This piece should be called, "We stopped the school, now we want to stop the school district."
More B.S. from the ignorant one with the gavel. Is this all you have Mr. Hellmann? Your attempt to scare the voters for another election will not work this time. There is only a select few people that actually believe that anyone wants to build a new school...... and they are all of your people. Mr. Hellman also doesn't tell you about a political operative the board majority hired and is using her as a "communications director" at $25k. And what is up with his statement of :
"In my opinion, these pro-new school candidates are incompetent and not ready to take on the responsibilities of school directors. This town cannot afford incompetence on our school board."
Alright Billy, using your logic, is Ron "I'll throw this microphone at you" Stout, a competent choice to represent the people of Morrisville and make decisions for the children? Ron Stout?......really? You guys must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel to pick your slate of candidates.
Stop the lies, deceit, cronyism, Morrisville can do so much better without Stay on track at the helm.
From the BCCT:
We stopped the school: Now, stop the tax-and-spenders
Bucks County Courier Times
As the president of the Morrisville school board, I appreciate the opportunity to respond to recent attacks on the integrity of this board. The main point made in a guest opinion on Oct. 22 by David Stoneburner, a candidate for school board, is our board is "autocratic," and not concerned about the community. On Oct. 26, candidate Damon Miller's guest opinion was equally unbelievable. This is the problem with politics; the truth never gets in the way of an unfounded attack.
The accusations of these politically motivated candidates are untrue. I believe they are in line with the same people who lost the school board election two years ago. Yes, they are back making a mockery of the last election when the people spoke out and "fired" the previous school board and elected our slate.
Our theme two years ago was "Stop the School" and directed at the former board that tried to push through a $30 million (then) K-12 building. The homeowners faced a huge tax increase, as well as the ongoing burden of paying for an unnecessary school in a small district.
We won and we stopped the school plan, paid back the bonds and moved ahead with a $4 million to $7 million repair and renovation plan for the intermediate/high school and Grandview school. We stayed on track with our plan to renovate, instead of demolish! And we decreased taxes two years in a row.
Next up is renovation work at Grandview. We awarded bids for complete window replacement at an approximate cost of $500,000. When completed, two school buildings will be in excellent shape.
Is it patchwork to spend $4 million on a list of items long overdue for repair at the intermediate/ high school? Installed were efficient boilers, new windows with inner glass blinds, air conditioning, ventilators, fire suppression system and more
The fact is Miller, Stoneburner, Jenkins and Beck are supported by the old group that tried to build a $48 million school with only $28 million in the bank! In my opinion, these pro-new school candidates are incompetent and not ready to take on the responsibilities of school directors. This town cannot afford incompetence on our school board. People's homes are at risk and our children's education is at risk.
The mindset of this group of candidates is clearly tax and spend and build. Contrary to their 11th hour statements, we learned from their own comments they are gearing up to propose another elementary school. I estimate an average $2,220 tax increase on every home in this borough for an expensive and unnecessary new building. Make no mistake about it, a new school can be built without taxpayer approval! The taxpayers of Morrisville cannot afford these candidates.
Our students are doing well. The school superintendent has said publicly nothing we have done in our budget efficiency has hurt one academic program. Furthermore, our test scores are improving and a problem of lower proficiency in 11th grade math is being addressed. We also have 80 teachers for approximately 880 students. That is one teacher for every 11 students, PLUS many teacher aides.
Their desperate 11th hour letters serve to diminish the accomplishments we have made - and get them elected. We are supporting four other candidates: Brenda Worob and Jack Buckman, currently on the board, and John DeWilde and Ron Stout, all sensible, smart, caring individuals who have the students and the community at heart. The opponents' scare tactics are not going to change the facts.
Miller claims that the members of our Stay on Track school board slate have no children in the schools. Allow me to say, two members of the Morrisville Pride slate are not even property owners in Morrisville, according to tax records.
Finally, I am a certified public accountant, not a politician. I prefer to run the board with a consensus, like a business. Morrisville has the highest millage rate in the county - our borough does not have the tax base of other communities - and we receive the bulk of taxes from property owners. Bottom line: We want our seniors to stay in their homes and young families able to pay their mortgages.
People speak at the ballot box. All candidates should tell the truth, get elected and then do what they promised to do. I believe we have done that.
Showing posts with label miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miller. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, October 26, 2009
'Stay on Track' slate a looming train wreck
Damon Miller a candidate for the Morrisville School Board has written a piece that appeared in the BCCT today.
From the BCCT:
'Stay on Track' slate a looming train wreck
Bucks County Courier Times
By Damon Miller
As a school board candidate in Morrisville, I feel that it is important that residents of our community understand the issues our district is facing. The current school board majority and our opponents want Morrisville to remain on a "track" that will lead our schools and community into a "train wreck."
Our opponents have claimed that students are receiving a "quality education." Unfortunately, "Stay on Track" candidates do not have children in the district nor do their vocal supporters. How can they claim that students are getting quality education when they have no children in the schools? Test scores are not showing it.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Morrisville's most recent PSSA test scores dropped from the previous year. In my view, that decrease in test scores is the result of budget reductions, including not filling teacher aide vacancies. This also coincides as being the first budget the current board passed. If this is the beginning of the "track" they want Morrisville to stay on, where is education headed for our district? Is this how our opponents plan to provide "quality education?"
Plans to tuition-out high school students, closing our last remaining elementary school, and making the high school a K-8 facility have also been discussed by our opposition. This would affect not only the students but the community as well. Is this how our opponents plan to provide "quality education?"
If high school students are sent to another district, that district could raise their tuition higher than what we currently pay and increase your tax bill. If that agreement is discontinued, then the students will either be sent to another district or come back to Morrisville creating a K-12 facility in a building not designed for it.
Little Bulldogs and Holy Trinity pay a fee to the school district use the A-field, with Little Bulldogs paying more than half of the lighting costs. Would they be able to continue using the field if the school no longer needs it? Their "track" is wrong for Morrisville.
The future of our district and the effects on our community need to be discussed openly but our opponents don't agree. All school board candidates for Morrisville received a letter from the League of Women Voters asking for our interest in holding a forum allowing for the community to ask questions. All of the Morrisville Pride candidates, Jack Beck, Jermaine Jenkins, David Stoneburner, and myself said yes. Our opponents did not respond, even after repeated calls by a League representative.
The current situation of elementary children being taught in the high school and in trailers needs to change. We need long-term solutions, not patches, which allow students to learn in a safe environment. Traffic around both schools is hazardous and needs to change before an accident happens. We need to bring up the test scores again by identifying the issues and not simply throw money at it. We want to work with the administration and fix those problems within our budget constraints. Parents with special needs children should not have to wonder if their child is getting the best services provided. Morrisville students should be able to graduate in their district, and not be tossed aside once they reach ninth grade.
The current board majority has turned their backs on the students, families, and the community of Morrisville. The Morrisville Pride candidates want to build a better school district that everyone in our community will benefit from. As we have walked our district listening to the community, we have heard of the Morrisville that seems to have been lost. Pride and a sense of community were displayed and we want to bring that back. Doesn't Morrisville deserve it?
I encourage you to contact the Morrisville Pride candidates by going to our Web site at www.morrisvillepride.com where all of our information is listed. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions.
On Nov. 3, I ask you to vote Democrat. Vote for Morrisville Pride candidates Jack Beck, Jermaine Jenkins, Damon Miller, and David Stoneburner for school board and make the changes Morrisville deserves.
From the BCCT:
'Stay on Track' slate a looming train wreck
Bucks County Courier Times
By Damon Miller
As a school board candidate in Morrisville, I feel that it is important that residents of our community understand the issues our district is facing. The current school board majority and our opponents want Morrisville to remain on a "track" that will lead our schools and community into a "train wreck."
Our opponents have claimed that students are receiving a "quality education." Unfortunately, "Stay on Track" candidates do not have children in the district nor do their vocal supporters. How can they claim that students are getting quality education when they have no children in the schools? Test scores are not showing it.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Morrisville's most recent PSSA test scores dropped from the previous year. In my view, that decrease in test scores is the result of budget reductions, including not filling teacher aide vacancies. This also coincides as being the first budget the current board passed. If this is the beginning of the "track" they want Morrisville to stay on, where is education headed for our district? Is this how our opponents plan to provide "quality education?"
Plans to tuition-out high school students, closing our last remaining elementary school, and making the high school a K-8 facility have also been discussed by our opposition. This would affect not only the students but the community as well. Is this how our opponents plan to provide "quality education?"
If high school students are sent to another district, that district could raise their tuition higher than what we currently pay and increase your tax bill. If that agreement is discontinued, then the students will either be sent to another district or come back to Morrisville creating a K-12 facility in a building not designed for it.
Little Bulldogs and Holy Trinity pay a fee to the school district use the A-field, with Little Bulldogs paying more than half of the lighting costs. Would they be able to continue using the field if the school no longer needs it? Their "track" is wrong for Morrisville.
The future of our district and the effects on our community need to be discussed openly but our opponents don't agree. All school board candidates for Morrisville received a letter from the League of Women Voters asking for our interest in holding a forum allowing for the community to ask questions. All of the Morrisville Pride candidates, Jack Beck, Jermaine Jenkins, David Stoneburner, and myself said yes. Our opponents did not respond, even after repeated calls by a League representative.
The current situation of elementary children being taught in the high school and in trailers needs to change. We need long-term solutions, not patches, which allow students to learn in a safe environment. Traffic around both schools is hazardous and needs to change before an accident happens. We need to bring up the test scores again by identifying the issues and not simply throw money at it. We want to work with the administration and fix those problems within our budget constraints. Parents with special needs children should not have to wonder if their child is getting the best services provided. Morrisville students should be able to graduate in their district, and not be tossed aside once they reach ninth grade.
The current board majority has turned their backs on the students, families, and the community of Morrisville. The Morrisville Pride candidates want to build a better school district that everyone in our community will benefit from. As we have walked our district listening to the community, we have heard of the Morrisville that seems to have been lost. Pride and a sense of community were displayed and we want to bring that back. Doesn't Morrisville deserve it?
I encourage you to contact the Morrisville Pride candidates by going to our Web site at www.morrisvillepride.com where all of our information is listed. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions.
On Nov. 3, I ask you to vote Democrat. Vote for Morrisville Pride candidates Jack Beck, Jermaine Jenkins, Damon Miller, and David Stoneburner for school board and make the changes Morrisville deserves.
Friday, October 2, 2009
More on M.R. Reiter in the BCCT today
Summerseat is indeed a national treasure. However with Sharon Hughes and Marlys Mihok at the helm, we simply don't trust their intentions or motives. Being that both Sharon and Marlys are frequent visitors to this blog, would you kind ladies furnish the list of who is on the historical society board? We believe that some compromise needs to be reached and planned out properly so that the neighborhood, and Summerseat can prosper.
from today's BCCT:
School could become open space or development
By: Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
The fate of M.R. Reiter Elementary School remains up in the air. The district could keep it, sell it to the county or to a developer.
M.R. Reiter Elementary School's fate is still a mystery, but school board members say its future should become clear after the completion of engineering studies and the exploration of alternate choices to house students.
Reiter, one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008, faces three possibilities, said board President William Hellman. The district could keep it, sell it to the county for open space, or sell it to a housing developer.
Board member Marlys Mihok suggested the board look into selling Reiter to the county to be used as open space. At the board's request, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson recently sent a letter of interest to the county director of parks and recreation.
The 3.96-acre Reiter property would expand the green space around Summerseat, a National Historic Landmark on Hillcrest and Legion Avenues that once served as Gen. George Washington's headquarters. Declaration of Independence and Constitution signers Robert Morris and George Clymer both lived in the home, which was restored in 1931 and served for a time as a school administration building. Today, the Historic Morrisville Society maintains Summerseat.
Board member Robin Reithmeyer and board candidate Damon Miller said they'd rather sell Reiter to a housing developer to generate tax revenue. They also expressed concern that the county may give the district less than the property is worth.
Mihok said she opposes selling Reiter to a housing developer, even if it would mean another source of taxes for the district.
"To surround the historic landmark with townhouses or McMansions would be bad. Summerseat deserves to have that extra land around it," said Mihok. "And I thought this would be good opportunity for the town and the children to have more space."
In December 2006, Reiter's "as-is" value was set at close to $1 million by one appraiser, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo. However, he added, "You never know what it might be worth in today's economy."
At this point, the board is waiting for a response from the county about how much it could offer for the land as open space. Until it gets that estimate, the board can't decide what should be done with the property, said Hellman.
"The letter [that was] sent to the county is a letter of interest. The board has not made a decision on that property," he e-mailed. "I am open to suggestions from the public on what to do with the property."
Hellman said he opposes building a new elementary school on the Reiter property, an idea floating around the community. The project would increase taxes by about $2,220 per home per year, Hellmann said.
Some residents say they like the idea of using Manor Park, a former district elementary school, because it would afford more alternatives, especially now that Reiter students have been relocated to Grandview Elementary School and the high school.
"It would alleviate the situation with having younger grades in the high school, and it'd be more permanent housing," said Miller.
The district still owns Manor Park, located at Penn and Cleveland avenues, but has been leasing it to the Bucks County Head Start program for preschool children since 1999.
Head Start has a 20-year lease with the option to purchase, but the district could try to renegotiate the lease to reclaim the property, said DeAngelo. "But we're also sensitive to the fact that Head Start is a county-wide program," he said.
Meanwhile, engineers from Vitetta, the firm handling renovations at the high school and Grandview, are in the midst of a comparative study of Reiter, Grandview and Manor Park.
Location, building condition, renovation costs, layout and size are some of the factors the board needs to consider as it determines how best to use - or not use - each building in the coming years, officials said.
"After getting all the information, we can make a reasonably intelligent decision," said board member Jack Buckman.October 2, 2009 2:20 AM-->
from today's BCCT:
School could become open space or development
By: Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
The fate of M.R. Reiter Elementary School remains up in the air. The district could keep it, sell it to the county or to a developer.
M.R. Reiter Elementary School's fate is still a mystery, but school board members say its future should become clear after the completion of engineering studies and the exploration of alternate choices to house students.
Reiter, one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008, faces three possibilities, said board President William Hellman. The district could keep it, sell it to the county for open space, or sell it to a housing developer.
Board member Marlys Mihok suggested the board look into selling Reiter to the county to be used as open space. At the board's request, Superintendent Elizabeth Yonson recently sent a letter of interest to the county director of parks and recreation.
The 3.96-acre Reiter property would expand the green space around Summerseat, a National Historic Landmark on Hillcrest and Legion Avenues that once served as Gen. George Washington's headquarters. Declaration of Independence and Constitution signers Robert Morris and George Clymer both lived in the home, which was restored in 1931 and served for a time as a school administration building. Today, the Historic Morrisville Society maintains Summerseat.
Board member Robin Reithmeyer and board candidate Damon Miller said they'd rather sell Reiter to a housing developer to generate tax revenue. They also expressed concern that the county may give the district less than the property is worth.
Mihok said she opposes selling Reiter to a housing developer, even if it would mean another source of taxes for the district.
"To surround the historic landmark with townhouses or McMansions would be bad. Summerseat deserves to have that extra land around it," said Mihok. "And I thought this would be good opportunity for the town and the children to have more space."
In December 2006, Reiter's "as-is" value was set at close to $1 million by one appraiser, said district business administrator Paul DeAngelo. However, he added, "You never know what it might be worth in today's economy."
At this point, the board is waiting for a response from the county about how much it could offer for the land as open space. Until it gets that estimate, the board can't decide what should be done with the property, said Hellman.
"The letter [that was] sent to the county is a letter of interest. The board has not made a decision on that property," he e-mailed. "I am open to suggestions from the public on what to do with the property."
Hellman said he opposes building a new elementary school on the Reiter property, an idea floating around the community. The project would increase taxes by about $2,220 per home per year, Hellmann said.
Some residents say they like the idea of using Manor Park, a former district elementary school, because it would afford more alternatives, especially now that Reiter students have been relocated to Grandview Elementary School and the high school.
"It would alleviate the situation with having younger grades in the high school, and it'd be more permanent housing," said Miller.
The district still owns Manor Park, located at Penn and Cleveland avenues, but has been leasing it to the Bucks County Head Start program for preschool children since 1999.
Head Start has a 20-year lease with the option to purchase, but the district could try to renegotiate the lease to reclaim the property, said DeAngelo. "But we're also sensitive to the fact that Head Start is a county-wide program," he said.
Meanwhile, engineers from Vitetta, the firm handling renovations at the high school and Grandview, are in the midst of a comparative study of Reiter, Grandview and Manor Park.
Location, building condition, renovation costs, layout and size are some of the factors the board needs to consider as it determines how best to use - or not use - each building in the coming years, officials said.
"After getting all the information, we can make a reasonably intelligent decision," said board member Jack Buckman.October 2, 2009 2:20 AM-->
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Observations take 2
We had an opportunity to see the replay of the school board meeting last night on the television. The biggest takeaway that we got out of it was the fact that Brenda Worob comes of as very aloof, and not prepared for these meetings at all. She was fumbling for her papers, she had the wrong months agenda for the meeting, and to top it all off she had a major meltdown when her opponent Damon Miller was speaking during public session. She interrupted him after everyone in the audience, and the board were asked by Bill Farrell to let people speak with out interrupting each other. Brenda Worob was the only one who did not get it. A YouTube moment of this would be helpful if anyone has the ability. We were shocked at her child like behavior. For those of you that were at the meeting, was it worse in person, or are we making something out of nothing?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Belated Congratulations!!
Congrats to the gentleman from Morrisville Pride...BECK, MILLER,JENKINS,STONEBURNER, on winning the spot on the democratic ticket for the November election. This will set up a showdown with the "Stay on Track"(ie:derail the schools)slate. Keep up the great work guys, Morrisville is proud of you!
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