Five members of the School Board met, which I believe is a quorum so you can expect this recommendation to go through at the meeting on 2/12, along with superintendent Vic Lesky for a "Special" joint committee meeting regarding a pool at the new MS. Supporters of the pool, the swim team families and friends, lobbied for their 48 student athletes to have a pool built that will cost $300,000 to plan, $200,000 per year to maintain and $425,000 per year for 25 years to build, and this does not include any costs of having a swimming team itself.
The NASD currently pays $10,000 per year to rent pool space at Wilson Middle School and $9,000 per year to bus students to the facility.
The Nazareth YMCA has offered its facilities for the team at the same price as the current contract with an annual cost of living adjustment.
The Committee has recommended to put the issue to a non-binding referendum to see what the community thinks. And this is what grinds me. If you want to put it to the people, make it binding. If not the Board ought to do their job and make decisions.
A non-binding referendum means we spend the full $300,000 to plan a pool and then resume the conversation after the vote once that money is spent.
The pool is only the tip of the iceberg. The pool is a part of a bigger project we can't afford and that is the new MS building. Estimated to cost about $50 million with debt service over the next 30 years, the building is intended to solve our space issue, but it doesn't. It will provide room at the elementary level and ample space for 7th and 8th graders (the new building will have 1/3 of its space unused), but we will still need to build facilities to accommodate HS students and by 2015 we will be within 100 students of capacity of the current MS which will then be an intermediate school. The building doesn't meet our needs or solve our problem.
And even before we begin to really spend money on this building project we can't balance our 2007-08 budget without raising taxes more than 4.2%.
As a matter of fact, we started with a budget that required a 10% tax hike and hiring freeze on teachers.
Then we began to make cuts to try to get the tax hike down to 4.2%. We cut:
- Two IT positions to save $119,763.
- Eight staff by not replacing retiring teachers to save $295,000.
- Senior Citizen Tax Rebate program to save $100,000.
- What tax collectors earn to save $52,648.
- Three portable computer labs (one for each elementary) to save $100,000.
- A school resource officer to save $41,345.
- Staff professional development to save $20,000.
- The athletic budget by 5% to save $40,250 (and to consider pay to play to cut further).
- Field trips and activity buses to save $56,000.
- Extra-curricular and coaching salaries (EPED positions) to save $15,000.
So given all these cuts, plus the anticipated increases with the new building, we decide to spend $300,000 on drawings for a pool that will cost $625,000 annually, instead of simply saying sorry we can't afford it right now.
And then the Board and Admin sit at the meeting and wonder why it is so challenging to balance the budget. Simply unbelievable.
25 comments:
Unbelievable for sure!
I am not surprised that the Board did what they did. They kinda sorta did the Kerry shuffle, "I voted for it before I voted against it" at the last meeting. At that time they simply tabled the issue. Now they are going to toss us a bone with a non-binding referendum.Translated that means "We are going to build the pool" Once that pool and building are constructed we will be balancing the budget by cutting things like the swim team and history classes. We might even have to cut administrators though that would certainly be a matter of last resort(tongue in cheek). Not only do we need to elect new fiscally responsible members to the Board, we need to call for the resignation of the entire Board and Mr. Lesky needs to retire. I would also like to point out that both FOX news and channel 69 noted that last month this nation had negative savings. We spent more then we saved. This is not good and other economic indicators, number of foreclosurers, credit card debt, are increasing right here in our area. Hold onto your hats. Take a walk through the borough. Look at the streets in need of repair and the homes that need painting. That was never the case in Nazareth. What is going on? A lot of people do not have the resources to maintain their homes because the taxes are gong through the roof. Maybe we will all be able to move into the new school. I apologize in advance for the sarcasim.
I'm dissapointed in the board as well. I cannot for the life of me understand why the budget isn't first and foremost the discussion.
Look, I would love to have a pool. But we can't afford it. We can't afford next year's budget. Ross has laid out the cuts we're making for next years budget and we still have HALF OF A MILLION dollars to cut just to raise taxes 4.2%
In previous years, school boards could simply ram a tax increase down the constituents throats. But Act 1 has changed all that. Now, school boards are held to a index rate that limits tax increases from year to year.
They cannot raise taxes more than the 4.2% without going to a voter referendum. And unlike the proposed pool referendum, this one will be binding.
Does anyone think that a referendum raising taxes will be approved? I don't. Even if I wanted everything and voted for it, I don't think it would pass. And then what? The school board is FORCED to make cuts.
Goodbye, band. Goodbye, orchestra. Goodbye all the little extras. Special Ed and Learning Support Services can't be cut, so perhaps the gifted program goes. Afterall, we don't need kids to excel, we only need them to be "proficient".
Okay, I'm done for now. But I'll be at the 2/12 meeting.
for all the talk about money - did anyone who has posted attend the meeting last night, and hear the students talk - or the coach talk about the safety and health issues regarding the pool temp at the Y.
When do we consider the health and saftey of these kids -- shouldn't the Board at least continue to explore what they once made a commitment to the entire community and these students.
Yes taxes & budgets, all should be a consideration, and one I want the Board to continue to explore, but explore all options, not just at the exclusion of one sport, and the risk of their health and safety because it is an easy target.
I was at the Council meeting last night, but the pool temp is simple.
Put it in the contract that the temperature must be +/- 2 degrees of x.
If the YMCA doesn't agree to it, the option is gone and there is one less thing to consider.
If this pool for nasd does get built, what will that pool temp be? Surely, the temp would be for the nasd swimmers and not community usage. How many students activities, services, and educational needs will be cut due to the high cost of this new 7-8 building with or without the pool?In this case, less all around if better.
I was at the meeting last night also. I agree the whole project should be revisited and put to referendum, not just the pool, but that isn't going to happen. So for now, with the budget not balanced, taxes on the rise, the Board should have made the decision last evening, pool or no pool. In addition, if you want the community to decide.....MAKE IT BINDING!!!!!!
This really bothers me..
This idea would be a no brainer if the tax payers didnt have to bear yet another tax increase, so thus the swim team should not take this personally (and it kinda seems like they are)
I would like to see the supporters try and perusade the senior citizens of this community who have lived here there whole life and might have to sell there home after this, to vote yes for the pool. what happened to this community?? this used to be a great place to live, and now all of a sudden we are just acting like rich snobs who need everything imaginable.
me personally, i can afford the tax increase (im extremely upset by it).. what about the community members who live pay-check by pay check? how do you pool supporters justify telling these working class people that they must now fork over more of there check.. because the water is too cold?? come up with a better argument than this please..
if they put a pool in than we have to live with it.. then please cut the soccer fields, all weather track, football field, etc. out to make up the cost difference. I think some of you people should think about more than yourselves when asking for things. By the time this ms is built most of these kids will be out of school, then see what there/and parents opinions are then. be thankful you even have a swimming team and that the community pays for your sport.
anyway this is my 2 cents worth, and i think theres a ton more people that feel this way. just because some of us have to work and cant make a meeting, dont think this issue has just blown over our heads. me personally, i think this whole 57 million dollar project is joke! be prepared, next is a new high school which should be around 100 million or so.
sincerely,
a dejected taxpaying citizen
Ross,
Your stubborn, unyielding, overcritical argument on this issue is tiring. I honestly do think that you make some good points, but because of your overzealous attitude I find myself wanting to oppose you.
I believe you would be very good for the area if you were elected to the school board. But, in my opnion, you could accomplish more and get your point across better if you could figure out how to tone it down a little. You may not actuallly be so blind to another point of view, but the perception is like you have a chip on your shoulder. I really think you will do good things, if you can rid yourself of that perception.
FroM NoT RosS-
WoW JiM- ThE OnlY ChiP I SeE is ThE OnE In YouR BloG--
...and where the heck were you people last night? You naysayers were all a complete no show!
To begin, I have no interest in serving on School Board. And frankly, I didn't want to get involved in the school issues. I was very pleased that Brad stepped up and offered to share his notes from the meeting for the site.
I much prefer the Council meetings. And I have been equally hard on that body at times. I may have also been overzealous with the Sunshine Law, but ultimately and with Bernie's help, it has changed the way the body is functioning and for the better.
Being fixed on something doesn't always work out and I respect that. I am a stubborn person (though I've gotten much better in this regard than I once was).
I'm staying on point because I don't get it and no one has been able to explain it.
It is difficult for me to reconcile long meetings discussing cuts on one hand while the same body pursues a building project that doesn't meet its needs and is going to cost a tremendous amount of money.
My fear is that these decisions are going to really hurt us several years down the road and then we will be out of borrowing options, over-populated, and stripped of many things we have today.
I'm not saying my option is the best option, if it were we are all in trouble because I thought of it in my spare time and we've got people who are consultants and professionals trying to determine the best options and being paid for it.
What I am hoping it will do is alert enough people to the real challenges we face in the NASD and get them to give it some thought, get to the meetings, and see for themselves before it is too late (and it is close).
Regarding a chip, I have no personal grudge with the NASD. I thought when I was hired I'd be there for 30+ years like my father, Dale, and Claude. Yet before I was there two years I was gone.
In the short two minutes between my house and the school I remember driving in one morning and thinking I don't want to be here. I started looking for other jobs and found one that really works well for me.
I've met people, been places, and learned things I never would have had I stayed at the school, and I've been in a much better environment.
One of the best things that happened to me was the school deciding to eliminate my position. It made a tough decision on my part rather easy. I wound up with a month vacation in the summer, started a new job the day after Labor Day, and double dipped for months as a part of my deal.
I have no grudge or chip, but I do have some knowledge, insight and experience. I also know that if I raise the issue and do what I can, I can sleep well at night regardless of the decisions that are made because I did what I could.
I can't speak to people's perceptions and I don't seek greatness. I've long believed that it is important to give back to your community in the best ways you can and for me this site seems to work well.
Thanks for the note and have a great weekend.
And if you or anyone else are interested in running for office this year, stop by the Nazareth News Agency on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. for Resident to Candidate a program I'm hosting. I'll have more details up tomorrow.
This so called "meeting" was NEVER publicized ANYWHERE except on telephone poles... Looked like a "student" meeting to me.....
Secondly, since when did a committee get formed.. I was at the last school board meeting and there was a discussion if forming a committee and at that point, the statement was "we do not need to form a committee”. I cannot quote this because it seems that the minutes take over 4 weeks to appear on the web. (Absolutely absurd!) I don’t think they want people to be educated! SHEEP ARE EASY TO LEAD!
It's time someone removed those crude, sloppy looking flyers .
Ross
I guess what I was trying to say is that you make good points. If you would frame them differently, less severe(not sure that is the correct word), that you would convince more people that have an open mind. It seems like sometimes you can get caught up in a frenzy "pandering" to one (extreme) side of the room.
I do enjoy hearing your take on things and absolutely believe in many of your points. Keep up the good work. My previous post was just meant as constructive critisism, hopefully so you could step back and see how this looks to the people on the other side of the room.
John
Keep an eye on the school district website. There is very much useful information there. Like a calendar of every days events. That address is www.nazarethasd.k12.pa.us
There will be a test on this next Tuesday. LOL
Thursday 2/1/2007
All day event BES LifeTouch Club Pictures
All day event Eagle Nest Gallery Show-Hillcrest Camera Club 2/1/07 to 2/28/07
4:00 PM FR (Only) Boys Basketball - Pen Argyl (4:00 Home)
4:00 PM MS Boys Basketball - Parkland Springhouse MS (Away)
4:00 PM MS Girls Basketball - Parkland Springhouse MS (Home)
4:00 PM VA Co-Ed Swimming - Northampton (Home)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM GED/Adult Education Classes
6:30 PM Joint Facilities, Curriculum, and Athletic Committee Meeting
7:00 PM Baseball Homerun Club
Jim,
No problem. I try to be as open and as transparent as possible.
It is pretty evident to me that you can't hide much when you provide a space like this and encourage comments even allowing them to be made anonymously.
Your post gave me an opportunity to do something I hadn't for nearly six years, which is publicly comment on the situation I left (in a very brief way).
For people who weren't here then, if you go back and read media accounts, I'd believe you would think I do this purely to "get even" for being "fired" as the Morning Call headlined it.
The truth is, I was blindsided in losing my job at that point in time (I was told at about 1 p.m. that the board would vote that night to eliminate my position and the vote would not be in doubt), but I wasn't oblivious to the environment and the fact that while I loved working for and with the kids, the politics and the environment weren't worth the impact on me.
At the time it was tough, I had a possible job lined up (which I took and am still at today), but then I had a young daughter, home, and wife that stayed at home (and fortunately she still does). It was pretty scary, but it worked out better than had I stayed.
So while this gives me clear conscious, hopefully it will also put that episode in context for those who knew about it and read what I write.
Having said that I do try to be conscientious of all comments made and positions taken. This situation with the Board though simply confounds me. If you can't make a budget work, and projections don't work, and new laws are in place that make increasing taxes more difficult, why do you put yourself in such a position? I just don't get it.
And yes, I do fear beating dead horses, which is why I held off on posting on every letter to the editor and article on the pool and calandras.
Hey, at the end of the day, which we're just past, this remains a work in progress.
keep on reading, keep on commenting, and if I really bug you feel free to send email offline as well as posting for everyone to see.
I appreciate the readership and the comments.
Anon 7:45-
While I usually attend the school board meetings, I cannot attend meetings on Thursday nights due to prior commitments.
As for "see(ing) how this looks to the people on the other side of the room" as Jim put, yes, I do see how this looks. I would LOVE to have a pool. My daughter (who's in 1st grade) loves to swim and is getting quite good. Perhaps she could be on the swim team someday down the road. HOWEVER, we cannot afford it right now.
Raising taxes to cover it all doesn't work any more because of the Act 1 legislature. My concern is that we max out our borrowing capacity and yet still have (growing) budget shortfalls projected for each year out until 2012. In fact, at the last board meeting, this projected shortfall was anywhere from $2M to $5+M dollars. Even if the board wanted to raise taxes 10% to cover everything they CANNOT without it going to the public via a referendum. What happens when that fails?
My concern is that a failed referendum will lead to serious cuts in student services. And is that fair to our children?
If you refer to:
6:30 PM Joint Facilities, Curriculum, and Athletic Committee Meeting
Why would the school board state that no committee is needed to look into the pool "situation" and then hand it to the athletic committee? I think that things are just being hidden from view TOO much!
Ross,
Don't get me wrong. I am a big supporter of yours and come to this site to read your insights, and points of view. Some of which I side with you and some I don't, but in either case I like to understand both sides.
What I think would be an ideal situation, would be if this site was used as sort of a debating area when issues arise in the Nazareth area. If the perception is that this site is only full radicals or naysayers, that debate may never happen because the other side may not participate and the forum would not fully develop. I commend you because in many cases you do try to moderate the extremists. Which will hopefully encourage healthy debate of the issues, which benefits everyone.
John,
I do think they were referring to a new committee. And there was open discussion at the meeting about the issue going to the multi committee meeting. You must have missed that if you were there.
What would be the district's recourse and how would it effect the children if the YMCA, say three years down the line, does not live up to the contract? I would have an uneasy feeling about getting involved with them again, espescially on a long term basis. Not that there is any question about the character of the Y's board, but what if they rae pressured by unhappy members down the road? What if their membership starts to dwindle because of this? What if the present Y board is replaced by some of those disgruntled members?
talk about naysayers!
I have an issue with the argument that this pool is only for a handfull (50) kids on the swim team. The way I see it this pool would serve at least 600 kids that will be on the swim team during the next 25 years, which is the length of time it is being financed. When you consider the value of dollar 20 or 25 years from now, because of inflation, the "real" cost is not so intimidating. Perhaps there is a CPA out there who could calculate this. Also by drawing the cost out over 25 years it helps distribute its cost over more families and is fairer because why should all the present residents pay for something now that will benefit many many future classes.
I don't undertand why the pool is the only issue with the new school. I woudl think all the facilites cost should be reviewed. Things like a new track, artifiscal turf and a TV studio seem redundant to exisitng facilites, it would be interesting to see everythings cost itemized.
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