Recap: Online Town Hall Meeting

Thanks to all those who joined us for this groundbreaking event tonight. We had over three dozen participants and many great questions. Below you will find the archived live blog and video from the event. (The video accidentally cuts out the introduction from Jack Fisher.)

Phone Banking for Our Future

Students from the Future of Pike County PAC make hundreds of phone calls Monday evening to voters in DV School District. 

Ad Running in This Week's Dispatch

All That Glitters Is Not Goldsack

I am supporting Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor in the May 19th primary election for Directors of the Delaware Valley School District.  These candidates, while varied in their experiences and priorities, will bring vision and transparency to a Board I’m embarrassed to sit on in this my 14^th year of volunteer service.

 

          Bob Goldsack says he and I have a “Love-Hate relationship”.  I told Bob that I don’t hate anyone, but I dislike many things that he does.

 

          I dislike that Bob removed me from the Negotiations Committee on the teacher’s contract and then inadvertently increased starting teacher’s pay by $15,000, matching what a teacher with 5 years of experience would earn.  The Board as a whole didn’t learn of this until after the teacher’s union voted to approve the proposed contract.

 

          I dislike that Bob asked the Board to hire 4 school security officers at a cost of $250,000 per year, expecting that there would be Safe Schools money to offset the cost.  We hired the staff – didn’t get the money.

 

          I dislike that Bob ran for and won an election and held a position on the Pike County Republican Committee while holding the elected office of School Director, which violates the Pennsylvania School Code.

 

          I dislike that Bob filed a petition to remove Pam Lutfy and Sue Schor from the 2009 primary ballot and then had his lawyer withdraw the petition.  Noticeably Bob’s petitions had the same uncrossed T’s and un-dotted I’s as his opponent’s petitions.

 

          I dislike that Bob said in a public meeting that, “It would be the happiest day of my life”, if I would resign from the Board.  Imagine that, happier than the day he was married or the birth of his children.

 

          I dislike that Bob repeatedly held meetings in violation of the Sunshine Law by either not announcing committee meetings or allowing Board business to be discussed with 5 or more Board members present.

 

          I dislike that Bob told parents of students at DVES that he would not support moving the new elementary school off the campus, but would continue work on building a new school on the existing site.  Then, Bob announced that Long Range Planning would not work on a plan to rebuild the school at all, due to the economy.  To further offend these parents, Bob allowed the money borrowed to build the school to be spent on capital construction projects and the new water delivery system at the Dingman-Delaware campus.

 

          I dislike that Bob boasts of the new $900,000 water delivery system as providing cleaner water at Dingmans.  The water is no cleaner after the system went on-line than before.  In fact, the pristine water that was delivered to the primary school now has chemicals added to it.  How do the parents at the primary school like that change?

 

          I dislike that Bob likes to take credit for bringing the NO-Bullying program to the District when the way he treats people, in my opinion, makes him the biggest bully in the county, to which Bob replied publicly, “If I have to be a bully to get what I think is right, then I guess I’ll be the bully.”

 

          I dislike that Bob defended an outside contractor over the concerns of district employees and when the facts came into light, failed to tell the public himself the outcome.

 

          Bob and I don’t always have to agree.  It’s fine to agree to disagree. I have a right to hear what other Board members are hearing and I have a right to be heard.

 

          I agree with Diane French’s letter to the editor, “It’s All About Character”.  Bob Goldsack is a character alright.  Not a character that should be re-elected.

 

          I’d appreciate your support on May 19th for Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor.

 

 

Thank you,

 

Sue Casey

Et TU Brute?

As far back as 52 B.C. the great Roman leader, Julius Caesar reminded the world that “Experience is the teacher of all things” (De Bello Civili).

A letter to the Dispatch submitted by Diane French on April 30, 2009 reminds me that Diane has yet to experience and much to learn about character education, which I note was not touted in her list of trainings as she recently entered her first year of teaching. Taking my comments out of context and twisting my words to fool the public into believing that I have accomplished nothing during my twelve years of serving on the Board is as William Shakespeare so aptly wrote, “the most unkindest cut of all” (Julius Caesar, 1601.

I, Pam Lutfy “did have the audacity to publicly ask” why Diane French and Dr. Finan proposed to replace the present elementary reading curriculum with a new $350,000 + reading curriculum, especially in light of the fact that our elementary students demonstrated outstanding reading performance on the 2007-2008 PSSA according to an administrative report. Diane retorted that her employer uses the proposed $350,000+ reading program and all the teachers at her school like it. Interestingly, I learned that our own DV teachers were not consulted regarding the reading curriculum proposal and by the way neither were any other Board members!

Yes, I, Pam Lutfy do have the audacity to continually question why Bob Goldsack, president of the Board, and Diane French, education committee chairperson, fixate on elementary reading discussions and smugly ignore the fact that the DV High School failed to reach Average Yearly Progress as a result of poor performance on the state assessment. Twenty percent of last year’s eleventh grade class failed to reach proficiency in reading and 35% failed in math! Those students are graduating this year with hopes of fulfilling their dreams and aspiration? What are their chances? Do Diane, Bob and others not grasp the significance of a school failing to reach Average Yearly Progress? If this trend continues parents will be permitted to transfer their child to another school district at the taxpayer’s expense!

For years, I have had the audacity to implore the district to adopt the highly stimulating and researched based “Read 180” Stage B (Middle School) and Stage C (High School) reading series supported by Dr. Willard Daggett whose “Quadrant D” learning initiative was recently integrated into the core subjects of the Delaware Valley School District. It confounds me that our secondary school staff is expected to succeed with “Quadrant D” high order thinking skills and abstract learning when the students who are dropped on their door steps cannot read proficiently.

Through experience, Diane will learn that educational efforts will not succeed without the input of staff, parents and community. She will learn that I and others will not simply rubber stamp her recommendations even if she and her cohorts do control the majority vote on the Board. If our state legislators have their way, 12th grade Graduate Competency Exams will soon become a reality. When students are not permitted to graduate because of reading deficiencies, will Diane French along with other Tax United affiliated Board members realize that reading matters at every level of education?

I have never “questioned anyone for hard work and new ideas”, but I do question acquisitions that are “popular” and inappropriate to the needs of all students in the district. I disagree with Diane French’s publicly stated approval of scripted curriculums and scripted packets. I believe our teachers are highly capable of teaching and important enough to be included in decisions regarding all aspects of education.

Two years ago, Bob Goldsack appointed a new board member with nil knowledge of special education to replace me as the district’s special education liaison. A void developed as discussions and meetings rapidly slipped through the cracks -- no fault of mine! Five months ago, Bob Goldsack assigned me to act as special education committee chairperson. Parent surveys were initiated, co-curricular activities for students with special needs were organized and Round Table discussions were held. I did not notice Diane French at any of those meetings, which perhaps accounts for her failure to notice the resurgence of special education committee activity.

Through networking with parents, staff, community, legislators and Board members I am proud to report that MUCH has been accomplished in our district to keep the promise of equity for all students. Eclectic efforts have resulted in hiring high quality special education teachers, a principal of special education, Round Table discussions, a tracking system for student accommodations, improved professional development, researched based instructional methods, realistic assessment standards, consultants addressing low incidence disorders, the hosting of the Pennsylvania Special Olympics and much more! I will continue to seek improvements whether I a member of the Board or a private citizen through professional interaction as opposed to juvenile behavior, law suits and misleading statements.

There are 3 additional curricula recommended in addition to the reading curriculum at a total cost of almost one million dollars. Does anyone else have the audacity to ask questions especially during these difficult economic times?

Sincerely,
Pam Lutfy

Video from PCYC/PTA Meet the Candidates Night

Below is a playlist of videos from the Meet the Candidates Night at Shohola Elementary School. It was sponsored by the Pike County Youth Coalition and the Parent Teacher Association, both organizations are non-partisan and do not support candidates in elections. 

Candidates who attended: Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Sue Schor and Jack Fisher. Chuck Pike sent a statement that was read in the first video. The Taxpayers United candidates did not show up.

Maintaining Fiscal Discipline

To the Editor:

Fiscal discipline is hard medicine!

The need for a long term multi-year approach to budgeting has never been more clear.

After listening intently to last nights DVSD budget presentation of Plan A and Plan B, I make this simple statement: "Turn down the stimulus money."

As a way of background to my coming to this conclusion, let me say how impressed I was with the honest and open acknowledgment and clear presentation by School Supt. Dr. Candis Finan of the significant problems that our school district has with 5th grade. It matches the problem presented last fall with 11th grade and the inability to meet AYP. The need to spend significant sums of money on a new curriculum was shown to be evident. No objections were made by anyone in attendance that combating deficiencies in the educational continuum must be waged. I caution that If Dr. Finan were presenting these budgetary needs simply as a way to get more federal funding she would lose all integrity, perhaps her job. I know she values her integrity and good name so I do not fear this the case.

Hence , I applauded the Supt., the Board and Chair of Budget Finance and Audit Ed Silverstone on his work on the expenditure side of the $70M budget, a $3M increase from last year. He even restored a small portion of funds to the CAPEX Reserve as I had urged. That was a small but good step to make.

However, on the revenue side of the budget there remains great uncertainty as to the amount of federal stimulus money the DVSD will ultimately receive. Plan A calls for the revenue side of the to receive $3.3 million in federal stimulus funds. Plan B calls for the revenue side to receive $2 million less in federal stimulus funds. The PA State Senate has already voted overwhelmingly AGAINST DV getting the $3.3. The fight now goes to the PA House. Then on to Governor Rendell.

If you were preparing an honest budget would you use the $3.3M number to balance your budget.? I would not. Revenue must always be projected conservatively.

In the real business world such dramatic and traumatic uncertainty would never be relied upon to produce a balanced budget revenue projection. However, in the world of high stakes power politics being played from Washington to Harrisburg to Pike County, the DV School Board will vote next week to recommend Plan A. to the public and authorize the administration to begin the implementation of plans to address the problems in fifth and elenventh grade. Why? Simple. Plan A has been calculated to produce a local tax increase of 0%. Yes, another major increase in spending by a government entity without any taxpayer pain.

No pain at the federal level, no pain at the state level, no pain at the local level. All the pain is deferred to the future level. Our children and grandchildren will be forced to either pay for this new debt or be forced to pay, for all their lives, the interest on the debt this "painless stimulus" has produced. Money and power is an addictive narcotic. The Federal government, like a drug dealer on the streets, is saying "here just try it once. You will like it" or "here it’s free money, who does not like free money?".

I urge Mr. Silverstone to prepare a three to five year budget that details for the taxpayers what happens when the "stimulus money" under Plan A is gone. I urge him to do what he would do if he were the CFO of a real business enterprise faced with such uncertainty. Would he truly rely on such uncertain revenue streams to meet the demands of the expenditure stream increases that he will approve next week.?

Leaders make the hard calls. I say reject the injection of the federal stimulus. Mr. Silverstone, "Don’t get hooked." Then reexamine cold -turkey your revenues and expenditure projections over the next 36 to 48 months. Because you are an honest man, you’ll find the right answer.

Best regards,

Jack Fisher

Candidate for Delaware Valley School Board.