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

The Case for Fiscal Discipline

To the Editor:

Fiscal discipline is hard medicine. Fiscal discipline is unpopular. Fiscal discipline has no short cuts.

However, once fiscal discipline is exercised over a period of time it leads to financial good health, stability and lean financial muscle.

Politicians seeking office and the power it brings to them have long loathed fiscal discipline. These power seekers have overspent( creating huge deficits), under invested ( leading to failing infrastructure and wiping out long-term reserves) and made promises of future monies without proper funding sources in place.( Unfunded liabilities left to our children and grandchildren.)

This lust for power is evidenced at the federal and state level. Massive new debt, trillions in new deficits. Lack of transparency and accountability.

Now the lust for power has come to the Delaware Valley School District.

DV School Board President Bob Goldsack has reduced reserve funding nearly 80% over his four year term. Reserves are the lean body mass needed for financial well being. Such unbalanced long term planning is seriously shortsighted. Bob Goldsack refuses to address the pension problem he helped cause when he voted to massively increase salaries. Ed Silverstone, Chairman of the Budget , finance and Audit committee, recently commented on the "over 41% starting salary increase" at the Matamoras Meet the Candidates night held by my fellow Republicans. Pensions are a mathematical function of salaries. They too are a reserve. Increasing salaries increases the need for pension reserve funding increases. The pension funding issue is awaiting the next school board due to the Goldsack miscalculations and lack of understanding of the role of reserves.

The good folks who support Mr. Goldsack need to ask themselves:. Why is spending overall increasing at the same time Mr. Goldsack is touting a single year level tax rate of 100.87 mils. How did the rate of the millage remain the same from the prior year, which by the way Goldsack voted against, when spending went up and student population went down.? The answer is that years of fiscal discipline went into setting the rate at 100.87 mils. It did not happen by luck. Why would Mr. Goldsack vote against it in year one and then vote for it in year two.?

Answer: He is an old school politician.

I ask the citizens of the DV School District to vote for "Directors" on May 19th. Directors are Leaders. We do not need more politicians.

Vote for Leaders.

Vote for FISHER, GREENLAW, LUTFY, PIKE and SCHOR.

Best regards,

JACK FISHER 

Candidate for Delaware Valley School Board.

Renewing a Community Commitment

To the Editor,

There is an old saying from Mark Twain that says, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”.  

The DV Five specifically states to:

         1.  Be responsible

         2.  Be respectful

         3.  Follow directions

         4.  Keep hands and feet to self

         5.  Be on time and ready 

We hold our children to these mandates from the time they walk into kindergarten until they graduate.  Adults who are elected into such an important office as our school board set the bar even higher.  Setting a good example should be second nature to those in a public school setting.  A quick visit to a kindergarten classroom will remind a person that it always works for the best when we are nice to each other.

A school board director must always keep in mind that the public is watching.  They are the people who are casting the votes.   A school board director needs to be held accountable for his/her behavior.   

In the upcoming election for Delaware Valley School Board, there is a clear choice between the candidates to elect.  The best candidates for school board are Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor because at the end of the day, character does matter. These honest, intelligent, and facts-based candidates grasp that our school district plays an important role in our community’s future.   

Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor will renew a commitment to both taxpayers and quality of education.   They understand our core values - that our children deserve an opportunity for a better future and taxpayers need to be a top priority. Additionally, they understand and most voters would agree that school board directors need to be transparent with the public on school district policies, financial decisions, and during school board meetings. 

On Election Day, the voters of the Delaware Valley School District have a great opportunity to make a positive change on the school board by voting for Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor. In the end, character does matter and serving on the Board is not a position of convenience.  It requires honesty at all times while finding real solutions to our challenges. Vote for the candidates who care because everyone matters.

Linda Boyle

Delaware Valley Education Support Professionals Secretary 

DV Alum Sounds Off for Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor

To the editor: 
 
As an alumnus of the Delaware Valley School District, I would like to voice my support for Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor in the upcoming school board election. 
 
I am currently studying history at Boston College in Chestnut Hill Massachusetts. In addition to stressing the importance of academic excellence, my university promotes a well rounded student with a particular emphasis on involvement in the school’s clubs and community organizations. At school I am involved in a variety of these activities. I am a member of the rugby team and serve on the executive board as the secretary of communications. I am also a Big Brother to an elementary school student in Brighton. Between my classes, I work in the history department as a student work study secretary. After interning at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford last summer, I will be spending this summer in Boston working at the Boston National Historical Park as a Park Ranger. In the future, I hope to further my education at a graduate school before entering the work force. Today, I attribute my success to the overall experience I had at Delaware Valley High school. With the support of my teachers and coaches, I was able to excel in any situation, in the classroom, on the field, or in front of a national audience. I would not be prepared for life's journey if I had not been offered the educational opportunities that these candidates ensure our students. 
 
At DV I enjoyed many challenging classes but also countless opportunities to be involved after and during school. While I played soccer for all four years of high school it was the other clubs, such as Odyssey of the Mind and Model United Nations that taught me the skills I use everyday. Odyssey of the Mind fosters creativity and teamwork. With the schools support, I was fortunate enough to travel to the Worlds Competition on two occasions on the Vehicle Team. Model UN offers unique chances to practice critical reading, public speaking, and intensive writing. Every year we held in-house sessions at DV but also traveled to a competition sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. These clubs helped me become further involved with an American Legion sponsored event called Boys State. From Boys State, I was selected as one of the two senators, along with another DV alum, to participate in Boys Nation in Washington D.C. This résumé of involvement, not my SAT scores, is what gave me an advantage when I applied to colleges. Without the support and funding from the School Board, I would have had a completely different high school and conceivably college experience. The current students of the Delaware Valley School District deserve these same opportunities as I did. Without the right people on the board, clubs like Odyssey of the Mind and Model United Nations will suffer due to the lack of funds. Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor support these chances for students to grow and learn both inside and outside the classroom. 
 
We should make sure that the future generations of Delaware Valley are offered the best educational and extra-curricular opportunities. These candidates make education and the student’s well-being their priority and deserve your vote. On May 19 please vote Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor for DV school board. 
 
Respectfully, 
 
Eric Neumann 
Delaware Valley '07 
Boston College '11 
Milford PA