Boys soccer - Bulldogs snapped a 5 game losing streak.
Posted: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 5:00 am | Updated: 7:36 am, Wed Oct 5, 2011.
Bulldogs cruise to victory By Rick Woelfel Correspondent Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments
MORRISVILLE — At the midway point of the 2011 boys soccer season, the Morrisville Bulldogs find themselves running a marathon.
As a result of weather problems and the scheduling issues involved in competing in two leagues simultaneously, the Bulldogs have been playing an awful lot of soccer of late and accumulating a lot of wear and tear.
Tuesday afternoon, Morrisville, playing the second of what will be four games in four days, got off to a fast start, getting two early goals and going on to a 5-0 win over New Jersey United Christian Academy in a Penn Jersey League tussle.
The win snapped the hosts’ five-game losing streak.
The Bulldogs (4-7-1, 2-1-1 Penn Jersey) pressed the attack in the early going. Saul Salas-Valdiviezo got his team on the scoreboard with a left-footed effort that found the left side panel of the Mustangs’ net with the contest less than five minutes old.
Connor Williams added a second goal four minutes later on a header off a throw-in from Steven Jopko.
Williams said the quick start set a positive tone.
“It was important,” he said, “very important. We needed momentum.”
The Bulldogs kept the pressure up, firing 15 shots at Mustangs keeper Shane Braunworth, who had his hands full. Normally a defender, Braunworth was pressed into service because regular keeper Ian Daniels was out with a bad ankle.
Braunworth finished the first half with nine saves, then was replaced by Simon Lee, another defender forced into the net out of necessity; the Mustangs had only 11 players in uniform.
NJUCA (1-2-1) had a chance or two in the opening half, most notably when Roujae Edwards hit the crossbar in the 36th minute.
Edwards had another chance in the 47th minute, forcing Morrisville keeper Leo Hernandez to make his best save of the game.
A minute later, Jesse Hollopeter found the net to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. Sals-Valdiviezo added his second goal of the game three minutes later, and Williams scored his second goal with four minutes remaining.
“It was nice to finally get in a game where we can put the pieces together,” said Morrisville coach Sean Haines, “after that tough stretch that we had. We played well (Monday in a loss to Calvary Christian), so we were starting to see the effort already.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it carried over to today. We started to finish; that’s been our problem lately.”
The Bulldogs enjoyed a 29-7 advantage in shots. Hernadez finished with six saves.
Jopko drew a yellow card late in the first half, then was booked again shortly after the final whistle for a comment he made within earshot of the officials.
Yes they did their job they ran on the stop the school banner and like it your not it's a dead issues done deal never to happen, hmmm so why do the keep saying the M&M candidates are going to ?????
So in the rest of those four years what have they really done
1) fire anyone who doesn't agree with them
2) sit back and watch as test scores dropped
3) Lie and Beg for four more years to gut the ranks of teachers, when their contract comes up.
4) Fire classroom ades, cut programs, shorten kindergarden. But give it a fancy name "realiment" their realining your kids out of a great smalltown education!!!!!!!!
5) Do I really need to go on and on and on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The writing is on the wall! They sat and watched as your kids to their damnest to strive and do well, as they keep placing road blocks in their way. Now it's time for us parents to watch as they walk out the door, back to what ever rock they crawled out from under.
They don't want a School District if they make the district fail a merger is more likly but is's your kids their failing do you want you kids to suffer while they play their political games.
take back you district this November 8th
I'm mad and I know who I'm voting for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Field hockey notebook Freshman Knott steps in at Morrisville
Posted: Sunday, October 9, 2011 12:00 am By Karen Sangillo Staff writer | 0 comments
When Morrisville goaltender Wydazha Gainey went down with an injury, freshman Sidney Knott stepped in. “I was really nervous,” Knott said. “My knees were shaking. But I think it’s getting easier and I’m gaining confidence.
“I just want to give up fewer goals each game and help my team out as much as I can.” Knott has been playing goalie since seventh grade. “They needed someone to play goalie and I volunteered,” she said. “Once I got suited up, I really liked it. I can’t picture myself playing another position.” She also plays basketball and softball for the Bulldogs, but considers field hockey to be her main sport. “I’d like to play in college, but that’s not what I’m thinking about right now. Right now, I just want to improve as much as I can. “I get a lot of support from my teammates. I’m nothing without my defense.” One of her defensive stalwarts is junior Dionna Berry. Berry played as a freshman, then took a break last year before returning to the sport. “I needed that time off,” she said. “Now that I’m back, I feel like it’s a totally new sport. Some of the rules changed, so I had to get used to some new things, so some of it really is brand new.” Berry has noticed a change in the team. “I feel like we’re so much more together than we had been,” she said. “We’re talking a lot more and we’ve really improved. I’m really glad I came back. I’m having a lot of fun.” She warms up Knott before games. “Sidney is doing really well, especially for a freshman,” Berry said. “It’s hard to come right out of middle school and play varsity. I feel as an older player that I should do what I can to help her, so I’m trying to step up. “I think our defense is playing well and we’re getting better all the time. I’m really excited for the rest of this year and my senior year.”
BAL football: Calvary Christian 34, Morrisville 6 Bulldogs battle to finish in loss
Calvary Christian 34, Morrisville 6 Morrisville 0 6 0 0-6 Calvary Christian 7 13 7 7-34 Scoring Summary
CC - Mi. Cordon 3 run (MacIntyre kick) CC - Caldwell 13 run (MacIntyre kick) M - Savage 84 pass from Wilcox (kick failed) CC - Smith 1 run (kick failed) CC - Mi. Cordon 2 run (MacIntyre kick) CC - Mi. Cordon 1 run (MacIntyre kick)
Team Statistics
M CC First Downs 4 19 Yards Rushing 17 205 Yards Passing 129 139 Total Offense 146 344 Comp. Passes, Int 8-16-0 6-12-1 Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0 Penalties-yards 7-27 4-35 Punts-Avg. 2-20.5 1-39 Sacked-Yds. Lost 1-9 2-10 Individual Statistics
Morrisville Rushing: Wilcox 7-38; Savage 3-0; Miller 1-(-2); Valdez 2-(-7); Rankins 3-(-12). Passing: Wilcox 4-10-0, 117 yards, TD; Rankins 4-6-0, 12 yards. Receiving: Savage 1-84, TD; Rankins 2-33; Wilcox 2-11; Valdez 2-7; N/A 1-(-8). Interceptions: Billups Calvary Christian Rushing: Mi. Cordon 24-107, 3 TDs; Smith 15-40, TD; Caldwell 7-38, TD; Ma. Cordon 9-22; Degen 1-(-2). Passing: Smith 5-11-1, 94 yards; Scheuer 1-1-0, 45 yards. Receiving: J. Lukens 2-55; Ma. Cordon 1-45; Medvic 1-15; Scheuer 1-11; Caldwell 1-13. Interceptions: None Posted: Sunday, October 9, 2011 12:00 am
By Joe Jones Staff Writer | 0 comments PHILADELPHIA — On an unseasonably warm fall afternoon as only a few minutes of a lopsided loss remained, Morrisville senior quarterback/defensive back Eric Wilcox was not ready to call it a day. “I’m staying in no matter what you say, coach,” Wilcox said, successfully thwarting an attempt to pull the Bulldogs’ first-team defense.
Morrisville fell to host Calvary Christian, 34-6, in a Bicentennial Athletic League football game. The Bulldogs are still winless, but first-year coach Bill Quill knows he has a game bunch. “They’re a good group of tough kids,” Quill said. “We’re young, but that’s not an excuse. We just had to stop a couple of their drives.” Morrisville (0-5 overall, 0-3 BAL) made the Cougars (5-1, 4-1 BAL) earn their yards, but the Bulldogs couldn’t shut them down. Calvary Christian ran for 205 yards and passed for another 129. The Cougars gained 344 yards on 58 plays and held Morrisville to 146 yards — and just 17 rushing — on 32 plays. The difference was where it usually can be found in football games. At the line of scrimmage. “We thought our speed would help us,” Quill said. “It did at times on defense. We had more speed than they did up front, and we got to the quarterback and stayed in the game early. “We just couldn’t sustain drives. We couldn’t get things rolling. We kind of pulled out everything we had to put points on the board.” Morrisville was within 14-6 until late in the second quarter. Wilcox hooked up with Uriel Savage on an 84-yard touchdown pass for the Bulldogs’ lone score. Calvary Christian’s third touchdown drive of the first half was aided by a 45-yard pass completion on a fake punt. “We didn’t cover the gunner,” Quill said. “We had a chance to make them punt, and we could have went into halftime only down 14-6. That play really hurt us.” But in the end, Calvary Christian was able to control the time of possession game by a large margin, and Morrisville’s offense couldn’t do much, other than convert a couple of big plays. And that kept the Morrisville defense on the field for a long time, baking in the sun. Slowly, watching the score get way out of reach. But they Bulldogs never stopped tackling. Never stopped playing hard. “These kids are good,” Quill said. “They’re not going to give up. They’ll all be at practice on Monday.” Wilcox passed for 117 yards and ran for another 38. Calvary Christian was led by Micah Gordon, who rushed for 107 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Cougars.
Pa. tightens rules for employment in schools Associated Press | 0 comments
HARRISBURG (AP) — A new Pennsylvania state law that overhauls criminal history disclosure rules for all public and private school employees also imposes a lifetime ban on working in a school for people who commit certain crimes.
The law, signed by Gov. Tom Corbett on June 30, took effect late last month, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported.
Current school employees must now report any arrests or convictions of serious crimes in their past by Dec. 27. They also must report any future arrest or conviction within three days.
Education Department spokesman Tim Eller told the Patriot-News that an employee who admits to having a conviction for one of 27 specific offenses must be terminated immediately. Those crimes include criminal homicide, drug convictions, sexual assault and luring a child.
The law applies to teachers, administrators, support staff and contractors.
Previously, the state had required a five-year employment ban in schools for people who committed a serious crime. The new law expands that list, and lengthens the ban to lifetime. Felonies not on the list lead to a 10-year ban, while first-degree misdemeanors require a 5-year ban.
In addition, anyone with two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot work in a school for three years.
Officials say many school districts do not expect the law to dramatically change their hiring decisions, since they have routinely required criminal background checks for prospective employees for 25 years.
It is rare when a person with a criminal history gets hired by a school, school officials say. But someone with a criminal record may be hired, depending on the crime, the job they are seeking and how long ago the offense occurred, some say.
"We really do look at them on a case-by-case basis," said Michelle Zettlemoyer, the Cumberland Valley School District's director of human resources.
A Dauphin County grand jury report recommended strengthening the state's criminal background checks for school employees, including lifetime bans for convictions on certain offenses, after a Steelton-Highspire High School hall monitor with a 1996 federal cocaine-distribution conviction was fired for having sexual contact with students.
Pennsylvania Gearing Up for School Reform By Jason Gallagher
PostsWebsiteBy Jason Gallagher | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Sun, Oct 9, 2011tweet2Share0EmailPrint
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is set to lead the rest of the Harrisburg lawmakers into the realm of school reform. Very soon the governor is expected to announce his plan to address issues with public schools across the commonwealth. But many members of the General Assembly are probably holding their breath when it comes to education, as they had to pass a massive budget cut to that affected both basic and college-level education earlier in the year. Still education will be battling with a number of other topics that will be hot on the legislature's plate.
What types of education changes might the governor announce?
Among the issues that Gov. Corbett will weigh in on are: school vouchers, an overhaul of the charter school law, and using student performance to assist in teacher evaluations. While other aspects could be part of what the governor is planning, he has yet to tip his hand on exactly what priorities he has when it comes to education.
Won't vouchers be a financial mess for Pennsylvania?
School vouchers, or allowing a student to choose what school they want to attend not based on geographic location, would probably benefit some schools vs. other schools. But many feel private schools or religious schools stand to benefit the most by having tax dollars follow students into other educational facilities. Without a hardcore plan on the table, it is difficult to judge how much money might be shifted around.
How will teachers be evaluated?
Currently teachers are evaluated by principals of their particular schools. A test program is underway that includes student performance on standardized tests as a tool for performing teacher evaluations. While the test will not be used as an actual evaluation tool this year, it will determine if the data collected can be used in the process.
What other topics could curtail education legislation?
With so many things going on in Pennsylvania, education will be competing for some attention. Bridges and roads need to fixed and Marcellus Shale legislation needs to be addressed as well. State lawmakers, Gov. Corbett included, will have a lot of different bills floating around Harrisburg in the coming weeks. Whether or not school reform can be passed quickly remains to be seen, but the governor is a supporter of school choice, which underscores his preference for the voucher system. Therefore, some degree of priority is likely to be placed on education.
Jason Gallagher is a long-time Pennsylvania resident. He has experiences in trends and developments in many regions from having lived in many parts of the Keystone State, and currently resides in the Pittsburgh area.
Come join the rest of the community on Thursday 10/13 5-8pm for an All You can Eat Pasta dinner at the Italian American Social Club on Harrison and Baker Avenue. $5.00 per person, Tickets at door, bring your family for a delish meal with no cooking or cleanup required by you
If you have not visited our website in awhile be sure to do so and check out all the upcoming events and important information about your candidates. www.morrisvillematters.com
Board member suggests regional transportation By Chris English Staff Writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 1 comment
Meanwhile, Superintendent Samuel Lee said he is working with 19 other area school districts on a consortium health insurance plan for employees that could save money.
The Bristol Township School District should explore the possibility of combining with other area districts on busing students, board member Earl Bruck suggested at Monday night’s meeting.
Bristol Township is considering the purchase of a $30,000 software system that would track the routes of all its school buses to make sure they are the most efficient, said district Operations Coordinator Jim White.
However, such separate purchases of school bus tracking software systems by each district wouldn’t be necessary if districts in Lower Bucks County combined on a regional transportation system, said Bruck.
A private company called First Student provides busing service for Bristol Township but a tracking system isn’t part of the company’s service, said White.
“Every district in the lower end could save money by not duplicating services,” said Bruck. “A regionalized transportation system might be more cost effective. If we do find it necessary to purchase this software package, let’s make sure it’s compatible with whatever might happen in the future in terms of a regional transportation system.”
Board member Sean Norman said it’s an idea that is certainly worth some investigation.
“It would take a lot of hard work and will, but could end up saving a lot of money,” he said.
Superintendent Samuel Lee said he is working with 19 other area school districts on a consortium health insurance plan for employees that could potentially save a lot of money through an economy of scale.
The goal is to have the consortium plan in effect by July 1, Lee added.
“It has the potential to provide tremendous financial relief not only to Bristol Township but also the other 19 participants,” he said.
Despite its undetermined success, school vouchers have earned Gov. Corbett’s blessing as a means of rescuing low-income students from poor-performing schools. To that end, the governor has proposed taxpayer-funded vouchers — dubbed “opportunity scholarships” — that qualified parents could use not only to send their children to private or religious schools but also better performing public schools.
So would this be a good thing for Pennsylvania? Unfortunately, it’s hard to say. The limited data available on the success of school vouchers presents a mixed bag of results. And so the concept — and the arguments for and against it — remain largely theoretical. Adding to the confusion is the relatively reasoned logic supporting both points of view.
The basic argument for vouchers theorizes that competition for students and the profit motive will provide teachers and administrators with powerful incentives to improve the quality of education and thus better meet students’ needs. School choice also has appeal because it would eliminate educational monopolies and thereby alleviate battles over curriculum because parents could choose schools that reflect their own values. They also argue that market pressures would force private schools to use resources more effectively.
Opponents counter that vouchers would drain money from already cash-starved public schools and further erode educational quality. They also argue the field of education is not suited to competitive market strategies and that government-funded “scholarships” won’t create a genuinely free educational market, but merely perpetuate dependency on government funding. Additionally, they say private schools’ higher academic performance is a result of greater parental involvement, and that public education inefficiencies are a result of the smorgasbord of services public schools must provide to a diversity of students.
Reasoned arguments all.
But what do the studies show? An Indiana University study of the Cleveland Scholarship Program found no academic benefits after one year. However the University of Houston found choice students in Milwaukee showed significant gains in both reading and math by their fourth year. Likewise, pilot programs in New York City showed improvement, though modest.
And so it goes, with studies yielding inconsistent results and continued uncertainty. On what basis Gov. Corbett and state lawmakers decide the issue isn’t very clear then. If it comes down to ideology, the Republican governor and Republican-controlled Legislature are apt to give choice a chance.
Our question: How are we going to pay for it? Is even more education money going to shift away from public schools? There’s only so much you can cut before education quality is eroded, a process many believe started with this year’s drastic funding cuts. Others argue that what they believe are poor graduation rates across the state reflect an education system that already is severely eroded. And that’s why change is needed.
We’re all for reform. And so the governor’s plan to change how charter schools are established and how teachers are evaluated deserves support. Likewise, his proposal to expand tax credits for businesses that fund scholarships is a good one.
School vouchers? We’re not so sure. We do know that we’ve been throwing lots of money at schools for many years seemingly without success. Maybe it’s time for dramatic change. If so, it’s up to the governor and his supporters in the Legislature to prove that school choice is the right choice.
A ghostly occurrence during Morrisville ghost tour
By J.D. Mullane The Morrisville (Pa.) Free Library on North Pennsylvania Avenue, which is located on the site of the borough’s old Episcopal church. Ghostly happenings are reported regularly.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Morrisville Free Library haunted hot dog incident has circulated for several years. The story is odd more than it is frightening, but it’s among the curious and spectral occurrences reported by librarians who work there. The library is in a former Episcopal church, a 100-year-old stone building at 300 N. Pennsylvania Ave. The place was purchased in 1967, when the congregation grew too large and moved to Lower Makefield. The pews were replaced with shelving, but the large cathedral-style stained glass windows remain. On sunny afternoons, the interior is bathed in warm light and is a delightful spot to read. This setting belies what the staff says is a disembodied whistler and a voice that calls, “Hello.” Staffers have twice reported an inexplicable gunshot bang in the basement. At the circulation desk, a shadowy woman in gloves appears and vanishes. Library director Diane Hughes led about 40 visitors through the building last week for a tour, and then down to the basement lecture room to hear from a ghost hunter. Hughes, who has worked at the place for 13 years, stood where the church sacristy was and discussed her experiences. She described the “Lady in Gloves,” whose startling apparition is fragmented — shoulders, hat, purse, white-gloved hands. “As if she’s dressed for Sunday; as if she’s waiting for something,” Hughes said. Library staffers closing up at night in the empty building have heard the shuffling of books in the darkened stacks, as if someone is searching for a volume. Hughes and others have heard the sound of a dog walking, nails clicking on hard floors. (The phantom pooch of a long dead pastor?) “Then there is our haunted hot dog story,” Hughes told those on the tour. “Three years ago, we cooked hot dogs for one of our children’s programs, and there were some left over. We cooked the rest of them and (children’s librarian) Sue Neff brought them upstairs,” she said. Hughes explained that librarian Dawn Mellor had intended to take one of the leftovers home for her husband. Mellor placed a hot dog in a bun on a small paper plate, atop a counter. But then librarian Mary Cranmer noticed something out of the corner of her eye. “She saw movement,” Hughes said. “The hot dog bun opened by itself very, very slowly. But then it shut fast, like this.” She smacked her hands together. “That’s the haunted part. The craziest thing is, Dawn’s husband ate the hot dog. He said it was delicious,” Hughes said, as the visitors broke into laughter. Hughes said the library’s ghostly occurrences pick up in autumn, but subside after Nov. 2, All Souls Day. The latest “wrinkle” at the library, Hughes said, is the sound of heavy footsteps up the rear stairs from the parking lot to the library’s business office. “We hear the footsteps, we open the door, but nobody’s there,” she said. Dave Juliano, director of South Jersey Ghost Research in Mount Holly, N.J., explained to the group that such hauntings are common. He’s seen every variety of apparition in 25 years of paranormal research. His company specializes in determining if a building is haunted, and what can be done to eliminate the activity. “The three most active places for this kind of phenomena are theaters, churches and libraries. These are places where a lot of people travel through, accompanied by a lot of human emotion,” he said.
That emotional energy embeds in physical surroundings, he said. A paranormal event can be triggered by atmospheric conditions to replay, like a recording. Libraries brim with this kind of residual energy. “Library books change hands constantly. They are held, touched. The pages are turned by many hands. Energy is left behind,” he said. “I’m not surprised to hear books are shuffled around here. Antique collectors report similar activity. There tends to be energy attached to old things.” As Diane Hughes described the “Lady in Gloves” to the group, there was rattling from the business office. It was the door leading from the parking lot. Someone was trying to get in. Fred Kerner of Hillcrest Avenue, who was on the ghost tour, was closest to the office. He got up from his seat to let the person in so Hughes would not have to awkwardly interrupt her talk. The door rattled as he approached, but when he opened it no one was there. J.D. Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@phillyburbs.com.
Educators worry the guv's education reform bill could drain cash from local schools October 13, 2011 By James McGinnis Staff writer Local reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett’s state education reform plan can best be summarized in a single question: Will it drain cash from local districts? Corbett earlier this week promoted taxpayer-paid vouchers for low-income students in failing schools, changes to how charter schools are established, tying student performance to teacher evaluations and expanding tax credits for businesses that fund scholarships.
Centennial School District board member Mark Miller is unhappy with Corbett’s plan. It would divert another billion dollars of education funding away from students and give it to a privileged few, Miller said. “The answer is not ‘rescuing’ a small percentage of students from failing schools, rather to fix those failing schools to serve the best interests of each and every student,” Miller wrote in an email. The governor must also recognize his responsibility to fix the state’s Charter School Law, he wrote. The district will host a county-wide PTO meeting in the William Tennent High School auditorium to discuss education and its funding with members of the House Education Committee at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Miller urges parents from all Bucks County school districts to attend. “Committee Chair Paul Clymer is a proven friend to education in Pennsylvania and has agreed to facilitate a dialogue with the Bucks County community,” Miller wrote. Rep. Clymer of Perkasie is a Republican serving the state’s 45th Legislative District. Bensalem Superintendent David Baugh said he doubts the governor’s proposed “opportunity scholarships” would have any impact on that township’s school district. “The preliminary analysis is that it does not affect us,” Baugh said. “The governor is targeting the bottom 5 percent of schools in the state. At this point, it is our belief that there will be a negligible effect on our students and budget.” Baugh noted that all nine Bensalem schools made Annual Yearly Progress, the standardized-testing yardstick by which student proficiency is judged by the state. Bristol Township School District Superintendent Samuel Lee said he didn’t believe the governor’s plan, if enacted, would affect the district. “We don’t have any failing schools,” said Lee. “Also, this would not benefit us in a financial sense. It would diminish the resources we derive from the state. This sounds like a scaled-down version of the voucher plan that didn’t pass in June. We’ll pay attention and see what comes of it.” Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein said he’d like to see more details about the governor’s proposal. Significant legal hurtles must be conquered with school, private and public, vouchers, he said. Klein didn’t think school vouchers would affect Council Rock. “With charter schools, taking it to the state level is somewhat concerning to me. But I’d want to know more about that — who would sit on the board? If you’re going to allow charter schools to compete with public, you have to make sure they follow the same rules under the state as public schools do. I think it’s a matter of time before we’re looking at charter schools as an alternative throughout Bucks County and the state,” he said. He’s curious to see how the proposed changes to educator evaluations will develop. But the premise that teacher performance should be linked to student performance is flawed, he said. “The question should be, how do you help teachers having difficulty in classrooms? For many good school districts in any given year, you have the dynamic of teachers who get an unsatisfactory evaluation. No evaluation system is perfect. But I’m concerned with reliance on student test scores for some part of the evaluation. I’ve never heard this defined and I don’t know how it will work in a practical way,” Klein said. Ritchie Webb, president of the Neshaminy school board, said he is wary of the state’s favorable view of charter schools.
“A district like ours becomes a prime target for charter schools,” he added. “They get our costs to educate their students and with our costs being higher than in other districts, that becomes a major plus for them.” School Lane Charter School was recently given approval by the school board to open a school in Neshaminy. Board members expressed concerns about potential negative financial effects as a result of a charter school coming to the district but were prohibited by state law from turning down the application based solely on those reasons. Staff writers Chris English, Manasee Wagh and Christian Menno contributed to this story. James McGinnis: 215-949-3248; email: jmcginnis@phillyburbs.com Twitter @James_McGinnis
The district will host a county-wide PTO meeting in the William Tennent High School auditorium to discuss education and its funding with members of the House Education Committee at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Miller urges parents from all Bucks County school districts to attend.
Without ever cracking a book, students in Bucks County's Pennsbury School District are learning a new subject this year: marketing.
Starting three weeks ago, the 16 elementary, middle, and high schools are being adorned with - some say defiled by - advertisements as large as 5 by 10 feet. By month's end, 47 should be in place. Ultimately, 218 are to appear on walls and floors, and shrink-wrapped over lockers, locker-room benches, even cafeteria tables.
In what administrators say is a first in the Philadelphia area and probably the state, the Pennsbury school board signed a contract with a national advertising agency that could boost the district's battered budget by as much as $424,000, while giving the firm's clients access to the habitat of 10,950 children, tweens, and teens.
The ads must relate to health, education, nutrition, or student safety, and may not directly endorse products. They tout, among other things, reading and outdoor activities (the U.S. Library of Congress and the Ad Council); organizational skills (Post-it Notes), and concussion awareness (Dick's Sporting Goods).
They have debuted to love-'em/hate-'em reviews from students and parents. But to district officials - who cut the budget this year by $3 million and dipped into savings for a additional $3.1 million - they are a bow to necessity.
"It's imperative we find alternate means to preserve our programs," Assistant Superintendent W. David Bowman said. "We'd prefer to generate revenues rather than cut programs or increase class size" - or raise taxes, which Pennsbury did not.
Although such commercial deals are rare in public education, the brutal economy is making them less so.
New Jersey is allowing school districts to put ads on on the outside of school buses for the first time. Regulations are being finalized, and the ads should go up next year.
Janet Miller, chief operating officer for School Media Inc., the Minneapolis-based agency that signed Pennsbury, said the deals are win-win. Schools get cash through less incendiary means than tax hikes, and "corporate leaders [get] a chance to stand up" and contribute to education, she said. "It's America helping America."
School Media has contracts for ads in nine other districts in Minnesota and California, according to Miller.
In Orange County, Fla., the schools make several hundred thousand dollars a year allowing ads on such platforms as lunch menus and the vests of sideline officials at football games, and licensing debit cards with the district's logo.
The Los Angeles School District last year approved a corporate naming-rights plan that could bring in an estimated $18 million. And this past summer, the San Juan Unified School District, also in California, approved the posting of corporate signs on middle and high school campuses, and hired an advertising firm to go out and get them.
In recent years, "there has been an enormous increase both in the amount and the sophistication" of commercial ventures in schools, said Tim Kasser, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois who has written extensively on ads in academe. "It's gone far beyond just saying 'Coca Cola' on the scoreboard."
Even if ads present innocuous public-service and social-issue messages, "a lot of companies see that they can make money off this," Kasser said. "Advertising works through the repetition of images and messages. The more places you can saturate, the more it gets into the brain."
Paul Kurnit, a marketing professor at Pace University in New York, was once a youth marketing executive, giving his concerns a certain gravitas.
"The school is a fallow playground for advertising brands to reach kids in an authoritative, credible environment where there's an implied endorsement [by] the authorities," he said.
Kurnit expressed doubts about "how well schools will be able to draw the line" between educational messages and in-your-face advertising. "We've got to be worried about product creep."
Not all experts agree. If the ads are "selective and thoughtful," they can be a "good thing" for children, said Lane Keller, a professor of marketing at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. "The key is to keep people well-informed about the benefits and the costs."
The Pennsbury deal did not coalesce behind the public's back. It took shape after the school board, vowing to contain costs and taxes, appointed a revenue development committee last year to come up with nontraditional money streams. Ideas were solicited from district employees and residents and reported at the board's public meetings.
The district can veto ad content and placement.
While Pennsbury jumped on the ad wagon, other districts are finding other ways to mine commerce for cash.
The Centennial system, also in Bucks, has launched a host of ventures aimed at raising $2.5 million by June 2014.
Centennial trademarked the William Tennent High School name and its panther mascot's image, and signed a licensing agreement with Modell's Sporting Goods. Board member Mark Miller, himself a marketing consultant, said Internet companies often sell apparel bearing school logos, without paying fees. With its trademark, Centennial can curb that.
This fall, licensed T-shirts went on sale at Modell's in Warminster, with athletic bags to follow. The district gets a 20 percent cut. Schools also circulate Modell's discount coupons, for a percentage of sales, and Modell's signs are in the high school stadium and gymnasium.
Want to be noticed at a one- or two-day Centennial event? Sponsoring the "Your-Name-Here Invitational" is $5,000; an "Invitational Presented by Your-Name-Here" is $3,000.
That's not all: State Farm Insurance pays Centennial $5,000 to put a sign on the high school stadium ticket booth and set up tables at games, as well as inside the school, to sell policies. A local auto dealership donated a pickup truck with accessories, worth $35,000, for the right to display advertising on it. Ford is holding vehicle test drives on school grounds; the district gets $20 for each participant. And a credit union opened inside the high school in return for helping school business classes and hiring student interns.
This year, Centennial raised taxes more than 4.6 percent and cut 28 jobs. Nonetheless, school board member Jane Schrader Lynch voted against the Modell's deal.
"I don't want to commercialize schools; some of these arrangements are doing that," she said. "The focus should be on education. To me, it's not worth the money."
In Chester County's Unionville-Chadds Ford district, board member Holly Manzone noted the public divide over how far is too far to go in monetizing the schoolhouse. The board, she said, is proceeding cautiously.
"Personally, I'm troubled by" placing ads in schools, she said. "These kids are a captive audience. . . . An ad isn't going to be valuable unless it somehow registers, and I don't want them to register with the children."
At Pennsbury's Manor Elementary School this month, a pro-reading ad featuring cartoon characters from the movie Tangled and one promoting outdoor activity over video gaming were greeted with parental enthusiasm.
Crystal Schaefer, whose daughter is a student there, said they were "positive reminders" for children. And "it's great if it [brings in] revenue for the district."
At a high school back-to-school night, Jean Sharp, mother of three, expressed reservations. Students "are bombarded with so much information as it is," she said. "To have more clutter during their every-day passing to classes may be too much."
East High senior Jon Shiota didn't like the idea. "School is an educational space," he said. "I don't think it's somewhere where they should be advertising products."
Pennsbury board member Allan Weisel was blunt about the alternative. "The less money we have, the more educational programs we have to cut, and $425,000 buys a lot of program," he said.
"We say, 'Show us another way, give us the funding some other way.' We need the money desperately."
Jon said... Before I forget, after last Wed.'s Board meeting, Bill Ferrara told me that the fencing around the Grandview oval would be installed this week. He said it had been delayed by the weather.
Monday, October 03, 2011
That was Oct. 3. Now, it's Oct. 16. Still NO fence yet. There was plenty of good weather.
Do I like pointing this stuff out? No. I would prefer that the fence be installed as promised, in writing, in the district's Sept. newsletter, as though it had already been done.
I'm left wondering if there was a permit pulled for this fencing or if it is being installed the same way the fence around the playground was put in - skating around the proper procedures.
I don't know. I just know that a fence was mentioned in writing in the District's Sept. newsletter as though it was already installed. Then I was told verbally by the Superintendent when I asked on Sept. 28 that the fence would be installed during the week of Oct. 3. Now it's Oct. 16 going on 17 and there's still no fence.
Get it in before Nov 8 Stay on Coarse or you'll have to lie even more. Ahhhh, what the hell, you've got total power, just say the fence is there. Can't you see it? It's there. It's there because you're Stay on Coarse and you say it is! Everybody, just shut up, cooperate, and see the fence.
Philly educators: Jobs bill will help schools, too
Posted: Monday, October 17, 2011 1:26 pm
Associated Press | 0 comments
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Education advocates in Philadelphia are pointing to infrastructure problems at a 97-year-old high school as an example of why Congress should pass major jobs legislation.
Pennsylvania would receive $944 billion in school modernization funds as part of President Barack Obama's jobs bill. Philadelphia could get more than $395 billion of that money.
Furness High School in south Philadelphia suffers chronic water leaks that damage the ceilings and walls. Officials say it's one of many schools badly in need of renovation.
However, Obama's $447 billion jobs package was defeated in the Senate last week. Lawmakers now plan to consider its components separately.
Monday's news conference at Furness comes one day before Vice President Joe Biden travels to Goode Elementary School in York to highlight the bill's extra funding for teaching jobs.
A BCCT article about 2 bills heading to the PA Senate geared towards protecting student athletes and increasing awareness of brain injuries and undetected heart disorders.
BCCT article today about Heather Kane, a Morrisville woman (and 2004 Morrisville High graduate) seeking her birth mother, who left her outside Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill Township 25 years ago today.
27 comments:
Boys soccer - Bulldogs snapped a 5 game losing streak.
Posted: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 5:00 am | Updated: 7:36 am, Wed Oct 5, 2011.
Bulldogs cruise to victory
By Rick Woelfel
Correspondent Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments
MORRISVILLE — At the midway point of the 2011 boys soccer season, the Morrisville Bulldogs find themselves running a marathon.
As a result of weather problems and the scheduling issues involved in competing in two leagues simultaneously, the Bulldogs have been playing an awful lot of soccer of late and accumulating a lot of wear and tear.
Tuesday afternoon, Morrisville, playing the second of what will be four games in four days, got off to a fast start, getting two early goals and going on to a 5-0 win over New Jersey United Christian Academy in a Penn Jersey League tussle.
The win snapped the hosts’ five-game losing streak.
The Bulldogs (4-7-1, 2-1-1 Penn Jersey) pressed the attack in the early going. Saul Salas-Valdiviezo got his team on the scoreboard with a left-footed effort that found the left side panel of the Mustangs’ net with the contest less than five minutes old.
Connor Williams added a second goal four minutes later on a header off a throw-in from Steven Jopko.
Williams said the quick start set a positive tone.
“It was important,” he said, “very important. We needed momentum.”
The Bulldogs kept the pressure up, firing 15 shots at Mustangs keeper Shane Braunworth, who had his hands full. Normally a defender, Braunworth was pressed into service because regular keeper Ian Daniels was out with a bad ankle.
Braunworth finished the first half with nine saves, then was replaced by Simon Lee, another defender forced into the net out of necessity; the Mustangs had only 11 players in uniform.
NJUCA (1-2-1) had a chance or two in the opening half, most notably when Roujae Edwards hit the crossbar in the 36th minute.
Edwards had another chance in the 47th minute, forcing Morrisville keeper Leo Hernandez to make his best save of the game.
A minute later, Jesse Hollopeter found the net to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. Sals-Valdiviezo added his second goal of the game three minutes later, and Williams scored his second goal with four minutes remaining.
“It was nice to finally get in a game where we can put the pieces together,” said Morrisville coach Sean Haines, “after that tough stretch that we had. We played well (Monday in a loss to Calvary Christian), so we were starting to see the effort already.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it carried over to today. We started to finish; that’s been our problem lately.”
The Bulldogs enjoyed a 29-7 advantage in shots. Hernadez finished with six saves.
Jopko drew a yellow card late in the first half, then was booked again shortly after the final whistle for a comment he made within earshot of the officials.
For the Love of Morrisville
it's time to vote these clowns out!!
Yes they did their job they ran on the stop the school banner and like it your not it's a dead issues done deal never to happen, hmmm so why do the keep saying the M&M candidates are going to ?????
So in the rest of those four years what have they really done
1) fire anyone who doesn't agree with them
2) sit back and watch as test scores dropped
3) Lie and Beg for four more years to gut the ranks of teachers, when their contract comes up.
4) Fire classroom ades, cut programs, shorten kindergarden. But give it a fancy name
"realiment"
their realining your kids out of a great smalltown education!!!!!!!!
5) Do I really need to go on and on and on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The writing is on the wall! They sat and watched as your kids to their damnest to strive and do well, as they keep placing road blocks in their way. Now it's time for us parents to watch as they walk out the door, back to what ever rock they crawled out from under.
They don't want a School District if they make the district fail a merger is more likly but is's your kids their failing do you want you kids to suffer while they play their political games.
take back you district this November 8th
I'm mad and I know who I'm voting for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Field hockey notebook
Freshman Knott steps in at Morrisville
Posted: Sunday, October 9, 2011 12:00 am
By Karen Sangillo Staff writer | 0 comments
When Morrisville goaltender Wydazha Gainey went down with an injury, freshman Sidney Knott stepped in.
“I was really nervous,” Knott said. “My knees were shaking. But I think it’s getting easier and I’m gaining confidence.
“I just want to give up fewer goals each game and help my team out as much as I can.”
Knott has been playing goalie since seventh grade.
“They needed someone to play goalie and I volunteered,” she said. “Once I got suited up, I really liked it. I can’t picture myself playing another position.”
She also plays basketball and softball for the Bulldogs, but considers field hockey to be her main sport.
“I’d like to play in college, but that’s not what I’m thinking about right now. Right now, I just want to improve as much as I can.
“I get a lot of support from my teammates. I’m nothing without my defense.”
One of her defensive stalwarts is junior Dionna Berry. Berry played as a freshman, then took a break last year before returning to the sport.
“I needed that time off,” she said. “Now that I’m back, I feel like it’s a totally new sport. Some of the rules changed, so I had to get used to some new things, so some of it really is brand new.”
Berry has noticed a change in the team.
“I feel like we’re so much more together than we had been,” she said. “We’re talking a lot more and we’ve really improved. I’m really glad I came back. I’m having a lot of fun.”
She warms up Knott before games.
“Sidney is doing really well, especially for a freshman,” Berry said. “It’s hard to come right out of middle school and play varsity. I feel as an older player that I should do what I can to help her, so I’m trying to step up.
“I think our defense is playing well and we’re getting better all the time. I’m really excited for the rest of this year and my senior year.”
BAL football: Calvary Christian 34, Morrisville 6
Bulldogs battle to finish in loss
Calvary Christian 34, Morrisville 6
Morrisville 0 6 0 0-6
Calvary Christian 7 13 7 7-34
Scoring Summary
CC - Mi. Cordon 3 run (MacIntyre kick)
CC - Caldwell 13 run (MacIntyre kick)
M - Savage 84 pass from Wilcox (kick failed)
CC - Smith 1 run (kick failed)
CC - Mi. Cordon 2 run (MacIntyre kick)
CC - Mi. Cordon 1 run (MacIntyre kick)
Team Statistics
M CC
First Downs 4 19
Yards Rushing 17 205
Yards Passing 129 139
Total Offense 146 344
Comp. Passes, Int 8-16-0 6-12-1
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-27 4-35
Punts-Avg. 2-20.5 1-39
Sacked-Yds. Lost 1-9 2-10
Individual Statistics
Morrisville
Rushing: Wilcox 7-38; Savage 3-0; Miller 1-(-2); Valdez 2-(-7); Rankins 3-(-12).
Passing: Wilcox 4-10-0, 117 yards, TD; Rankins 4-6-0, 12 yards.
Receiving: Savage 1-84, TD; Rankins 2-33; Wilcox 2-11; Valdez 2-7; N/A 1-(-8).
Interceptions: Billups
Calvary Christian
Rushing: Mi. Cordon 24-107, 3 TDs; Smith 15-40, TD; Caldwell 7-38, TD; Ma. Cordon 9-22; Degen 1-(-2).
Passing: Smith 5-11-1, 94 yards; Scheuer 1-1-0, 45 yards.
Receiving: J. Lukens 2-55; Ma. Cordon 1-45; Medvic 1-15; Scheuer 1-11; Caldwell 1-13.
Interceptions: None
Posted: Sunday, October 9, 2011 12:00 am
By Joe Jones
Staff Writer | 0 comments
PHILADELPHIA — On an unseasonably warm fall afternoon as only a few minutes of a lopsided loss remained, Morrisville senior quarterback/defensive back Eric Wilcox was not ready to call it a day.
“I’m staying in no matter what you say, coach,” Wilcox said, successfully thwarting an attempt to pull the Bulldogs’ first-team defense.
Morrisville fell to host Calvary Christian, 34-6, in a Bicentennial Athletic League football game. The Bulldogs are still winless, but first-year coach Bill Quill knows he has a game bunch.
“They’re a good group of tough kids,” Quill said. “We’re young, but that’s not an excuse. We just had to stop a couple of their drives.”
Morrisville (0-5 overall, 0-3 BAL) made the Cougars (5-1, 4-1 BAL) earn their yards, but the Bulldogs couldn’t shut them down.
Calvary Christian ran for 205 yards and passed for another 129. The Cougars gained 344 yards on 58 plays and held Morrisville to 146 yards — and just 17 rushing — on 32 plays.
The difference was where it usually can be found in football games.
At the line of scrimmage.
“We thought our speed would help us,” Quill said. “It did at times on defense. We had more speed than they did up front, and we got to the quarterback and stayed in the game early.
“We just couldn’t sustain drives. We couldn’t get things rolling. We kind of pulled out everything we had to put points on the board.”
Morrisville was within 14-6 until late in the second quarter. Wilcox hooked up with Uriel Savage on an 84-yard touchdown pass for the Bulldogs’ lone score.
Calvary Christian’s third touchdown drive of the first half was aided by a 45-yard pass completion on a fake punt.
“We didn’t cover the gunner,” Quill said. “We had a chance to make them punt, and we could have went into halftime only down 14-6. That play really hurt us.”
But in the end, Calvary Christian was able to control the time of possession game by a large margin, and Morrisville’s offense couldn’t do much, other than convert a couple of big plays.
And that kept the Morrisville defense on the field for a long time, baking in the sun. Slowly, watching the score get way out of reach.
But they Bulldogs never stopped tackling. Never stopped playing hard.
“These kids are good,” Quill said. “They’re not going to give up. They’ll all be at practice on Monday.”
Wilcox passed for 117 yards and ran for another 38.
Calvary Christian was led by Micah Gordon, who rushed for 107 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Cougars.
Saw this in today's BCCT.
Pa. tightens rules for employment in schools Associated Press | 0 comments
HARRISBURG (AP) — A new Pennsylvania state law that overhauls criminal history disclosure rules for all public and private school employees also imposes a lifetime ban on working in a school for people who commit certain crimes.
The law, signed by Gov. Tom Corbett on June 30, took effect late last month, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported.
Current school employees must now report any arrests or convictions of serious crimes in their past by Dec. 27. They also must report any future arrest or conviction within three days.
Education Department spokesman Tim Eller told the Patriot-News that an employee who admits to having a conviction for one of 27 specific offenses must be terminated immediately. Those crimes include criminal homicide, drug convictions, sexual assault and luring a child.
The law applies to teachers, administrators, support staff and contractors.
Previously, the state had required a five-year employment ban in schools for people who committed a serious crime. The new law expands that list, and lengthens the ban to lifetime. Felonies not on the list lead to a 10-year ban, while first-degree misdemeanors require a 5-year ban.
In addition, anyone with two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot work in a school for three years.
Officials say many school districts do not expect the law to dramatically change their hiring decisions, since they have routinely required criminal background checks for prospective employees for 25 years.
It is rare when a person with a criminal history gets hired by a school, school officials say. But someone with a criminal record may be hired, depending on the crime, the job they are seeking and how long ago the offense occurred, some say.
"We really do look at them on a case-by-case basis," said Michelle Zettlemoyer, the Cumberland Valley School District's director of human resources.
A Dauphin County grand jury report recommended strengthening the state's criminal background checks for school employees, including lifetime bans for convictions on certain offenses, after a Steelton-Highspire High School hall monitor with a 1996 federal cocaine-distribution conviction was fired for having sexual contact with students.
Pennsylvania Gearing Up for School Reform
By Jason Gallagher
PostsWebsiteBy Jason Gallagher | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Sun, Oct 9, 2011tweet2Share0EmailPrint
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is set to lead the rest of the Harrisburg lawmakers into the realm of school reform. Very soon the governor is expected to announce his plan to address issues with public schools across the commonwealth. But many members of the General Assembly are probably holding their breath when it comes to education, as they had to pass a massive budget cut to that affected both basic and college-level education earlier in the year. Still education will be battling with a number of other topics that will be hot on the legislature's plate.
What types of education changes might the governor announce?
Among the issues that Gov. Corbett will weigh in on are: school vouchers, an overhaul of the charter school law, and using student performance to assist in teacher evaluations. While other aspects could be part of what the governor is planning, he has yet to tip his hand on exactly what priorities he has when it comes to education.
Won't vouchers be a financial mess for Pennsylvania?
School vouchers, or allowing a student to choose what school they want to attend not based on geographic location, would probably benefit some schools vs. other schools. But many feel private schools or religious schools stand to benefit the most by having tax dollars follow students into other educational facilities. Without a hardcore plan on the table, it is difficult to judge how much money might be shifted around.
How will teachers be evaluated?
Currently teachers are evaluated by principals of their particular schools. A test program is underway that includes student performance on standardized tests as a tool for performing teacher evaluations. While the test will not be used as an actual evaluation tool this year, it will determine if the data collected can be used in the process.
What other topics could curtail education legislation?
With so many things going on in Pennsylvania, education will be competing for some attention. Bridges and roads need to fixed and Marcellus Shale legislation needs to be addressed as well. State lawmakers, Gov. Corbett included, will have a lot of different bills floating around Harrisburg in the coming weeks. Whether or not school reform can be passed quickly remains to be seen, but the governor is a supporter of school choice, which underscores his preference for the voucher system. Therefore, some degree of priority is likely to be placed on education.
Jason Gallagher is a long-time Pennsylvania resident. He has experiences in trends and developments in many regions from having lived in many parts of the Keystone State, and currently resides in the Pittsburgh area.
Come join the rest of the community on Thursday 10/13 5-8pm for an All You can Eat Pasta dinner at the Italian American Social Club on Harrison and Baker Avenue. $5.00 per person, Tickets at door, bring your family for a delish meal with no cooking or cleanup required by you
If you have not visited our website in awhile be sure to do so and check out all the upcoming events and important information about your candidates. www.morrisvillematters.com
Board member suggests regional transportation
Tue Oct 11, 2011.
Board member suggests regional transportation By Chris English Staff Writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 1 comment
Meanwhile, Superintendent Samuel Lee said he is working with 19 other area school districts on a consortium health insurance plan for employees that could save money.
The Bristol Township School District should explore the possibility of combining with other area districts on busing students, board member Earl Bruck suggested at Monday night’s meeting.
Bristol Township is considering the purchase of a $30,000 software system that would track the routes of all its school buses to make sure they are the most efficient, said district Operations Coordinator Jim White.
However, such separate purchases of school bus tracking software systems by each district wouldn’t be necessary if districts in Lower Bucks County combined on a regional transportation system, said Bruck.
A private company called First Student provides busing service for Bristol Township but a tracking system isn’t part of the company’s service, said White.
“Every district in the lower end could save money by not duplicating services,” said Bruck. “A regionalized transportation system might be more cost effective. If we do find it necessary to purchase this software package, let’s make sure it’s compatible with whatever might happen in the future in terms of a regional transportation system.”
Board member Sean Norman said it’s an idea that is certainly worth some investigation.
“It would take a lot of hard work and will, but could end up saving a lot of money,” he said.
Superintendent Samuel Lee said he is working with 19 other area school districts on a consortium health insurance plan for employees that could potentially save a lot of money through an economy of scale.
The goal is to have the consortium plan in effect by July 1, Lee added.
“It has the potential to provide tremendous financial relief not only to Bristol Township but also the other 19 participants,” he said.
From today's BCCT.
School choice the right choice?
Despite its undetermined success, school vouchers have earned Gov. Corbett’s blessing as a means of rescuing low-income students from poor-performing schools. To that end, the governor has proposed taxpayer-funded vouchers — dubbed “opportunity scholarships” — that qualified parents could use not only to send their children to private or religious schools but also better performing public schools.
So would this be a good thing for Pennsylvania? Unfortunately, it’s hard to say. The limited data available on the success of school vouchers presents a mixed bag of results. And so the concept — and the arguments for and against it — remain largely theoretical. Adding to the confusion is the relatively reasoned logic supporting both points of view.
The basic argument for vouchers theorizes that competition for students and the profit motive will provide teachers and administrators with powerful incentives to improve the quality of education and thus better meet students’ needs. School choice also has appeal because it would eliminate educational monopolies and thereby alleviate battles over curriculum because parents could choose schools that reflect their own values. They also argue that market pressures would force private schools to use resources more effectively.
Opponents counter that vouchers would drain money from already cash-starved public schools and further erode educational quality. They also argue the field of education is not suited to competitive market strategies and that government-funded “scholarships” won’t create a genuinely free educational market, but merely perpetuate dependency on government funding. Additionally, they say private schools’ higher academic performance is a result of greater parental involvement, and that public education inefficiencies are a result of the smorgasbord of services public schools must provide to a diversity of students.
Reasoned arguments all.
But what do the studies show? An Indiana University study of the Cleveland Scholarship Program found no academic benefits after one year. However the University of Houston found choice students in Milwaukee showed significant gains in both reading and math by their fourth year. Likewise, pilot programs in New York City showed improvement, though modest.
And so it goes, with studies yielding inconsistent results and continued uncertainty. On what basis Gov. Corbett and state lawmakers decide the issue isn’t very clear then. If it comes down to ideology, the Republican governor and Republican-controlled Legislature are apt to give choice a chance.
Our question: How are we going to pay for it? Is even more education money going to shift away from public schools? There’s only so much you can cut before education quality is eroded, a process many believe started with this year’s drastic funding cuts. Others argue that what they believe are poor graduation rates across the state reflect an education system that already is severely eroded. And that’s why change is needed.
We’re all for reform. And so the governor’s plan to change how charter schools are established and how teachers are evaluated deserves support. Likewise, his proposal to expand tax credits for businesses that fund scholarships is a good one.
School vouchers? We’re not so sure. We do know that we’ve been throwing lots of money at schools for many years seemingly without success. Maybe it’s time for dramatic change. If so, it’s up to the governor and his supporters in the Legislature to prove that school choice is the right choice.
A ghostly occurrence during Morrisville ghost tour
By J.D. Mullane The Morrisville (Pa.) Free Library on North Pennsylvania Avenue, which is located on the site of the borough’s old Episcopal church. Ghostly happenings are reported regularly.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Morrisville Free Library haunted hot dog incident has circulated for several years. The story is odd more than it is frightening, but it’s among the curious and spectral occurrences reported by librarians who work there.
The library is in a former Episcopal church, a 100-year-old stone building at 300 N. Pennsylvania Ave. The place was purchased in 1967, when the congregation grew too large and moved to Lower Makefield.
The pews were replaced with shelving, but the large cathedral-style stained glass windows remain. On sunny afternoons, the interior is bathed in warm light and is a delightful spot to read.
This setting belies what the staff says is a disembodied whistler and a voice that calls, “Hello.” Staffers have twice reported an inexplicable gunshot bang in the basement. At the circulation desk, a shadowy woman in gloves appears and vanishes.
Library director Diane Hughes led about 40 visitors through the building last week for a tour, and then down to the basement lecture room to hear from a ghost hunter.
Hughes, who has worked at the place for 13 years, stood where the church sacristy was and discussed her experiences.
She described the “Lady in Gloves,” whose startling apparition is fragmented — shoulders, hat, purse, white-gloved hands.
“As if she’s dressed for Sunday; as if she’s waiting for something,” Hughes said.
Library staffers closing up at night in the empty building have heard the shuffling of books in the darkened stacks, as if someone is searching for a volume.
Hughes and others have heard the sound of a dog walking, nails clicking on hard floors. (The phantom pooch of a long dead pastor?)
“Then there is our haunted hot dog story,” Hughes told those on the tour.
“Three years ago, we cooked hot dogs for one of our children’s programs, and there were some left over. We cooked the rest of them and (children’s librarian) Sue Neff brought them upstairs,” she said.
Hughes explained that librarian Dawn Mellor had intended to take one of the leftovers home for her husband. Mellor placed a hot dog in a bun on a small paper plate, atop a counter. But then librarian Mary Cranmer noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
“She saw movement,” Hughes said. “The hot dog bun opened by itself very, very slowly. But then it shut fast, like this.”
She smacked her hands together.
“That’s the haunted part. The craziest thing is, Dawn’s husband ate the hot dog. He said it was delicious,” Hughes said, as the visitors broke into laughter.
Hughes said the library’s ghostly occurrences pick up in autumn, but subside after Nov. 2, All Souls Day.
The latest “wrinkle” at the library, Hughes said, is the sound of heavy footsteps up the rear stairs from the parking lot to the library’s business office.
“We hear the footsteps, we open the door, but nobody’s there,” she said.
Dave Juliano, director of South Jersey Ghost Research in Mount Holly, N.J., explained to the group that such hauntings are common. He’s seen every variety of apparition in 25 years of paranormal research. His company specializes in determining if a building is haunted, and what can be done to eliminate the activity.
“The three most active places for this kind of phenomena are theaters, churches and libraries. These are places where a lot of people travel through, accompanied by a lot of human emotion,” he said.
That emotional energy embeds in physical surroundings, he said. A paranormal event can be triggered by atmospheric conditions to replay, like a recording. Libraries brim with this kind of residual energy.
“Library books change hands constantly. They are held, touched. The pages are turned by many hands. Energy is left behind,” he said. “I’m not surprised to hear books are shuffled around here. Antique collectors report similar activity. There tends to be energy attached to old things.”
As Diane Hughes described the “Lady in Gloves” to the group, there was rattling from the business office. It was the door leading from the parking lot. Someone was trying to get in.
Fred Kerner of Hillcrest Avenue, who was on the ghost tour, was closest to the office. He got up from his seat to let the person in so Hughes would not have to awkwardly interrupt her talk.
The door rattled as he approached, but when he opened it no one was there.
J.D. Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@phillyburbs.com.
Educators worry the guv's education reform bill could drain cash from local schools
October 13, 2011
By James McGinnis Staff writer
Local reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett’s state education reform plan can best be summarized in a single question: Will it drain cash from local districts?
Corbett earlier this week promoted taxpayer-paid vouchers for low-income students in failing schools, changes to how charter schools are established, tying student performance to teacher evaluations and expanding tax credits for businesses that fund scholarships.
Centennial School District board member Mark Miller is unhappy with Corbett’s plan. It would divert another billion dollars of education funding away from students and give it to a privileged few, Miller said.
“The answer is not ‘rescuing’ a small percentage of students from failing schools, rather to fix those failing schools to serve the best interests of each and every student,” Miller wrote in an email. The governor must also recognize his responsibility to fix the state’s Charter School Law, he wrote.
The district will host a county-wide PTO meeting in the William Tennent High School auditorium to discuss education and its funding with members of the House Education Committee at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Miller urges parents from all Bucks County school districts to attend.
“Committee Chair Paul Clymer is a proven friend to education in Pennsylvania and has agreed to facilitate a dialogue with the Bucks County community,” Miller wrote.
Rep. Clymer of Perkasie is a Republican serving the state’s 45th Legislative District.
Bensalem Superintendent David Baugh said he doubts the governor’s proposed “opportunity scholarships” would have any impact on that township’s school district.
“The preliminary analysis is that it does not affect us,” Baugh said. “The governor is targeting the bottom 5 percent of schools in the state. At this point, it is our belief that there will be a negligible effect on our students and budget.”
Baugh noted that all nine Bensalem schools made Annual Yearly Progress, the standardized-testing yardstick by which student proficiency is judged by the state.
Bristol Township School District Superintendent Samuel Lee said he didn’t believe the governor’s plan, if enacted, would affect the district.
“We don’t have any failing schools,” said Lee. “Also, this would not benefit us in a financial sense. It would diminish the resources we derive from the state. This sounds like a scaled-down version of the voucher plan that didn’t pass in June. We’ll pay attention and see what comes of it.”
Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein said he’d like to see more details about the governor’s proposal.
Significant legal hurtles must be conquered with school, private and public, vouchers, he said. Klein didn’t think school vouchers would affect Council Rock.
“With charter schools, taking it to the state level is somewhat concerning to me. But I’d want to know more about that — who would sit on the board? If you’re going to allow charter schools to compete with public, you have to make sure they follow the same rules under the state as public schools do. I think it’s a matter of time before we’re looking at charter schools as an alternative throughout Bucks County and the state,” he said.
He’s curious to see how the proposed changes to educator evaluations will develop. But the premise that teacher performance should be linked to student performance is flawed, he said.
“The question should be, how do you help teachers having difficulty in classrooms? For many good school districts in any given year, you have the dynamic of teachers who get an unsatisfactory evaluation. No evaluation system is perfect. But I’m concerned with reliance on student test scores for some part of the evaluation. I’ve never heard this defined and I don’t know how it will work in a practical way,” Klein said.
Ritchie Webb, president of the Neshaminy school board, said he is wary of the state’s favorable view of charter schools.
“A district like ours becomes a prime target for charter schools,” he added. “They get our costs to educate their students and with our costs being higher than in other districts, that becomes a major plus for them.”
School Lane Charter School was recently given approval by the school board to open a school in Neshaminy. Board members expressed concerns about potential negative financial effects as a result of a charter school coming to the district but were prohibited by state law from turning down the application based solely on those reasons.
Staff writers Chris English, Manasee Wagh and Christian Menno contributed to this story.
James McGinnis: 215-949-3248;
email: jmcginnis@phillyburbs.com
Twitter @James_McGinnis
The district will host a county-wide PTO meeting in the William Tennent High School auditorium to discuss education and its funding with members of the House Education Committee at 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Miller urges parents from all Bucks County school districts to attend.
Box Score: Delaware County Christian @ Morrisville
Boys Varsity Football Fall 11-12 · Friday, October 14, 2011
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School Name Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Delaware County Christian - - - - 42
Morrisville - - - - 7
From today's Phila. Inquirer.
Posted on Sun, Oct. 16, 2011
To balance budgets, schools allow ads
By Dan Hardy
Inquirer Staff Writer
Without ever cracking a book, students in Bucks County's Pennsbury School District are learning a new subject this year: marketing.
Starting three weeks ago, the 16 elementary, middle, and high schools are being adorned with - some say defiled by - advertisements as large as 5 by 10 feet. By month's end, 47 should be in place. Ultimately, 218 are to appear on walls and floors, and shrink-wrapped over lockers, locker-room benches, even cafeteria tables.
In what administrators say is a first in the Philadelphia area and probably the state, the Pennsbury school board signed a contract with a national advertising agency that could boost the district's battered budget by as much as $424,000, while giving the firm's clients access to the habitat of 10,950 children, tweens, and teens.
The ads must relate to health, education, nutrition, or student safety, and may not directly endorse products. They tout, among other things, reading and outdoor activities (the U.S. Library of Congress and the Ad Council); organizational skills (Post-it Notes), and concussion awareness (Dick's Sporting Goods).
They have debuted to love-'em/hate-'em reviews from students and parents. But to district officials - who cut the budget this year by $3 million and dipped into savings for a additional $3.1 million - they are a bow to necessity.
"It's imperative we find alternate means to preserve our programs," Assistant Superintendent W. David Bowman said. "We'd prefer to generate revenues rather than cut programs or increase class size" - or raise taxes, which Pennsbury did not.
Although such commercial deals are rare in public education, the brutal economy is making them less so.
New Jersey is allowing school districts to put ads on on the outside of school buses for the first time. Regulations are being finalized, and the ads should go up next year.
Janet Miller, chief operating officer for School Media Inc., the Minneapolis-based agency that signed Pennsbury, said the deals are win-win. Schools get cash through less incendiary means than tax hikes, and "corporate leaders [get] a chance to stand up" and contribute to education, she said. "It's America helping America."
School Media has contracts for ads in nine other districts in Minnesota and California, according to Miller.
In Orange County, Fla., the schools make several hundred thousand dollars a year allowing ads on such platforms as lunch menus and the vests of sideline officials at football games, and licensing debit cards with the district's logo.
The Los Angeles School District last year approved a corporate naming-rights plan that could bring in an estimated $18 million. And this past summer, the San Juan Unified School District, also in California, approved the posting of corporate signs on middle and high school campuses, and hired an advertising firm to go out and get them.
In recent years, "there has been an enormous increase both in the amount and the sophistication" of commercial ventures in schools, said Tim Kasser, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois who has written extensively on ads in academe. "It's gone far beyond just saying 'Coca Cola' on the scoreboard."
Even if ads present innocuous public-service and social-issue messages, "a lot of companies see that they can make money off this," Kasser said. "Advertising works through the repetition of images and messages. The more places you can saturate, the more it gets into the brain."
Paul Kurnit, a marketing professor at Pace University in New York, was once a youth marketing executive, giving his concerns a certain gravitas.
"The school is a fallow playground for advertising brands to reach kids in an authoritative, credible environment where there's an implied endorsement [by] the authorities," he said.
Kurnit expressed doubts about "how well schools will be able to draw the line" between educational messages and in-your-face advertising. "We've got to be worried about product creep."
Not all experts agree. If the ads are "selective and thoughtful," they can be a "good thing" for children, said Lane Keller, a professor of marketing at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. "The key is to keep people well-informed about the benefits and the costs."
The Pennsbury deal did not coalesce behind the public's back. It took shape after the school board, vowing to contain costs and taxes, appointed a revenue development committee last year to come up with nontraditional money streams. Ideas were solicited from district employees and residents and reported at the board's public meetings.
The district can veto ad content and placement.
While Pennsbury jumped on the ad wagon, other districts are finding other ways to mine commerce for cash.
The Centennial system, also in Bucks, has launched a host of ventures aimed at raising $2.5 million by June 2014.
Centennial trademarked the William Tennent High School name and its panther mascot's image, and signed a licensing agreement with Modell's Sporting Goods. Board member Mark Miller, himself a marketing consultant, said Internet companies often sell apparel bearing school logos, without paying fees. With its trademark, Centennial can curb that.
This fall, licensed T-shirts went on sale at Modell's in Warminster, with athletic bags to follow. The district gets a 20 percent cut. Schools also circulate Modell's discount coupons, for a percentage of sales, and Modell's signs are in the high school stadium and gymnasium.
Want to be noticed at a one- or two-day Centennial event? Sponsoring the "Your-Name-Here Invitational" is $5,000; an "Invitational Presented by Your-Name-Here" is $3,000.
That's not all: State Farm Insurance pays Centennial $5,000 to put a sign on the high school stadium ticket booth and set up tables at games, as well as inside the school, to sell policies. A local auto dealership donated a pickup truck with accessories, worth $35,000, for the right to display advertising on it. Ford is holding vehicle test drives on school grounds; the district gets $20 for each participant. And a credit union opened inside the high school in return for helping school business classes and hiring student interns.
This year, Centennial raised taxes more than 4.6 percent and cut 28 jobs. Nonetheless, school board member Jane Schrader Lynch voted against the Modell's deal.
"I don't want to commercialize schools; some of these arrangements are doing that," she said. "The focus should be on education. To me, it's not worth the money."
In Chester County's Unionville-Chadds Ford district, board member Holly Manzone noted the public divide over how far is too far to go in monetizing the schoolhouse. The board, she said, is proceeding cautiously.
"Personally, I'm troubled by" placing ads in schools, she said. "These kids are a captive audience. . . . An ad isn't going to be valuable unless it somehow registers, and I don't want them to register with the children."
At Pennsbury's Manor Elementary School this month, a pro-reading ad featuring cartoon characters from the movie Tangled and one promoting outdoor activity over video gaming were greeted with parental enthusiasm.
Crystal Schaefer, whose daughter is a student there, said they were "positive reminders" for children. And "it's great if it [brings in] revenue for the district."
the exciting conclusion...
At a high school back-to-school night, Jean Sharp, mother of three, expressed reservations. Students "are bombarded with so much information as it is," she said. "To have more clutter during their every-day passing to classes may be too much."
East High senior Jon Shiota didn't like the idea. "School is an educational space," he said. "I don't think it's somewhere where they should be advertising products."
Pennsbury board member Allan Weisel was blunt about the alternative. "The less money we have, the more educational programs we have to cut, and $425,000 buys a lot of program," he said.
"We say, 'Show us another way, give us the funding some other way.' We need the money desperately."
Jon said...
Before I forget, after last Wed.'s Board meeting, Bill Ferrara told me that the fencing around the Grandview oval would be installed this week. He said it had been delayed by the weather.
Monday, October 03, 2011
That was Oct. 3. Now, it's Oct. 16. Still NO fence yet. There was plenty of good weather.
Do I like pointing this stuff out? No. I would prefer that the fence be installed as promised, in writing, in the district's Sept. newsletter, as though it had already been done.
You've got to stay on them, they're wily and really really good at giving you (not just you but everybody) the runaround.
I'm left wondering if there was a permit pulled for this fencing or if it is being installed the same way the fence around the playground was put in - skating around the proper procedures.
I don't know. I just know that a fence was mentioned in writing in the District's Sept. newsletter as though it was already installed. Then I was told verbally by the Superintendent when I asked on Sept. 28 that the fence would be installed during the week of Oct. 3. Now it's Oct. 16 going on 17 and there's still no fence.
Get it in before Nov 8 Stay on Coarse or you'll have to lie even more. Ahhhh, what the hell, you've got total power, just say the fence is there. Can't you see it? It's there. It's there because you're Stay on Coarse and you say it is! Everybody, just shut up, cooperate, and see the fence.
Philly educators: Jobs bill will help schools, too
Posted: Monday, October 17, 2011 1:26 pm
Associated Press | 0 comments
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Education advocates in Philadelphia are pointing to infrastructure problems at a 97-year-old high school as an example of why Congress should pass major jobs legislation.
Pennsylvania would receive $944 billion in school modernization funds as part of President Barack Obama's jobs bill. Philadelphia could get more than $395 billion of that money.
Furness High School in south Philadelphia suffers chronic water leaks that damage the ceilings and walls. Officials say it's one of many schools badly in need of renovation.
However, Obama's $447 billion jobs package was defeated in the Senate last week. Lawmakers now plan to consider its components separately.
Monday's news conference at Furness comes one day before Vice President Joe Biden travels to Goode Elementary School in York to highlight the bill's extra funding for teaching jobs.
A BCCT article about 2 bills heading to the PA Senate geared towards protecting student athletes and increasing awareness of brain injuries and undetected heart disorders.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/working_my_butt/bills-targeting-student-athletes-head-to-senate/article_2b6206a7-bf43-5615-8e55-38464669517f.html#user-comment-area
BCCT article today about Heather Kane, a Morrisville woman (and 2004 Morrisville High graduate) seeking her birth mother, who left her outside Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill Township 25 years ago today.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/pennridge/what-happened-to-baby-jane/article_5acb274d-2275-51dc-957f-ddcf863d86d5.html
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