Tech school wants money owed by Morrisville

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

Tech school wants money owed by Morrisville

By CHRIS ENGLISH, staff writer | 0 comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Signs of an ineffective school board member

from greatschools.org

Signs of an Ineffective School Board Member

If you notice any of the following signs, it's time to find some new candidates to run for your local board:

• The school board member continually focuses on one issue or talks aimlessly at meetings.
• The school board member doesn't conduct him or herself in a respectful, collaborative manner in public.
• The school board member comes to meetings unprepared.
• The school board member "rubber stamps" all the superintendent's proposals without asking hard questions.
• The school board member micromanages rather than focusing attention on district-wide policies.
• The school board member uses his position on the school board as an opportunity to put forth a political agenda with little relevance to student achievement.

Jackie Buckman can put out a puff piece too

Congressman could learn from his predecessors
Bucks County Courier Times
To be a congressman you need to be responsible for your actions and respond to the needs of your constituents. I would like to compare three congressmen that served the 8th District.

First, Peter Kostmayer: When on two occasions I asked him questions, first, about retirement legislation and second, about Social Security, he responded quickly and to the point in a clear, helpful, and concise letter.

Next, Mike Fitzpatrick, a dear friend: When I requested a flag for a special ceremony, he delivered at almost midnight direct to my friend's house, having just got off the train from Washington. The flag had flown over the Capitol.

Another time I called Fitzpatrick's office to obtain special copies of my discharge record in order to get a job in the security field. When he found out that I could not start work without these papers, he wrote a letter to the security firm on my behalf and I started immediately. The papers arrived two weeks later.

Lastly, Patrick Murphy: When I called his office in August of 2009 about a health care program introduced to help younger adults get health insurance at a low cost, his assistant told me I would have to call his Washington office; when I called that location they said that they would get back to me. I never did receive a response.

In late September or October of 2009 I found out that Blue Cross was increasing the cost of supplemental plans, while the government was not increasing Social Security payments. I wanted to know why, so I called Patrick Murphy's office in Washington. I was told that they were aware of this situation and they would call me back. Not only did they not return my call, they never even asked for my address to send a response to my inquiry.

Jack Buckman

Morrisville

Possible board vacancies

For some time now there has been speculation that there may be a few openings/vacancies on the school board. Vacancy #1 would be created when Brenda Worob steps aside due to her illness. Vacancy #2 would be created if Mr. Radosti steps aside, not sure how much traction this has, but it has been speculated it could happen for the better part of the year.

Either one of these openings creates an interesting problem/opportunity for the board. It would be against all things right and just if the recently defeated 4th ward councilman was to slide into either spot. Because of his past he would be a huge liability to the taxpayers and to the school district if he were to be appointed to the board. Other names mentioned for possible openings on the board are Ed Bailey, and Jane Burger.

The board has an opportunity to "mend some fences" if any spots should open up on the board. If they choose another buddy of theirs, like they did when Mr. Buckman was appointed, it sets up a long two years before the next election. Let's hope they make the most out of this opprotunity, and have a fair and open process in selecting possible new board members.

An open letter to Mr. Buckman

We received this letter from a former student as a response to Mr. Buckman's recent piece in the BCCT. This letter unlike the ones from Mr. Buckman and Mr. Hellmann is full of facts. It is a great summary of how the students and the community feel about what this board has done to the town and district over the past two years.



Mr. Buckman, I went to every school board meeting for almost two years and I heard one of your own colleagues say that "Newspapers are in the business to sell papers." You thanked the BCCT for letting you post your letter. To go with the words of your colleague, I'd say the paper published what you wrote solely because your outlandish comments will prompt more letters and therefore sell more papers. I appreciate the Courier too, but with these comments from you, papers should be flying off the racks.

You stated "But their actions belie their slogan: They are on a mission to undermine what we have accomplished in two years and tarnish the reputation of our school district. To get elected!" Mr. Buckman, Damon Miller is one of the most passionate pro- Morrisville School District men I have ever met. He has joined committees to try to make our district better; he comes to concerts and sporting events because he CARES. Damon Miller and his "noisy band" want people to care again about Morrisville and feel PRIDEFUL when they say "I go to Morrisville." You know what happened when your current majority got elected? My class said "At least we won't get affected by this board." I counted the years and started to feel sorry for the students behind us because I knew that you would hurt their education somehow. This proves that it just happened quicker than I expected.

"To put it simply, they are part of a group that believes great education comes from bricks and mortar. You will recall that two years ago a slate of candidates and their allies on the former school board were on a campaign to build a new school building." Very good, this is a true statement for once. Yes, they wanted a new school because the current ones are FALLING APART! For the last 20 years the budget for maintenance has been too low and important building issues ignored. We need to show that we care about education. Families might actually move in and STAY in Morrisville. Businesses see a rising population and move in to town. Morrisville is back.

"I have heard teachers, parents and administrators and "no breakfast" blamed, but never has anyone said our kids are doing great, or our kids are doing poorly, and it's all because of that "damn old school board." Mr. Buckman, we know you heard the complaints about the “sick” M. R. Reiter building, a building you ignored now during two terms on the board of education. Before the explosion, that school building DID affect the performance of the students. There are a lot of factors that attribute to poor PSSA scores. It's a natural flow of ages and grades and people and there is nothing to change about it. It's neither bad nor good, it simply is. But, I will refer back to "Damon's Group" for a second and refer to Pride. Would you go to work every day and try hard for a boss who doesn't care about you? I didn't think so. But guess what, that is what you are expecting the students to do. We all believe that the school board doesn't care about us. All we hear at MHS is "money, taxes, money," and not "students, students, students." The kids may not be doing well because they feel you don't care: So... why should they?

Let me finish on this last passage: "I know what it takes to be a good school board member. It takes responsibility, common sense, and the ability to listen." Good Mr. Buckman, I agree. So PLEASE start on that and maybe we can get going in the right direction. If you actually felt responsibility, the school would have been maintained right in the first place, OR we wouldn't have only "shiny new windows" as our "renovations." If you had common sense, you would see most of the problems are because of the school board’s disinterest in education and its lack of caring about "Student John" instead of how caring much anonymous Student #123 costs to educate and how that cost can that be lowered.

If you listened, you would know that Damon Miller's "band of noisy politicians" is in this election because they want what is best for the kids and not just their wallets. Pride is something you should probably look up in the dictionary because it is a strong word being used for the purpose of a lot of good. "And we need to be realistic" you say? Here it is Mr. Buckman: Beck, Miller, Jenkins, Stoneburner. Why? Because they genuinely care about the school. And I don't mean the building like your "Stop the School Stay on Track" friends mean...in the bricks and mortar way...but as STUDENTS. Morrisville Pride not only wants there to be a MHS today, but a MHS in the future because they care about Morrisville and they care about the KIDS. They have... what word am I looking for? Oh yes, they have PRIDE in us.

Question for the masses...

Is it legal, or at the very least unethical for a judge of elections, who also happens to be on the school board to be distributing flyers(on school grounds) for candidates they support? And don't all political flyers have to have the "paid for" notice on them?

What is the big deal about someone not owning a home, and running for school board? Does this make them any less qualified? For some reason the stay on trackers have an issue with people that rent their homes/apartments. These folks do pay their taxes...it's called rent, and the taxes are built into the rent. Many of the stay on trackers have rental properties(funny thing is many of the stay on track signs are on rental properties) they should know this!

We mentioned in a post awhile back about how can Mr. Hellmann say the districts payroll is too high and he wants to put $$ into the buildings, but a back in June the board majority hired Pat Wandling as a "communications director"(political operative), and raised the payroll in a pathetic attempt to make himself and other stay on trackers look like they are doing a good job. Then come Sept. Mr. Hellman was vehemently opposed to the hiring of a teachers aide for the same amount of $25K. Mr Hellmann your credibility is currently zero, along with the rest of your cohorts.
Here is the link:Mr. Hellmann help us understand

It is imperative that everyone that is registered to vote does so on November 3. Morrisville can do better than the position the stay on trackers have left us with. Say no the ways of Mr. Hellman and his cronys that are up for election(Worob,Buckman,Stout,Dewilde), for they are just puppets of Mr. Hellmann. And say yes to a new Morrisville. A Morrisville that has pride, and a Morrisville that is known for the right reasons, and a Morrisville that has a future!


Added 10/29---Could someone confirm or deny if Ron Stout and Marlys Mihok made a rent payment to a landlord within the last month. We are not saying they are not paying their rent, we just would like confirmation if they are renters. If they are renters, using stay on track thinking, Marlys should step down from the board, and Ron Stout should drop out of the race since this renter thing is such a hot button for them. We could care less if you own a home, rent an apartment/house. We know your pay your taxes. And the landlords on the board should know this also. Enough with the double standards guys. It's getting old

School Board Meeting tonight!!!

The monthly meeting for the school board will take place tonight at 7:30pm in the LGI room of the IS/HS. This is the last meeting before the election on Nov 3. Come on out to see what these stay on trackers are all about. You will also get a chance to meet the Morrisville Pride candidates, we are sure they will be there, to answer any questions you may have. Do not expect to have any questions answered by the SOT team.

Anyway, if you want to speak, be sure to sign up before the meeting starts.

Will Brenda Worob be prepared, or even show up?
Will Angry Al be sitting there waiting to put his foot in his mouth again?
Will Bill Hellman fall asleep again?
Will Jack Buckman......do anything?
Will Ron Stout win another phony award?
Will Marlys Mihok continue to make a fool out of herself with her lies and deceit?

The audacity of the board majority and the stay on track slate is frightening!!

Be there to stand up for Morrisville! Don't let them ruin our town and our schools any longer.

Buckman...Why must you lie?

Notice anything missing from this piece? He doesn't tell everyone that he is thousands behind on his municipal bills. Hey Jack....take your own advice "Don't listen to the noisy politicians" such as yourself and slate you are running with.

Have at it guy and gals, tell it like it really is!

From the BCCT:
Stay on track: Don't listen to the noisy politicians

Bucks County Courier Times
I am a member of the Morrisville school board and a candidate for re-election with the Stay on Track team. I read this morning a "fantasy" letter from Damon Miller, a candidate with the opposing group.
I want the voters of Morrisville, the same ones who rejected Miller's friends in the election two years ago, to understand that Miller and his noisy band of politicians are parading as concerned citizens with "pride" in their slogan. But their actions belie their slogan: They are on a mission to undermine what we have accomplished in two years and tarnish the reputation of our school district. To get elected!
To put it simply, they are part of a group that believes great education comes from bricks and mortar. You will recall that two years ago a slate of candidates and their allies on the former school board were on a campaign to build a new school building - K through 12th grade - a school that now would cost as much as $48 million. Instead, we have renovated and repaired schools that were neglected for as much as 40 years at a cost of less than $5 million when completed.
Miller is wrong when he said we want to send our students to other school districts and pay tuition - not so! They say we want to merge with Pennsbury. That long-ago option never made it to the table.
Also, our opponents have attempted to connect our PSSA scores (which have been rising for the last four years) with the school board, which is always baffling to most people. In every school district where scores go up and scores go down, the fluctuations are based on numerous factors. I have heard teachers, parents and administrators and "no breakfast" blamed, but never has anyone said our kids are doing great, or our kids are doing poorly, and it's all because of that "damn old school board."
Revenue - finding money - and taxes are issues we deal with in Morrisville. We are dealing with a small school district with fewer than 1,000 students and no real tax base, so we rely on homeowners to pay the bills. We never lose sight of the fact that people today are struggling to keep their jobs, find jobs, pay taxes. Seniors do not want to be forced out of their homes and we keep that in mind. It is important to note that our school board has managed to retain the quality of our educational system and cut taxes twice in two years.

But Miller and friends muddy the waters with last-minute attacks that are devoid of truth. Thankfully, the Courier Times provides us the chance to refute them.
We believe Miller, Stoneburner, Jenkins and Beck have a plan of their own and that is to build a new school. They know what happened with their friends' other school building plan, so it is mostly hinted at. We base this on what they have said publicly and where they level their criticism - the reconfiguring of schools and the plan at Grandview, for sure. Their solution would be a new elementary school, but we insist it is unnecessary and unaffordable and we will fight it.
As a member of the Morrisville school board and a member of the Bucks County Technical School Board, I know what it takes to be a good school board member. It takes responsibility, common sense, and the ability to listen. We must value education and the quality of education we deliver. And we need to be realistic.
I am proud to serve on the current school board and seek another term to continue on the financially responsible path the board set two years ago. We rejected the turmoil and dissension of the past and are committed to serving new and longtime residents, senior citizens who have paid the bills for years, and new families, many of them struggling with job loss and hefty mortgages.
It is very important that the voters know who is telling the truth here. Please look at the facts and the history of the school board now and then. I ask for your vote and votes for school board director Brenda Worob and our running mates John DeWilde and Ron Stout. We all agree to stay on track -with the help of our neighbors and voters.

Caught on tape!!

Thanks to the good citizen that put these 2 gems on you tube . This is something that needs to be done more often. There are 2 versions and we'll post them both. It shows just how unprepared and ignorant they (Stay on Track)really are.

The cast(from L to R)
Dr. Yonson(Superintendent)
Marlys Mihok(School Board Secretary, 4th ward judge of elections)
Al Radosti(School Board Vice President)
Bill Hellmann CPA(School Board Vice President)
Solicitor
Brenda Worob(stay on tracker up for re-election) Yes she is always unprepared for meetings
Gloria Heater
Robin Reithmeyer
Joe Kemp
Jack Buckman(stay on tracker up for re-election, behind THOUSANDS on municipal bills)
Bill Farrell

Here is video #1 the short version:




And here is the long version:

The stay on track way

Let us not forget. The stay on trackers have not been answering questions from the public for some time. This video is from a few years ago. Even then they would not interact or want to hear the concerns of the public. We know that this video is not new, but it is still relevant today. If our schools are to be successful then our school board members must be willing to listen and interact with the community. Since this video was made over 2 years ago, board members Robin Reithmeyer, and Gloria Heater have interacted with the community, even Bill Farrell has tried to reason with the hard-core stay on trackers like Hellmann, Mihok, Radosti, Worob, and Buckman. Keep this video in mind when you go to the polls on Nov. 3. Is this what you want from your school board?

Questions to ask the "stay on track" team next time you see one of them.

The next time you bump into a "stay on tracker" be sure to ask the following questions. You will probably not get an answer, or if you do it will be some sort of doomsday situation if they are not reelected. Don't believe the stay on track rhetoric. It is all false. And most importantly don't let these folks bully you or make you feel uncomfortably about getting your vote out. It is your right to vote for who you want to vote for. So vote with pride! Here are the questions to ask if you see any "stay on trackers"....

1. Has Jack Buckman paid his overdue municipal bills yet? How can we all get on the same payment plan as he?

2. Ron Stout...really?

3. Why are you telling people that the Morrisville pride candidates want to a new school?

4. Why does your website have outdated and false information regarding the renovations at the IS/HS.

5. Ask them what have they done to ensure that the children of Morrisville are in a safe environment while on school grounds.

6. Other than overdue renovations, and a tax break, what has the so called "stay on track" team contributed to the educational system of Morrisville?

Enumerator----Any oversight on this one?

Recently the board was given $8,000 through a Community Revitilazation Assistance Program(CRAP) grant. Jack Buckman wants to hire an enumerator, or census taker, to see if the high income areas outside of Morrisville proper, but still within the 19067 zip code, could be tossed out to improve the funding for the district. This idea is all well and good, but is there any oversight? Who is in charge of the $$ once it is given to the board. What if the enumerator charges $5k, what happens to the remaining $3k?

This board majority is entirely too shady to just be given $8k and have no oversight. So if you see a board member around town, ask them if if there is any oversight with this grant money. Ask them what happens to the remaining money if not all $8k is used.

Observations part 3

It has been some time that we can remember a school board meeting generating so many comments and responses! Thank you to all who keep the comments coming! There were a few more things that need mentioning that have not been brought up yet.

First, where are all of the supporters of Hellmann and Co. and the "stay on track" crew? After talking to those that were in attendance, the only supporters of the Hellmann regime in attendance were the Hughes sisters, and Ron Stout. To us it seems like there is not much support for them at all. Talking to folks around town, people are tired of the same folks running the show year after year. This goes for borough council as well as school board.

Hellmann and his band of cronys have done serious damage to our schools and our town. The cost of educating a child in Morrisville has gone up since they took control of the board. When the school board president says not to invest in Morrisville we have a serious problem. Hellmann has even been quoted as saying Morrisville is too small to have its own school district. http://savethemorrisvilleschool.blogspot.com/2009/02/independent-or-consolidated.html
He most recently stated at the 8/26 board meeting that "we are not obligated to provide kindergarten". Is kindergarten your next service to be cut Mr. Hellmann? It's really simple..Hellmann, Radosti, Mihok and their followers like Jack Buckman, Ron Stout and Brenda Worob are more interested in lowering taxes than educating our students. At least Bill Farrell makes somewhat rational votes. We are not quite ready to lump him in with the like of Hellmann, Radosti, and Mihok. Speaking of Buckman and Worob, they cannot deny that they voted with Hellmann over 90% of the time! And Mr. Buckman, can you share with everyone why you get a special payment plan for your overdue sewer and water bills? What is the interest rate? What is the expected payoff date?

Yes, we got off on a tangent, but the fact remains... under the current leadership of Bill Hellmann, we have not gone forward, we have gone back. We need people with a vision, and common sense to be on our school board. Do you honestly think Ron Stout has anything to offer the students, parents, and citizens of Morrisville? Didn't think so. Think about it... a school board consisting of Bill Hellmann, "Angry" Al Radosti, Marlys " I will never be responsible for anyone's children" Mihok, Brenda Worob, Jack Buckman,and Ron Stout? That is a scary thought. Please spread the word about what these people are doing to our school district, and to our town. Enough is enough...vote them out.

Yardley news article

This article was sent to us from an emailer, it has Jack Buckman getting enough votes to run as both a Dem and a Republican. What??Huh? Clearly this is not right.
Click the link for the actual results
http://www.buckscountyelections.org/SchoolDistrictResults.aspx?district=07&name=Morrisville%20Borough%20School%20District%20SD




Morrisville narrows the school board field for November

By Petra Chesner Schlatter; Staff Editor

In the race for Morrisville School Board, seven contenders will be on the ballot in the November election.On the Democratic ticket will be Jack Beck, Damon Miller and David Stoneburner.

On the Republican side will be Brenda J. Worob, Ronald M. Stout and John DeWilde.

John B. Buckman, who had cross-filed and received enough votes on each ticket in the primary election, will run as both a Democrat and Republican in November.

Buckman said he wants "to keep going in the direction we're going as far as keeping the taxes within the people's means so they can afford their homes This year, we're keeping [taxes] at a zero-increase."

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Beck said the biggest issue is how the students will be accommodated in terms of where they will go to school. He said there is a "lack of accommodations with closing of one school." The current board, Beck charged "is not taking steps to accommodate the students."

Miller said issues include "our aging infrastructure in our facilities, education and pride in our community It's finding a permanent solution for our housing of students."

He claimed first-and second-grade students have been displaced since the M.R. Reiter explosion.

According to Stoneburner, there should be more communication from the school board with the community. He is concerned about the future of where students will go to school. "Hopefully [the modulars] will go away. Having 4-12th graders in one building is "not what people want."

Stout said his goal is to keep taxes down and test scores up, saying there are problems with scores at the high school. He asserted one problem is "the people who come to the meetings and keep trying to disrupt the meetings." Stout said he is running to "keep people in their homes and still give the kids a good education."

DeWilde and Worob could not be reached for comment.