New school board and a big WIN for the regular folks

[JRD77VET]

As I wrote on election night ...

Different story here in my voting district in PA.

Judges, mayors and school boards are on the ballot. LOTS of folks out voting today. I waited a hour to vote.

The school board has a LOT of seriously pissed off people. They did an informal ( as in unofficial ) poll last year on a new Middle School.

The majority said no new school. So what did the know it alls on the school board do? Signed contracts for a $50 MILLION DOLLAR new middle school. Had groundbreaking last week.

assholes :cuss: :mad:

New school board was sworn in last night and their first order of business was canceling the new middle school :dance:

It even made the news in Philadelphia :yesnod:
If you search for the Phila story, it's extremely one sided FOR the new school. They say "$10M wasted" but the very large majority of that is grant money that would be returned since the school isn't going to be immediately built.

I purchased this house in '03. School taxes were in the neighborhood of $2000 a year. This past year they were $3800. They inched up ( reasonably ) until about '09 when the former school board got in. They skyrocketed from $2400 ( '09 ) to the current ass raping by the former school board by crying "no money".

Hopefully things get back under control.

[Dave]

Schools never have enough money. If you don't believe me, just ask them.

[MrPeabody]

During the course of My County Civil Grand Jury service, one of our investigations needed me to visit a school board meeting as an observer. The meetings are open to the public. They did not know who I was or what I was doing there. I told them I was the chairman of a scholarship committee at the hospital (which is true) and I wanted to know more about our schools in the county. (which was also true) They told me it had been years since a citizen had visited a meeting.

That is what is wrong with our schools.:yesnod:

[OddBall]

Sad but honest truth right there.

And how much of that money really is "for the kids" and how much is to give the administrator and board members more $$$? :skep:

Our public education system is such a joke. :(

:iagree: Not only a joke, but a disgrace.

Tenure is one of the biggest problems with schools.
There are underpaid teachers in states that use their own money to buy supplies, while in other states overpaid incompetent teachers sit on their asses with no fear of being fired. And in those states, you find a lot of anti-charter school lobbying.

[OddBall]

During the course of My County Civil Grand Jury service, one of our investigations needed me to visit a school board meeting as an observer. The meetings are open to the public. They did not know who I was or what I was doing there. I told them I was the chairman of a scholarship committee at the hospital (which is true) and I wanted to know more about our schools in the county. (which was also true) They told me it had been years since a citizen had visited a meeting.

That is what is wrong with our schools.:yesnod:

Spot on. There is accountability, if the public will use it. As Jeff's community did.

[WalkerInTN]

Schools never have enough money. If you don't believe me, just ask them.

My first question would be how much are those school board members making per year?

[Aerovette]

At least they spend money wisely by removing all references to southern Civil War participants. That certainly brings the level of education an incremental step higher. :mad:

[Dave]

My first question would be how much are those school board members making per year?

Likely very little to nothing. $50 or less per board meeting is typical around here. $2500/year isn't much.

This is an unfavourable trend though:
https://www.npri.org/imgLib/201205171_growth_in_ed_spending_nationally_coulson.jpg

[JRD77VET]

I am quite freaking pissed off to report the one member of the newly elected school board changed his vote when they went to finalize canceling the contracts.

The Middle School is back under construction that was rammed down our throat. :cuss: :mad:

I wrote a letter to the editor at our local newspaper and hand delivered it this morning. The Editor read it over, got my phone number and said it will be in this week's paper which comes out on Thursday.

Here's what I wrote


I feel like I've just been sucker punched by James Glackin. Before the election, you promised to shut down construction of the Middle School which was railroaded down our throats by the previous school board members, I put my trust and my VOTE into your hands and what do you do? You pulled an Obama and talked one thing while you did another. To say I am disappointed in your actions would be a complete and total understatement. You completely violated the trust we put in you. How many other lies are you going to feed us? Can we even trust what you say anymore?

I've had it with the school board doing whatever they want while disregarding what the regular people can afford. I've lived in UPSD since 1990 when I purchased my first house. I moved here from the Souderton Area School District because UPSD was better managed. My wife and I purchased another home in 2003 and one of the reasons to upgrade was affordable school taxes. My school taxes have almost doubled since 2003 and as added insult, the previous school board had the biggest increases during the recession when I didn't get a raise in seven years. Those increases removed money that would have been spent in the local economy.

I retire in about 10 years and I will NOT be staying here unless things get back under control. Between outrageous school taxes and the highest gasoline tax in the nation, PA will not be where my wife and I retire.

[OddBall]

Ol' James Glackin probably got an offer he could have refused, but had an offshore account so he didn't have to.