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| • Lower your school taxes! | • Old Schuylkill Elementary | • Right to Know Letter | This blog was created to help faciliate communication in PASD with a goal of better education, fiscal spending & improved property values. To send an email, comment or question, click here. You may post anonymously or with your own name as long as it is factual and acceptable. |
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RACISM We polled numerous PASD students both past and present regarding racism. Their unanimous response is "there is no racism at PASD."
PASD
Bond Ratings PASD bond ratings remain strong, but the bond-rating agency has warned pasd that continued dipping into reserves will result in lower bond ratings.
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| Geothermal A quick waste of $1.2 million and then wait for your return in 29 years.
Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year 28% of Students Send Sexting Messages So do parents never check their kids' phones or do 28% of parents check their kids' phones and ignore the sexting? Worst case is it's possession of child pornography.Click here for story Teacher of the year fired It's all about seniority, not success.Click here for story $381,000 Total salaries for fulltime library employees in
2011 according to rtk request. This does not include part time employees.
Congratulations Phantoms, Cheerleaders, Students & Phoenixville!!! We're all proud of our football team and their
accomplishments this year!! Cupcakegate Due to the administration's concerns about losing
education time, the "i-can-beat-what-you-did-for-a-party competition"
and the concern over food allegies, all foods have been banned
from kindergarten and elementary school parties. Anonymous said Anonymous said Good luck Gini Salava Everybody loves you. You'll be missed. New School in East Pikeland If you don't want your children taught in trailers,
come to the meeting on June 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you're a
neighbor and are concerned about runoff and traffic issues, you
come on down too. Ads on PASD School buses, buildings and roofs? More schools are advertising on buses, buildings
and roofs. Now is the time to generate revenue to help halt tax
increases. Not 3 years from now as Dr. Fegley said he'd like to
wait in a recent meeting. No More School Buses? Overheard at a recent school board meeting was
a mention of eliminating school buses next year to save $2 million.
Plan on attending the budget meeting on Thursday, March 31, 2011
- 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM in the high school cafeteria to discuss. Congratulations to the cast, pitband and crew of the show Annie Jr. Outstanding performances were turned in by Julia
Richter, Donnie Jackson and the entire cast. Congratulations to PAMS Cheerleading Squad They won 1st place at Kedron Regional Cheerleading
Classic. Also got best overall stunting. Good job ladies! PASD Admin is Hiring! Grant Writer is the first position and the 2nd
position is an Assessor who will help PASD come in under budget
on a 3-year contract. Thank you Paul The taxpayers appreciate the fact that you were
the only board member to say no to a huge tax increase. What happened
to fiscal responsibility? What happened to the board members who
ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and have consistently
rubber stamped everything with a yes? Methacton teachers secure 14% raise in new contract Plus Methacton teachers pay zero for their healthcare
then 10% ($100 bucks/month?) after 2 years. PASD teachers are awesome,
but we can't afford raises and perks like that. Anonymous
said Act93 Update I'm informed the Cost of Living Adjustment will
be zero as it should've been last year. This is one small step forward.
Preliminary budget for 2011-2012 shows zero raises for admin. PASD secures $26 million loan for turf fields and school The loan is for 20 years with an interest rate starting at 2% with a max of 4%. PASD credit rating was recently upgraded from Aa- (which is good) to Aa2 (which is better). Based on that good credit rating, the buyer did not require bond insurance, which saved PASD $100,000. Click here to email or comment. Congratulations to Phoenixville Area High School Robotics Team For winning the Pennsylvania State Robotics Championship Congratulations Phoenixville Latin Teacher Nicole Curry Best of Philly Schools teacher Welcome to our new Superintendant Dr. Allan Fegley, 484-927-5010, fegleya@pasd.k12.pa.us Schuylkill Elementary Update While it's sad to see an old building go away,
it was definitely time for Schuylkill Elementary to go to old building
heaven. Congratulations To Debbie Dawson, the Building & Grounds Committee, faculty and all those involved in breaking ground for the new middle school. One Step Forward. Two Steps Backwards In a failed attempt to manipulate the taxpayer,
Dr. Stevenson took back a small percentage of the admin's merit
raises. No merit raises were ever deserved since they did not improve
the overall program when they killed Spanish. In addition to a selfish superintendant, blame
can be shared equally by all. While this blog helped pressure Dr.
Stevenson into giving back 50k, why didn't any taxpayers or board
members step up and stop this nonsense before they killed Spanish
to finance their raises? We're all to blame! The devil carries a Louis Vitton handbag What a slap in the face by the pasd admin delivered to the taxpayer at the Workshop Meeting. Not one board member or taxpayer questioned what Dr. Stevenson plans on doing with the planned $200k in raises for her admin while she was busy killing our Spanish programs. That $200k is more than enough to keep World Languages alive for another year. Dr. Stevenson previously mentioned insurance costs are up 30%. She failed to mention her admin said at a budget meeting they didn't feel like getting new quotes. I'm sure they could've attempted to get new insurance quotes and saved money to keep Spanish. But they didn't even bother trying so we lose. Too bad for the taxpayer. Too bad for anyone who enjoys Spanish. How insulting. Anonymous
said At yesterday's meeting, you kept saying "this is the admin's recommendation." Why the change? When did you start rubber stamping bad ideas? Why couldn't you question the admin's raise? Anonymous
said Anonymous
said In a 5-4 vote to kill world language, world language
was killed. The school board members said things like - we have to go with what the administration recommends (because apparently we vote them into office to sit and rubber stamp the administrations decisions?) It was horrible! Person after person got up and told them not to cut either program. Only one person spoke in favor of the cuts and that was only because his second grader that moved into the district could not join the Spanish Immersion program and because the program is limited so not everyone who wants it can get it. The decision was made before we even got there. Adios Spanish With the exception of Josh Gould, the curriculum committe made some of the stupidest decisions we've seen or heard in a long time. Why does the committee confuse cutting student programs with cutting costs of bloated admin? They voted to cut World Languages to save $150k. Nobody mentioned the administration is expecting raises totalling $200k. Dr. Stevenson mentioned insurance costs are up 30%. She failed to mention her admin said at a budget meeting they didn't feel like getting new quotes. Too bad for the taxpayer. How insulting. Why is this such a drawn-out affair? We've been asking the Superintendant for weeks to forego their raises and rescue Spanish. I'm told the Superintendant will address the raises at the Board meeting, but to listen to what and how she says it. This implies she'll be spinning and won't be telling the truth. If they kill Spanish tomorrow then the admin gets a 5% raise, the damage is done. Non Compos mentis: Latin for can not grasp the meaning or the context of life as it is in 2010 Can this be verified? If so, sounds like time for a change It is my understanding that the current cafeteria vendors contract is about to expire. The Board should look into hiring a different company to provide these services. The current vendors prices are to high. At $2.60 a day for lunch a family with two kids pays $104 a month. The food is not that good and a lot of kids end up eating junk like cookies and pretzels. The staff in at PAMS room has a soda machine that costs .65 The vendors machine charges 1.25 The company also practices questionable business practices. There have been times when the district has purchased food and leftovers have been resold to students. They take advantage of the district by using district supplied manpower. This is not the type of partner the taxpayers of Phoenixville deserve. Overheard
at a recent PASD Budget Meeting Taxpayer: Wow. According to pending budget, benefit costs are increasing 27%. Most people get new quotes when their insurance goes up. Won't PASD get new quotes? Business Manager: That would require Request for Proposals. The answer is no. Why get new quotes when the cost can get passed on to the taxpayer in higher taxes? The
Results Are In! After 3 right-to-know requests, dozens of emails & phone calls and 2 trips to pasd admin building over a span of 5 weeks, pasd has finally and reluctantly coughed up the Act 93 Admin Salaries Contract. This doc confirms that pasd administration plans on receiving 3 - 6% raises this year. View and download the doc by clicking here. A Request to the Superintendant We respectfully request that your administration forego the 3 - 6% raises that they receive EVERY year and use these savings (~$200,000) to rescue our World Languages Program. Everyone in this down economy is cutting back, taking zero raises, etc. We want our PASD administration to do the same. It's especially appalling that the school board asked you to take a zero percent raise earlier this year as a courtesy to the taxpayer and you refused. I'm not referring to the immersion program. I'm under the impression that Spanish Immersion may not survive the cuts due to monetary and logistical concerns. Perhaps it can be revisited in a year or 2 when there are new buildings to house the program. But World Languages is extremely important, especially in our global economy. I work in ecommerce on major brand sites and use French & Spanish every day. One can't overstate how important language skills are in today's job market. Please contact superintendant Dr. Barbara Burke-Stevenson. She told everyone on television that she's happy to field your calls. PASD Support Staff has been offered a raise of 20 cents per hour. Maintenance staff, nurses & other support staff work hard and I believe they deserve their small raises. Please exclude them from the above administrators, many of whom earn 6 figure salaries and can afford to forego their raises for one year to help rescue World Languages. 484-927-5010 And please do everyone a favor. DO NOT blame the school board for this mess. They asked the admin to take a zero percent raise and the admin refused. Related Stories Around the Country School Administrators’ pay reduced by 5 percent School Administrators's Pay Frozen School Administrators’ to pay 20% of insurance premiums Many, many more related stories. Click here. Anonymous Said: And so Dr. Stevenson. Is it all about the kids or your administration's raises?
Responses from the Superintendant at 4/15 Board Meeting "No admin is getting a 6% raise" She ignored the details in the contract. The admin's contract guarantees a 3% raise plus up to 3% merit raise for a total of 6%. Assuming your administrators do an awesome job, they'll be granted 6% raises. "I am not getting a raise" This blog states the superintendant earns $900/day plus reported 80k taxpayer-funded pension. She must be referencing another blog as there has been no raise mentioned here. Dr. Stevenson can be reached at 484-927-5010 and looks forward to your calls. Ask her why her admin deserves a big raise while they're raising your taxes 7% and cutting Spanish. She must have a ton of voicemails because I haven't heard from anyone who has gotten thru... send an email, comment or question, click here Daniel Boone School District Admin Take
a Smaller Raise Turf for the high school football field? At the Board Meeting on Thursday 4/15 , the proposal for the turf field was voted on. The vote passed 6-3. Anonymous Said: The track there is only 6 years old. And I think it's only that long ago when they redid the football field with new dirt and sod/planting and an irrigation system as well. Anonymous Said: I know there are schools in the area who have the artificial turf fields but has anyone done any research to see what the numbers are vs. grass fields regarding injuries, especially joint injuries. I remember not too long ago the owners of the professional football teams announced that they were going back to natural grass fields as their research showed an increase in injuries to the players. I think this should have been researched more completely before voting to spend money here in little old Phoenixville for artificial turf fields. There is no way that the artificial surface is cheaper in the long run to maintain. The more it is played on, the more the surface stretches, tears, etc. and these are the things that cause injuries. Big Mistake, PASD school board!!! Wrong vote again!!! Cutting the language programs? PASD admin has recommended we cut the language programs. The school board is discussing and analyzing the costs, logistics, staffing etc of the program. Don't many colleges require language skills??? World Language is NOT mandated by the state so this important program can be dropped in spite of how needed it is for college admissions and many other situations in a global economy. The next curriculum meeting is May 11th, 6:30, at the high school library. I would think they must keep World Languages and
teach a language one or 2 days per week. Not sure if Spanish Immersion,
while popular, is sustainable? Again, Barbara wants to kill this
program to finance their raises. What does your administrator earn? PASD Admin has an awesome benefits package. Thanks taxpayers. Click here to see it. Plus remember, administrators pay $45/month for their insurance premium. That's a cheap premium for their Cadillac plan! Thanks taxpayers. Also note, if you read the PASD 2010-11 budget, costs of providing benefits to pasd employees rose 25% this year. I don't see any mention of anybody, but the taxpayer, kicking in extra money towards this cost. View the 2010-11 PASD preliminary budget, click here Superintendant Search To
apply for PASD Superintendant, please mail your information to: The
Chester County Intermediate Unit is also assisting with the search.
Contact Joseph J. O'Brien, Ed.D., Executive Director, 484-237-5010. The search firm has failed for the third time. As of March 18, 2010, PASD has spent $21,533 on the superintendant search with McPherson & Jacobson LLC, 7905 L St., Suite 310, Omaha, NE 68127, 888-375-4814. OJR did their own search with help from the public and they're very happy with their choice after a very harrowing year. After 3 failed attempts, OJR's model is looking better and better.
Anonymous Said: How much of this lawyer's fees were a result of all of the basketball nonsense? Tens of thousands I am told. All for what? The people who perpetuated all of that nonsense should foot the bill. Also, the district had to take a stand with the 200 thousand that is missing and was revealed as part of the audit. Each of the people fired, and there were several, needed to have the school lawyer review their termination. Not one of the fired people, and there were many, has taken action against the school which means all firings had merit. How much did that cost? 10's of thousands I am told. The district also had a horrible superintendent who was such an ego maniac he lead the district into multi million dollar land deals that were simply illogical. The school district is finally on the right track. So, a little extra money went to the lawyers. Is there really a price on doing things right." " How much of this lawyer's fees were a result of all of the basketball nonsense? Tens of thousands I am told. All for what? The people who perpetuated all of that nonsense should foot the bill. Also, the district had to take a stand with the 200 thousand that is missing and was revealed as part of the audit. The district also had a horrible superintendent who was such an ego maniac he lead the district into multi million dollar land deals that were simply illogical. Each of the people fired, and there were several, needed to have the school lawyer review their termination. Not one of the fired people, and there were many, has taken action against the school which means all firings had merit. How much did that cost? 10's of thousands I am told. The school district is finally on the right track. So, a little extra money went to the lawyers. Is there really a price on doing things right." TOP
TEN NEIGHBORHOOD http://www.phillymag.com/articles/real_estate_2010_10_ |
Dear God Why do you allow so much violence to occur in schools? Because I'm not allowed there. Cyber Bullying Should you ever see examples of cyber bullying on this or any local blog, please call the Phoenixville Police Department. Camphill Kimberton receives Phoenixville Middle School’s Help4Others Grant Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, a farming and handcrafting community that includes adults with developmental disabilities, recently received a $1,000 grant from Phoenixville Middle School ’s Help4Others group. What's in our students' food? Please consider signing Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution petition by clicking on the attached link. If he gets enough support, the USDA will be forced to offer better school lunches to our children. Anonymous said Are you worried about itil v3 foundation besides Comptia network+ exam preparation? We offer up-to-date ccvp training dumps and 642-902 dumps with 100% exam pass guarantee of 1z0-053 wireless dumps. USA Today Article USA Today recently published an article about air pollition in local schools. Review your school's scores here. But wait. USA Today didn't even use accurate numbers as they described our kindergarten as having the worst air in the country among kindergartens. Their supposed journalism is hurting our community by falsely informing people that the air at the kindergarten is bad. A recent letter to pasd superintendant shows the air is fine. If you desire information that your teacher or principal can't furnish, call the school district to request information that you feel should be furnished to a district taxpayer 484-927-5000. If the school adminstrator can't answer the question, you can send a right to know letter to pasd's Right to Know officer. Use the template below. Kindly allow them 5 - 10 days to process your request. [Date] Dear Mr. Stanley Johnson: I believe the above documents constitute public records pursuant to Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law, 65 P.S. §§ 66.1 et seq. You may contact me at [address and telephone number] regarding arrangements for the disclosure of the information. If you decide to refuse this request, please provide me with a written statement of the reasons for denial. If your denial is based upon a statute, regulation or court decision, please cite that law or case, including the specific section or sections you rely upon, in your written response. I look forward to the [name of agency] making this information available to me within (5 business days for local agencies; 10 business days for Commonwealth agencies). Sincerely, [Name] [Address] Nepotism and Sunshine Law Violations A board member can legally hire a family member IF they're qualified. It is not nepotism. Get over it. Call a lawyer. 2 members of a School Board Committee may meet in private with a school administrator without violating the Sunshine Laws. 5 members of the school board may NOT meet in private with an administrator. That WOULD be a Sunshine Law violation. Section 13. Committee Meetings Library Expansion Plan Plus the borough undid the sale of 2nd Avenue to PASD for a buck. So hopefully, it is the end of the library mess. CONGRATULATIONS http://www.phillymag.com/articles/best_schools_2009/ CONGRATULATIONS Good luck Lisa Star CONGRATULATIONS Goodbye Watch Your Kids! If they were on their cell and at fault, they deserve charges pressed. Assume the worst and watch your babies. Anonymous said CONGRATULATIONS |
Crowded
Elementary Schools 9th Grade Academy The 9th grade Academy was created in 08 to ease the transition of middle school into high school - academically, socially, and emotionally. For some reason, from Fall 08 to Winter 09, communication between the school board and the administrators was just about nonexistent. Don't any of them have phones, email or text messaging? Now that goals have not been met, we've had an apology from the admin and finger pointing by the school board. Please work together to make this program succeed The Task Force is now done with its work and the meetings were wonderful - we got an incredible amount of work done in a short period of time because we worked collaboratively with ALL students' best interests in mind. Relay for Life volunteers accused of embezzling French Creek Learning Center Given the average cost per student in pasd is approximately $13,000 per student per year , have we been overbilled by $390,000 per year times 7 years equals $2.8 million? Who wouldn't like lower school taxes? I think this is an awesome idea. It keeps the seniors busy when their schedule is light, it helps their taxes and it helps overworked teachers and administration. Who could have a problem with this? I'm not going to go there, but there's always someone against a great idea. Here's the link to OJR's program. If they can do this, why can't we? http://www.ojrsd.com/community/tax.aspx?page=3320 Call PASD administration to see when we can start this program, 484-927-5000. If the taxpayer isn't heard, nothing will happen. I'd also think this program could be expanded to all ages and all government agencies with a goal of getting tax help for everybody. It won't happen without people getting involved, making phone calls, following up & making some noise. What are you waiting for? Forensic Audit Results Read the details in the Pottstown Mercury Note that neither the school board nor their council was involved in the investigation. Please don't blame them because many of the former employees no longer work for the school district. According to a right to know letter to pasd, the cost of the forensic audit was $45,499.57. I think this was well spent. We need to clean up the mess and move forward. East Pikeland Mobile Park Home If you don't get involved, they'll build this monster and we'll all pay the price for a long time. Anonymous said People in mobile parks don't pay any taxes on their little plots and mobile homes so I guess our school taxes will go up 25% to support this? Public Meeting Behavior I really couldn't blame the school board if they omitted public forums because board members are unfairly & publicly accused of nepotism, kickbacks and violating sunshine laws. PEEKABOO A student claims a principal approached him about inappropriate activities in his house. The administrator claims they saw the student with drugs via a webcam screenshot taken of the student in his own house. The student says they were Mike & Ike candies. The students family filed a federal lawsuit last week. Today, 2/24, the administrator vehemently denies the student was monitored calling the accusations "offensive, abhorrent and outrageous." So is the student lying and the whole lawsuit frivolous? Very strange the family owes the IRS and PECO and has been involved in many, many lawsuits... The school district claims the webcams were remotely accessed only to find lost or stolen laptops. The FBI and Attourney General are conducting investigations. Glad it's not happening here and hopefully all administrations have learned from this. We'll hear more facts and they'll be posted here as they happen. More info: http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&cf=all&ncl= If you can't come to PASD School Board meetings and workshops, email here to make your voice heard on this blog. School taxes are going up across the country while property values are flat or going down in many areas. Only if you participate in the process can you hope to make a difference. Thank you for reading. Get involved! |  |
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