Taxpayers United Makes Excuses

In the Pike Counter Courier, the Taxpayers United slate explains that they, "chose not to answer the questions posed by the youth from “Future of Pike County” because the questions being asked were not the most compelling issues facing DV Taxpayers and students."

Read more here.

Is that true? Doubtful. 

All of what Bob Goldsack writes in his letter could have easily fit within the below four questions in our survey.

1). What uniquely qualifies you to be a school board member, and why are you running? 

2). Please list what you feel are the three most pressing issues facing the district. Detail how you would confront at least one of them.

7). How will you balance long-term fiscal responsibility, the tax burden on the local community, and improving educational performance, especially during economic hardship?

10). Please evaluate the average student who graduates the Delaware Valley School District. How would you compare him/her with his/her peers in the state? In competitive countries? How will you work to reverse any weaknesses you identify? 

 

So what is the real reason Bob Goldsack, Bernard Marasa and Patricia Wright did not respond to this survey? Or show up to two separate meet the candidates nights?

Maybe because these candidates don't feel accountable to the people who elect them. 

Maybe they don't want to answer tough questions. 

At the very least, maybe they simply don't care. 

Act Now!

Tuesday, April 29, 2009 there was an open candidates forum sponsored by the Matamoras Republican Club. No Taxpayers United candidate showed. They didn't even let the Club organizer know that they were not gong to bother.

Wednesday April 30, 2009 there was another open forum sponsored by the PTA, as usual, no Taxpayer United Candidate showed up. There were two other candidates that could not make it to that forum, both sent statements giving an overview of their qualifications and their candidacy. This opportunity was offered to the TU folks, but they couldn't be bothered. Apparently they had a prior engagement at a "kaffee klastch".

If you don't bother to complete a single questionnaire that was sent to all candidates (0 for 2) or show up to any candidate forum where all candidates have been invited (0 for 2) why should anyone bother to vote for you?

Taxpayers United wants to conduct their entire campaign through letters to the editor that are filled with errors, and have less truth than fiction. Are you going to allow them to do that?

As I like to say,
Learn; Educate; Vote.
We get the government we deserve.

If these TU candidates get elected running this type of campaign we will get the government we deserve: A board that is insulated, unresponsive, and "can't be bothered." Is this what you deserve?

By avoiding answering any tough questions, and by taking pot shots through letters to the editor they may win this one. If you think you deserve better representatives than these candidates, ones that avoid every tough question, you had better get motivated and get moving.

Get everyone you know to check the Future of Pike County out. Ask them if they read our completed questionnaires. Ask them if they read the endorsements that the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the Future of Pike County have given us this year.

Sign up!

Get Involved!

Email to Supporters: T-3 Weeks until Election Day!

Didn't receive an email update this morning? That means you have not yet signed up! You can do so here.

From the message:

Welcome to the team. We are a student-led political action committee that seeks to shape the community we will inherit by ensuring its leaders are strong and the policies they support are in our long-term interest. With just three weeks remaining until the primary election for five seats on the Delaware Valley School Board, we find this is a great place to start.

We have recently witnessed our school board place political expediency over responsible budgeting. In light of rapidly rising costs, the board chose to rely on state windfalls and borrowing from vital reserve accounts to balance our budget and boast a 0% tax increase. This is simply unsustainable, and we cannot afford to continue down this path. Now is the time for change.

The slate of candidates endorsed by the PAC promises to find the right balance between economic and educational interests and to restore a higher level of trust in our school board by making it more transparent and accountable.

Nothing is so fundamental to the future of our community than the strength of its public schools. We need strong leaders in education and role models in public service. We believe we have found them, and with your help, they will take office by the end of the year.

In just five minutes you can:

- Bookmark our Web site and Blog, so you can easily check back for updates
- Tell your friends about the Future of Pike County PAC by forwarding them this email
- Make a secure online donation
- Connect to us on the Web via Facebook and Twitter
- Mark your calendars for May 19 and VOTE!

Thank you for your support,

Marc R. Coda
Chairman

Austin Lamac
Treasurer

Read the rest of the message here.

DV Support Professionals Back Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor

From the Delaware Valley Education Support Professionals Association:

The Delaware Valley Education Support Professionals Association is proud to endorse Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor for Delaware Valley School Board. We believe that Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor are the best candidates for the school board because they are committed to improving the educational programs and standing for educational excellence for all of our students. We believe these challenges will require a steadfast commitment and these candidates will provide that type of leadership. These are true leaders that want to conduct the school board’s business in a more open and forthright manner and make sure the Sunshine Act will be enforced to keep the taxpayers and community informed.

We believe that our school district will be made financially secure for years to come by these outstanding candidates because they plan to implement sound financial polices and pursue smart budgeting to fight rising property taxes. Managing the district’s budget appropriately and spending the district’s resources wisely is their priority. Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor will manage tax dollars more efficiently and they’re committed on being fiscally conservative by spending your tax dollars on tangible items that bring academic benefits to our students, while keeping the taxpayers a high priority.

It’s time for change on the Delaware Valley School Board and these candidates care because we matter. The students, support staff, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers matter to our endorsed candidates. Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor are prepared to be strong leaders in these uncertain times and they are the best candidates for school board on May 19.

Sincerely,

Fran Rosario, President

Delaware Valley Education Support Professionals Association

Candidate Events

This week there are two chances to hear from all the candidates.
Both forums are open to the public.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009:
Candidates Meet and Greet at the Matamoras Republican Club

· Matamoras Borough Hall

· 7pm

· Candidates will give a short introduction
· Followed by questions and an informal meet and greet session.

Sponsored by the Matamoras Republican Club, open to the public.

Wednesday April 29 2009:
Meet the Candidates for Delaware Valley School Board

· Shohola Elementary School

· 7-8 pm Candidates speak and answer questions
· 8-9 pm Meet & Greet over cake and coffee

"Please join us to learn about the candidates seeking election on May 19."

Sponsored by DV Council PTA and the Pike County Youth Coalition

Courier: Survey yields endorsements and criticism

From the Pike County Courier:

Westfall — A new Delaware Valley student/alumni political action committee has released its candidate endorsements and drawn criticism from the incumbent school board president.

The Future of Pike County political action committee recently announced five endorsements for Delaware Valley School Board. Highly recommended candidates are Pam Lutfy, Bill Greenlaw and Jack Fisher. Recommended candidates are Chuck Pike and Sue Schor. The full letter of endorsement is located on the PAC’s Web site, www.futureofpikecounty.org.

Advised by seven current and former student leaders, the committee reached its decision by individually evaluating each candidate who returned its survey. The Taxpayers United ticket of Bob Goldsack, Bernard Marasa and Patricia Wright were the only candidates who offered no response.

Goldsack, who chairs the board, said that based on its membership, negative statements made about him and Taxpayers United by some of the action committee principals and the length of survey, he and candidates Bernard Marasa and Patricia Wright jointly decided not to participate. They said the outcome of the survey was predetermined. “It was very slanted,” Goldsack said of the 20-question survey. Separately, Goldsack said he does plan a statement to respond to the survey’s question about district drug testing policy.

“We feel that each of five endorsed candidates offers specific skills and experience that will benefit the school district and our community,” said Marc Coda, PAC Chairman.

“Two important priorities shared by each candidate are ensuring greater transparency in governance and practicing longer-term, more responsible budgeting,” he added.

Austin Lamac, the PAC’s treasurer, said that the committee now seeks to actively fundraise and campaign on behalf of the endorsed candidates at their Web site. The re-launched Web site includes a candidate blog, information about the committee and local voter information. Lamac said the site will also host an online town hall meeting with the candidates in mid-May.

Independent Study Finds 400 School Districts Award Diplomas without Evidence That Students Have 11th Grade Reading Skills

This holds true for Delaware Valley. During the 11th grade reading PSSA, 142 current senior students' scored under proficient. What will we do about this problem? Do we have the tools in place for our students' performance to improve? We have great teachers! What I feel we need is a reading program in the 9th through 12th grade. This will better prepare our students and give our teachers the proper materials to achieve this goal. I have been looking into the Reading 180 reading program which Pam Lutfy mentioned at the last work session. I would like the administrators to look at the Reading 180 and other reading programs at the high school level.

In a few days Pam and I will be attending the PSBA legislative conference in Harrisburg. We will be asking questions about this problem and looking into ways we may be able to solve this problem. We will bring back all the information to share with you at the next school board meeting. If you have questions and concerns please write back on this blog. I have listed a few web-sites for you to look up the latest information on some of these issues. Please let me know what you think!!!!

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pihs/reading.html

http://www.pdenewsroom.state.pa.us/newsroom/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=148536

Sincerely,

Susan Schor

School Board Director

Happy Earth Day!

I am old enough to remember the first Earth Day celebration, April 22, 1970. I attended what seemed to my eleven-year-old eyes to be a huge event, held under big tents on the campus of Harpur College, now Binghamton University. There were displays about waste treatment, recycling, water usage, and air pollution.

There was a feeling of revolution in the air. Back then recycling was a radical idea. In the same year the Environmental Protection Agency was formed and the Clean Air Act was passed. It was a revolution. In 1970 Bald Eagles were a rarity, thanks to the DDT ban they have recovered we are lucky enough to see them in our community.

Since then we have seen an information revolution. We are now able to access amazing amounts of information and source material from our laptops and cellphones (the PC would not be invented released until 1981, 11 years after that first Earth Day). We used to say "knowledge is power." While that is still true, it is easier to be empowered today.

What will the next big change be? I think that it has already begun. Changes in the way we educate and lifelong learning have been evolving throughout my lifetime, but I think we will see greater, faster changes in the near future.

We need to remember how far we have traveled in less than 39 years, and envision just how far we can go in the next 39 years.

What will be different in 2048? We can only guess, but we need to prepare our students for that future, and the change that they will encounter along the way.

Our Youth’s Opinions Matter

Let me begin by thanking the Future of Pike County PAC for their endorsement. Earning and maintaining the respect of our young adults is important to me. Contrary to current school board director John Kupillas’ opinion, I believe our recent graduates do have much to contribute to our community and specifically our school district. Who better than the recent graduates to provide our school board with feedback regarding their high school experience? I will bring up a student issue each week hoping to hear from both current students and recent graduates; along with parents of both.

The first topic I would like to discuss is the AP exams/classes. There has been much discussion over the past few years regarding the AP classes. I pose the following questions:
1. Should a student taking an AP course be required to take the exam?
a. Currently the exam is not required, unless it is written into the curriculum.
2. Should the weighting of a student’s grade be based on whether or not the student takes the exam?
a. Currently the weighting is dependant on a student taking the exam.
3. Should the school pay for the exam?
a. Currently the school pays for exams if the student has a B+ average in the class.

To be honest I have not formed a strong opinion. My initial opinion is that the exam should be required, making question #2 a moot point, and that the school should pay for all exams. I would like to hear your opinion.

“Better to contribute than to criticize”

Chuck Pike

We get the government that we deserve.

Welcome to my first entry on the blog. As it says up there at the top of this page, this is the place for “News and information about the Future of Pike County PAC, and updates from its endorsed candidates.” Check back every day to see updates.

I am proud to be one of the five DVSD school director candidates endorsed by the Future of Pike County PAC. As I wrote them after I was notified, “I am honored and humbled.”

The five candidates that have been endorsed are an eclectic group. We have differences, and we know we will not agree on every issue. We believe that that is how it should be. We know that when we are elected to the board we will deliberate in the open, in public meetings, and arrive at a consensus. We will not arrive with a pre-determined course, decided outside of the public’s view. We may passionately debate an issue, but we can, and will, do that respectfully. We will make our decision based on the facts and evidence. What we have in common is a passion for transparency and a passion for balancing the educational needs of the community with the economic realities of our times. We will write more about this in subsequent blogs.

We are all committed to improving the accessibility of the board. The present board has made positive changes that allow the public to see board meetings from different campuses. We all appreciate the current practice of holding executive sessions after public meetings so the public does not have to wait for them to reconvene. We can continue to improve accessibility. I look forward to the debut of School Board 2.0, a project of the Pike County Youth Coalition that will allow citizens to watch the meetings on the internet and provide live questions. I also look forward to the day the board adopts a substantial amount of the same practices of School Board 2.0, part of the end strategy of that project.

I have a deep belief that anything can be improved. Even the best can be better. To improve we have to take a hard look at where our deficiencies lie. This is a positive step towards addressing those deficiencies and improving them.

Finally, as I am fond of saying,
Learn,
Educate,
Vote,
We get the government that we deserve.

Bill Greenlaw

Candidate Endorsements Announced

The Future of Pike County political action committee recently announced five endorsements for Delaware Valley School Board. Highly recommended candidates are Pam Lutfy, Bill Greenlaw and Jack Fisher. Recommended candidates are Chuck Pike and Sue Schor. The full letter of endorsement is located on the PAC’s Web site, www.futureofpikecounty.org.

Advised by seven current and former student leaders, the committee reached its decision by individually evaluating each candidate that returned its survey. The Taxpayers United ticket of Bob Goldsack, Bernard Marasa and Patricia Wright were the only candidates who offered no response.

“We feel the each of five endorsed candidates offers specific skills and experience that will benefit the school district and our community,” said Marc Coda, PAC Chairman.

“Two important priorities shared by each candidate are ensuring greater transparency in governance and practicing longer-term, more responsible budgeting,” he added.

Austin Lamac, the PAC’s treasurer, said that the committee now seeks to actively fundraise and campaign on behalf of the endorsed candidates.

“Citizens can visit our Web site, donate ‘five dollars for our future,’ and join our mailing list to be notified of campaign events and volunteer opportunities,” he said.

The re-launched Web site includes a candidate blog, information about the committee and local voter information. Lamac said the site will also host an online town hall meeting with the candidates in mid-May.

Find your polling place:

View Pike County Polling Locations in a larger map

Press Release: Future of Pike County PAC Launches

Local students seeking to make an impact in upcoming elections have organized to establish a political action committee called the “Future of Pike County.” With a growing list of supporters, the committee will mobilize citizens of the community, especially young people, to help get candidates it endorses elected to public office. The all-partisan, youth-led PAC will support candidates who offer “strong leadership and support for policies that are in the long-term interest of Pike County.”
The committee recently mailed a survey to each Delaware Valley School Board candidate in this year’s primary election and will endorse up to five in the near future. Endorsements will be made based on the consensus of the committee’s advisory council, which is comprised of seven current and past Delaware Valley Student Council Presidents and Student School Board Representatives.
The PAC’s Chairman is 2006 Delaware Valley alumnus Marc R. Coda, a rising senior at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island where he most recently ran for the State Senate.
“As young people, we realize that decisions made on a local level have a great impact on us in the short-term as well as the community we’ll inherit in the long-term, and this is why it is so important we get involved,” Coda said.
Austin Lamac, the PAC’s treasurer and 2004 DV graduate, said that the organization’s activities and outreach will be primarily funded through a small, online donations. Lamac said the PAC will soon launch a campaign called “$5 for our Future” for this purpose.
“Modern technology and social networking will empower young people to play an active role in the political process and, in this particular election, help steer the school district in the right direction by supporting the best candidates for school board,” he said.
The PAC invites all community members to stay up-to-date by visiting www.futureofpikecounty.org and signing up for the group’s mailing list.