10/22/2011 3:34 AM
Peters Township School Board
• Date: Oct. 17
• Action: The board announced there will be a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed $53 million high school renovation project and a possible referendum question involving a 9-mill tax increase. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in the high school auditorium.
The board announced a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 to discuss the results of a two-question survey asking residents whether they support the project and would vote, by referendum, for the tax increase. Surveys must be returned by Oct. 31.
Directors approved advertisement for bids to remediate the pyrite problems at McMurray Elementary School and approved an agreement with HHSDR Architects to design the project at a cost of abut $121,800. Also approved was an agreement with Elliott Engineering to re-survey the affected areas in the elementary school at a cost of $150 per hour. This will be the third survey.
The board approved a bid from RAME Construction to install a red metal roof on the concession stand and rest rooms at the Pleasant Valley athletic fields for $22,500. A shingle roof would have cost about an additional $10,000.
Directors announced the first finance committee meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
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36 comments:
From PTSD
"The Town Hall meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 26th has been postponed. Because PTHS will now host the WPIAL playoffs on Wednesday night, we are encouraging everyone to come out and support our Lady Indians. Since our goal is to provide opportunities for community members to visit the High School and gain first-hand knowledge of the facility and its needs, a date with fewer conflicts will be selected"
"A shingle roof would have cost about an additional $10,000."
They are trying to pretend that they are saving us money. The original plan called for the red metal roof so it would look like the other stuff they already had at the high school.
"The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in the high school auditorium."
The meeting was postponed because PTSD is hosting a WPIAL playoff game.
I am not quite sure if I understand this. Why would they bother with a survey?
Are they only going to put a referendum on the ballot if a few people, that answer a survey, say 'yes, we want the new stuff'?
On the other hand, perhaps the board might finally realize that the taxpayers are not at all pleased with the way they are spending our money and they need to 'sale' it to us. They need to say more than 'safety'. They have to prove to us the educational value and need that the upgrade will provide for students.
I have heard the meeting is canceled?????
This is funny: "The board announced there will be a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed $53 million high school renovation project and a possible referendum question involving a 9-mill tax increase."
I wonder if they got any cheaper alternate plans? Sounds like they are already doing what they want to do and have already determined how much it will cost us!
This is funny: "The board announced there will be a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed $53 million high school renovation project and a possible referendum question involving a 9-mill tax increase."
I wonder if they got any cheaper alternate plans? Sounds like they are already doing what they want to do and have already determined how much it will cost us!
October 24, 2011 8:33 AM
Isn't this the way the current board runs the district? They don't care how the taxpayers feel or think, because they are the boss....I think on election day we need to show them who is boss! They work for us, not just their own kids! Enough
Yes. Enough is enough with this school district.
I think there will be more kids taking the school bus to school. Pennsylvania has a new law that limits the number of passengers a teen driver can have in the car. I guess that will shut up a couple of district employees, and school board members, that think it was ok to have students shoved into a car like it was a clown car!
I think there will be more kids taking the school bus to school. Pennsylvania has a new law that limits the number of passengers a teen driver can have in the car. I guess that will shut up a couple of district employees, and school board members, that think it was ok to have students shoved into a car like it was a clown car!
October 26, 2011 8:16 AM
So...parking passes are going to be even harder to get!
I do understsnd limiting the number of kids in a car. At the same time, this new law is going to put many, many more cars with teens driving on the roads. Can't share a ride to football, soccer, band, dances, etc.
"So...parking passes are going to be even harder to get!"
No I don't think so. They will just build more parking lots with our money! We are required, by law, to pay for bus service for every student even if they do not take it. They will probably now want us to foot the bill for more parking for those kids that HAVE to drive because of after school activities. Just more absurdity to come!
no. parking passes will not be harder to get. think about it. these fools will spend our hard earned tax dollars on a parking garage because their kids have to drive to school, to participate in all of those extra curricular sporting events! this school district makes me nauseous.
I guess if you have enough money, even the school district can be bought. If you pay enough to to the school district to rent a parking spot during a football game, then apparently the 'no tobacco on school ground' rule is also 'bought' as well. What other rules can the district be bribed to overlook for the all mighty dollar?
Dear TaxPayers of PTSD:
The ship is sinking rapidly. Please get out and vote so changes can be made on the school board and in the superintendent seat. Speaking with many people not just in our district but outside of our district I have confirmed that we are in major trouble with this lack of leadership. Here is what we have:
A district that does not have a leader that employees or the public wants to follow
A district that has school board members who do not understand how to govern - how to be unselfish - how to do the right thing - not the self-serving thing
A district whose teachers deserve more
A district where administrators are yelled at, micro-managed, and put down by the superintendent
A district where working in central office is looked at as a death sentence and where administrators who are new and who have been there are trying to get out as we speak
A district that is looked at by other districts and the question comes up, "What happened to Peters Township."
A district where the people who could have made positive changes have left in the past two years because of no support from the school board or superintendent
The union has given up and thrown in the towel so we can't depend on them. The administrators are afraid, yes afraid of what will happen to them if they speak up.
It is never too late. But change has to take place.
Vote!
October 29, 2011 9:41 AM
I can not attest to a lot of your statements, but people have asked me, "what has happened to PTSD?'.
Frankly two very large issues impact my vote, that have very negatively impacted my children and family:
1- What every single one of these people have placed upon the shoulders of kids in the class of 2013.
2- Putting more effort and money into extra curricular activities than education.
I agree.
Not one incumbent will receive my vote. FINALLY voting time is upon us!!!
It is never too late. But change has to take place.
Vote!
October 29, 2011 9:41 AM
Too bad we can't vote on the super.
To October 29, 2011 9:41 AM
I could not agree with you more! No need to vote on a 9 tax mill increase as I believe we are going to have more families moving out than moving in.
BTW lots of alcohol in those paid football parking spaces?
"...The union has given up and thrown in the towel so we can't depend on them."
oh my gosh. come on. like 'we' (being taxpayers) ever could ever depend on the union before. you sound like a drama queen. all they care about are their own salaries. so many teachers keep saying how the class of 2013 is struggling with this graduation project and fitting online classes into schedules that were decided years ago.
teachers have said these things to parents, in private meetings and during small group public meetings. even the new principal has said it at public meetings!
not one of them has the guts to tell the school board. the union is perfectly content to let the kids drown in that mess as long as they get their comfortable salaries and benfits. they are letting themselves, and our kids, be blackmailed. if the board does know, like some here say they do, then they are the ones letting our children drown in this mess.
i currently have no respect for any administrator or school board members; but of course my opinion, or that of my children, does not matter. my opinion will show in the ballot box.
"teachers have said these things to parents, in private meetings and during small group public meetings. even the new principal has said it at public meetings!
not one of them has the guts to tell the school board."
How do you know not one of them has talked to the board about it? You don't.
"my opinion will show in the ballot box."
ME TOO!
I have personally spoken to various teachers and counselors about some of the personal struggles my own student is having in the class of 2013. The answer I get is to tell your child not to worry, it will work out. Then my child goes to school and hears how all this stuff needed to be done yesterday and they are not going to be able to graduate.
Where is the help and guidance for these kids? IT IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!
Our neighbor, who is in NINTH grade, has more information about these new graduation requirements that my ELEVENTH grader has!
I have followed the board meetings for years and the online minutes for those meetings, where the new graduation requirements were passed, are now conveniently MISSING. I have NEVER heard one board member PUBLICLY express concern about the lack online courses, to the superintendent. Not ONE word of concern about how the conflicting, or lack of, information that the students have received. If they have expressed those concerns, they certainly never followed up to see if ANYBODY bothered to follow through! THEY DO NOT CARE!
I CAN NOT WAIT TO VOTE!
"BTW lots of alcohol in those paid football parking spaces?"
I did not see any. Did you? I did see cigar smoking. A parent spilled some kind foamy, yeast smelling, beverage out of their insulated cup INSIDE the stadium! What a great example for children. They should only permit unopened bottled beverages into that stadium.
"BTW lots of alcohol in those paid football parking spaces?"
Nope. Just a little.
"How do you know not one of them has talked to the board about it? You don't."
You are correct. But not one teacher or the union rep has ever spoken publicly at a school board meeting and said it. If it's not public then we, as taxpayers, have to assume that they sit silent. We are not mind readers unless it is done in a public forum!!!
Which in turn means, if the teachers did say something privately, the board does not care at all about the teachers or the kids!!! The board has never held the superintendent accountable in a public forum or spoken up for the kids!
"How do you know not one of them has talked to the board about it? You don't.
I can say for a fact that not one of them have spoken publicly to the board nor has the union rep. Nobody speaks for the kids anymore except the parents. All we know is what is said in public. We are not mind readers and have to assume that the teachers have said nothing because nothing has been said in public nor has anything been done about it to help the class of 2013.
Anonymous said...
"BTW lots of alcohol in those paid football parking spaces?"
Nope. Just a little.
October 30, 2011 3:19 PM
Seriously? It should be ZERO. People can't enjoy a high school football game without drinking?
"We are not mind readers and have to assume that the teachers have said nothing because nothing has been said in public nor has anything been done about it to help the class of 2013."
Like most other complaints in this district--they're reported to board members singly, privately, by email and phone and in person. Publicly at the board meetings? No. I would bet my life that numerous complaints have been made to the school board by parents and teachers about the grad project and the class of 2013. SOME things HAVE been done. The repeat meetings with kids re-explaining the project. The re-written project guide using new words like "career exploration" and the latest second chance at a career fair for the junior class. THOSE came because of complaints and panic over the confused kids not completing parts of the project. Why the BOARD has not publicly addressed the issue at a meeting? Ya got me!
"People can't enjoy a high school football game without drinking?"
it is probably the same people hosting the halloween drinking parties that are posted all over facebook. the family photos in the background of the drinking photos are a dead giveaway. do not act naive. people that frequent football games know who the drinkers are. they are proud of it and will utter profanities at people that confront them about it.
are you nuts? the teachers will not speak up publicly for the kids. they will lose their jobs and tenure. the school district is only about business and money. it is no longer about the education of children. the school board and superintendent have conveyed that message loud and clear.
"The re-written project guide using new words like "career exploration" and the latest second chance at a career fair for the junior class."
're-written' again? What is this, the third or forth rewrite? My child was originally told to pick a career, then pick three, now career exploration; it is no wonder these kids are in such a panic. The length and number of reflection papers has changed as well.
Oh how nice (not); they can go to that carreer fair and now miss all those AP or honors courses they were told to take to challenge themselves junior year. The district keeps losing the project files, rewriting requirements and now that things are due in December for the class of 2013, things are starting to work.
(I agree with you. I wrote to guidance, over a year ago, not the school board. I foolishly put my trust in our district employees.)
GOOD GREIF. Placing the burden of 'catch up' on the kids, for the school district not providing the proper tools in the first place, is so VERY wrong. The junior year is by far the hardest year of high school and these people just piled more on them.
They are uncaring fools, every one of them.
Too little, too late from the class of 2013.
"and now that things are due in December for the class of 2013, things are starting to work."
What?? What is due in December? My kid is not aware of any December deadline!!
My 11th grader said some kind of paper is due on December 20th. He learned about it at the last 'Mentor' meeting; where he had a different mentor that didn't have time to get around to everyone, again! A couple of his AP teachers were also not so understanding when he missed classes for the career fair. His grade will suffer. AP classes stop for no one.
I bit harsh but true:
"They are uncaring fools, every one of them. Too little, too late from the class of 2013."
But hey, how about those great new ball fields for safety sake? They all acted on that quickly! Do they really think after all the stuff they have done and have not done; that we trust them with additional money?
What a total joke.
According to the online agenda for last night's voting meeting the district is spending more on sports. Sure it will be in the name of safety, yet they did not provide academic tools for the new graduation requirement and academic extra curriculars. According to the agenda the the new Bowling Club can use the pt name. Too bad they would not do that for Odyssey of the Mind. I have two kids at the high school. NOW they want us to pay more taxes after paying well over $800 for coaches and participation fees!??!! We are not all made of money here. They can kiss....I can not wait to vote. Get these current board members out of here!!!!
Voting will mean nothing.
Five seats on the school board are open.
Five people are running for those seats.
There is no choice.
I have a concern about our spokespersons comments lately. A spokesperson politically should announce what is happening and dates of events. This board and supt., have this woman announce things in a very political way. Such as, "come to the highschool to hear the school express their reasoning for a new school....as you are there, take a look at the highschool and see the problems it has for yourself" of course, I am improvising here. I'm starting to notice each time she gives info, a political statement is made in an underlining way. We are Peters...we are intelligent parents who I'm hoping will not allow this to sway our own rational thinking. I resent this political undertone. Mrs. belcher is not in a political position..she should just be delivering the facts....please don't patronize us!!
I have lived in three school districts and can't get over how this school board has absolutely no control over the superintendent. Talk about wimps (not all, but most). People have told me about things she has done, things she has said, things she has said which is not at all what others have said, and many other problems. Can someone enlighten me why the board lets her rule them? Can't they see what a mess PTSD is in? I don't get it.
Voting will mean nothing.
Five seats on the school board are open.
Five people are running for those seats.
There is no choice.
November 2, 2011 6:28 PM
You do not have to put an X by their name. Show them how unpopluar they really are! The truth will be in the number of votes each receives. It is sad we will be "stuck" with one of those from the current board, cannot speak for the other.
The PR person is doing her job - being a puppet of the superintendent and the district. Remember, she works for the district - she will have a slant and has to do what she is told. She will not go against any of that - that is her job.
Write in Toni Sulkowski for School Board. She would be excellent and won't be a puppet for the superintendent or board.
November 3, 2011 12:08 PM
Unfortunately she is only sending out poor communication that Czar Nina is telling her to send, as embarrassing as it is. Tired of everything being a "safety" issue that really isn't. Do they really think we are all stupid?
If you don't have a 3.7, according to the superintendent you are stupid.
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