The Morning Call has "Another View" by Bushkill resident Polly Beste (read it here). The commentary questions recent expenditures by Easton and Nazareth on swimming facilities and whether taxpayers should be spending such large sums on facilities used by a reasonably small number of students.
It recalls familiar arguments, but fails to question the leadership of the administration or board who made the decision to build the entire facility in the first place.
A near 10% tax increase this year will be followed by similar ones in the coming years in Nazareth.
Why?
Mostly because we are building a building we already have - a Middle School (opened less then 10 years ago). Paying to convert the current Middle School into an Intermediate School, and continuing to bandage the HS which really needs the most help, but we couldn't afford a new HS as our debt ceiling could only accomodate the $60 million for the MS.
Would we be that much better off if we 'only' paid $55 million and didn't have the pool? Not much.
Had we have built an intermediate school at $40 million or an elementary at less than that and we'd see a difference, but our taxes would still be going up, as the finance committee explained prior to approving the MS last year, we couldn't make ends meet.
Complaining about the pool at this point is like complaining about a spot of blood on your shirt after you've been shot - you've got bigger issues to focus on. What amazes me is that people seem to be locked on the notion that the pool has sunk us, when it has been the Board and Administration who haven't made responsible decisions in many areas and now we are paying for it in higher taxes and soon less services/education. The pool is one of many and not even the biggest one.
24 comments:
Ross,
I don't think people think the pool is what did this, it is just a very visible poster child of what is wrong with this district, administration, and yes, a select few vocal parents that were able to push their agenda thanks to a board member.
It is the luxery car parked in front of the broken down shack so to speak. The big screen TV but no food in the house.
We need to remove those board members that have rubber stamped all of these expenditures. I believe there are two that have tried to stop most of them. Once we get rid of them, then it is time to fire Lesky.
It is easy to say "remove these board members" but in reality no one wants to run for the school board.
It isn't a "drop in the bucket" when you start looking at everything that will need to be cut to make up for this expenditure. 4.5 million dollars equals approx. 86 annual teacher's salaries. Or 90,000 students will have to "pay to play"...or 1 million books will have to be cut. To afford "X" we'll have to cut alot of "Y"......
Instead of cutting teachers, programs, adding pay to play, etc., why don't we start at the top?
Cut some of the bloated administration. The same administration that has spent so much because of growth. Growth, by the way, they some how failed to see springing up around them as they drove to work each day.
Cut all the bells and whistles they are putting in the new school. Let's face it, putting in the best of everything is not going to make our kids learn any better.
Kill the spending on all the programs that only focus on the PSSA test and return to teaching a solid core curriculum. If they do that, test scores should naturally rise.
Consolidate bus routes. Over half of the buses I see pulling into the elementary schools are less than half full. Figure out how to fill them with fewer buses.
I am sure there are tons of waste in the day to day business in this district. Put out some dollars to bring in an independent consultant to review current business prcesses and cut out the waste. Major corporations have done this for years. They usually save more than they spent on the consultants in the first year or two.
What this board and administration have done is put long term residents against those that are new, and have held hostage the taxpayers by only going after the cuts that directly affect the students.
But, the teachers union holds their own share of the blame. Demanding pay, and more important, benefits that those of us in the commercial world could only dream of. Everything you demand on each contract negotiation costs us the taxpayers that much more. And to accomplish this the union, like the administration, hold the kids hostage.
It is time the the administration and teachers union wake up to the real world and realize that the taxpayers are not an endless stream of dollars that they can tap into whenever they feel like it.
Anonymous,
These teachers live in the Lehigh Valley where the rate of inflation has been 18-20 percent over the last three years. The teachers are lucky to get a 3-4 percent increase and health care costs at each contract are diminished causing a further reduction in progress for their families.
Teachers work much harder than many realize. Please give them the respect that they deserve.
Let us not forget that in this great country of ours people are free to choose their livelihood. If you think you can make a good living in the business sector, then choose business. If education is so wonderful, choose to be a teacher. Until you've done both, it is unfair to judge.
Also, this budgeting shortfall may have an advantage. Maybe the development will slow due to the soft housing market. Maybe people will not want to live in Nazareth due to the high tax rate; although I guess we’ll still have to pay for the new buildings, even if they are empty.
Yes, we need to cut the fat, and I agree that there does seem to be more of it at the top than the bottom. There is probably room to tighten the budget and the best of everything is not necessary. I believe I heard something on the news about changing the way schools are funded at the state level. This is a big part of the real problem. Unfunded mandates and shrinking support from the state and federal government contribute to the shortfall. Schools are required to do certain things, including remediation classes for those who do not pass the PSSA (would you prefer that students who score below basic just remain there and fall further behind?), but no one who makes the requirements is concerned about how to pay for them.
I don’t know what the procedure is to impeach people from the school board. I can’t even find anywhere who represents which area of the district. I don’t think we’re going to get rid of anyone any time soon and the point was made that no one is standing in line for the job. All we can do is move forward and attempt to elect people who have a solid understanding of the intricacies of the district and funding it. Someone who also will listen to the residents and taxpayers of the district and weigh what is in the best interest of the majority against the vocal minority or the egotistical desires of the few.
since1962-
The NASD board is made up of three regions.
Region I (Bushkill & Tatamy) is served by Butz, Bradley and Marino (when he attends meetings)
Region II (East Upper Nazareth, Lower Nazareth) is served by Maher, Hensley and McDonald
Region III (West Upper Nazareth, Stockertown & Nazareth Borough) is served by Audenreid, Heller and Treon.
Members up for election in 2009 are: Audenreid, Heller, Hensley, Marino and McDonald.
To anon's point-
I was "this" close to running in 2007. I went down to the Wolf Bldg got all the information and registered voters lists but then realized that I was in Region II and the only person from Region II up for re-election in 2007 was Maher. I decided that I didn't want to run against him as he had been (IMO) the only board member who showed any sense of fiscal responsibility...
To be honest, serving on the school board (in any district) is a thankless job. It's a lot of work, there are probably 4-6 meetings every month (when you consider committee meetings), there's no monetary gain and you really can't make any decision without p*ssing off someone.
All things above considered, I do believe that change on the NASD school board is needed and perhaps I'm stupid or naive enough (at this time) to think I might be able to affect some change.
This is not a knock against teachers, as my father was, brother is, and wife is certified to be, but I don't buy the sympathy argument that 'Reader' has espoused.
In suburban areas like our own, the teachers make out pretty well. The average pay increase the last few years (not teaching, but any job) has been 3%, if any, but our recent contract was higher than that.
The teacher's pension is very good (not a 401K).
And regarding medical, a few percent on a great plan is much better than what most other people get.
My company's policy is to pay one half the amount of a single person's monthly premium. Since I have to take the family plan (two kids and my wife stays at home - obviously our choice) the balance is on me. So if they pay $300 ($600 for single) I get the balance of $1100 per month for the family plan. Not to mention the $30 co-pay or the formulary at 30, 40, or 50 per prescription.
You also have to remember that the teacher's year is 180 days, not including personal (maybe 2) and sick days (one per month?). Figure out the pay per day vs. your own and see if it is high or low.
And even having done that, salary means very little these days. You need to factor in benefits and other aspects (medical and pension).
My best guess is that the teachers here make out pretty well and when the pension kicks in they will not be worrying about property taxes.
Other comment is in regard to running for office.
I hope more people do, but as has been noted it will be tough.
The job consumes time, is thankless, and in our district you will have to make difficult decisions.
In 2007 I ran Resident to Candidate night to inform people about running for office. I'll definitely be doing it again and while it may not result in a rush of new candidates, at least the information will be out there for people to have access to.
I agree the board needs to change- in the short time I have been here I agree that some poor decision have been made. However, the comment that keeps being made about "bell and whistles", I completely disagree with you, I want nothing more then my child to have all that can possibly be offered to her including the bells and whistles. As for only teaching to the PSSA, I hope that the teachers that teach in this district do not only teach to that.
As far as bells and whistles go.....they have to stop.
The board can start adding in the nice-to-haves when there is no chance that educational services will be cut as a result. The people of this district cannot afford the taxes and where they are going in the future.
Fiscal responsibility is the key. I asked then board VP and now board President Ken Butz directly this question -- "Can the extras in the new middle school be eliminated after we see the price tag?"
His answer was yes. That was quickly forgotten when the board heaped on many extras (yes, the pool as well) before seeing the final price of the project and even realizing the implications to the district.
I read about alot of complaints about how things are run in the district. Well, show up for the meetings and let them know how you feel and that you will answer with your votes. Better yet, come to all the board meetings (find the schedule on the district's website). Stand up on your feet at the meeting and question each and every expenditure. Have a voice and use it. These are public meetings. You can make a difference if you get involved.
Right now, there are very few of us who do attend. We need more voices to let them know enough is enough.
I think the bells and whistles should be clarified a bit.
I think we all want a good environment for our kids to learn in, but at the same time it doesn't have to be a showcase of design.
If you look at the building plan for the MS there are huge open area 'entranceways' flanked by classrooms. This is essentially wasted space and it is costly in that the rooms could have backed up to one another (saving walls and roofing).
Options on materials such as floors, carpeting, etc., can also be reduced but often are not because someone decides they look nice.
No benefit to eductation.
I think we need to cut back as far from education as possible and be cost conscious everywhere. There are undoubtedly places we can trim back that won't impact education.
Regarding the teachers teaching to the test - they have no option. I'd scrap all the testing, pre-testing, and special time. If we have teachers of the caliber I believe we have, then let them develop a curriculum that is solid and work to teach all the kids to their ability. If you do that the test scores will take care of themself.
To those that question whether the district is teaching the test, you either don't have kids in the middle or high school, or you aren't paying attention.
This year, PSSA study workbooks were purchased (at some unkown dollar value), kids were given daily homework from them, and they were graded on the results. If that is not teaching the test, I don't know what is. Also, instead of spending those dollars on regular textbooks, we spent it on throw away workbooks (they cannot be reused since there were written in).
To Since1962, no, we don't want kids who are failing to fall behind, but NOC is correct that if you teach the core materials, test scores will follow. I also want to ask you how many standardized tests you remember taking when you were in school. Other than SATs, I remember only one or two, and we never prepared for them.
As to Readers comments, respect is something earned, not blindly given. There are many teachers in this district have have earned my respect, while there are others that should be elsewhere. Your statement seems to indicate that we should give teachers whatever they want because they are teachers. There is no reward for a teacher being good and no penalty for a teacher being bad, and the sad part is that they both get paid the same.
The simple fact is that we are spending dollars where we don't need to. The new school is going to look like a royal palace with all its planned add-ons (that have nothing to do with education). We have way to much fat in the administration. Fiscal responsibility is nowhere to be found in our district leadership.
The bells and whistles I am speaking of are not a huge entrance way or a beautiful building or even an olympic size swimming pool. I am speaking of top of the line computers, extra curricular activities, gifted and intelligent programs, help for kids not so gifted. The pool is great and at this point it is what it is, so we all have to deal with it. But what I am refering to is the comments to "keep it plain and simple" I disagree in this day it can not be "plain and simple".
In order for our kids to succeed they need something extra and why not - they deserve it.
You are right, I do not have children in the middle school or high school and my hopes are to have these major issues ironed out before my child gets there or any others.
As for attending meetings, you are right- and I plan to attend the next meeting and as many more as I can. I will speak up and I will do whatever I have to, in order to ensure that my child is given the best public education she can get.
Hopefully, the next presidential election will result in the demise of the NCLB law. This law was totally flawed from the start and is the main reason why districts now feel they must "teach to the test". Children are not the same. Not everyone has the capability of learning at the same rate. What the law has resulted in is a battle between districts to get the best scores. It is NEVER going to happen. You are never going to see a district like Allentown, for example, receive the same test scores as Parkland, or even Nazareth. The only way the law could truly judge what districts are making the best progress would be if all the kids had the same IQ.
I give you an example. Suppose we were to give the same PSSA test to
the freshman class at Kutztown University and also gave the same test to the freshman class at Harvard. Who do you think will obtain the higher scores?
The law is flawed, and only when we can return to simply teaching our children and offering them opportunities to the best of their abilities will the school districts be able to abandon their quest to get the highest scores and focus simply on education.
Anonymous 11:24
You could not be more on target, and like you, I hope NCLB dies, and least as it exists now, in the next administration.
One item that may be a problem is the schools and the government have conditioned to many parents to believe in these tests as the end-all be-all measurement for schools. On these pages of this site I have seen many people stand behind these tests and put to much importance in them.
Let's face facts, these tests are the report card for teachers and the administration around their ability to teach. This is their incentive to teach the test.
If we stop talking about the PSSA as the only measurement, demand that teachers go back to teaching core curriculum, the administration will eventually have to wake up and realize that is the right course.
Instead of teaching to the test, and having the PSSAs be the judge of the teachers and the school districts, I think the schools should be judged on the amount of improvement each child makes during a given school year.
If you have a child in learning support, and is years behind his peers, he's not going to do well on the PSSA no matter how much studying he does. And, he takes the exact same test that the college prep kinds and the gifted kids take.
I think it would be more indicitive of good teaching if that child gained academic levels.
My proposal is to test every student the first week of school. Then test all the students in the last week of school. Every student should show a minimum gain of one grade level. If this goal is met, then the staff at the school did a good job.
The PSSA tests the SKILLS for Reading and Math...we are long gone from the days of a "solid" curriculum which consisted of a teacher teaching whatever it is that interested them. Now we have Standards (the SKILLS) that give ALL teachers a focus on what the students must learn (at the minimum) to be successful in reading, writing and arithmatic (science as well). The public has a huge misconception of these assessments.
Do school districts make a big deal over them? Absolutely! I agree. If you embed the SKILLS in the curriculum (as they are or should be) then yes, the assessments are no big ordeal...just another day, another assessment.
Furthermore, we (teachers) have a program called PVAAS which allows us to see growth (improvement) in a group of students or a single student over time (or school year). The drawback to this program is that it is being used, in some states (Michigan being one I believe) for merit pay based on students' improvement. Poor use of the program as there are too many variables a teacher can't control regarding a student's performance.
We moved here from the midwest. To say the least, how school districts are run(here) is deplorable. We did not have a school tax. If the IIC wanted to raise taxes for the school, it was voted on by the community. Which is how it should be. The schools were excellent and the sports were award winning. And it was all done without astronomical taxes breaking the back of the average citizen. Any ideas on how we can get that referendum(citizens voting) passed?
When we first moved here we moved to the Poconos. That school district would be the perfect poster child for "WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS BECOME GREEDY". And it concerns me that that is where this community is headed. The people in charge are greedy. We need to cut off their food supply.
Cloverd,
You are right, the test focuses on Reading and Math SKILLS. However, writing, science and social studies SKILLS are completely ignored. What about basic analytical skills? These kids are not allowed to move outside the little box they have been placed in, how will they ever develop these SKILLS? I have kids in NASD, and to tell me that is not true would be an outright LIE! If they were on the test, it would be a different story.
We can keep teaching the SKILLS on the test, but that scares me for the future because these kids will only be thinking inside the standardized test box, and not for themselves.
I have seen writing assignments turned in by my child (ther very few assigned), and have been constantly amazed that he is unable to form a coherent paragraph/story, and yet, somehow seems to keep getting A's and B's on these written assignments. Somehow this SKILL (writing) is not being taught.
I have no misconception of what these test are about. They are the report card for TEACHERS and ADMINISTRATORS, and to tell us otherwise is a LIE.
I know this because these tests have zero bearing on whether my child gets into college or not.
Add into that an extremely oppressive school environment (there are no gray areas outside the rules for JUDGEMENT calls), you have the makings of a poor educational experience.
PSSA's also test for writing and science.
They were just added, so I am sure it won't be long before they start teaching that test.
I and am really curious though on how they are going to test them. Will it be biology, chemistry, physics, astonomy?
The teachers keep telling students that these test will matter for their acceptance into college. I am also curious on how that will happen since each state has its own standardized test, but they aren't standard across states.
Getting back on topic, we are spending way to many dollars on the standardized tests and their preparation for them.
Yes, they are teaching skills, but ONLY those that are on the test, not outside of that, and we all know there is more to life than just what is on the test.
If you are a parent that has focused only on standardized test scores, you are a large part of the problem. You have lost the right to complain about NCLB if you support and worry about standardized test scores.
Ross
Allow me a couple of suggestions. And for the record I taught in the Bethlehem School District from 1967-1999 a total of 32 years.
Let's look at the curriculum particularly the electives and get rid of what is not necessary. School are there to educate not prepare a kid for a job. The employer or Tech School can do that. Our kids have a breath of knowledge as big as all outdoors but they have no depth of knowledge. Why? They don't read. I know this because I have three grandchildren in school who are very bright until I start asking questions.
Next we take a look at the benefits and figure out a better plan. I would make two suggestion here. First the teachers pay 50% of the cost of their plan. Second, a lump sum in the beginning of the year and they purchase their own plan.
Next the number of coaches in sports. This is high school ball not the pros. Bet you can get by with two coaches for the big sports.
Then we address administrative salaries. No golden parachutes and no hiring from the inside. Bethlehem and Nazareth have been burned by this. Tommy D was a great principal at Liberty but stunk as a Superintendent. Same goes for Lesky. No more exhorbitant salaries for administrators. Most of them aren't worth the powder it would take to blow them out of the building.
School Board members should be paid and I believe it should be a goodly amount based on the size of the district and in order to hold them accountable. Nazareth members might earn 30-35K a year. They must be there except for illness or emergency and in the case of illness they need a doctor's excuse. Screw up and your fired. Boards never get the blame for their back door actions and believe me there is plenty of that going on. To do this I believe would require action by the state. They get salary but no benefits. Details would have to be worked out.
We also need to look at per capita spending and test scores. Here you look at SATs, PSSA, AP, Merit Scholars. Bet you will find that as we spend more scores go down.
Couple of additinal items. We hire contant oriented teachers, we put discipline in the hands of the teachers and administrators, we get rid of the class size nonsense and buy desks and chairs instead of building castles.
As for running, let me note that there are a lot of folks here who would make good directors. I would be willing to assist anyone who wants to run. I have been involved with campaigns from local municipal races and school board to a state representative race and a Congressional House seat race. I can hopefully still pull some folks along who enjoy messing in this stuff. One thing I do advise is get an accountant involved because they can follow the money trail and you will want to do that. Marino is up next year.
Ross
Allow me a couple of suggestions. And for the record I taught in the Bethlehem School District from 1967-1999 a total of 32 years.
Let's look at the curriculum particularly the electives and get rid of what is not necessary. School are there to educate not prepare a kid for a job. The employer or Tech School can do that. Our kids have a breath of knowledge as big as all outdoors but they have no depth of knowledge. Why? They don't read. I know this because I have three grandchildren in school who are very bright until I start asking questions.
Next we take a look at the benefits and figure out a better plan. I would make two suggestion here. First the teachers pay 50% of the cost of their plan. Second, a lump sum in the beginning of the year and they purchase their own plan.
Next the number of coaches in sports. This is high school ball not the pros. Bet you can get by with two coaches for the big sports.
Then we address administrative salaries. No golden parachutes and no hiring from the inside. Bethlehem and Nazareth have been burned by this. Tommy D was a great principal at Liberty but stunk as a Superintendent. Same goes for Lesky. No more exhorbitant salaries for administrators. Most of them aren't worth the powder it would take to blow them out of the building.
School Board members should be paid and I believe it should be a goodly amount based on the size of the district and in order to hold them accountable. Nazareth members might earn 30-35K a year. They must be there except for illness or emergency and in the case of illness they need a doctor's excuse. Screw up and your fired. Boards never get the blame for their back door actions and believe me there is plenty of that going on. To do this I believe would require action by the state. They get salary but no benefits. Details would have to be worked out.
We also need to look at per capita spending and test scores. Here you look at SATs, PSSA, AP, Merit Scholars. Bet you will find that as we spend more scores go down.
Couple of additinal items. We hire contant oriented teachers, we put discipline in the hands of the teachers and administrators, we get rid of the class size nonsense and buy desks and chairs instead of building castles.
As for running, let me note that there are a lot of folks here who would make good directors. I would be willing to assist anyone who wants to run. I have been involved with campaigns from local municipal races and school board to a state representative race and a Congressional House seat race. I can hopefully still pull some folks along who enjoy messing in this stuff. One thing I do advise is get an accountant involved because they can follow the money trail and you will want to do that. Marino is up next year.
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