27T08:33:00.000-05:00

District refuses to pay tech school

2011-02-27T08:29:00.001-05:00

District refuses to pay tech school

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville School District officials refuse to pay their share of the cost to operate Bucks County Technical High School until the Bristol Township school adjusts its funding formula.

The borough believes the tech school is overcharging Morrisville for educating 51 borough students who attend the occupational school full time. Morrisville board President Bill Hellmann issued a stinging indictment of the technical school Friday, saying it wasn't achieving academic standards, was too expensive to operate and should be returned to the part-time institution it once was.

"The larger issue is: We do not need nor can we afford a seventh very expensive academic high school at the tech school," Hellmann said. "They also have not met AYP the last three years. The six sending school districts already have six very expensive academic high schools. All six of us have huge deficits. We cannot afford it any longer and it will only get worse."

He continued: "The middle tech school and the upper tech school are tech schools only. I think (all contributing districts) can save approximately $15,000,000 per year going back to a tech school only. For last year and projected for the next year (2011-12) our cost has increased approximately $400,000, and we only have 51 students there. That is an approximately 76 percent increase in two years."

The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching tech school officials Friday for comment.

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

The Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warrington and the Upper Bucks County Technical School in Perkasie are part-time institutions where students split time between their home schools and the tech schools. Council Rock and Centennial students attend Middle Bucks.

On Wednesday, Morrisville stopped a scheduled $151,914 tech school payment due this month and put it in an escrow account. Similar payments in October and December were also placed in escrow. This year's last payment - about $200,000 due in April - will also being going into escrow, board member Marlys Mihok said Friday. Only the first payment was released, said Hellmann.

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

Last week the board unanimously voted to have its solicitor prepare the needed legal paperwork to start discussions with the tech school administration.

"At this point, litigation is our only option, so it appears," Hellmann said. "Let the courts settle it."

At this month's board meeting, school directors, especially Hellmann, were frustrated and angered by the issue.

"I and our school district do not believe the funding formula is being properly applied and I have documented evidence supporting that statement from the two budget revisions from the 2010-11 fiscal year and how they were applied to Morrisville School District. We asked the tech school administration for an explanation and I am still waiting a year later," Hellmann said in a written statement.

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

Board disagrees with tech school payments.

2011-02-24T07:21:00.001-05:00

Board disagrees with tech school payments

By: Gema Duarte
Bucks County Courier Times
The Morrisville school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to allow the solicitor to prepare the necessary legal paperwork to start formal discussions with Bucks County Technical High School officials regarding payments.

District officials said payments for the 50 or so Morrisville students who attend the Bristol Township school are too high.

School board President Bill Hellmann said if the two solicitors can't come to an agreement, then the courts will have to decide the issue, he said after the meeting.

Potpourri week 2/20-2/26

2011-02-22T08:17:00.001-05:00

No suprises here, yet another crony appointed to the Morrisville School Board

2011-02-17T07:13:00.002-05:00

Late board member's husband named to seat

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
morrisville schools

Morrisville School District directors had the difficult task of replacing Brenda Worob, who died in late January. Her replacement was none other than her husband, who has served on the board before.

Stephen Worob won out over four other candidates Wednesday during the special meeting portion of the night, which also included this month's regular work session and January's school board meeting, which was cut short due to bad weather conditions.

Brenda Worob's term would have officially ended December 2013, but that term was cut short to the end of this year.

"You can't have someone who was appointed serve for three years," school board member Marlys Mihok said after the meeting.

In the running were Gayle Haug, David Novick, Theodore Parker and Damon Miller. Candidates answered the same four questions, which included the best way of dealing with the district's deficit and the working relationship with board members. The other two questions involved rating the board and providing the reason for wanting to serve on the board.

Basically, all candidates want to provide a good education to Morrisville students at an affordable price, they said. Most said the board is doing a good job. Haug and Miller, who frequent school board meetings and activities, said they don't always agree with decisions made by the directors, but there are times they do.

Haug said her experience as a CPA would help crunch numbers. Novick said he would use his financial planning skills to review the budget and to eliminate the deficit he would analyze the district's spending plan line-by-line. Parker said he would look into lowering expenditures such as bids and services to reduce the deficit. Miller and Worob would examine employee contracts, which are a large portion of the budget, they said.

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

February 17, 2011 02:12 AM

Potpourri for 2/13-2/19

2011-02-13T08:31:00.001-05:00

District files lawsuit against contractor

2011-02-13T08:29:00.001-05:00

District files lawsuit against contractor
By: RACHEL CANELLI
Bucks County Courier Times
BRISTOL SCHOOLS

The lawsuit cites construction delays and defects in the work at the new Snyder-Girotti Elementary School.

The Bristol Borough School District is suing its general contractor on the new Snyder-Girotti Elementary School for $660,000, claiming the company caused delays and construction defects, according to court documents filed in county court.

The district claims in the lawsuit that Ernest Bock and Sons Inc. of Philadelphia completed the project almost 500 days late and the new building experienced roof and wall leaks and cracked foundation and flooring.

The district also is suing the engineer on the construction project, Vitetta Group Inc. of Philadelphia, for $50,000 plus legal fees claiming professional malpractice. School officials said that company's design plans were faulty and caused the building's problems, according to county court documents.

The newspaper couldn't reach representatives for Bock or Vitetta for comment Friday.

In October 2006, the district hired Bock as general contractor on the $19.4 million project, which was supposed to be finished no later than April 2008. The district hired Vitetta to design the building on Buckley Street in 2004, the suit said.

If Bock breached that contract, the company was to pay $1,000 per day in damages. The school wasn't done until August 2009, but Bock didn't pay the damages, according to the court documents filed Thursday.

But that wasn't the only problem, according to the district.

Besides roof and wall leaks and cracks in the foundation and floors, officials say the heating and air conditioning system didn't function properly and classroom projection screens weren't sized or installed right. The district also claims Bock didn't produce construction schedules, have enough workers, or pay subcontractors and suppliers in a timely fashion, according to the lawsuit.

Since school officials say they lost use of the building for an entire academic year and incurred increased costs to fix those issues, they're asking for $360,000 from Bock saying 360 of the 499 late days were inexcusable, county court documents said. The district is also seeking $50,000 for breach of contract, $100,000 in utility charges for electricity Bock used during construction, $50,000 in legal fees, and $100,000 for breach of warranty, the suit said.

School officials are also demanding $50,000 plus unspecified legal fees for delay and breach of warranty and contract from Vitetta because they say the engineering firm's documents contained errors, omissions and defects involving the roof, walls, foundation, floors, projection screens, and heating and air conditioning system, according to court documents.

Rachel Canelli can be reached at 215-949-4191 or rcanelli@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Rachel on Twitter at Twitter.com/buzz_in_bucks.

February 13, 2011 02:00 AM

Potpourri for 2/6-2/12

2011-02-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

Get your application in soon

2011-02-05T08:28:00.003-05:00

We didn't want this to get lost in the potpourri section. Be sure to get your application in by 2/11. Is it possible the board will make an intelligent decision or will the Hellmann regime put another crony on the board? We shall see. Stay tuned.

NOTICE

The School Directors of the Borough of Morrisville School District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of interviewing prospective candidates for the vacant School Board position. The interviews will commence following the 7:30 p.m. Agenda Meeting and will be in 15 minute intervals on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. The meeting will be held in the LGI Room located in the Morrisville High School and is opened to the public. At the conclusion of the interviews, current School Board members will vote for the new Board member who will be seated on the evening of February 23rd. All potential candidates must send their application by February 11, 2011 to Mr. Paul DeAngelo, Business Administrator, Morrisville School District, 550 W. Palmer Street, Morrisville, PA 19067, e-mail: pdeangelo@mv.org.

The January 26, 2011 Board Meeting has been postponed to February 16, 2011.

Marlys Mihok
School Board Secretary

Potpourri for week 1/30-2/5

2011-01-30T09:06:00.001-05:00

$2M shortfall in early budget

2011-01-28T07:39:00.004-05:00

Wow, a $2 million shortfall! Remember Bill and Marlys, you guys were the ones who gave your pals some of these "generous salaries and benefits" That is pretty disturbing considering that the SB calls for more voulenteers all the time, and during these "tough economic times", you the Morrisville SB were giving some pretty fat salary increases to some administration. Over 2 years of Hellman and CO. running things, and we have a $2 million shortfall. Not good guys, not good at all!!

from the bcct:
$2M shortfall in early budget

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

Increases in salary and benefits are responsible for the shortfall. One board member vowed there would be no tax hike.

The preliminary 2011-12 budget for the Morrisville School District has a shortfall of more than $2 million, though officials said that doesn't mean there will be a tax increase.

School director Marlys Mihok said Wednesday night she wasn't alarmed at the task of trimming the $19.7 million proposal.

"I guarantee you there won't be a tax increase," Mihok said after Wednesday's school board meeting. "Not on my watch."

Increases in salary and benefits are responsible for the shortfall, officials said.

"Our expenses are constantly increasing due mainly to generous salaries and benefits but our revenues are shrinking from the state - primarily because they also have a huge deficit - and other sources such as interest income, real estate transfer taxes, etc. due primarily to our national recession," school board President Bill Hellmann said Thursday.

"I also expect revenues from our federal government will shrink due to their unsustainable deficit. This deficit is preliminary only and our school board will work with the administration to narrow the cap in the upcoming months."

Because of the state's Act 1 law, the Morrisville school board isn't permitted to raise taxes by more than 1.4 percent without a voter referendum.

When the final budget is approved, Mihok predicted that it will be pared to $17.9 million so there will be no deficit.

The school director wouldn't disclose how she proposes to trim the budget, but she stuck to her vow to not increase taxes.

The only other business discussed Wednesday was a permanent superintendent.

Board members were expected to give the job to William Ferrara at Wednesday's meeting.

Ferrara has been the acting superintendent for the district since September. But state law requires that the district open up the position to other applicants before filling the job.

Ferrara's contract requires him to go through a performance evaluation in May.

Ferrara said after the meeting that he would rather go through with the evaluation process than just be given the job.

The school board moved the rest of Wednesday's meeting agenda to Feb. 16 due to the storm.

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

January 28, 2011 02:07 AM

Potpourri for 1/23-1/29

2011-01-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sad news, Brenda Worob passes

2011-01-23T07:52:00.001-05:00

Our deepest sympathies are with Brenda's family and friends at this difficult time.

School board director dies

School board director dies

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

Brenda Worob, 50, served on the board since 2005.

Brenda Worob loved to watch the sunset.

It became one of her favorite pastimes after she was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago, when doctors told her she had three to six months to live.

She surprisingly exceeded doctors' expectations, but at 3 a.m. Friday she lost her battle to the disease. The last eight months of her life, the Morrisville school board director was homebound, mostly on bed rest, Penny Johnson, her sister-in-law, said Friday afternoon.

Worob, 50, leaves behind her husband and high school sweetheart, Stephen, and their two children, Jenny, 29, and Stephen, 26.

The year Worob was diagnosed with the disease, she and her husband, a former borough councilman, rented a beach house at the Jersey Shore. They continued the tradition the next 10 years.

"I say thank you to her because she taught my brother to relax by watching the sunset," Johnson said. "She lived life by the moment. She refused to believe doctors (about her limited time to live). She really thought she was going to beat this."

Worob moved from Langhorne to Morrisville when she was 16. At 21, she became a Republican committeewoman, a position she kept through her sickness.

In 2005, Worob was elected to the school board and re-elected in 2009. In addition to being board treasurer up until the time of her death, she was an outspoken member of the board on many contentious issues.

"Brenda faced the challenges confronting the Morrisville School District with great insight. She did what was best for the community and the education of our students," said the district in a written statement.

School director Marlys Mihok described Worob as a "gem of a woman."

"I lost my best friend," Mihok said. "I'll miss everything about her - her spirit, her courage, her optimism about life. She did so much for the community."

In 2004, she worked as legislative assistant for former state Sen. Joe Conti. She continued that position with Sen. Charles McIlhinney, R-10, through 2009, when her illness worsened.

"It's a loss for Morrisville," Mihok said of her friend's death.

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

January 23, 2011 02:41 AM

Superintendent's meeting

2011-01-20T18:02:00.003-05:00

We just got word that the next Superintendent's meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 25 at 7pm in the LGI room of the Morrisville IS/HS. This meeting is open to parents/guardians of children in grades K-12. It is a great forum if you have any questions or concerns. Issues such as traffic at either school, school policies, course selection have all been topics of discussion at past meetings.

Board to vote on hiring Ferrara

2011-01-20T07:59:00.000-05:00

Nothing really new here that we didn't already know. Check out the sentence that we have in bold type. Either the reporter is on the take, the reporter doesn't check her sources claims before putting them in the paper, and/or this is typical Stay on Track misinformation being spewed by the "up to 25k" per year" communications director. By the way does PW know where the LGI room is yet or is she asking others on the way in?
from the bcct:
Board to vote on hiring Ferrara

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

The Morrisville school board is looking into permanently hiring William Ferrara as the district's superintendent.

School directors are expected to vote on it at the Jan. 26 school board meeting.

After Wednesday's school board work session, Ferrara said the school directors have 150 days before June 30 to decide who will fill the position. His contract as acting superintendent runs until the end of the school year in June.

Ferrara has been acting superintendent since October. The board voted for him to look after the district following the abrupt departure of then-superintendent Elizabeth Yonson, who officially resigned in September, but had not attended district meetings since the start of the school year.

Before taking the $120,000 post, Ferrara was the principal at Morrisville High School. Donald Harm of Pennsbury School District replaced Ferrara in October for the remainder of the school year.

In other Morrisville school news, officials will look into the possibility of installing additional security cameras at Grandview Elementary. Cost details still need to be researched, officials said.

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

January 20, 2011 02:06 AM

Little bang for local school district bucks

2011-01-20T07:45:00.002-05:00

From the bcct:

Little bang for local school district bucks

axpayers in the Central Bucks and Pennridge school districts are getting the most bang for their buck in Bucks and Eastern Montgomery counties, according to a recent report from The Center for American Progress.

The think tank released a report Wednesday that shows Central Bucks and Pennridge spent the least amount of money per student in 2008 (the most recent data the center had), but the students got some of the highest scores on standardized tests. Only 13 other school districts in the state earned the center's highest rating.

On the other end of the "educational efficiency" scale are Bensalem Township, Bristol Township and Morrisville school districts, which spend more money per student and have students who earn lower test scores. Ulrich Boser, the senior fellow at the center who did the study, said 20 other school districts in Pennsylvania were also ranked in the bottom tier. Bristol Township school district officials said in a statement Wednesday that they don't believe the center's report is credible.

"Its propagators, who by their own admission have an axe to grind, appear to have mindlessly crunched a bunch of numbers that reward school districts with the highest populations," district spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher said in the statement.

Kelliher added later in an interview: "I don't know what their axe is to grind, but there's an axe to grind. + They're going somewhere with this. It's unfair to smaller school districts."

Several school districts that have smaller student populations than Bristol Township school district ranked higher on the center's efficiency scale: Centennial, Upper Moreland, Quakertown, Hatboro-Horsham, Palisades, New Hope-Solebury and Bristol Borough.

And Central Bucks Superintendent N. Robert Laws said he thinks his district's efficiency rating has little to do with its significant size.

"I know why we're efficient," he said."Our board has made some very tough decisions that have improved efficiency - one being the number of times we have redistricted. The bus routing. The expanded walking. The challenge to the assessments. We never overbuilt. We still have modular classrooms in some places, and that was all by design - to keep the building down and make sure the debt didn't get too high. Our use of technology is phenomenal."

Laws and Pennridge Superintendent Robert Kish said their districts are also very efficient because they're careful about the number of teachers they have per student, where they're teaching and what they're teaching. Careful examination of and investment in curriculum helps the students learn more and get higher test scores, Kish said.

The Center for American Progress looked at 9,000 school districts across the country, 495 of which were in Pennsylvania. The goal of the study, Boser said, was to see how educational funding relates to student achievement.

"What we're looking at now and what's been the sea change in education is moving school districts to look at outcomes," Boser said. "We just need to think more broadly about how our education systems function."

The center gathered demographic and spending data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics. It looked at the total student enrollment in 2008, the number of students who participate in the school lunch program (who are considered low income), the number of students in special education programs and per-pupil spending. It made adjustments for cost of living.

The center also gathered standardized test results from the New America Foundation's Federal Education Budget Project. It looked at scores in fourth grade math and reading, eighth grade math and reading, and high school math and reading tests, and how students in each district compared to their peers.

Boser said they found large differences in efficiency and productivity between states and within states. School districts need to look differently at how they measure educational success, Boser said in a press release. "The goal must be nothing short of a breakthrough in performance that guarantees that every dollar is directed at producing high achievement for all students."

Christina Kristofic can be reached at 215-345-3079 or ckristofic@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Christina on Twitter at twitter.com/ckristofic.

PhillyBurbs.com: Handouts must be reviewed by borough

2011-01-19T04:28:00.000-05:00

From the bcct:
PhillyBurbs.com: Handouts must be reviewed by borough

By: DANNY ADLER
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE

All fliers and literature distributed on borough-owned land now needs the administration's approval.

Morrisville will begin recording all literature, fliers and handouts distributed at borough hall and other borough-owned properties, according to a new policy approved Tuesday by the council.

The unanimously approved policy says that all literature, fliers and handouts will be reviewed by the borough manager before being approved and given an official number that must be displayed on it.

Anything not approved - or without that official number - will not be allowed to be displayed, the policy states.

Council President David Rivella calls it "a common sense policy."

"I think it's a good measure," he said just before the council voted. "It is just a little extra fail-safe so whatever + is handed out over the borough counter (at the municipal building) has been approved and certainly doesn't have anything that could be misconstrued or embarrassing for the borough."

Advertisement
Councilwoman Nancy Sherlock said: "The purpose of this particular policy is so that any literature or fliers distributed through the borough is reviewed first by our borough manager to make sure it is appropriate."

Council members Rivella, Sherlock, Fred Kerner, Victor Cicero, Rhonda Davis, Kathryn Panzitta, Todd Sanford and Eileen Dreisbach voted yes on the policy.

Danny Adler can be reached at 215-949-4205 or dadler@phillyBurbs.com. Follow him at twitter.com/adleronscene.

Potpourri for 1/16-1/22

2011-01-16T07:48:00.001-05:00

Ethics complaint filed against Fitzpatrick

2011-01-13T07:56:00.001-05:00

from the bcct:
Ethics complaint filed against Fitzpatrick

By: GARY WECKSELBLATT
Bucks County Courier Times
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the congressman violated House rules, federal law and the Constitution when he missed his swearing-in ceremony.

A political watchdog group filed an ethics complaint Wednesday with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Mike Fitzpatrick and Pete Sessions, the two lawmakers embarrassingly caught in a national media firestorm last week for missing their swearing-in ceremony.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington cites violations of House rules, federal law and the U.S. Constitution in its eight-page complaint to the OCE.

"Republicans have made strict adherence to the Constitution a hallmark of the new Congress," CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said. "Now we will find out if that was just window dressing designed to appease the tea party movement or if they were sincere. Two Republican House members have blatantly violated not only House rules, but federal law and the Constitution. Will they be held accountable, or given a pass?"

Though Fitzpatrick and Sessions were not on the House floor for the swearing-in, they participated in a series of votes that had to be nullified, and they later apologized to their 433 colleagues.

Fitzpatrick, Bucks County's 8th District representative, and Sessions, a Texas representative and head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, were at a reception for Fitzpatrick supporters when Speaker John Boehner issued the oath of office for the new chamber. Watching a large TV, the two raised their right hands and took the oath in front of about 500 Fitzpatrick supporters.

CREW claims the gathering was a fundraiser because about half of the estimated crowd paid $30 each to "Fitzpatrick for Congress" for a seat on one of several buses chartered by Fitzpatrick for the trip from Pennsylvania to the Capitol.

Fundraisers on Capitol grounds - the Fitzpatrick event was held in the Capitol Visitors Center - are against House rules.

"You're missing the oath for a fundraiser, what does that say about your priorities?" Sloan said. "It's all about the money from day one."

The Sunlight Foundation, another watchdog group, cited the House Ethics Manual when questioning the Fitzpatrick event.

It reads: "House rooms and offices are not to be used for events that are campaign or political in nature, such as a meeting on campaign strategy, or a reception for campaign contributors."

"We hope the Office of Congressional Ethics looks into this matter promptly," Sunlight spokeswoman Liz Bartolomeo said.

Last week, Fitzpatrick said, "To claim this is a fundraiser is just wrong."

On Wednesday, his spokesman Darren Smith said: "Congressman Fitzpatrick welcomes this review. The reception held last week in the Capitol Visitors Center was not a fundraiser. It was open and free to all comers and held in compliance with the House Ethics Manual."

Sloan said calling the Fitzpatrick event a reception and not a fundraiser "doesn't pass the smell test."

A registration form posted on the Fitzpatrick for Congress website provided options for contributing $30, $60, $90, $120 or "Other." The form, taken down from the site Friday and replaced with a thank-you note to those who attended the swearing in, was labeled "Mike Fitzpatrick's Swearing in Celebration."

Fitzpatrick said those amounts were based on people purchasing multiple $30 tickets for the bus ride.

"If you look at all the language that surrounded it, I would say that they were soliciting money," Sloan said. "This is not what you're allowed to use the Capitol Visitor Center for."

Election law expert and D.C. lawyer Brett Kappel sides with Fitzpatrick on the issue. He told Talking Points Memo last week that if the congressman's explanation of the event is true, it looks like the lawmaker wasn't doing anything against the law.

"This would have been a 'reception for campaign contributors' only if the event was only open to those who had made a contribution," Kappel said. "That doesn't appear to be the case."

Resolution of the complaint won't come any time soon, Sloan said. If the Office of Congressional Ethics dismisses it, that could come within 60 days. If it believes the complaint has merit, it'll take much longer.

"They're not quick," she said.

While Sloan admitted the actions of Fitzpatrick and Sessions are "not the end of the world," she criticized their "hypocrisy."

"Maybe we wouldn't have come down so hard on them but for the newfound devotion to the Constitution by Republicans. That somehow Republicans care about the Constitution and Democrats do not. When you claim you are going to be so devoted, you're going to be held, and I believe fairly, to a higher standard."

Gary Weckselblatt can be reached at 215-345-3169 or gweckselblatt@ phillyBurbs.com. Follow Gary on Twitter at twitter.com/gweckselblatt.

January 13, 2011 02:10 AM

Rivella new Boro council president

2011-01-12T16:22:00.001-05:00

Morrisville Borough Council member Nancy Sherlock resigns as president

By Petra Chesner Schlatter
BucksLocalNews.com

Dave Rivella receives the Morrisville Borough Council gavel from now former president Nancy Sherlock. (Photo by Petra Chesner Schlatter)

MORRISVILLE - Nancy Sherlock has resigned as president of Morrisville Borough Council. Councilman Dave Rivella has been named as her successor.

Sherlock made the announcement Jan. 11 when the agenda for the Jan. 17 meeting was set.

“It is my pleasure to serve as council president for the last few years here,” the longtime council member said. She thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve as council president.

“At this time you have a competent council person who would perform the duties professionally and enthusiastically," Sherlock said. "I would like to ask my colleagues that they would support this person I’m going to nominate but I have to hand over the gavel.”

She did not give a reason for her decision to step down as president, but she will remain on council, according to Dave Rivella.

Sherlock nominated Dave Rivella to serve as council president. Council Member Vic Cicero seconded the motion with the notation that council members were accepting Sherlock’s decision “to step down as council president and turn her chair over to Mr. Rivella.”

Council members voted 4-2 to appoint Rivella as president. Voting in favor of Rivella for the vacant presidential seat were Fred Kerner, Vic Cicero and Nancy Sherlock. Rivella voted for himself. Voting no were Eileen Dreisbach and Todd Sanford.

Vice President Kathryn Panzitta and Council Member Rhonda Davis were absent.

Mayor Rita Ledger, who typically doesn't vote unless there is a tie, was not present.

Sherlock then handed the gavel over to Rivella.

“I can’t say enough what an honor it is to be the one named by Nancy,” Rivella said. “I certainly have been mentored...

“Even though I wear a size 13 boot, I don’t know if I can fill her shoes, but I’ll do my best for the community,” he jokingly said. “The people who have known me for a few years up here know that my heart’s in helping the community.”

Rivella continued by saying, “I will put partisan politics aside when I sit up here. I want to do what I feel is right for the entire betterment of the borough. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.

“As president, I will do my best,” he continued. “Thank you to those who just supported me. I look forward to working with everyone.”

Sherlock serves in the second ward, which includes Bridge Street. Rivella serves in the fourth ward which includes Grandview Estates near Snipes Farm.

Before stepping down as president, she told BucksLocalNews.com about projects for 2011, noting that the council looks forward to finishing the Bridge Street project with the banners and the streetlights.

According to Sherlock, the borough council’s goals for 2011 would be:

- to continue to beautify the downtown and hopefully clear up the finances of the pool;

- to move to stage two of the Riverfront Preserve Project;

- to see some development in the area known as the Cloverleaf;

- for construction to begin at the Stockham building this year; and

- to start on an LED pilot program.

Sherlock serves in the second ward, which includes Bridge Street. Rivella serves in the fourth ward which includes Grandview Estates near Snipes Farm.

Swearing-in gaffe sparks uproar

2011-01-07T06:59:00.002-05:00

Swearing-in gaffe sparks uproar
By: BILL DEVLIN
Bucks County Courier Times

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick's taking the oath via TV apparently wasn't good enough. He and another congressman had to re-do it Thursday, to the delight of Democrats.

The hundreds of Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick supporters who made the trek to Washington Wednesday got an unexpected close-up of the Bucks legislator's swearing into office.

Or did they?

Fitzpatrick and Texas Republican Congressman Pete Sessions were at a reception for about 500 Fitzpatrick supporters in the Capitol Visitor Center when Speaker of the House John A. Boehner began administering the oath of office over on the House floor.

Seeing the swearing in taking place on TV, Fitzpatrick and Sessions raised their hands to take the oath. A Courier Times photographer's photo of the "long-distance" swearing in and the accompanying story in Thursday's paper created a buzz on Capitol Hill and, by the afternoon, House proceedings ground to a halt because of concerns the two congressmen weren't officially sworn in.

By that point, a half dozen votes had already taken place.

Fitzpatrick and Sessions were sworn in again by Boehner on Thursday about 3 p.m., but it made for an embarrassing first day for Fitzpatrick and the Republicans.

Adding to the red faces, the Republicans had House members reading the Constitution aloud Thursday, so that lawmakers would make sure that new legislation did not violate the nation's basic document. Article VI was read, the one that talks about the oath of office.

It says senators, representatives, state legislators, members of the executive branch and judicial officers are bound by their oath to support the Constitution.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reveled in the Republican dilemma.

"Uh oh," began a statement from the campaign organization spokeswoman Jennifer Crider. "Despite being in Washington, Congressmen-elect Pete Sessions (Texas) and Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.) missed being sworn into Congress yesterday. Not being sworn in and technically not being members of Congress didn't stop Pete Sessions or Mike Fitzpatrick from voting all day yesterday and today or participating in reading the U.S. Constitution on the House floor today."

Fitzpatrick spokesman Darren Smith said the congressman had been on the House floor, voted for Boehner as speaker and signed a written oath of office.

Because of what Smith called a "very fluid" schedule for the day's events, Fitzpatrick and Sessions left the House floor to go to the reception.

"At one point, Mike wanted to go over to see all those people who had traveled down to see the swearing in," Smith said.

Jordan Yeager, solicitor for the Bucks County Democratic Committee, called Fitzpatrick's gaffe "embarrassing."

"You have one main responsibility that day - to take the oath of office," said Yeager. "He shouldn't be raising money."

Some media reports referred to Fitzpatrick's reception as a fundraiser, something that is not allowed on Capitol grounds, but the congressman's spokesman emphatically disputed that characterization.

"It was absolutely not a fundraiser," said Smith. "It was open to anyone who walked in."

Fitzpatrick's staff did arrange buses to take supporters from Bucks County to Washington, D.C., and asked those riders to contribute $30 per person.

"The sole purpose (of the money) was to pay for the bus," said Smith. "There were 200 folks who came down to the reception and didn't take the bus. They didn't pay anything."

After Fitzpatrick and Sessions were sworn in, the Republicans needed to craft a way to fix the problem.

Their "fix" is to officially tag the two as the men who weren't there, through a resolution that will ask the House to nullify their votes - but not the voting results. The House, among other things, voted Wednesday to establish new rules for operating the chamber.

But the fix only will bring yet another embarrassment.

The resolution to correct the record is the same one that will set debate rules for the signature Republican legislation next week: repeal of the new law that changed health care insurance coverage in the nation. Democrats can now mix in the question of improper Republican voting with their vigorous opposition to the repeal.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

January 07, 2011 02:12 AM

Comments:

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Comments
Bravo, 01-07-11, 5:26 am | Rate: Flag 0 Flag | Flag Report
Great, first day on the job and this guy is late.

Just_Saying, 01-07-11, 5:59 am | Rate: Flag 0 Flag | Flag Report
GOP Day 1 and Day 2:

1. Don't show up to be sworn in. Check
2. Break a promise about eliminating $100 billion from the budget. Check.
3. Deride the CBO for telling you AGAIN that repealing HCR will INCREASE the deficit. Check. Check. And Check.
4. Fail to goven, by failing to decide repeal HCR or reduce the deficit. Check
5. Engage in lavish spending with lobbyist. Check and Check.
6. Read the whole constitutio n, except the part about slavery. Check
7. Say they want transparency then vote to hide their receiving federal insurance. Check
8. Spend $1,000,000 to read the Constitution out loud. Check
9. Say reading the Constitution is important for all but leave before it is all read. Check

Morrisville mentioned in Pittsburgh Post Gazette

2011-01-01T16:24:00.002-05:00

This is the article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that mentions the Morrisville School District.

Start cutting here, Gov. Corbett
Pennsylvania's PlanCon program encourages school districts to overbuild, argues Pottstown School Board member THOMAS HYLTON
Sunday, November 21, 2010
With a pledge not to raise taxes, and facing an enormous budget deficit, Gov.-elect Tom Corbett needs billions of dollars in spending cuts. Let me offer some low-hanging fruit: Eliminate the school construction subsidy program called PlanCon.

Each year, Pennsylvania school districts spend more than a billion dollars on school construction, with hundreds of millions reimbursed by the state. The subsidy depends on the wealth of the district, but some districts receive 25 percent or more of construction costs.

In theory, PlanCon encourages school districts to build and maintain top-quality facilities. In practice, PlanCon rewards districts for abandoning or demolishing perfectly good buildings and replacing them with lavish facilities that do little to improve learning but take decades to pay off.

Moreover, many of these projects exacerbate a decades-long trend of closing neighborhood schools and replacing them with large consolidated schools to which all students must be bused. Statewide, school busing now costs $1.2 billion annually -- half of it subsidized by the state -- and riding rather than walking contributes to childhood obesity. Meanwhile, the loss of nearby schools accelerates the decline of older neighborhoods.

Even when existing schools are retained, PlanCon adds unnecessary millions to construction costs by requiring that schools be completely renovated -- a process known as "shut-it-and-gut-it." The state provides no subsidies for on-going maintenance, such as replacing a roof, installing new wiring, or replacing plumbing and heating systems.

Instead, PlanCon provides an incentive for school districts to let buildings deteriorate so badly that reconstruction or replacement -- subsidized by the state -- seems necessary. Architects are paid a percentage of total construction costs, so they have a financial incentive to make projects as extensive as possible rather than promote cost-effective solutions.

Consider the Carlynton School District in Allegheny County, one of the smallest and most heavily taxed districts in the state. Carlynton is currently pondering a number of options to renovate or replace its two aging elementary schools. The district's architect has completed a lengthy feasibility study which concludes the schools are structurally sound, but their mechanical systems are worn out.

The architect has provided 10 options, ranging in cost from $28 million to $52 million. They include renovating the existing schools, adding to one and closing another, or replacing both schools with a new one.

But the most cost-effective solution isn't even mentioned: simply replacing the roofs, wiring, windows, lighting and mechanical systems without gutting the buildings. This option would likely cost a third of any other proposal.

At the other end of the state, in Bucks County, the tiny Morrisville School District has done just that. Like Carlynton, Morrisville has two elementary schools and an intermediate-high school. The buildings had all been terribly neglected, and the district's architect recommended replacing all three with a new K-12 building costing $35 million.

However, a new board was voted into office, with a certified public accountant as president. Rather than build a new school, or gut the existing buildings, the new board simply replaced the heating systems, windows, much of the wiring and plumbing, and some ceiling and floor tiles. The elementary school was air conditioned, as were selected areas of the intermediate-senior high school.

By making better use of existing space, Morrisville was able to close one elementary school by enlarging the other school with eight modulars, which it hopes to gradually eliminate. Morrisville has now extended the life of two schools for at least 20 years, and greatly increased their energy efficiency, at a cost of $8 million -- a quarter of the price of the proposed new school. Both schools are within walking distance of their students.

The state provided no subsidy towards Morrisville's thrifty solution. Had Morrisville opted to build a new $35 million school, however, the state would have provided $5 million toward the project.

Schools are typically among the most solidly constructed buildings in any community. Despite evolving technologies, the way we arrange our classrooms, hallways, gymnasiums and auditoriums hasn't fundamentally changed.

In fact, architectural fads like the "open plan" schools of the 1970s are the most likely to become obsolete. Building green? The "greenest" school is the one that's already been built.

New technologies like Smart Boards and mobile computer labs can be creatively accommodated in traditional buildings. Yet many school administrators contend that new construction is necessary to provide a 21st-century education.

Unfortunately, school boards rarely have the knowledge or confidence to challenge architects and administrators who push for elaborate projects, and big-spending districts continually raise the bar for everyone else. Ironically, many older buildings that are closed as inadequate are then sold and converted to charter schools or private schools.

When it comes to public schools, Gov.-elect Corbett has more than a spending problem, he has a culture problem. PlanCon reinforces the conventional wisdom that newer and bigger facilities are essential to a quality education. They aren't, and abolishing PlanCon can send a powerful message that we have entered an era of limited resources. We must make better use of what we have.

Thomas Hylton is author of "Save Our Land, Save Our Towns" and host of the public television documentary "Saving Pennsylvania."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10325/1104596-109.stm#ixzz19oyWLynw

Potpourri week 12/19 - 12/25

2010-12-19T10:40:00.004-05:00

We hope that everyone is having a joyful holiday season. We have seen so many houses throughout the borough that are decorated beautifully and we hope you take the time to enjoy the sights and the spirit of the season.

Director concerned about security

2010-12-16T08:05:00.001-05:00

Director concerned about security

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

John DeWilde asked board members to meet with the police chief in light of a shooting at a school board meeting in Florida.

Morrisville School Director John DeWilde wants to make sure that while he's discussing business at school board meetings, the board and the public are safe.

At Wednesday's board meeting, DeWilde asked for the board members to meet with Morrisville Police Chief Jack Jones to discuss safety measures and protocol in case of an emergency, such as someone pulling out a gun and shooting.

School board President Bill Hellmann assured DeWilde that the issue would be discussed soon.

DeWilde's safety concerns stems from a Tuesday incident in Panama City, Fla., when gunman Clay Duke shot at school district officials multiple times during a school board meeting before turning the gun on himself. Luckily, none of the shots fired hit anyone.

Duke was upset at the district for terminating his wife, Rebecca Duke, in February. The district hired her in September 2009, as a primary school teacher for students with special needs, but terminated her after a 97-day probationary period, according to the Associated Press.

DeWilde told the board, "We don't need that to happen here,'' and "we aren't prepared for that.''

DeWilde would like Jones and the board to have an action plan, just in case.

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

December 16, 2010 02:06 AM

Taxes going up a bit to pay for pool debt

2010-12-15T07:54:00.001-05:00

from the bcct:

Property taxes to increas $20

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE

The money from the tax hike will go toward paying off debt accrued by the municipal pool's owner.

It's final. Morrisville residents will pay $20 more in property taxes in 2011.

Despite objections by Mayor Rita Ledger and Councilman Todd Sanford at Monday night's council meeting, the extra money from property taxes will be used for debt - including liens - accrued by Morrisville Swimming Pool Inc., owner of the municipal swimming pool in Williamson Park.

Morrisville officials are trying to work out an agreement with the group that would transfer ownership of the closed pool to the borough for the debt payment.

The vote to approve next year's $5.9 million operating budget was 4-2. Sanford and Eileen Dreisbach voted against it. Voting in favor were council President Nancy Sherlock, Kathryn Panzitta, Rhonda Davis and Fred Kerner. Missing were Victor Cicero and David Rivella.

Sanford argued that if the pool management did run up high debt and liens, the borough should use other accounts to pay for it rather than raising taxes. Ledger said she researched the possibility of liens on the pool and there aren't any.

But borough solicitor Sean Kilkenny insisted, "There is debt on this property." His firm researched the property, so did former solicitor James Downey of Begley, Carlin & Mandio, said Kilkenny.

According to Sherlock, the pool's debt is about $75,000 and the extra money from property taxes will help pay $58,898 of that total.

Property owners will be assessed taxes at a rate of 40.93 mills. That means someone with a home assessed at the borough average of $20,000 will pay about $818 in municipal property taxes next year.

The independently operated Morrisville Community Swimming Pool closed in 2008 after years of trying to stay afloat financially. The swim club board blamed the financial strain on declining membership and attendance as well as keeping up with new safety laws.

Though the borough wants to buy the closed pool, there's no official plan for their future, officials said.

Before the council decides on anything, it intends to offer the public a chance for input.

Sherlock said the pool is "blighted and is an eyesore" and Morrisville has to do something about it.

The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching the pool owners for comment Tuesday.

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

December 15, 2010 02:11 AM

Morrisville School Board confirms president...

2010-12-14T08:45:00.002-05:00

Track team is a no go. Yet another missed opportunity for the Morrisville students.

Morrisville School Board confirms president, accepts resignation of football coach
Published: Monday, December 13, 2010

BucksLocalNews.com

MORRISVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT - Bill Hellmann, Morrisville school board president, was appointed to another term as board president ending in December 2011.

Board secretary Maryls Mihok filled in as temporary president for confirmation purposes and was re-elected as board secretary. Alfred Radosti was also appointed to the role of board vice president, again.

Congressman-elect Mike Fitzpatrick (R) of Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District attended the Monday, Dec. 6 meeting, vacating his role as solicitor. Although, the Middletown Township law firm of Begley, Carlin & Mandio will still serve as the district's solicitor.

Thomas J. Profy IV, Esq., a lawyer with the firm, filled in for Congressman-elect Fitzpatrick during his campagin against Democrat Patrick Murphy.

The board also confirmed the resignation of Morrisville head football coach Jim Gober. Gober broke the news to his team and Morrisville Athletic Director John Hubiak on Tuesday, Nov. 30.

In other news, the board along with the athletic director have decided not to allow the Fairless Hills Falcons AAU track team to participate in PIAA competition on behalf of the school district.

Track coach Kevin McClease said that the school didn't have enough grant money to support a track team at this time.

"I spoke with PIAA administrators and they tried their absolute best to get us into competition," he said. "But the school district won't budge."

"I'm going to speak with the kids and parents and hopefully we'll bring more [to the next meeting]," said McClease. "I'm just looking out for the children and the student athletes."

He also mentioned that he and parents might send a letter to the school.

At its next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 15, the board will need to approve the treasurer's and investment reports for November 2010. Budget transfers for the upcoming year will also need approval.

Kids of Morrisville denied the opportunity to run track

2010-12-06T09:05:00.004-05:00

Another setback for the youth of Morrisville. Big thumbs down to the administration and the board for not letting these kids participate. Looks like "stay on track" is keeping kids off the track.

Track team facing hurdles

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE AND MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville teenagers just want to run.

But a recent independent move by a local coach to organize high school track tumbled because of a dispute over a signature.

Currently, 27 students from the high school and the Bucks County Technical School are eager to participate in the upcoming Dec. 10-11 meets under the supervision of Kevin McClease, who said he would coach them if the Morrisville High School principal or the athletic director were to sign a membership application to the Track and Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia Inc.

The signature would prove that competing students attend Morrisville High School, and are athletically and academically eligible to compete, said Rich Swanker, executive secretary and treasurer of the coaches association.

But the situation is more complicated than just getting one signature, said Acting Superintendent William Ferrara.

Signing the dotted line would make the group a Morrisville High School sports team, and therefore the district would be responsible for it, Ferrara said. But in this case, the district itself never initiated the organization of a track team, he said. Instead, all the effort came from an outside source, namely McClease.

"If we were to start a track team, we would look at all the different aspects of starting it, such as student interest, how it would benefit the school, the funding," Ferrara said. "There are certain procedures we would have to follow. Then the board would have to approve it."

Plus, the district would want to register a new track team with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, not the coaches association, said Ferrara. The athletic association governs most of the high school's sports teams, except bowling. Those sports include football, coed soccer, cheerleading, field hockey, boys and girls basketball, baseball, girls softball and cross-country.

The coaches association has been around about 48 years, but Morrisville never has participated. About 100 Philadelphia area schools are members of the coaches association, which follows the athletic association guidelines, said Swanker.

McClease believes the district is just giving excuses for not signing the form. He and about 20 students made their voices heard at November's board meeting when they pleaded for the signature during public comment. Before attending the meeting, McClease couldn't get returned phone calls from district officials, he said.

He expects even more interested students after the football season is over, including his own kids. Participants can be from ninth grade through 12th grade.

McClease has interest from sponsors to support team expenses, including Novacare and Parx Casino, but they're pulling out because the district never signed the form.

Area parents, such as Annemarie Rivera, also wanted to have the form signed. Her son plays football for the high school and is looking forward to joining track.

"I don't understand why they would deny him. You have your football team and everything else. Certain kids can't get into colleges without athletic scholarships. Anything that can help my son, I'm all for it, but this is discouraging," Rivera said.

Ferrara reiterated Friday that the district can't sign a form for a group that wasn't organized by district officials. He wouldn't say whether or not Morrisville School District is planning to form a track team, given the interest.

"We're not saying we're not going to pursue it. We're just saying that we're not pursuing it at this time," he said.

Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Gema on Twitter at twitter.com/deadlineduarte. Manasee Wagh can be reached at 215-949-4206 or mwagh@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Manasee on Twitter at twitter.com/manaseewagh.

Potpourri for 12/5-12/11

2010-12-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

Coach Gober steps down

2010-12-01T11:54:00.001-05:00

From the BCCT:
Gober steps aside at Morrisville

By: DOM COSENTINO
Bucks County Courier Times
FOOTBALL

Jim Gober had been giving it some thought for quite some time - over the course of several recent offseasons, in fact.

As is true of every high school football coach with a wife and children, the demands on Gober's time took their toll through the years. Add to that the fact that Gober's wife, Margaret, sometimes works long shifts as a nurse at Abington Hospital, which on occasion left Gober with the duty of driving around their three children - ages 15, 13 and 11 - at the expense of leaving Morrisville's practices early.

Finally, after an emotional, 48-27 loss to Bristol last week on Thanksgiving - the Bulldogs' 11th in a row against their longtime holiday rivals, and a game that left Gober with a glazed, teary-eyed look afterward - Gober made up his mind sometime over the weekend.

Tuesday, he made it official by submitting his resignation to athletic director John Hubiak and breaking the news to the Morrisville players.

"I had the opportunity to coach a lot of wonderful kids," Gober said. "When I met the team (Tuesday), they kind of thought I was not serious when I told them; they were kind of like, 'Well, what are we going to do now?' "

Hubiak did not return phone calls seeking comment, though it's safe to assume the job will be posted sometime soon.

Gober, 43, who will continue to teach social studies at Morrisville, had two separate stints in charge of the Bulldogs. He first coached them in 1999 and 2000, then left in 2001, when Morrisville did not field a team because of a lack of numbers. He took over again in 2005, after a year as an assistant at Council Rock North and two seasons coaching his son's youth team.

Gober finished with a record of 26-64, but the Bulldogs did win seven games in both 2009 and 2010, with this year's bunch qualifying for the District One Class A playoffs for the first time in 18 years.

Gober reiterated what he said after the latest Thanksgiving loss to Bristol - he felt strongly that Morrisville had a chance to win. But after they fell behind, 42-13, at halftime, he ordered the players to remove the Bulldogs decals from their helmets, saying they didn't deserve to wear them after the way they played.

"It was a very difficult thing to do today," said Gober, who refused to rule out a return to coaching in the future.

Dom Cosentino can be reached at dcosentino@phillyBurbs.com. Follow Dom on Twitter at twitter.com/domcosentino

December 01, 2010 02:05 AM

Potpourri for 11/28-12/5

2010-11-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-25T06:56:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Don't forget the student loan breakfast is this morning at the HS!! And of course the 81st annual Thanksgiving game is at 10:30 at Robert Morris Field!! Best of luck Bulldogs!!! Beat Bristol!!

Community Events happening this week

2010-11-21T11:25:00.003-05:00

It has come to our attention that there are some traditional community events occurring this week. It would be nice to see many out and give thanks for those around us that all contribute in different ways to make this small community great.

On Wed, 11/24 there will be a Community Pep Rally in the gym of the HS at 6 pm. I'm sure the cheerleaders, band and many others will put on quite a show to get everyone hyped up for the following days' football game.

On Thursday, 11/25 (Thanksgiving Day) the Morrisville Student Loan Breakfast will be held in the cafeteria of the HS from 7 am until 10 am.
This organization provides interest free loans to Morrisville graduates who wish to continue their education.
Adults $6 and kids (12 & under) $4

That all leads up to the Annual Morrisville/Bristol Thanksgiving day game (on Thursday 11/25) that begins at 10:30 am at the Athletic Field.
Ending a great season at home with the biggest rivalry around should prove to be exciting for the football players and supporters alike.

Potpourri for 11/21 - 11/27

2010-11-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Candidates say board appointments based on politics

2010-11-21T11:21:00.001-05:00

Candidates say board appointments based on politics
TEXT SIZE Increase text size Decrease text size
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times

MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

Residents Dave Stoneburner and Damon Miller sat in the same spots they usually do on the third and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

As they always do, they diligently listened to the issues discussed at Morrisville school board meetings, such as the possibility of starting a track team club and getting a more comfortable ride for students attending Bucks County Technical School instead of crowding them into one bus.

But last week's meeting was personal for them. They were two of four candidates hoping to be appointed to the board. A seat was left vacant last month after the board ousted Robin Reithmeyer because of poor attendance.

Neither got the job.

Yvonne Ruthrauff did. Mark Coassolo was the other candidate, but he wasn't at the meeting.

No surprise in the choice, Stoneburner and Miller said, but plenty of disappointment.

They believe Ruthrauff will be a rubberstamp for the majority.

But board members said she was the most qualified and would be the best person to work with.

Jack Buckman said he voted for Ruthrauff because "(she) was humble and had concerns about the schools and the community before I came on the board. I used to be on (the borough's council) + and then she was telling me things had to be looked into at the schools. All the others came across as forceful and too confident. I feel (Ruthrauff) will speak up when it's necessary."

John DeWilde voted for her because "she seemed the most willing to work with the rest of the board members."

For board member Marlys Mihok, Ruthrauff was the most open-minded candidate and willing to learn new things. Ronald Stout said Ruthrauff "seems to think along the same lines as I do. We need good education and want the money to go to the kids."

Al Radosti said he's known Ruthrauff a long time and, without giving specifics, said she was the best choice. He added that she's been involved in the community a lot.

Ruthrauff said she wants to work with the board and not disappoint the public.

Stoneburner and Miller have made previous runs for a school board seat with no luck. Still, they continued attending meetings and being involved in the district hoping their knowledge of the issues would land them a seat.

It didn't this time.

Ruthrauff was the only candidate nominated, and appointed by a 6-0 vote. Two board members, Brenda Worob and Gloria Heater, didn't attend the meeting.

Although they said they have nothing against Ruthrauff as a person, they worry about her knowledge of the issues affecting the district.

"(The board is) looking for 'yes' people that won't bring anything new to the table," Miller said. "They aren't representing all of Morrisville; they are only representing a portion of the community."

"They picked what was best for them, not what was best for the students," Stoneburner said, adding that Ruthrauff doesn't attend meetings regularly.

But Stoneburner and Miller will be back, they said, sitting in their regular seats.

Tech School Board Meeting - 11/22 at 7:30pm

2010-11-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

Wanda said...
if this can be posted to the front page today by the blog Admin would so appreciate it....feel like we never get a breatk from fighting for our kids...i know this blog is mostly read by Morrisville residents but if everyone can pass on to their friends it would help get the word out.

FOR ANYONE IN ANY DISTRICT WHO KNOWS A STUDENT GOING TO BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL OR HAS A CHILD IN THE SCHOOL PLEASE READ THE POSTING FROM OUR PARENT BOOSTERS PRESIDENT BELOW AND PLEASE ATTEND THE BCTHS SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ON MONDAY 11/22. THIS IS SO VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR CHILDRENS TECHNICAL AND ACADEMIC EDUCATION.

Message....

I know there are alot of rumors flying around about changing the schedule at BCTHS. I think this all stems from how the sending school districts perceive the Tech. We all know what a great school this is, mainly because our children are offered a great technical education in addition to a highly competitive academic education. However, after being a guest at a meeting with administrators from other schools, it is evident that everything revolves around the PSSA scores and the No Child Left Behind guidelines. And because we have a higher ratio of students with an IEP, this makes it more difficult for BCTHS to achieve the expected AYP scores. But the school boards tend to look at our overall performance, without taking into account all the factors. So I think it's time we make our voices heard! There's a Board Meeting this Monday, Nov. 22nd, at 7:30 PM in the Board Room (K hall, which is at the first parking lot on your right). I'm hoping we can get as many supporters as possible to let the sending school districts know how we feel about BCTHS. The current schedule works well for our kids (as they can see by the 82% passing rate on the NOCTI tests!). Changing the schedule won't automatically raise our PSSA scores. My son was in learning support while at BCTHS, and there was no way he was making proficient on the PSSA's (I'm not downing my son-it's just a fact!). Hopefully, we can make the board members see our point so they continue to fund BCTHS. Remember, BCTHS is dependent on the sending school districts for funding. So, as you can see, it's time to get involved! We need all the boards' support in order for our children to continue to receive the quality education they're entitled to (and, as taxpayers, we are entitled to!). Please try to attend this meeting! And pass the word around to anyone not on this list! There's power in numbers!!

Friday, November 19, 2010

A new board member and an overcrowded bus

2010-11-18T07:50:00.002-05:00

From the BCCT:

Students say tech bus is overcrowded

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
morrisville schools

The school board also appointed a new member during its meeting Wednesday night.

Morrisville School District has two new things: an appointed school board member and a school bus problem.

Three students complained of the overcrowded conditions on the single school bus that about 50 students have been riding since Monday - and parents want an immediate solution.

Morrisville students heading to Bucks County Technical School in Bristol Township had been riding in two school buses from the former M. R. Reiter Elementary School. That changed when the district cut one bus to save money.

Acting Superintendent Bill Ferrara said the problem would be taken care of immediately, but a permanent solution needs to be worked out.

Two school students told the board that the bus ride is unsafe.

"We are falling off our seats," said Robert Fox, 16, adding that if the school bus gets into an accident, the liability may be on the district for the unsafe bus condition.

Jake Wilson, 17, said there's no room for school projects or sports gear on the bus. He added that Safety Officer Dave May supervises the students from the outside of the bus, so he hasn't witnessed the students' discomfort.

Wanda Kartal, a parent, wanted the school to find a solution.

"On (Friday), the tech parents received first notice that on (Monday) there would no longer be two buses transporting students to and from the tech school," she told the board. "No other information was provided, not even what time the one bus would be picking the kids up. No other notice was given, not even at the superintendents meeting, the school board meeting, or during the tech school updates."

She continued: "Since Monday, I have witnessed 50 kids rushing to board the bus and several kids hopping off the curb to be first in line due to overcrowding on the one bus. My son, who attends the tech school, told me he had to squeeze between two other students and that kids were hanging off the seats, blocking the aisles with their bodies and backpacks."

Ferrera said it was too late to get either a bigger bus or two buses for today, but accommodations will be made for Friday. And he will personally walk the aisles of the bus or buses.

Shortly after that discussion, the board moved on to appoint Yvonne Ruthrauff to replace former school board director Robin Reithmeyer, who was kicked off the board in October for not attending meetings. Reithmeyer told the newspaper that she had family and health issues preventing her from attending meetings.

Ruthrauff, whose son graduated in 2008 from the district, said her goal on the board will be to provide area students a good education at a good price for the district.

Before the vote, board Director Marlys Mihok read a letter, which said that she had a conversation with Reithmeyer on Wednesday afternoon, notifying the former director of the board's intention to replace her at the meeting and if she had any intention of fighting for her seat.

Reithmeyer confirmed Wednesday night during a phone interview that Mihok called her at work. And she responded, "I find it amusing that after 13 months you reached out to me."

Reithmeyer said the issue wasn't her year of absence, according to the letter she received from the board's solicitor Thomas Profy dated Oct. 25. The letter questioned her absence from the August and September meetings, which she had medical explanations for, but the board didn't ask for the material, she said.

Near the end of Mihok's letter she said, "It is my opinion that Robin Reithmeyer never attended another Morrisville School Board meeting after the November 2009 general election because the results did not favor the candidates that Robin supported by displaying their lawn signs on her property."

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

November 18, 2010 02:06 AM

Potpourri for 11/14-11/20

2010-11-14T07:46:00.001-05:00

Cookson re-injured as Bulldogs fall in title game

2010-11-13T07:36:00.003-05:00

We are proud of the football team and all of the talented athletes within the school district that proudly display their Morrisville uniforms with honor. Go Bulldogs!

Cookson re-injured as Bulldogs fall in title game
By: JEAN-PAUL LAUTENSCHLAGER
The Intelligencer
The Morrisville quarterback was forced to leave after re-aggravating a shoulder separation, and Calvary Christian rolled to the win.

BRISTOL TWP. - The pigskin slipped out of his grasp, and with it went the momentum and the hope of another district title.

The Morrisville Bulldogs fell to Calvary Christian Academy, 47-14, in the District One Class A championship at Harry S Truman's Hank Johns Field. It was the first time since 1992 that Morrisville made a playoff appearance. It's the third crown for Calvary and the first since 2005.

The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs coughed up the football four times and the Cougars took advantage. The miscues resulted in 13 points for second-seeded Calvary.

"We knew coming in that they are good football team. They don't beat themselves," said Morrisville coach Jim Gober, who made his playoff coaching debut.

Calvary scored its third touchdown at the 7:25 mark in the second quarter, taking a 20-7 lead. Looking to avenge a 53-14 loss in Week 8, the Bulldogs marched to the Cougars' 2-yard line on seven plays. Morrisville (7-4) converted a fourth down, and quarterback Matt Cookson connected on a 38-yard pass to wide receiver Eric Wilcox. The sideline and Morrisville faithful gasped after the next play.

"It was pretty close, but when I got hit, I wasn't worried about the touchdown," Cookson said of the hit that re-aggravated his Grade III shoulder separation. "He hit me in the perfect spot."

The hit forced a fumble and, instead of the drive ending in a touchdown, it ended in a touchback. The Cougars recovered the ball and scored two plays later. Jerry Peralte broke free for a 75-yard run, and teammate Ian Richardson capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown for a 27-7 lead.

"It's a whole different ballgame if we would've scored. That fumble gave them momentum and it killed us," said Cookson, who threw for 123 yards and ran for 19. "If it's 20-14, you never know what could've happened."

What did happen was more ball control and a balanced Cougars attack. Richardson and Calvary quarterback Doug Smith each had two rushing touchdowns. Calvary will play the winner of District 12 the weekend after Thanksgiving.

"We just couldn't get into the end zone for some reason," said Morrisville co-captain Austin Crist. "I wish it was a different result, but we can't win (playing) like this."

Morrisville had 12 first downs and only punted three times. Sophomore Jimmie Miller rushed for 40 yards, including a 34-run with less than a minute to play. With Wilcox at quarterback, Morrisville was forced to change its game plan. The Bulldogs passed on 17 of 28 plays after that fateful fourth down. Morrisville was penned deep in its own territory, and its best field position on the first four series was its own 23.

Luckily for Morrisville, however, still has one game remaining on the schedule - the annual battle against Bristol.

"The fact that we are here after all we came through is a good thing," Crist said. "Thanksgiving will be another chance for a championship."

Board interviews residents for vacant seat

2010-11-11T08:45:00.003-05:00

The reporter seems to have mixed up Mark Coassolo (who is a single person with no children) with Dave Stoneburner (who actually has two daughters).

Board interviews residents for seat
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

Four Morrisville residents want to be the next school board member, but when the music stops, there will be only one chair.

They all want to take the seat once held by former board member Robin Reithmeyer, who was booted from the board in October because she didn't attend a meeting the past year.

Two of them, Damon Miller and Mark Coassolo, have run for school board before and lost. The other two, Yvonne Ruthrauff and Dave Stoneburner, are interested in getting involved with the district. The final vote will be made at the Nov. 17 meeting.

During a special meeting Wednesday, held immediately after the work session, the majority of the board interviewed the four candidates by asking seven questions to some and more to others. Each candidate had up to 15 minutes to respond. The questions included qualifications, reason for interest, dealing with delicate discussions, challenges facing public education, and meeting attendance.

They all are available to attend meetings, they said. And if, for whatever reason, they can't attend a meeting, they would communicate with the board.

Miller, Coassolo and Stoneburner said their interest for the seat is to practice financial responsibility and student education. And the trouble facing public education is parent involvement, said Miller and Coassolo.

Stoneburner is a single man tired of high taxes. Miller is involved with different district committees and groups. Coassolo has a child in the district and wants school spirit in the community. Ruthrauff volunteers in the community and wants to find solutions to district problems.

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

Football playoffs tomorrow!!

2010-11-11T04:55:00.002-05:00

Best of luck to the Bulldogs tomorrow!! They will be taking on Calvary Christian tomorrow night. The game will take place at Harry S. Truman High School. Truman H.S. is located on 3001 Green Lane, Levittown, Pa. Come out and show your support for the Bulldogs!!!

DISTRICT ONE CLASS A
Morrisville vs. Calvary Christian, 7 p.m. at Harry S Truman

Special meeting for vacant school board position

2010-11-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

Any takers?

NOTICE
The School Directors of the Borough of Morrisville Sch-ool District will hold a Special Meeting for the purpose of interviewing prospective candidates for the vacant school board position. The interviews will commence following the 7:30 p.m. November 10, 2010 Agenda Meeting and will be in 15 minute intervals. The meeting will be held in the LGI Room located in the Morrisville High School and is opened to the public. At the conclusion of the interviews, current school board members will vote for the new board member who will be seated on the evening of November 17th. All potential candidates must send their letters of interest to Mr. Paul DeAngelo, Business Administrator, Borough of Morrisville School District, 550 West Palmer Street, Morrisville, PA 19067 by November 9, 2010.
Marlys Mihok
Secretary
1t N 7

Appeared in: Bucks County Courier Times on Sunday, 11/07/2010

Potpourri for 11/7-11/13

2010-11-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Big Win for the Bulldogs last night

2010-11-06T08:59:00.002-04:00

Big win for the Bulldogs last night!!

from the bcct:

Field goal in OT gives Morrisville stunning win

TEXT SIZE

By: JEAN-PAUL LAUTENSCHLAGER

Bucks County Courier Times

BAL FOOTBALL: Morrisville 3, Springfield 0 (OT)

The Bulldogs will go into the District One championship game on a high note after upsetting BAL rival Springfield on Matt Cookson's clutch kick.

MORRISVILLE - The Morrisville Bulldogs took a ferocious bite out of the Springfield Spartans' football team Friday night.

Matt Cookson booted a 27-yard field in overtime, boosting the Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory at Robert Morris Field on Senior Night. The win kept Morrisville as the top seed in the District One Class A playoffs, which start next week.

"I am still completely overwhelmed. I'm speechless," Cookson said. "This is the best thing ever."

Morrisville will take on Calvary Christian for the District One championship this Friday (7 p.m.) at Harry S Truman.

The Bulldogs' defense held Springfield scoreless through regulation and only gave up six yards in the overtime series, stonewalling the Spartans' offense. Morrisville (7-3 overall, 3-3 Bicentennial Athletic League) didn't gain a yard in overtime.

On fourth down, however, the Bulldogs looked to kicker and quarterback Cookson. Julian Walker bobbled the snap, but got it down in time for Cookson to end the game and upset Springfield.

"I was so nervous. My hands were shaking," said Walker, who held on field goals for the first time Friday.

Earlier this season the Morrisville offense ruled the headlines. In Week 10, however, the Bulldogs' defense was the only spotlight in the victorious post-game huddle.

"Our defensive coordinator, coach (Demetrius) Roberts put together a solid game plan," said Morrisville head coach Jim Gober. "The biggest thing we concentrated on today was we didn't want to make mistakes."

With 2:37 remaining in the game, Springfield (7-3, 5-2 BAL) started its final offensive series with a 4-yard run, then a 32-yard pass to get to the Bulldogs' 22. Defensive back Rich Laypo stopped Spartans running back Clay Ewell for a short gain, forcing fourth down. Luke Whealey hauled in Doug Bauer's 16-yard pass in the end zone. The touchdown was called back because of an illegal shift penalty - Springfield's sixth miscue of the game. Austin Crist forced a turnover on downs when he sacked Bauer for a loss of 4.

Springfield more than doubled Morrisville's total yards on offense, 292 to 110, respectively. Ewell led the Spartans' attack with 34 carries for 183 yards - an average of 5.4 yards per rush. Springfield outgained Morrisville in passing yardage, 32-25.

"This is best game I have ever played with this team," Crist said. "This is what this team has now become - all heart."

With less than four minutes to play, the Bulldogs ended a 12-play Spartans drive when Ewell rushed to the 6-yard line and fumbled after a hit by the Morrisville defense. Lineman Gary Boyd recovered to preserve the scoreless tie.

Senior Matt Beyer led Morrisville with 43 yards on six carries. Cookson ran for 41 yards and threw for 25.

"We're thrilled with the way we played, and hopefully we continue with this wave of emotion next week against Calvary," Gober said.

Jean-Paul Lautenschlager can be reached at jpradio@hotmail.com

November 06, 2010 12:20 AM

Districts concerned over exercise, nutrition

2010-11-04T05:07:00.003-04:00

Districts concerned over exercise, nutrition

By: THERESA HEGEL

Bucks County Courier Times

The Pennsylvania Board of Education is hoping to tackle the growing childhood obesity problem by encouraging exercise and healthier food in schools and even a sort of recess for middle and high school aged students.

But many area school districts have issues with the state's proposed revisions to school physical education and nutrition guidelines. Though they agree with the intent, district officials call the state regulations an unfunded mandate that would cut into academic programming and focuses on nutrition goals that are unreachable at this time.

The Board of Education approved the draft Chapter 12 regulations in May, though by September it had backed off on some of the more stringent physical education requirements.

The regulations are still under review and have not yet been submitted to the governor or state legislators, according to Steve Weitzman, a spokesman for the Department of Education.

"Obesity is almost an epidemic, with one-third of kids either overweight or obese," Weitzman said. Besides the risk of health problems, "there are consequences to academic achievement."

He noted that obesity has been linked to discipline issues and lower test scores in schools.

Weitzman could not give an estimate of when the proposed regulations would go into effect.

On the nutrition side, the proposed regulations would require each food item offered by the cafeteria to contain 35 percent or fewer calories from fat, 10 percent or fewer calories from saturated fat, and no more than 0.5 grams of trans fat. Nuts, seeds and cheese would be exempt from the standards.

Sugar levels would need to make up less than 35 percent of a food's total calories.

Each food item sold as part of the lunch entree must have fewer than 230 milligrams of sodium per portion, though a la carte items can contain as much as 480 milligrams of sodium.

Pennridge officials say the nutrition requirements would be too limiting and would likely increase the cost of school lunches.

Most entrees the district offers - such as its homemade soup - now would not meet those new sodium levels, and food suppliers are not even offering products with those levels yet, said Karen Castenada, director of food services at Pennridge.

"Manufacturers are working on taking out sodium. We're at a starting point," she said. "It's not something you can just do immediately."

She said she would prefer to see such guidelines phased into the school districts, with attention paid more to a balanced meal, rather than focusing on the nutritional value of each, individual food item.

Without a balance, you'll likely lose students' interest in school lunches and perhaps defeat the purpose of the new nutrition guidelines, she said.

"If the only thing you're offering the students is healthy food and no more processed (food) and not as much variety, you're going to have more kids that are going to want to brown bag it," Castenada said. "The best way to go about it is to have lots of healthy choices. If (students) come to the cafeteria and buy a slice of pizza but have salad and fruit juice, it's still a balanced meal."

School districts say promoting healthy foods is already a priority.

Upper Moreland School District recently received a farm-to-school grant that will allow it to plant a vegetable garden in the high school's courtyard, said Superintendent Robert Milrod.

He expects the garden to be planted sometime in the next year, with the harvest being incorporated into school lunches.

"We think that will give people a healthier point of view regarding their environment and also what they're putting into their bodies," he said.

At Pennridge, cafeterias are making a lot of entrees, like soups and buffalo pork subs, from scratch. Even the less healthy choices, like pizza, are made with whole grain flour and a blend of skim and whole mozzarella, Castenada said. Chicken patties and nuggets are baked, not fried.

The state's proposed revisions to Chapter 12 also would require schools to provide at least 30 minutes of "moderate to vigorous physical activity daily during the regular school day."

The regulations state that 20 minutes of the requirement should be in the form of "scheduled recess" for elementary and middle schools or a "physical activity break" for high school students.

The first draft of the regulations also proposed weekly targets for formal physical educations classes: 150 minutes per week at the elementary level and 225 minutes per week in middle and high schools.

But administrators across the state blasted those goals, saying it would require them to hire new phys-ed teachers and build new gymnasiums.

Based on that feedback, the state Board of Education backed off from the physical education requirements, according to a September letter sent to "education stakeholders" in the state.

Still, school districts aren't sure how they will be able to incorporate what some describe as "recess for high school students" into an already packed school day.

Jennifer Foight-Cressman, assistant superintendent at Centennial School District, said Centennial supports the spirit of the law.

"We are committed to educating the whole child and recognize that happy, healthy kids are also better learners," she said.

But some of the proposed requirements would put a strain on instructional time and resources, she added.

Arlene Zielinski, an assistant superintendent at Pennridge, said she was "stunned at the kinds of pictures that came to mind when I imagined every high school student getting an unsupervised, unstructured 20-minute recess."

Adding such a physical activity break would mean a straight loss of instructional time.

"If you put that in, what comes out?" asked Curtis Griffin, superintendent of Hatboro-Horsham School District.

Even during elementary school recesses, administrators can't force a student to be active, she said.

Some students, for instance, spend recess reading a book.

"What are you going to do? Pull the book out of their hand and make them run around?" Zielinski asked.

Pennridge is one of several school districts in the state whose school board passed a resolution against the proposed Chapter 12 changes.

"At some point, schools can't handle everything. (Health and physical fitness) belong as a choice for families to make," Zielinski said. "We're charged with instruction. That's what we should be doing."

Some area school districts, however, are taking a wait-and-see approach to the proposal.

Milrod of Upper Moreland called the regulations "very impractical to implement." But, he added, "Sometimes the world of politics puts out information at one extreme to put us educators in a bargaining position where we try to come up with a solution."

Theresa Hegel can be reached at 215-538-6381 or thegel@phillyBurbs.com.

November 04, 2010 02:21 AM

Fitz wins over incumbent Murphy

2010-11-03T08:22:00.001-04:00

Fitzpatrick triumphs in 8th

TEXT SIZE

By: GARY WECKSELBLATT

Bucks County Courier Times

He came full circle - defeating incumbent Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy after having lost to Murphy four years ago.

Riding a wave that carried Republicans to control of the U.S. House, Mike Fitzpatrick avenged his most bitter political defeat Tuesday by booting Congressman Patrick Murphy from office.

According to the unofficial voting machine results, Fitzpatrick took 54 percent of the vote to Murphy's 46 percent.

As hundreds of supporters at GOP headquarters in Doylestown chanted his name, Fitzpatrick said, "I'm incredibly humbled by this decision made by the people. I won't let you down."

Murphy, a two-term Democrat, spoke to emotional supporters at the Italian Mutual Aid Fifth Ward Association in Bristol.

"Tonight, we may have lost a battle, but the fight for our country must go on," he said. "I will never back down from my pledge to you to fight for the greatness I believe our country can achieve. I hope no matter what happens, I will continue to make you proud. I'm honored to continue the fight in this community. And my faith in America, and all of you, will never fade."

About 8,500 absentee ballots need to be counted - beginning today - after allegations of fraud tarnished the final weeks of the campaign. That won't impact the 8th District race, as Fitzpatrick led by more than 17,000 votes.

The Bucks County Board of Elections agreed last week to impound the ballots and count them at the courthouse to preserve any evidence of alleged ballot fraud.

During his concession speech, Murphy said he spoke with Fitzpatrick's camp. When the crowd booed, Murphy said, "They won fair and square + well, not fair and square, but you know +"

Four years ago, facing a voter backlash as the country soured on President George Bush and the war in Iraq, Fitzpatrick lost to Murphy by just more than 1,500 votes in an election where nearly 250,000 were cast. Democrats gained control of the House that year and increased their margin in 2008.

Republicans returned the favor Tuesday night, as Americans had their first chance to react to the policies of President Barack Obama and a Democratic House and Senate with large majorities.

"I've been through a lot the last four years and had the opportunity to reflect on what went wrong in Washington, and why the people fired my party," Fitzpatrick said. "That experience and that reflection have not been lost on me. This election was a referendum on President Obama's handling of the economy and it was also a referendum on Pat Murphy because Murphy is Obama."

Murphy, one of the first national figures to endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton, has been a solid vote for the Democratic agenda that included massive spending with the stimulus, bank, auto and state bailouts and health care reform.

Fitzpatrick, 47, made that the primary focus of his campaign, hammering away at Murphy with statistics that show unemployment has more than doubled during the Democrat's four years in office while the nation's debt has increased by $5 trillion.

He also echoed GOP talking points about shrinking government and with it, its taxes and regulations on small businesses.

And just as Fitzpatrick tried to tie Murphy to Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Murphy, 37, used the "Bush-Fitzpatrick" phrase early and often during several debates and news conferences.

Murphy jumped on Fitzpatrick from the day the Republican won the primary. He criticized him for his decade as a Bucks County commissioner and derided him as a "Fitz-flopper" for position changes during his one term in Congress.

But Fitzpatrick, who survived a battle with colon cancer, pulled off a political triumph that was seemingly unthinkable a year ago.

At the Moose Lodge in Doylestown, about 150 members of the Kitchen Table Patriots, a Bucks County Tea Party group, celebrated Tuesday night and reflected upon what their young movement has achieved.

"No matter what happens, this isn't the end, this is the end of the beginning for us," said Furlong's Paul Crovo, who said he wasn't politically active until joining the group last summer.

Members knocked on thousands of doors leading up to the election.

Marianne Davies, co-founder of the Kitchen Table Patriots, said the group invested "a long time and a lot of work. But we are going to hold Mike's feet to the fire."

Pat Poprik, vice chairwoman of the Bucks County Republican Committee, said, "We've won and we've lost and winning is a lot better."

Staff writers Rachel Canelli and John Mullane contributed to this story.

Gary Weckselblatt can be reached at 215-345-3169 or gweckselblatt@phillyBurbs.com

U.S. Representative 8th District

1 seat

2 years

The 8th District includes all of Bucks County, some districts of Abington, Upper Dublin and Upper Moreland in Montgomery County and two wards in Philadelphia.

Republican Mike Fitzpatrick 126,404

Democrat Patrick Murphy (I) 109,157

Vote totals don't include absentee ballots, which haven't been counted yet.

November 03, 2010 02:10 AM

Galloway wins in the 140th district, defeats Jane Burger

2010-11-03T08:17:00.002-04:00

State Representative 140th District

By: Christian Menno
Bucks County Courier Times
1 seat n 2 years

The district includes Bristol, Morrisville, Tullytown, Falls, two districts in Bristol Township and one district in Middletown.

Republican Jane Burger 6,413

Democrat John Galloway (I) 10,954

Vote totals don't include absentee ballots, which haven't been counted yet.

State Rep. John Galloway has won a third term, defeating Republican candidate Jane Burger for the 140th Assembly seat Tuesday.

"I am humbled and honored that the voters in my district once again elected me to represent them in Harrisburg," said Galloway, a Democrat. "I ran on my record of achievement with a positive, issues-oriented campaign and I was proud of that. I look forward to addressing the many challenges ahead of me."

His opponent, Republican Jane Burger, said she was proud of her numbers even though more than 63 percent of voters - not including those casting absentee ballots - supported Galloway.

"It was an uphill battle in a heavy Democratic district," Burger said Tuesday. "We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I am happy with the support that I received. It shows that the voters are beginning to look at the candidates and not just voting along party lines. Voters will be watching to make sure that Galloway works for the people and not for special interest groups. He worked for his re-election, and I wish him well."

Galloway now will have a chance to show his effectiveness as a legislator without the benefit of per diems - the daily expense allowance lawmakers are entitled to without producing receipts. Galloway, 50, said he has sworn off per diems after last year, when he took home one of the highest totals in the House.

He went to Harrisburg in 2006 as a legislator who ran on a reform platform. He became the only state representative to introduce legislation seeking a referendum calling for a constitutional convention.

"I want to shift from a local property tax to a state tax," he added Tuesday after the election. "That could either be an income tax or a sales tax that will change the way we fund our schools. And I want a constitutional convention to do it."

- Christian Menno

Reithmeyer not sure if she'll fight for seat

2010-11-02T08:18:00.004-04:00

From the BCCT:

Reithmeyer not sure if she'll fight for seat

TEXT SIZE

By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE

Bucks County Courier Times

MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

The school board vacated her seat after she didn't attend any school board meetings for a year.

For the past 12 months, Robin Reithmeyer hasn't attended a single meeting as an elected member of the Morrisville school board.

And it's taken the board that long to remove her from the seat.

The board took action last week, after a year in which neither Reithmeyer nor school board members talked to one another. During each meeting over the year, members had assumed she would show up at the next meeting, one board member said.

Reithmeyer said last week that illness and family crises made it impossible for her to attend meetings. And she's uncertain whether she'll fight to get back her seat.

"I'm undecided," she said, adding that she found out about the board's action Thursday morning.

Head board directors - President Bill Hellmann, Vice President Alfred Radosti and board secretary Marlys Mihok - knew about the death of Reithmeyer's father in December. But they weren't aware of Reithmeyer's health problem, Mihok said last week.

She added that a policy requires school board members to call her when they plan to be absent. Reithmeyer said she's not aware of the policy, but did call the secretary assigned to the board, Jeanne Corrigan. Since Corrigan doesn't talk to the media, the newspaper couldn't confirm that Reithmeyer called her.

Reithmeyer said she told former Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson about her health troubles and thought Yonson would have told the board members.

Neither Hellmann, Radosti nor Mihok reached out to Reithmeyer to address her absence.

"No, I can't say we tried to contact her," Mihok said.

So when Reithmeyer was a no-show for nearly a year, the board directed solicitor Thomas Profy to take action. A letter was sent to Reithmeyer dated Oct. 25, two days before Wednesday's school board meeting, informing her that the board intended to declare her seat vacant.

"She could have let one of us know of her illness," Mihok said. "If she couldn't contact us personally, a note could have gone a long way. + With regret, we vacated her seat. It's for the best of the community."

The non-communication between Reithmeyer and the majority of the board isn't a surprise.

Reithmeyer often clashed with fellow board members - mostly with Mihok, Hellmann and member Brenda Worob - on major issues such as school renovation projects and finances. Arguments between Reithmeyer and the board majority would sometimes get heated.

She often said the board majority hurried into decisions and was too focused on saving money. And she accused Hellmann of being closed-mouthed about his thoughts and plans. In many issues she was the lone vote, such as opposing implementing an early retirement incentive plan.

Board members have 30 days from Wednesday to replace Reithmeyer, according to the board's solicitor.

Whom will they appoint?

"Someone to contribute to the school district and (who) has common sense," Hellmann said after Wednesday's meeting.

Before Wednesday's vote, Profy sent a letter to Reithmeyer dated Oct. 25, informing her that the board intended to declare her seat vacant under the Public School Code, which "authorizes a Board of School Directors to declare a vacancy, if a School Director neglects or refuses to attend two successive regular meetings of the School Board unless, of course, detained by sickness and/or an otherwise necessary and justified absence," the letter states.

The letter continues, "You will be given an opportunity to show that your absence was caused by sickness and/or an otherwise necessary and justified absence has caused your failure to attend the two previous successive regular meetings of the school board."

Reithmeyer responded to Profy with a letter dated Oct. 27, which was also copied to William Ferrara, acting superintendent, and Paul DeAngelo, the business manager. In the letter she asked that her letter be distributed to all board directors.

"On Aug. 25 I was in the emergency room at St. Mary Medical Center; clearly out of the district and unable to attend the school board meeting. I spoke to both Jeanne Corrigan and Paul DeAngelo that afternoon and asked that they state only that I would not be in attendance. I did not feel it was anyone's business and asked that it not become a public issue," Reithmeyer said in her letter.

She was at the hospital because her mother was admitted, Reithmeyer said last week in a phone interview.

The letter continues, "After being hospitalized Sept. 16 through (Sept.) 18, I was under a doctor's care and not released to normal activity at the time of the Sept. 22 meeting. I did not realize that my private struggles with health and my family needed to be made public. + Additionally, I will not be at the Oct. 27 meeting because I will be out of the district at the time of the meeting."

She added, "I truly hope that everyone on the board will be held to the same standard."

School director Worob hasn't attended meetings in a few months also because of a recurring illness.

"Brenda keeps in constant communication with us, keeping the board updated about her health," Mihok said. "So it's different."

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

November 02, 2010 02:10 AM

Potpourri for 10/31-11/6

2010-10-31T10:32:00.000-04:00

We hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Morrisville over New Hope Solebury

2010-10-30T08:44:00.003-04:00

Morrisville heats up in win over New Hope Solebury
From the bcct:

Bicentennial League football: Morrisville 33, New Hope-solebury 20

Quarterback Matt Cookson threw for 17 yards and two scores as the Bulldogs improved to 6-3.

NEW HOPE - New Hope-Solebury had a nice start on Friday, taking the lead on the third play from scrimmage and stopping Morrisville on its first drive.

Quarterback Matt Cookson and the Bulldogs, though, were just getting started.

"We started off well, but we knew they could throw the ball. Cookson can make plays," said New Hope coach Jim DiTulio.

Cookson went on to complete 10-of-23 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 94 yards, leading Morrisville to a 33-20 victory.

The Bulldogs (6-3 overall, 2-3 Bicentennial Athletic League) will face Springfield-M next week, then will likely take on Calvary Christian the following week in the District One Class A playoffs.

"It was 7-0, but we seemed really hyped and the momentum swung to us," said Cookson, who is playing with a separated shoulder. "Our offense is real good when we execute. With the weapons we have and the different formations and different routes, we confuse people and throw defenses off."

The Lions (4-5, 2-5) will finish the season next week against Jenkintown.

Julian Kaminoff led them with 15 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yard score down the left sideline in the first quarter. He had another TD called back because of a holding penalty and intercepted a pass on defense.

Matt Massimino threw a late touchdown pass to Michael Campion.

"We gave up a lot of big plays," DiTulio said. "Until we learn to put four quarters together, this is going to happen. We'll continue to get better."

Cookson threw two touchdown passes to Julian "J.J." Walker and another to Rickey Melendez. He also had a running touchdown called back because of a hold.

After the Melendez TD made it 7-7, the Bulldogs recovered the ensuing kickoff, and Walker caught a 30-yard touchdown pass three plays later.

Orlando Tirado and Matt Beyer ran for scores. Tirado also intercepted a pass.

"Once they scored the first time, we knew we couldn't fall apart," said Beyer, also a standout at outside linebacker. "We have a good offense, and we executed."

Morrisville coach Jim Gober said Cookson has the "heart of a lion."

"We're a whole lot better with Cookson at quarterback," he said. "When it was 7-0, it was looking bad. No. 9 (Kaminoff) is a heckuva back. I'm very happy with the way we came back. We played well and ran the ball pretty well all night."

Tom Waring can be reached at 215-949-4215 or twaring@phillyBurbs.com.

October 30, 2010 12:30 AM

New principal in, board member out

2010-10-28T07:52:00.004-04:00

When was the last meeting Brenda Worob attendend? Morrisville= Land of the Double Standard

From the BCCT:

New principal in, board member out
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS

The school board also set the salary for the acting superintendent.

The Morrisville school board gave the acting superintendent a $120,000 salary, hired a new high school principal and gave the boot to school board member Robin Reithmeyer because she had not attended a meeting in a year.

The board hired Donald Harm, a retired employee of Pennsbury School District, to take over the responsibilities as the Morrisville High School principal, the position formerly held by acting Superintendent William Ferrara.

Harm's salary was set Wednesday night at $60,000, which will cover the reminder of the school year ending June 30. Ferrara's $120,000 salary is for one year and is retroactive to Sept. 22, when he was appointed to the position, after Elizabeth Yonson resigned also in September.

Details of Yonson's resignation haven't been disclosed because board President Bill Hellmann has cited that her abrupt leave is a personnel matter.

The salaries of Ferrara and the hiring of Harm came after more than a 30-minute long executive session, at which time personnel matters were discussed.

It's unknown whether making Reithmeyer's seat vacant was part of those discussions. The issue wasn't on the agenda, but Hellmann brought up the vacancy suggestion at the last issue for discussion.

During a brief discussion, board member Marlys Mihok said Reithmeyer last attended a meeting in October 2009. Mihok added that there were a few times the board received indications that Reithmeyer would attend some meetings, but didn't show up.

School board member John DeWilde said that he hopes for her speedy recovery.

"From what?" Mihok asked.

DeWilde didn't respond.

Thoughts and observations from the monthly SB meeting

2010-10-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

Morrisville Ambulance Squad annual Haunted House

2010-10-24T18:12:00.003-04:00

Here is a flyer for the haunted house at the Morrisville Ambulance Squad. If you have some time be sure to go down and check it out!

Note: Parents of younger children can let the squad know their little ones may be scared and the squad will tame it down for them.

Potpourri for 10/24-10/30

2010-10-24T08:17:00.001-04:00

Historical society wants tapes of meetings

2010-10-24T07:55:00.004-04:00

Really? Are our officials really quivering over videotapes. This is a classic case of neither side giving in no matter how trivial the issue. Personally, we feel the tapes should be put in some sort of digital format and preserved. Whether of not the historical society has any business having control over them is a completely different matter. The paper has quoted a "Bill Mander". We believe this is actually Bill Minder.

Historic society seeks videotapes of meetings
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
morrisville

Morrisville residents would like borough officials to give old meeting tapes to the historical society instead of destroying them.

But that's unlikely to happen.

Sharon Hughes, president of the Historic Morrisville Society, would like to obtain videotapes of council meetings, some as old as 15 years. She argues that those tapes contain borough history. For instance, community awards have been given to local groups such as Little League and Eagle Scouts at council meetings, and those people might someday want a copy of those moments, she said.

Council President Nancy Sherlock on Friday said she wants the hundreds of videos kept in storage destroyed to preserve the "integrity of the tapes." She said council minutes are the official records and kept at borough hall for public viewing, so the tapes aren't needed.

Resident Bill Mander said the borough should consider giving the tapes to the historical society.

"If they don't want (them), then get rid of them," he said.

For now, the tapes will continue to be stored because the mayor refuses to sign the resolution approved earlier this month allowing the tape's disposal.

Mayor Rita Ledger on Friday said she won't sign it because she feels she has a conflict of interest. Ledger sits on the Historic Morrisville Society Board of Directors and has requested copies of 19 videotapes this past winter and summer and has yet to receive them.

If Ledger doesn't sign the resolution before the next council meeting, Sherlock said she will bring up the issue at the November meeting.

In the meantime, Hughes has volunteered to make copies for the public before the tapes are destroyed.

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

October 24, 2010 02:30 AM

Some great upcoming events and fundraisers

2010-10-21T07:19:00.003-04:00

Here are some great activities and upcoming events that were posted earlier. Also please be sure to check out Morrisville First

Wanda Kartal said...
The Morrisville Ambulance Squads annual Haunted House kickoff is Friday 10/22 7-11pm and runs Fri, Sat and Sun through Halloween night. Be sure to stop in and experience the most exciting haunted house around our parts. $4 admission, Save $1 at the door by bringing a canned good for the food pantry.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wanda Kartal said...
The Youth bowling league at Delmor lanes is having a Family halloween moonlight bowling fundraiser party on Sat. 10/30 4-7pm. $9 admission includes bowling, dinner, door prizes and fun, fun, fun. Bring your family then visit the Ambulance Squad haunted house the next street over and make it a night of safe fun for your family. Email DYLjuniors@hotmail.com for more info.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wanda Kartal said...
The Morrisville Marching Band will be performinig at the Trenton Sun Center (former Soveriegn bank arena) on Wed. December 8th for the Trenton Devils Ice Hockey team at 7pm. Purchase tickets for your family to see this great band and great hockey team at their special price of $12.00 per ticket. No limit to the # of discounted tickets you can buy but they must be ordered and paid for before Tuesday November 23rd. Contact Dr. Scott at the High school for ticket purchase and more info.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Awesome PABS Fundraiser said...
Why stop while on a roll
Morrisville Performing Arts Boosters is having a PIE SALE!
Order online at www.marketday.com
Orders due by October 27
Pick up and Pay for Pies on November 5
HS Cafeteria 5:00-6:00
The student to sell the most pies gets to throw a pie in their principal's face at the Thanksgiving Day Football Game against Bristol.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

New Boro manager starts today

2010-10-18T07:29:00.002-04:00

Bates starts as Boro manager today
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
morrisville

Morrisville has a new borough manager after more than a year without one.

Tom Bates Jr. starts his new part-time gig today.

Bates' salary will be voted on at today's council meeting, council President Nancy Sherlock said Friday. The council hired Bates during last week's work session with a 5-2 vote. Council members Eileen Dreisbach and Todd Sanford voted against the hire.

George Mount III, the borough's former manager, retired from the part-time, $41,000-a-year manager's post June 2009 after serving 12 years.

After Mount's retirement, the council agreed to an acting borough manager for a year, Sherlock said. Dorothy Gaydula, the borough's assistant secretary and treasurer, was appointed to the position. Appointed to help Gaydula was Robert Seward, who was named acting assistant borough manager. He also is Morrisville's code enforcement officer and fire marshal.

Sherlock said the borough moved fast to hire a borough manager because Gaydula gave the council notice about three weeks ago that the one-year deadline was up and she no longer wanted to continue as acting manager. Gaydula will resume her secretarial job duties at borough hall, Sherlock said.

Morrisville advertised the manager position on the borough's website, channel and at borough hall, Sherlock said. The borough received two applications and interviewed both, she added. For Sherlock, Bates has the financial background Morrisville needs and she liked his demeanor, she said.

In other news, Councilman Victor Cicero rescinded resignation comment at the work session. In September, a frustrated Cicero abruptly resigned and left the council meeting after members voted 5-3 to table a discussion on the disposal of videotapes of old council meetings.

The council didn't vote on accepting his verbal resignation in September. And Cicero didn't provide his resignation to the council in writing. All resignations must be officially submitted in writing and formally accepted.

At that time Cicero, along with council President Nancy Sherlock and Councilman David Rivella were in favor of getting rid of the tapes, some of which are as old as 15 years.

At Tuesday's work session, the council voted 4-3 to dispose of the meeting tapes. Opposing the disposal were council members Eileen Dreisbach, Fred Kerner and Todd Sanford.

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

Potpourri for 10/16-10/23

2010-10-17T08:54:00.001-04:00

Bulldogs win Homecoming game

2010-10-16T08:47:00.001-04:00

Nice to see Matt Cookson back on the field!!

From the bcct:
Bulldogs get back on track
By JEAN-PAUL LAUTENSCHLAGER

Correspondent

MORRISVILLE — It was homecoming at Robert Morris Field, and the Morrisville Bulldogs welcomed back a win and quarterback Matt Cookson to the starting role.

After losing a tight contest last week, the Bulldogs used big plays to blank visiting nonleague foe Conrad Schools of Science, 39-0.

“Last week’s loss to Lower Moreland was demoralizing. This win is real good. It got our spirits back up,” said Morrisville running back and linebacker Orlando Tirado.

Tirado got the party started, capping a five-play drive with a 10-yard score in the first quarter. The senior ended the evening with 37 totals yards and two touchdowns. He also notched a sack and an interception and was named homecoming king at halftime.

While Tirado powered through the Conrad Science defensive line, teammate Jimmie Miller used his quickness to beat the Redskins. The sophomore speedster scored a pair of touchdowns. His first was a 60-yard reception early in the second quarter to push the score to 20-0. The second came after he fumbled the handoff from Cookson. Miller scooped up the ball and dashed for 96 yards to push the score to 26-0 just after halftime.

“Orlando is our power runner and Jimmie is our quick sideline-to-sideline runner,” said Cookson who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his return as the starter behind center. He played briefly in relief at quarterback last Saturday against Lower Moreland.

Despite his Grade III shoulder separation, Cookson’s passes were on target, even though he only connected on three of nine attempts. He passed for 112 total yards and rushed for another 25.

“I was a little nervous with him running around back there, but he was really, really smart about it,” said Morrisville coach Jim Gober. “Having him back is huge for us.”

Wide receiver Julian Walker hauled in Cookson’s final pass of the night, a 44-yard toss, that pushed the score to 39-0 late in the third quarter. The remainder of the game was played with a running clock.

The shutout was the first of the year for Morrisville (5-2). The defense gave up 190 total yards, and neither side of the ball was penalized. The Bulldogs only punted twice and scored two of their touchdowns on one-play drives.

Conrad Science (2-4) is in its second year with a varsity program. The Redskins lost four fumbles, and quarterback Isaac Avilez threw two interceptions. Up next for Morrisville is Bicentennial Athletic League rival Calvary Christian.

“We know that we need a good week of practice to get ready for next week,” Gober said.

Homecoming football game tonight!!

2010-10-15T09:52:00.001-04:00

From trentonian.com

Conrad Science (2-3) at Morrisville (4-2) tonight 7 p.m. — Morrisville massacred this team twice last year by a combined score of 79-6. That’s right, twice as the teams unusually played each other two times during the regular season. The team from Wilmington, Del., does have two wins this year, but one of them was by forfeit over a New Jersey prep school. Morrisville got thumped on the road last week by Lower Moreland, but the Scientists are not in that team’s class. Furthermore, Matt Cookson played some quarterback last week, which has to be a big morale boost. The ’Dawgie scoreboard will be flashing a lot on the home side tonight.

Improvements at Grandview

2010-10-13T04:56:00.003-04:00

It's nice to see some improvements, or attempts at improving the dangerous traffic situation at Grandview. Nice job to the responsible parties!

Potpourri for 10/10-10/16

2010-10-10T09:13:00.000-04:00

Ron Stout's Reader Voice piece in the BCCT

2010-10-05T07:19:00.005-04:00

Maybe before Mr.Stout talks "facts" he should get his straight.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/opinions/opinion_details/article/364/2010/october/04/wasteful-overspending-underutilizes-grant-money.html
Wasteful overspending underutilizes grant money

Bucks County Courier Times

A few facts Morrisville taxpayers should consider: First, $190,000 for the Morrisville Borough Library includes only lighting, suspended ceilings, and air conditioning for the upstairs; $30,000 of the $190,000 was allocated to install a three-phase electrical system, a system typically used for heavy industrial plants, not libraries. The basement, where almost all community meetings are held, will continue to be without air conditioning. This is what the Morrisville taxpayers received for their money disguised in the form of a grant. Apparently, elected council members do not understand that grant money is still taxpayer money.

It is my understanding that council will soon be voting on a $35,000 porch roof for the Morrisville Library. I have been a builder and renovator my entire life. I estimate that the roof should cost a total of $3,300 plus labor, not $35,000.

The porch roof has been there approximately 100 years. There is no reason why we need an engineer to redesign it. We need someone to give an honest estimate to restore the roof to its original condition as there is no reason why the restored roof would not last another 100 years.

Council has to dig deeper for common sense solutions to spread the $35,000 as far as it can go. For instance, the professional engineers hired should have cited some very necessary repairs that should be done before another harsh winter does any more damage. The whole roof needs repair, plus the entire exterior of the building is in dire need of having its stone repointed. Additionally, the wood frames surrounding the stained glass windows are rotten and need immediate attention. Why didn't the engineers notice this?

It is unfortunate that citizens will never learn about this waste of taxpayer dollars because the free Comcast government channel 22 has been shut down by the council majority. The volunteers of 14 years have been turned away from broadcasting the meetings with the claim that the new equipment they installed is not working properly. How convenient!

The only way to overcome this attempt to keep information from a large portion of our citizenry is to attend the meetings and listen to what is going on. You don't have to speak, but show by your attendance that the citizens of Morrisville care and are paying attention to how their hard earned money is being spent.

The next agenda meeting is Oct. 12 and the next regular business meeting is Oct. 18. Please make an effort to attend - there is power in numbers.

Ronald M. Stout

Morrisville

October 04, 2010 02:00 AM

Lisa C., 10-04-10, 7:52 am Rate: 1 Report

Disgraceful... this is why people are tired of the same old, same old policies. I hope Mr. Stout's fellow Morrisville voters will help him in his quest to right the wrong that has been done with their tax dollars.

mfalkevitz, 10-04-10, 10:18 am Rate: 2 Report

Maybe now Morrisville residents will see that the policies of those supported by John Galloway are not in the best interest of the Borough. It is clear now that Jane Burger is thre better choice for our communities.

Beth M., 10-04-10, 10:21 am Rate: -2 Report

Beth M., 10-04-10, 10:32 am Rate: -2 Report

I'll give this a whirl, although I don't know why. I suspect Stout cannot read. But then again his friend, Jane Burger, will have plenty of time to read this stuff to him after Galloway beats her in the next election.

I don't know who wrote this piece for Stout, but I do know that this article is completely politically motivated and has nothing to do with the Morrisville Library.

This article so misses its mark it reads like a bad joke.

SHAME ON YOU RON STOUT!
YOU CONTINTUE TO BE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO MORRISVILLE!

Here's Stout, a school board director who never graduated from high school spouting off again against working on the town's library which is housed in the oldest building Morrisville owns.

"I have been a builder and renovator my entire life." I, along with others, would definitely like to see those credentials, Ron. Under the table?! I'm not sure Stout even pays taxes.

I'm not knocking the guy for not finishing high school, my own father didn't because he had to go to work to help support his family. But my own father was an honest, hardworking man. Unlike Stout who has, yet again, proven to the Morrisville community that he is a liar by the misinformation he provided in the article above.

Beth M., 10-04-10, 10:38 am Rate: -2 Report

"A few facts Morrisville taxpayers should consider: First, $190,000 for the Morrisville Borough Library includes only lighting, suspended ceilings, and air conditioning for the upstairs; $30,000 of the $190,000 was allocated to install a three-phase electrical system, a system typically used for heavy industrial plants, not libraries. The basement, where almost all community meetings are held, will continue to be without air conditioning."

Stout forgot to mention it was HIS BUDDIES WHO VOTED ON THIS STUFF and NOT THE CURRENT COUNCIL.

Sout obviously learned nothing when he & Mihok embarrassed themselves at the county commissioner's meeting. Even Commissioner Martin told him the three-phase electrical system was the standard. Stoud is a liar if he is trying to get the public to believe that it is only used industrially. Maybe Stout should rethink his job as a "builder and renovator" if he doesn't know this basic stuff. Maybe anyone who actually hired him should remember to pay your fire insurance & have his work looked at by an actual professional.

Beth M., 10-04-10, 10:46 am Rate: -2 Report

I wouldn't expect Stout to support the Morrisville Library because he doesn't support ANYTHING at all in Morrisville except his buddies. Where was Stout's complaints about his friends, School Board Director Buckman and Mayor Ledger who can go for years and years without paying their bills which falls on the taxpayers shoulders. Why is being a deadbeat okay with Stout yet working on the library is not?

Maybe he has been to busy harassing teenage girls to notice what his friends were doing.

Spending so much time trying to successfully put two sentences together Stout must not have realized that it wasn't the current engineer who worked on the library, it was the prior one, Burger & Mihok's buddies, Pennoni.

Council does not make up the numbers on how much these things cost, the engineer does, which would have been Pennoni.

Does this ignorant man even realize that when he is now complaining about the library work he is actually complaining about his buddies Todd Sanford and Eileen Dreisbach as well. Does Stout even realize that the work he is complaining about was NOT even voted on by the current council. It was voted on by the prior council, by Stout's friends, Jane Burger, Ledger, Worob, & Dreisbach.

What's wrong with this man. Fixing the library is a good thing for the whole community but it doesn't fit into his shameful agenda so he has to spew. I'm pretty tired of this group of old politicians deceiving and scaring the pubic over and over again.

Beth M., 10-04-10, 11:05 am Rate: -2 Report

"free Comcast government channel 22 has been shut down by the council majority."

Geez, it looks to me like Stout cannot be honest.....abou t anything. This was never voted on by the "council majority" because the equipment isn't working, it has nothing to do with council. Its not a matter of shutting it down. Stout knows this but just keeps spewing. The borough has needed new equipment for years. The quipment not working is nothing new. The funny thing about this complaint by Stout is that he & his friends have been running the equipment booth, but when problems begin happening with the equipment, they point fingers elsewhere. "How convenient!"

"The only way to overcome this attempt to keep information from a large portion of our citizenry (totally not Stout's word) is to attend the meetings"

I'm thinking this man needs to have his meds looked at (by a professional, not just someone who knows about drugs). What "attempt to keep information", the meetings are public. Everyone also has access to meeting minutes.

Stout, in the end you will lose all credibility, if you haven't already.