NOTE: If you want to watch the board meeting yourself, tune to Lower Providence's Community Channel (Comcast channel 28, FiOS channel 42) the Wednesday after the meeting at 6 PM, or that Friday and Sunday at 12 AM, 8 AM, or 6 PM. Or, here is their YouTube channel.- We have new leadership for this year. Christian Nascimento is the new Board President and Herbert Rothe is the new Vice President, both will serve for a one year term. It is a very interesting set of choices; Nascimento barely beat out unendorced Republican candidate Brian Earnshaw, who used Nascimento's sub-par attendance record for Board Meetings and his own Finance Committee against him. The cynical ones would comment on hoping to see Nascimento improve on his attendance. If not, then we will be seeing a lot more of Rothe.
- There seems to have been a huge spat, for lack of a better term, involving members of the Methacton Home and School. (Find part in YouTube Video) Dr. Zerbe went at-length about what happened involving the Home and School while impressively avoiding the use of anyone's names or using any detail. From what I understand (with my lack of Home and School experience), it was resulted from lack of communication and the perceived rudeness between members that forced a new vote in the Home and School, prompting members of the Home and School to leave. It seems like a very small problem that just confounded and blew up into two Superintendent's faces.
- Remember how I said the teachers' contract felt rushed? Well thanks to that, there is language being worked on in the contract as we speak, after they signed the contract. According to Mr. Harney, it's "language involving how [the District] deals with employees in certain situations." Maybe it's because I don't really understand how contract negotiations work, but I feel like this should have been worked out before anyone even considered putting their John Hancock down on the contract, hmm? The language in question, most likely, deals with employees who break some sort of moral or ethical rule--or even the law--and have to be removed from their positions and their pay. That is something I would have made damn sure that it was worked out before anyone signed anything, but that's because I am more worried about problems down the road before I sign something. But apparently, this is how we work on major problems in politics today.
- Not posted to the agenda, but very important anyway. On January 7th, the Board (read: Dr. Zerbe) will be giving an update on the proposed turf field project. Which is good, because the Finance Committee spent it's entire time re-looking over the facts and figures involving taking out a five million dollar bond "for the project," and as far as anyone else can tell, we don't have a cohesive plan. I want to take this time right now to reiterate: please look into other options of fixing up the field besides turf! The field project was spawned by Dr. Quinn, who brought in ArchiTerra to sell them on turf and those are the only facts and figures the Board has been working with ever since. Again; the Board is basing off their need for a turf field from a company that specializes in putting in turf fields.
The project, last time I checked, was slated to cost upwards of four million dollars, and the Board is looking at options to reduce the cost on the taxpayers (read: fundraising), and I will be one to doubt that the community can pull in even one million dollars to defer the cost. If we as a District cannot afford the field, then we, as a District, need to look at other options more sustainable financially. I doubt we can be like Wikipedia and raise money every year to maintain the turf field.
Sorry about the late post, I had it saved instead of posted for about a month and a half. My apologies.
Actually, the home and school issue was not just a spat about rudeness between members. It is a lot more involved than that and a lot more serious. All truths have been swept under the rug. The Methacton community will never hear the real story. Too bad the truth will never be told.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that Methacton families don't know what really happened with the home and school "spat". It was way more than a lack of communication or rudeness. If the proper attention had been given to the issue by MSD and all the information had come out you would know it was way more then it was portrayed at the school board meeting.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of what happened with home and school, the end result will be more involvment from the board in home and school functions. This will result in pushing parents away and the kids will suffer. Methacton's home and school invests alot of time and money in the district. This board wastes alot of time on issues like this and fails to focus on whats important - budget, controlling expenses, etc.
ReplyDeleteWell if they wanted to control expenses and were concerned about budgets perhaps they should have paid more attention to the wasteful spending of parents donated dollars. They chose to look the other way.
ReplyDeleteIf one believes that home and school has wasteful spending, there's an easy fix - dont donate. We can't take the same approach regarding wasteful, out of control school board spending - we have to pay our property taxes.
ReplyDeleteinstead of moaning about the home & school spending, you should be worried about board spending in the next budget. Let's see, PSERS increase over 21%, an un signed teacher's contract which will increase budget spending by 3 1/2 million dollars, the outstanding debt for Woodland and Skyview with enrollment continuing to drop, 3 outstanding lawsuit that will hurt if and when the MSD loses these suits, wanting to borrow another 5 1/2 million dollars for a turf project that has NOTHING to do with EDUCATION! This is what has to be dealt with in the current budget before they address the education for our students! The children will be getting crumbs again! Can anyone in this school district HONESTLY say we can afford a hefty tax increase! So instead of worrying about the home & school and the problems they created for themselves, you need to wake up and pay attention to what this board is doing to the taxpayers! Maybe before the district taxes you out of your homes you can buy a clue!
ReplyDeleteA little angry??? Guess what we all are. Your points are very valid but the totality of the circumstances must be reviewed. The home and school situation is more fuel to the fire. Unless you know the true story I wouldn't toss it out as meaningless. There are also many who agree that 5 1/2 million on turf is disgusting when the high school is a total mess. It is in need of a lot of work. Fields are the last thing that we should worry about. How can anyone speak out when no one is able to be respectful to other views. Just as the last 2 comments prove a lack of respect to other views. Yes, I agree with you. You are absolutely right! Education should come first. We should have a board that actually listens, a board that is respectful to their taxpayers and volunteer base (who are also taxpayers and save a lot of money that the district takes full of advantage with by fundraising hundreds and thousands of dollars!), and lastly a board that actually thinks rationally about spending and the future of this district. We do not have that. We will all have to show them what we think of them in the next election. So don't discount those home and school volunteers with their little home and school concerns....we vote and we are angry!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe majority don't seem to care. Look what happened with the last election - 3 basically clueless incumbents got re-elected (Philips, Nascimento and Roth) and a senior citizen with no interest in the school district (Hacket) got elected. Methacton's home and school is awesome and contributes tremendously (volunteering and financially) to the district. Once the board pushes them away the district will be in even worse shape.
ReplyDeleteThe problems with the home & school have nothing to do with the volunteers, it's the in-fighting within the leadership. The problems need to be made public so the volunteers won't get caught in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the last comment, the majority DOESN'T care until it affect them directly. In the spring of 2012 when the finance committee was discussing the budget that was to be voted on, Nasimento stated in that meeting, " the taxpayers don't care what we do, do you see any of them here". That what the school board think of the taxpayers.
And the comment, "alittle angry", really, everyone should be very angry, but they have no one to blame but themselves.
Also, the post that listed everything that has to be paid out before education, you forgot one important thing, Shannondell and the re-assessment they put in for that is currently in the court system. So far, 1 million dollars and counting which the taxpayers will have to pay for!!!
Actually, the potential Shannondell liability is now $1.5 million and growing by $500,000 annually. And now we have a Shannondell resident on the Board - Hackett. Coincidence? And we still have another lawsuit defendant still involved - Van Horn. I hear that he's still calling the shots for the Board and at least 6 on the board bow to him often.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Methacton think they are going to win a County reassessment argument when every other school district around Methacton has lost theirs? Upper Merion, Springford, OJR? Doesn't is cost more to fight the inevitable than make a settlement.
ReplyDelete