MORRISVILLE SCHOOLSMorrisville Superintendent looks at challenges ahead
Posted: Monday, July 2, 2012 5:00 am | Updated: 7:05 am, Mon Jul 2, 2012.
Posted on July 2, 2012
As a child Bill Ferrara suffered from petit mal seizures, leaving him with some learning difficulties.
His parents didn’t have aspirations for him to attend college, so instead they encouraged him to go out to the work force after high school. A year or so later, Ferrara figured out he wanted to attend college and become a health and physical education teacher.
He did. He even succeeded beyond that goal.
In June, Ferrara concluded his first year as superintendent in the Morrisville School District — his first superintendent job. He served as acting superintendent in 2010-11 after the former superintendent resigned.
“I feel blessed to have a great family and friends, be healthy, and working with a great people in the Morrisville School District,” Ferrara said.
Last week, he finished the year with a financial success when the board approved his administration’s proposed no tax-increase spending plan of $18 million. And in mid-June, he graduated his first class of 52 students.
Here’s a look at the man who leads Morrisville School District:
Bucks County Courier Times: How long have you been at Morrisville and what positions have you held?
Ferrara: I began in 2006 as the secondary assistant principal. In 2008, I was named the secondary principal. In 2009, I was the acting superintendent. Finally, in 2011, I was named the superintendent.
BCCT: What were your biggest challenges this past school year?
Ferrara: There were several. Offering a quality education to our students while maintaining fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. I am fortunate to work with teachers, support staff, board members and administrators who work hard to accomplish both of these goals. The public needs to understand the way public schools are being funded had put financial strain on the school districts. Since the passing of Act 1, the rules for funding educational programs has significantly changed. It is the responsibility of the school board and administration to work together to find ways to support quality programs. I believe the Morrisville School District is fortunate to have a great working relationship between these two groups.
BCCT: What are you most proud of this past year?
Ferrara: Working with new board members. Every member of the board (or any school board) should be commended for their service. This board is involved with finding as much information about important issues as possible to make the best decision for the students and community members.
BCCT: At the beginning of the school year, you had set goals. What were they and did you accomplish them? If you didn’t, how will you change that in the upcoming school year?
Ferrara: The biggest challenge in which I was not successful was focusing on the education of our students. I tried to stay informed of every aspect of the district and lost sight of the most important reason the district is here. I will correct this by having weekly meetings with each cabinet member and focus on the education of all students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
BCCT: Why do you believe that Morrisville School District is a hidden gem of Bucks County?
Ferrara: The faculty, staff and students are the biggest asset. If the public can see the effort the faculty and staff put forth on a daily basis, the hidden gem would no longer be hidden. More impressive are the students. They believe they are in a good place to learn. This makes them take pride in their school and increases their efforts to succeed in the classroom.
BCCT: You have a five-year goal to make Morrisville one of the best in the county. How do you plan to accomplish that?
Ferrara: This process began two years ago. You have to make the students believe they can accomplish anything they want. When I first began working at Morrisville, the culture was (that) it was acceptable to fail. When teachers know the administration will support their efforts in the classroom, they are free to experiment with new instructional techniques. The students see their teachers working hard to make learning the material easier; therefore, they are more focused on learning. One of the major changes that have occurred in Morrisville is what is viewed as acceptable behavior. Because teachers and administrators understand students can make poor decisions, there is a process in place to assist students in changing their behavior. There are some students who need a different environment to be successful.
BCCT: Why did you become an educator and now superintendent?
Ferrara: There is not a better profession than that of an educator. Teachers make the rest of the professions and careers possible. Being involved in a career where you have the responsibility of helping another person make his/her life better is awesome. Challenging students to go outside of their comfort zone to master a concept or skill, and watching him/her succeed is a feeling that is difficult to describe. This is why teachers and staff do what they do every day. How many professions have an opportunity make a difference in the lives of so many people every day?
Many people believe the superintendent’s position is the most important position in the school district. This could be a true statement if you are not surrounded by great people. Our administrative team (business manager) Paul DeAngelo, (elementary principal) Laurie Ruffing, (educational adviser for special education) Tony Gesualdi, (educational adviser) Don Harm and (administrative intern) Jim Gober are excellent. They realize their job is to provide support for the instructional staff in order to help our students be successful.
BCCT: Who were your mentors?
Ferrara: I am fortunate to have several mentors in my life. My parents showed me how to work hard to take care of a large family — I am one of six children. My dad would work six days a week to make sure all of us had what we needed. This work ethic has made me the person I am today. I was fortunate to work with (football) Coach Dick Bedesem early in my career. He was the one who believed in me and told me it was up to me how successful I would be. Through my association with Bedesem I was able to meet several great people who helped me be the person I am today.
BCCT: What is your educational background? You’ve mentioned before that you were considered as a “throwaway kid” in high school. How did you overcome that?
Ferrara: When I was young I experienced petit mal seizures. This condition left me with some learning difficulties. My parents did not have any expectations for me to go to college and steered me in the direction of a getting a full-time job. After (high) school, I went to work for year or so before I decided I wanted to go to (college) and become a health and physical education teacher. Here is where I learned the only limitations a person has are the ones he/she puts on themselves. I began living the life I wanted to live. Once I decided it was my choice to be as successful as I chose, there was no stopping me to achieve any goal I saw fit to accomplish.
The most important part of being successful is not forgetting who helped you turn obstacles into achievements. I am fortunate to have a loving wife, Sue, and two great children, Tyler, 19, and Courtney, 18, of which I owe my success. Without their support, I would not be the person I am today.
BCCT: In your spare time, what do you do to forget your professional responsibilities?
Ferrara: I enjoy spending time with my family, working out. I follow the Flyers and watch the History Channel.
32 comments:
The biggest challenge is credibility, something we seem to lack around here.
He watches the History channel. How interesting. People who know his history will see right through his BS!
hmmm-pretty lame responses.........still no real info pertaining to educational background, or the real reason Ferrara was let go from his previous position
Who exactly is the principal of the "intermediate/middle/senior"school ?
those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it
Indeed, we can all learn from history. This one has come up a few times.
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and Mexican-American War. During the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from command of a brigade to the Army of the Potomac. He is best known for defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
Pa. high school puts itself up for sale on eBay
"Please suh, Can I have some maw education?"
Posted: Monday, July 2, 2012 12:11 pm | Updated: 1:16 pm, Mon Jul 2, 2012.
Associated Press | 0 comments
LANGHORNE, Pa. (AP) — Forget magazine drives and candy sales. A cash-strapped high school near Philadelphia hopes to raise funds by auctioning itself on eBay.
Officials at The Learning Center in Langhorne, Pa., are seeking bids starting around $600,000 to offset steep budget cuts.
The eBay listing (http://bit.ly/KOxAPp) describes the public alternative school for at-risk teens as "pre-owned" and "slightly used."
The winner won't own the school. But he or she will get a naming opportunity, free large pizza and the satisfaction of "delivering an education to a group of kids who could really use it."
Principal JoAnn Holland says she hopes the eBay idea, which came from a recent graduate, will draw the attention of a wealthy benefactor. Bidding ends Wednesday.
Neshaminy school district officials did not immediately return requests for comment
This article is puffy and fluffy. I guess that's better than schools blowing up and bad behavior by high public officials.
bucksburbs posted at 3:18 pm on Mon, Jul 2, 2012.
Posts: 68
is this the same ferrara that was at neshaminy? interesting time at the high school i hear.
Yikes. WTF????
This was a nice fluff piece. Low on news and high on softball humanizing questions. So the agenda is out there to make Superintendent Ferrara cute and cuddly. Who is setting the agenda and why?
I'm proud to be a NHS Redskin....?
Apr. 17th, 2002 03:13 pm
News from my High School...
ok, update on the NHS scandel (thanks to stacy):
The two people involved were Lisa Bumm (the 12th grade secretary, and VP Bill Ferrara (our old gym teacher). They were caught Easter Monday by a bunch of students and have been suspended until further notice.
Gotta love the sex scandels at Neshaminy...
Where's that from?
Double yikes WTF squared!!!??????
Stop with the yikes and double yikes. Bill Hellmann and the SOC board knew all about this and still went ahead and hired him.
I have worked with Ferrara, both as a board member and as a concerned parent. I like the guy. I don't always agree with (I often don't), but I like him.
I think he is being sincere and really believes it when he claims that Morrisville is the hidden gem in Bucks County. And as such, I think he wants what (he feels) is best for the kids and the community which, as we all know, is a great balancing act. It is impossible to please all the people all the time.
OK, now feel free to tell me how wrong I am.
I looked this up and found this http://glitteringloke.dreamwidth.org/1577.html Youre basing all this on ten year old blog post from a high school kid? Sheesh!
You're not wrong Jon. I've been on the other side where he is downright unresponsive and disinterested. He puts on a good public face but doesn't deliver. He even admits that in the interview even though it's parsed in the "Morrisville has far to go" tones.
He's not a leader. He's a fair to middlin' administrator. Both are useful but which one does Morrisville need?
"You're not wrong Jon..."
Sorry, but I'm not the one making the assertions. I've seen both sides. I find him likeable, and I find he gives you the runaround at times. I'm not keen on spending $300,000 or more to buy out the remaining 2 years on his contract, and then embark on yet another search for a Superintendent. I want everyone to be the best they can be. How's that for platitudes?
"He's not a leader. He's a fair to middlin' administrator. Both are useful but which one does Morrisville need?"
Obviously both. Having vision without the staff to execute it is as useless as having staff without vision.
One thing I can say about Dr. Yonson was that she had a vision and was steering the ship toward it. I do consider her a leader. I am not sure Ferrara has the same vision but I also think it is unfair to call him a "fair" administrator.
But Dr. Yonson was the creature of the pro-school board, and therefore was tainted by their evil.
The pro-school board, who Jon often reminds us, was brought to power by Worob (As if Worob had any real power), but then turned against him and voted for a new school.
I still believe defeasing the bond and killing the school was a short-sighted, knee-jerk reaction, and if anyone cared to examine the costs and benefits, they might realize just what was being proposed. But instead, the reaction was "Everyone will lose their homes, OMG!" Now look at what we have.. The same crappy buildings, patched together with half-assed renovations, and 3-12 grades jammed together. Yeah, as a group, this town made its choices, and now we all have to live with them.
Here's the text of what I said at the 1/30/2008 Board Meeting about defeasement:
First of all, I’d like to acknowledge that I liked what Mr. Farrell and Mrs. Reithmeyer had to say at last Wednesday’s board meeting, and I would encourage them, and everyone else for that matter, to think for themselves and not just follow the flock when it comes time to vote.
I’d like to strongly urge the board to pause, take a deep breath, and table a vote tonight to defease $24 million of the $28.5 million bond.
I’m not saying defeasement is a bad idea, just that to make a decision of this financial magnitude so quickly, without performing the proper due diligence, and without presenting the case in detail to the public in an understandable way, I think would be extremely arrogant and short-sighted. And, frankly, hypocritical, considering how a common complaint against the old school board was that the new school project was rammed down peoples’ throats with lightning speed.
I’d like to be able to take the board at its word, but unfortunately I’ve seen a few too many instances, and not just in the last month or 2, of some members of the board majority saying or doing things that make me question their integrity, judgment, and truthfulness.
Mr. Hellmann, will you please provide the information, detailed engineering studies, and financial analyses, not just to me but to the general public, that show:
1. That defeasement is the financial winner you say it is;
2. That you’re going about this the right way;
3. Why the board should disregard the advice of the district’s Business Administrator and Superintendent on this issue?
4. That defeasement will not harm the district’s credit rating or future ability to borrow money;
5. What the fees or other costs for defeasement will be;
6. That the fees you’re paying the person you want to do the job are competitive with other providers of this service – and incidentally, were these services put out for competitive bid?
7. Precisely which school buildings, systems, and equipment the board intends to renovate, with a detailed breakdown of the costs involved;
8. That $6 million is enough to fully cover the costs of renovating our schools, especially when previous studies estimated the cost of renovating the high school alone at over $13 million?
Again, I’m not saying defeasement is a bad idea, but you’ve got to do your homework and lay your case out to the public. I don’t expect you to do it for me, but do it for the public.
Please table the vote tonight and give this serious issue the time and public review that it deserves. Thank you.
P.S. Yes, I realize I am a horrible person for making such a radical extremist statement.
...and then what happened?
The Board defeased the bond that very night. It wasn't revealed until about 1 month later that the defeasement cost about $2.5 million.
Jan. 30, 2008 was also the night the board bailed out Hellmann for previously unilaterally hiring Wick Fisher White for a walk through study of the High School. By bailed out, I mean they paid WFW for the work they did that Hellmann, and only Hellmann, had previously hired them to do.
The new school debacle is exactly why it is so hard to recruit quality people into positions of responsibility in this town. Look what happens when they try to make a difference, they get run out of town on a rail. How many of the pro-new school board members are still living in the ville? Well besides the few who voted against it. Ever wonder why?
The new school is dead. Has been dead for years. It's over. The ship sailed. Done. No more. It's a Monty Python dead parrot. Let's move on and work to electorally purge some remaining obstructionist zealot-jerks from the ranks of our High Public Officials.
New School. Old School. Run Down School. Renovated School. Etc...all this arguing about "buildings". What about what happens inside them?
That too is a huge concern.
What makes you think it isn't?
That's where you really need to be able to trust and rely upon the Administrative Team, the professionals, the experts.
If you can't, or find that you're getting smoke blown up your butts on a regular basis, that puts us all in a bad place where we don't want to be.
Administrative team?
That would be Ferrra, Harm, Ruffing, Gesualdi, DeAngelo
Teams work together, what you've described is a group of individuals apparently working in the same place, but not together toward a goal.
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