What are the school board's and borough council's plans or ideas for MR Reiter School? Please explore the possibilities before selling it off to a developer or turning it into open space. If this structure is sound, can be reduced in size, and have the heating replaced it has great possibilities.
It could be a Community Recreation, Arts, and Theatre Center.
It is centrally located in the borough with a large area in front that could be converted to off street parking. It has a gymnasium/auditorium with a stage that would allow our wonderful local theatre group to enjoy larger audiences in a location closer to the town center and restaurants. The moving of the theatre group to a different facility would free up the Heritage Center for a different use near our waterfront and town gateway. The gymnasium would get plenty of use and it would relieve some of the overuse of the high school gym. Classrooms in the central portion of the building could be used for craft and arts classes, theatre workshops, and recreation offices.
It sits next to a great historic site that could use the facility to expand it's offerings on local history. It could serve as an alternate performance site for the Summer Concert series in bad weather.
As a lifelong Morrisville resident I remember standing on Bridge Street near Talone's Gulf gas station and watching the old high school burn. This building sits on the same site and is still an impressive looking structure if viewed from Bridge Street. Currently, it is a blight on the neighborhood and damages property values. MR Reiter is part of our Morrisville history. Can we save and recycle it?
I don't know who said it can't be saved, it's just a matter of funds but thanks to the old board insurance monies it got were used for other things and not for what the insurance company paid out for IE the repair of the building. from what I hear it was not even cleaned proper. Just remeber there are three members of that old board this on the current board and they VOTED in line to miss use that insurance money and for that we have a building in need of more repairs then it did just after the boiler blew up
DeWild, Buckman and Stout have got to go!!!! and from what I see from sitting at the board meetings, Marone is one of them as well. So add her to the list of what has to go, Nov. 2014 can't come fast enough.
I believe 2013, not 2014, is when John DeWilde, Ron Stout, Jack Buckman, and Alina Marone are up for re-election. DeWilde, Stout, and Buckman won 4-year terms in 2009, and Marone won a 2-year term in 2011.
Please don't read too much into this. I mention all 4 names because the poster above mentioned them.
You can read this much into it for sure, though - I do not support Ron Stout in any way, shape, or form, and Jack Buckman isn't far behind.
for those of you with ideas, perhaps you should join that advisory panel the new board is looking to set up regarding facilities. help with a solution instead of just posting on a blog. I think if you go to www.mv.org you can find the advisory info there. seems the new board has been stuck with much to fix and is just in those seats two months and from what I see on the videos are doing as much as they can do move things forward. be a part of a solution and not part of the ongoing problem.
Here is the information I saw someone post about earlier. HOpe this helps.
Advisory panels
The School Board is currently forming advisory panels to discuss various issues facing the district. The Board is inviting members of the community to participate on these panels and offer their input. At this time; two panels, which will be comprised of up to 5 members, are being formed that will work with their respective Board Committees. One panel is for facilities and the other is financial. Please submit a letter of interest to Barbara Bucuy; her office is located near the front office of the high school by Wednesday February 8th if you are interested in being considered for this commission. This same information can be found on the school district's website at www.mv.org.
Did anyone see this and does anyone know if Mike Fitz returned any money?
Eight freshman lawmakers have returned a significant portion of their unused office budgets to the U.S. Treasury -- a move that one of them says is proof that the new crop of legislators is serious about reducing the national debt.
My mistake Jon, that was a typo as far as joining a advisory panel why in the heck would I waste my time with a board of that still has 5 SOC members. The SOC board wasn't well known for listening to the public, so why would I think they would start now! The best thing that can be done for this district is to replace all of them.I stood behind Morrisville Matters and helped get then elected well Morrisville Matter is more then just those who got elected it everyone who cares about our town and our school district. In due time, I will be throwing my hat in the ring and I hope other supporters will step up too.
DeWild is untrustworthy. He has 1/2 a brain in his head at least. Stout and Buckman, the less said the better. If you want them out, step up and make it happen.
Shame Worob just got another 4 yrs. He is a mess. Rather see him off the board than DeWIlde or Marone. Agree with previous poster DeWilde's not trustworthy ---bad temper also.Wish Marone would break from SOC more.
Um...Im thinking the end time for the PTO meeting is not correct. Unless of course all of you with ideas come to the meeting and we start talking about playground equipment. It's been a while since we have had a full house.
Well, I don't really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It's like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how - what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what's stopping it, and what's behind what's stopping it? So, what's the end, you know, is my question to you.
The Morrisville School District will register incoming kindergarten students for the 2012-2013 school year at Grandview Elementary School, 80 Grandview Ave., on the following dates:
•Wednesday, March 7 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. •Thursday, March 8 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. •Friday, March 9 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
All kindergarten-age children who plan on entering the Morrisville school program for the 2012-2013 school year must be present and screened on the day of registration – March 7, 8, or 9 between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Children must be five years of age on or prior to Sept. 1, 2012. They also will need a medical or dental examination and a series of childhood immunizations. The only exceptions to the school immunization law are medical reasons or religious beliefs.
The child must accompany parents or guardians who also are required to bring to the registration, the child’s birth certificate, social security number, official immunization records and have a copy of the parent or guardian’s photo I.D., plus four proofs of residency, including a current lease with the child’s name. Other identification material may include driver’s license, utility or tax bill, auto insurance or registration, and bank statement.
Please share this information with friends or neighbors who are planning to enroll a new student in the Morrisville School District. More district information can be found on the website: www.mv.org
Congratulations to Tiffani White on qualifying for the Eastern Pennsylvania regional's for Bowling. Tiffani will be headed to Lancaster on March 2nd. Tiffani is one of the top 16 High School Girls Bowlers in the Eastern 1/2 of Pennsylvania. If she finishes in the top 4 in Lancaster she will then compete for the State Individual Championship. Good Luck to Tiffani.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict and sweeping requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, giving leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students, The Associated Press has learned. The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not yet been announced. A total of 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signaled that they, too, plan to seek waivers — a sign of just how vast the law's burdens have become as a big deadline nears. No Child Left Behind requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama's action strips away that fundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offer a viable plan instead. Under the deal, the states must show they will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst. In September, Obama called President George W. Bush's most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawed effort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessary because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisan agreement that it needs fixing. Republicans have charged that by granting waivers, Obama was overreaching his authority. The executive action by Obama is one of his most prominent in an ongoing campaign to act on his own where Congress is rebuffing him. No Child Left Behind was primarily designed to help the nation's poor and minority children and was passed a decade ago with widespread bipartisan support. It has been up for renewal since 2007. But lawmakers have been stymied for years by competing priorities, disagreements over how much of a federal role there should be in schools and, in the recent Congress, partisan gridlock. For all the cheers that states may have about the changes, the move also reflects the sobering reality that the United States is not close to the law's original goal: getting children to grade level in reading and math. Critics today say the 2014 deadline was unrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too many schools feel they are labeled as "failures." Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don't meet requirements for two years or longer face increasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performing schools, offering tutoring and replacing staff. As the deadline approaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, with nearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on Education Policy. Center officials said that's because some states today have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it's also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test. In states granted a waiver, students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind. A school's performance will also probably be labeled differently. The pressure will probably still be on the lowest-performing schools in states granted a waiver, but mediocre schools that aren't failing will probably see the most changes because they will feel less pressure and have more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, said Michael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank.
While the president's action marks a change in education policy in America, the reach is limited. The populous states of Pennsylvania, Texas and California are among those that have not said they will seek a waiver, although they could still do so later. On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states without a waiver will be held to the standards of No Child Left Behind because "it's the law of the land." Some conservatives viewed Obama's plan not as giving more flexibility to states, but as imposing his vision on them. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the president allowed "an arbitrary timeline" to dictate when Congress should get the law rewritten and set a dangerous precedent by granting the education secretary "sweeping authority to handpick winners and losers." Duncan maintained this week that the administration "desperately" wants Congress to fix the law. In an election year in a divided Congress, that appears unlikely to happen. A Senate committee last fall passed a bipartisan bill to update the law, but it was opposed by the administration and did not go before the full Senate for a vote. Kline released a draft of a Republican-written bill to update the law, earning the ire of California Rep. George Miller, the committee's ranking Democrat. Miller said such partisanship "means the end" to No Child Left Behind reform in this Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education, has said he believes it "would be difficult to find a path forward" without a bipartisan bill in the House.
For those of you who have children in the Morrisville Middle School, the Student Government has planned a Valentines Dance for next Friday for those students. This is reposted from the MV.org website but you can contact teacher Mr. Roberts at droberts@mv.org for full information. Hoping your children will plan to attend to make it a successful event for everyone.
District Event Friday, February... 17, 2012 Middle School Dance in the Gym
Come out and show your support for the lady bulldogs as they take on jenkintown tomorrow (fri 2/10) at home. Senior night ceremony begins immediately after 4:30 JV game. Please pack the stands for these ladies and help us to honor their hard work and dedication.
The game is actually tonight, Thursday 2/9 starting at 6:00. My understanding is that it is Senior Night as well. Those ceremonies will take place before the game.
Posted: Friday, February 10, 2012 6:15 pm | Updated: 7:40 pm, Fri Feb 10, 2012. By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer | 0 comments While most counties in Pennsylvania get three delegates to send to the Republican Convention, Bucks County will get a fourth this year — and no one can remember the last time that happened. Pat Poprik, vice chairwoman of the Bucks GOP and a committeewoman since 1977, doesn't believe it has happened during her time with the party.
She said the state uses a formula based on results from the 2008 presidential election and the 2010 gubernatorial and congressional results to give out five bonus delegates. "This is a credit to our committee people," Poprik said Friday. "It's a result of the hard work they've done." On Thursday night, county Republicans made their 2012 endorsements. For delegates from the 8th Congressional District, they chose Bensalem Mayor Joe DiGirolamo, county Commissioner Rob Loughery, state Rep. Bernie O'Neill and Poprik. Four alternates were also chosen: Larry Borda of Lower Makefield, Margo Hunt of New Britain Township, Jennifer Yori of Lower Southampton and Tom Zipfel of Hatfield Township. The committee also endorsed Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and, for state representative, Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, 18; O'Neill, 29; Helen Bosley, 31; Eric David, 140; Anthony Sposapo, 141; Rep. Frank Farry, 142; Rep. Marguerite Quinn, 143; Rep. Kathy Watson, 144; Rep. Paul Clymer, 145; and Rep. Scott Petri, 178.
Waivers from No Child Left Behind aren't good enough, say education officials Manasee Wagh Local educators are hoping the much reviled No Child Left Behind Act can be left behind in Pennsylvania.As Congress approaches an overdue reauthorization of the 2001 law, the state secretary of education is still considering the requirements of an alternative offered by the Obama administration last year.Ten states have been freed from the law, and 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have indicated that they also plan to leave.Waivers from the law offer a way out, President Obama has said. But Pennsylvania state education and Bucks County school officials are wary of jumping on the train to freedom from a law yet still have their hands tied with another set of requirements.For that reason, Centennial school board member Mark Miller's not in favor of the waivers that allow states to relax the most stringent aspects of No Child Left Behind."Some of the requirements you have to agree to in order to get the waiver are just extensions of No Child Left Behind," he said.States that have been granted waivers can evaluate students through methods other than test scores. But they must present federally approved plans demonstrating that they will prepare students adequately, set new targets for improving achievement, reward good school performance and provide help where it's most needed.One of the waivers allows states to flex their 2014 deadline for standardized test proficiency in exchange for establishing "ambitious but achievable goals in reading/language arts and mathematics" to support improvement efforts for all students, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in November. Another waiver provides states with more flexibility in how they improve lower performing schools. A third waiver allows states more flexibility in how they use federal funds to help students.Pennsylvania has two problems with the Obama administration's offer, Pennsylvania Department of Education spokesman Timothy Eller said Friday."It says to states, we'll relieve you of the mandates of the law if you put in place what we ask you to put in place. Obama says you have to adopt our program in total to be relieved of the requirements of law," he said. Pennsylvania does agree with some of Obama's proposals, such as holding educators accountable through a teacher evaluation process, said Eller. But the other state concern is that the administration is changing policy when Congress is close to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act. "Congress could reauthorize it and include nothing that's proposed in the waiver program. If we adopt the waiver program, then 12, 18 months from now, Congress could totally change the program. And we'd have to shift direction once again," said Eller. No Child Left Behind does have a positive underlying mission -- to close the achievement gap within individual schools, said Rob McGee, principal of Neshaminy High School in Middletown. "Unfortunately, some of the requirements as we try to meet that goal become unrealistic. In 2014 the requirement is to have 100 percent of our children proficient in all areas. That type of absolute is very difficult," he said.Test scores are only one indicator of student and school success. In times of shrinking budgets, other things are at least as important, he said.Neshaminy has to figure out how to close its own achievement gaps given the constraints of the times, he said."We have a shrinking budget and tax base. To provide resources to close the achievement gap is more than we can afford at the moment," McGee said.Miller believes No Child Left Behind is ultimately a failure, and that most of Congress recognizes this."The biggest negative is that it takes local control away from school districts that are the best qualified to manage their own education.
LADY BULLDOGS BASKETBALL TEAM WINS BAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratulations to the Lady Bulldogs on their 29-25 Victory over Jenkintown. With The victory the ladies Won the Constitution Division of the BAL. The team had an undefeated (16-0) regular season League record. With their 20th Victory they set a new school record for victories in a season which was previously held by the 1998 squad. The Ladies continue their Playoff push as they attempt to capture the 1st District #1 Girls Basketball Title in the Schools History. Great Job Ladies !!
... Morrisville student/members of the Morrisville Achievement Club, recently toured the Philadelphia law offices of Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall and Furman PC, as part of the firm’s “Building Futures” program. They also had an opportunity to speak with lawyer Wendy Bennett, a Morrisville High School graduate. (Class of 1990).
The club members visited departments that play an important role in the business management of a large law firm and spoke with several attorneys about their work. They were accompanied by Morrisville teacher/advisors, Traci Coley and Ken Kelman, whose brother, Lane Kelman, a partner in the firm, led the tour.
The visit was followed by an authentic Philly cheese steak and pizza dinner. In recognition of their visit, the students were given Building Futures T-shirts and tote bags filled with school supplies.
37 comments:
What are the school board's and borough council's plans or ideas for MR Reiter School? Please explore the possibilities before selling it off to a developer or turning it into open space. If this structure is sound, can be reduced in size, and have the heating replaced it has great possibilities.
It could be a Community Recreation, Arts, and Theatre Center.
It is centrally located in the borough with a large area in front that could be converted to off street parking. It has a gymnasium/auditorium with a stage that would allow our wonderful local theatre group to enjoy larger audiences in a location closer to the town center and restaurants. The moving of the theatre group to a different facility would free up the Heritage Center for a different use near our waterfront and town gateway. The gymnasium would get plenty of use and it would relieve some of the overuse of the high school gym. Classrooms in the central portion of the building could be used for craft and arts classes, theatre workshops, and recreation offices.
It sits next to a great historic site that could use the facility to expand it's offerings on local history. It could serve as an alternate performance site for the Summer Concert series in bad weather.
As a lifelong Morrisville resident I remember standing on Bridge Street near Talone's Gulf gas station and watching the old high school burn. This building sits on the same site and is still an impressive looking structure if viewed from Bridge Street. Currently, it is a blight on the neighborhood and damages property values. MR Reiter is part of our Morrisville history. Can we save and recycle it?
Good ideas MV Grad....let's do something soon.
the old school board let it sit and rot for so long it cant be saved today. reiter is ville history and it makes me sad they let such a treasure die
I don't know who said it can't be saved, it's just a matter of funds but thanks to the old board insurance monies it got were used for other things and not for what the insurance company paid out for IE the repair of the building. from what I hear it was not even cleaned proper. Just remeber there are three members of that old board this on the current board and they VOTED in line to miss use that insurance money and for that we have a building in need of more repairs then it did just after the boiler blew up
DeWild, Buckman and Stout have got to go!!!! and from what I see from sitting at the board meetings, Marone is one of them as well.
So add her to the list of what has to go, Nov. 2014 can't come fast enough.
I believe 2013, not 2014, is when John DeWilde, Ron Stout, Jack Buckman, and Alina Marone are up for re-election. DeWilde, Stout, and Buckman won 4-year terms in 2009, and Marone won a 2-year term in 2011.
Please don't read too much into this. I mention all 4 names because the poster above mentioned them.
You can read this much into it for sure, though - I do not support Ron Stout in any way, shape, or form, and Jack Buckman isn't far behind.
for those of you with ideas, perhaps you should join that advisory panel the new board is looking to set up regarding facilities. help with a solution instead of just posting on a blog. I think if you go to www.mv.org you can find the advisory info there. seems the new board has been stuck with much to fix and is just in those seats two months and from what I see on the videos are doing as much as they can do move things forward. be a part of a solution and not part of the ongoing problem.
District Event
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Superintendents Advisory in the LGI
Site: DIST
Start Time: 7:00 PM
End Time: 9:00 PM
District Event
Thursday, February 9, 2012
PTO Meeting
Site: DIST
Start Time: 7:00 PM
End Time: 11:00 PM
District Event
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Board Aganda Meeting In The LGI
Site: DIST
Start Time: 7:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
Here is the information I saw someone post about earlier. HOpe this helps.
Advisory panels
The School Board is currently forming advisory panels to discuss various issues facing the district. The Board is inviting members of the community to participate on these panels and offer their input. At this time; two panels, which will be comprised of up to 5 members, are being formed that will work with their respective Board Committees. One panel is for facilities and the other is financial. Please submit a letter of interest to Barbara Bucuy; her office is located near the front office of the high school by Wednesday February 8th if you are interested in being considered for this commission. This same information can be found on the school district's website at www.mv.org.
Did anyone see this and does anyone know if Mike Fitz returned any money?
Eight freshman lawmakers have returned a significant portion of their unused office budgets to the U.S. Treasury -- a move that one of them says is proof that the new crop of legislators is serious about reducing the national debt.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1529098
He must not have returned the money.I don't recall a self-congratulatory grandstanding event.
My mistake Jon, that was a typo as far as joining a advisory panel why in the heck would I waste my time with a board of that still has 5 SOC members. The SOC board wasn't well known for listening to the public, so why would I think they would start now! The best thing that can be done for this district is to replace all of them.I stood behind Morrisville Matters and helped get then elected well Morrisville Matter is more then just those who got elected it everyone who cares about our town and our school district. In due time, I will be throwing my hat in the ring and I hope other supporters will step up too.
DeWild is untrustworthy. He has 1/2 a brain in his head at least. Stout and Buckman, the less said the better. If you want them out, step up and make it happen.
Shame Worob just got another 4 yrs. He is a mess.
Rather see him off the board than DeWIlde or Marone. Agree with previous poster DeWilde's not trustworthy ---bad temper also.Wish Marone would break from SOC more.
At least there is a new Tech School rep!
Jack Buckman as Tech rep was incredibly reliable ...... with doltish misinformation.
Um...Im thinking the end time for the PTO meeting is not correct. Unless of course all of you with ideas come to the meeting and we start talking about playground equipment. It's been a while since we have had a full house.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeOXsA8sp_E
Well, I don't really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It's like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how - what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what's stopping it, and what's behind what's stopping it? So, what's the end, you know, is my question to you.
Reposted from MV.org
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION SCHEDULED
The Morrisville School District will register incoming kindergarten students for the 2012-2013 school year at Grandview Elementary School, 80 Grandview Ave., on the following dates:
•Wednesday, March 7 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
•Thursday, March 8 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
•Friday, March 9 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
All kindergarten-age children who plan on entering the Morrisville school program for the 2012-2013 school year must be present and screened on the day of registration – March 7, 8, or 9 between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Children must be five years of age on or prior to Sept. 1, 2012. They also will need a medical or dental examination and a series of childhood immunizations. The only exceptions to the school immunization law are medical reasons or religious beliefs.
The child must accompany parents or guardians who also are required to bring to the registration, the child’s birth certificate, social security number, official immunization records and have a copy of the parent or guardian’s photo I.D., plus four proofs of residency, including a current lease with the child’s name. Other identification material may include driver’s license, utility or tax bill, auto insurance or registration, and bank statement.
Please share this information with friends or neighbors who are planning to enroll a new student in the Morrisville School District. More district information can be found on the website: www.mv.org
MORE GREAT MHS NEWS!!!
Congratulations to Tiffani White on qualifying for the Eastern Pennsylvania regional's for Bowling. Tiffani will be headed to Lancaster on March 2nd. Tiffani is one of the top 16 High School Girls Bowlers in the Eastern 1/2 of Pennsylvania. If she finishes in the top 4 in Lancaster she will then compete for the State Individual Championship. Good Luck to Tiffani.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict and sweeping requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, giving leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students, The Associated Press has learned.
The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not yet been announced. A total of 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signaled that they, too, plan to seek waivers — a sign of just how vast the law's burdens have become as a big deadline nears.
No Child Left Behind requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama's action strips away that fundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offer a viable plan instead. Under the deal, the states must show they will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst.
In September, Obama called President George W. Bush's most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawed effort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessary because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisan agreement that it needs fixing. Republicans have charged that by granting waivers, Obama was overreaching his authority.
The executive action by Obama is one of his most prominent in an ongoing campaign to act on his own where Congress is rebuffing him. No Child Left Behind was primarily designed to help the nation's poor and minority children and was passed a decade ago with widespread bipartisan support. It has been up for renewal since 2007. But lawmakers have been stymied for years by competing priorities, disagreements over how much of a federal role there should be in schools and, in the recent Congress, partisan gridlock.
For all the cheers that states may have about the changes, the move also reflects the sobering reality that the United States is not close to the law's original goal: getting children to grade level in reading and math.
Critics today say the 2014 deadline was unrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too many schools feel they are labeled as "failures." Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don't meet requirements for two years or longer face increasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performing schools, offering tutoring and replacing staff.
As the deadline approaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, with nearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on Education Policy. Center officials said that's because some states today have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it's also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test.
In states granted a waiver, students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind. A school's performance will also probably be labeled differently.
The pressure will probably still be on the lowest-performing schools in states granted a waiver, but mediocre schools that aren't failing will probably see the most changes because they will feel less pressure and have more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, said Michael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank.
While the president's action marks a change in education policy in America, the reach is limited. The populous states of Pennsylvania, Texas and California are among those that have not said they will seek a waiver, although they could still do so later.
On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states without a waiver will be held to the standards of No Child Left Behind because "it's the law of the land."
Some conservatives viewed Obama's plan not as giving more flexibility to states, but as imposing his vision on them. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the president allowed "an arbitrary timeline" to dictate when Congress should get the law rewritten and set a dangerous precedent by granting the education secretary "sweeping authority to handpick winners and losers."
Duncan maintained this week that the administration "desperately" wants Congress to fix the law.
In an election year in a divided Congress, that appears unlikely to happen.
A Senate committee last fall passed a bipartisan bill to update the law, but it was opposed by the administration and did not go before the full Senate for a vote.
Kline released a draft of a Republican-written bill to update the law, earning the ire of California Rep. George Miller, the committee's ranking Democrat. Miller said such partisanship "means the end" to No Child Left Behind reform in this Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education, has said he believes it "would be difficult to find a path forward" without a bipartisan bill in the House.
For those of you who have children in the Morrisville Middle School, the Student Government has planned a Valentines Dance for next Friday for those students. This is reposted from the MV.org website but you can contact teacher Mr. Roberts at droberts@mv.org for full information. Hoping your children will plan to attend to make it a successful event for everyone.
District Event
Friday, February... 17, 2012
Middle School Dance in the Gym
Site: DIST
Start Time: 6:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
Reposted from Coach Colon-Rivera ....
Come out and show your support for the lady bulldogs as they take on jenkintown tomorrow (fri 2/10) at home. Senior night ceremony begins immediately after 4:30 JV game. Please pack the stands for these ladies and help us to honor their hard work and dedication.
The game is actually tonight, Thursday 2/9 starting at 6:00. My understanding is that it is Senior Night as well. Those ceremonies will take place before the game.
My bad on the reposting of Senior Night. Seeing the wrong date posted for the game made me blank out the rest of Wanda's post.
The game is tonight, Thursday Feb. 9.
Morrisville 29, Jenkintown 25
Bucks Republicans endorse candidates
Posted: Friday, February 10, 2012 6:15 pm | Updated: 7:40 pm, Fri Feb 10, 2012.
By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer | 0 comments
While most counties in Pennsylvania get three delegates to send to the Republican Convention, Bucks County will get a fourth this year — and no one can remember the last time that happened.
Pat Poprik, vice chairwoman of the Bucks GOP and a committeewoman since 1977, doesn't believe it has happened during her time with the party.
She said the state uses a formula based on results from the 2008 presidential election and the 2010 gubernatorial and congressional results to give out five bonus delegates.
"This is a credit to our committee people," Poprik said Friday. "It's a result of the hard work they've done."
On Thursday night, county Republicans made their 2012 endorsements.
For delegates from the 8th Congressional District, they chose Bensalem Mayor Joe DiGirolamo, county Commissioner Rob Loughery, state Rep. Bernie O'Neill and Poprik. Four alternates were also chosen: Larry Borda of Lower Makefield, Margo Hunt of New Britain Township, Jennifer Yori of Lower Southampton and Tom Zipfel of Hatfield Township.
The committee also endorsed Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick and, for state representative, Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, 18; O'Neill, 29; Helen Bosley, 31; Eric David, 140; Anthony Sposapo, 141; Rep. Frank Farry, 142; Rep. Marguerite Quinn, 143; Rep. Kathy Watson, 144; Rep. Paul Clymer, 145; and Rep. Scott Petri, 178.
Waivers from No Child Left Behind aren't good enough, say education officials
Manasee Wagh
Local educators are hoping the much reviled No Child Left Behind Act can be left behind in Pennsylvania.As Congress approaches an overdue reauthorization of the 2001 law, the state secretary of education is still considering the requirements of an alternative offered by the Obama administration last year.Ten states have been freed from the law, and 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have indicated that they also plan to leave.Waivers from the law offer a way out, President Obama has said. But Pennsylvania state education and Bucks County school officials are wary of jumping on the train to freedom from a law yet still have their hands tied with another set of requirements.For that reason, Centennial school board member Mark Miller's not in favor of the waivers that allow states to relax the most stringent aspects of No Child Left Behind."Some of the requirements you have to agree to in order to get the waiver are just extensions of No Child Left Behind," he said.States that have been granted waivers can evaluate students through methods other than test scores. But they must present federally approved plans demonstrating that they will prepare students adequately, set new targets for improving achievement, reward good school performance and provide help where it's most needed.One of the waivers allows states to flex their 2014 deadline for standardized test proficiency in exchange for establishing "ambitious but achievable goals in reading/language arts and mathematics" to support improvement efforts for all students, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in November.
Another waiver provides states with more flexibility in how they improve lower performing schools.
A third waiver allows states more flexibility in how they use federal funds to help students.Pennsylvania has two problems with the Obama administration's offer, Pennsylvania Department of Education spokesman Timothy Eller said Friday."It says to states, we'll relieve you of the mandates of the law if you put in place what we ask you to put in place. Obama says you have to adopt our program in total to be relieved of the requirements of law," he said.
Pennsylvania does agree with some of Obama's proposals, such as holding educators accountable through a teacher evaluation process, said Eller.
But the other state concern is that the administration is changing policy when Congress is close to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act.
"Congress could reauthorize it and include nothing that's proposed in the waiver program. If we adopt the waiver program, then 12, 18 months from now, Congress could totally change the program. And we'd have to shift direction once again," said Eller.
No Child Left Behind does have a positive underlying mission -- to close the achievement gap within individual schools, said Rob McGee, principal of Neshaminy High School in Middletown. "Unfortunately, some of the requirements as we try to meet that goal become unrealistic. In 2014 the requirement is to have 100 percent of our children proficient in all areas. That type of absolute is very difficult," he said.Test scores are only one indicator of student and school success. In times of shrinking budgets, other things are at least as important, he said.Neshaminy has to figure out how to close its own achievement gaps given the constraints of the times, he said."We have a shrinking budget and tax base. To provide resources to close the achievement gap is more than we can afford at the moment," McGee said.Miller believes No Child Left Behind is ultimately a failure, and that most of Congress recognizes this."The biggest negative is that it takes local control away from school districts that are the best qualified to manage their own education.
District Event
Monday, February 20, 2012
NO SCHOOL
Site: DIST
District Event
Friday, February 17, 2012
Middle School Dance in the Gym
Site: DIST
Start Time: 6:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
District Event
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Board Aganda Meeting In The LGI
Site: DIST
Start Time: 7:30 PM
End Time: 9:30 PM
Reposted from mv.org
LADY BULLDOGS BASKETBALL TEAM WINS BAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratulations to the Lady Bulldogs on their 29-25 Victory over Jenkintown. With The victory the ladies Won the Constitution Division of the BAL. The team had an undefeated (16-0) regular season League record. With their 20th Victory they set a new school record for victories in a season which was previously held by the 1998 squad. The Ladies continue their Playoff push as they attempt to capture the 1st District #1 Girls Basketball Title in the Schools History. Great Job Ladies !!
Reposted from Mv.org...
MORRISVILLE STUDENTS VISIT THE “FIRM”
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Morrisville student/members of the Morrisville Achievement Club, recently toured the Philadelphia law offices of Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall and Furman PC, as part of the firm’s “Building Futures” program. They also had an opportunity to speak with lawyer Wendy Bennett, a Morrisville High School graduate. (Class of 1990).
The club members visited departments that play an important role in the business management of a large law firm and spoke with several attorneys about their work. They were accompanied by Morrisville teacher/advisors, Traci Coley and Ken Kelman, whose brother, Lane Kelman, a partner in the firm, led the tour.
The visit was followed by an authentic Philly cheese steak and pizza dinner. In recognition of their visit, the students were given Building Futures T-shirts and tote bags filled with school supplies.
Everyone agreed it was a great trip!
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