Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 11:35 pm, Wed Aug 29, 2012. By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writer | 0 comments Posted on August 30, 2012 by Gema Duarte Get those zucchini on wheels ready to go. Grab the baby, your dancing shoes and a baseball glove. All of them might come in handy Monday during the Morrisville Mayor’s 53rd Labor Day Picnic and Car Show.
Morrisville Mayor Rita Ledger is expected to be there, walking the Williamson Park grounds on North Delmorr Avenue and greeting visitors. “It’s an event devoted to those who work hard and contribute to society with their work. So we put this event on with that same spirit,” she said Wednesday, adding that she’s looking forward to a good turnout and good weather. But before the anticipated race, there will be some baby action. The day’s fun kick starts at 8 a.m., with registration for the diaper derby baby crawling contest. The fastest baby wins. Then, at 9 a.m., the zucchini racers begin registering for the veggie competition. The dancing shoes can help when you hit the floor for the country line-dancing scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which is new this year. Also at that time, members of the Delaware Valley Road Runners Car Club will show off their impeccable cars, from flashy hot rods to shiny trucks. The car club supports the Lupus Foundation of America Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter, as well as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. And that baseball glove you lug to the park can help you fit right when the first pitch is tossed for the Morrisville Baseball Home Run Derby at 11 a.m. Also, at the same time, a kickball match will be held, which is also an addition this year. Games, food vendors and musical entertainment will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by the borough and the Delaware Valley Road Runners Car Club. Registration for the car show is $15. For more information, call 215-736-3762 or 215-295-8848. Also this month, the car club will have its last free cruise night of the year, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Acme on West Trenton Road and Route 13 in Falls. All vehicles are welcome. The rain date is Sept. 9.
Bus snafus on first day of school leave parents fuming
DANNY ADLER Staff writer August 29, 2012
The Bristol Township School District apologized for what parents described as a busing fiasco Wednesday, the first day of school. To recap: To help close a budget deficit, Bristol Township’s school board cut two-thirds of all bus stops in a massive overhaul of how the district buses kids to school. Fewer stops mean longer walks for students to get to their bus stops and more packed buses. But for some students, it meant no-show buses or late arrivals, according to parents. Resident Debbie Kutay said her son, a Harry S. Truman sophomore, left the house at 6:10 a.m. for a 6:29 a.m. bus. At 6:50 a.m. Kutay said her son called and asked her to pick him up because the bus never stopped. In fact, she said, the bus passed her son at the stop twice Wednesday morning. “It’s bad enough kids have to leave earlier than last year but for buses not to go to scheduled stops is unacceptable!” she said. “So I had to leave work and take him to school. Nothing like being late for the first day of school.” “I’m taking him tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t have time to play this game.” Parents throughout different areas of the township — Levittown, Croydon, Fairless Hills — complained about the busing service or have taken issue with the dramatically scaled-down routes. Posted on the district website Wednesday morning was: “Our sincere apologies. The Bristol Township bus schedule has been taken down for revisions.” The bus schedule was re-posted between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. the same day. The district asked parents and guardians to review the schedule since it has been revised “significantly since last year.” District spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher released the following statement to the newspaper. “It’s a new routine for buses. It’s different and it’s going to take some getting used to. We all have to negotiate a learning curve, and we must fine-tune some things as well. We are open to all concerns and suggestions from our families. We urge them to consult the website for schedule changes in the coming weeks. The bottom line is that we want to transport students to and from school as safely and efficiently as possible while saving taxpayer dollars.” Bristol Township’s school board approved the busing cuts in June to save $2 million, but a number of parents are upset with the slashed service. District officials said they spent the summer drafting the new bus routes. The were originally posted online Aug. 22, but some parents told the newspaper they were notified as late as Tuesday night about potential changes. Michele Logue in Croydon said her son has special needs that require special transportation. She decided to drive him to school Wednesday morning after two separate buses showed up at her house. Neither had the proper seat belts required, she said. Asked how her son would get to and from school Thursday, she said: “I don’t know. They told me they’d call me back.” “My son deserves to get to and from school safely,” she said. “Not only my son, but all the kids.” Over in Levittown, Tom Barton said his son, who is starting ninth grade at Truman, was late to school because of his bus. Not only was his bus 10 minutes late, it was delayed another 15 to 20 minutes because it was stuck on Rocky Pool Lane, Barton said. He said his son is scheduled to arrive at Truman at 7 a.m. but the bus didn’t get there until 7:25 a.m.
“This whole bus situation is so screwed up,” he said. Kelliher said that the district’s transportation director is working with management at First Student, the company that provides busing to the district, to “correct all deficiencies.” First Student put extra drivers on-call to get the district through the learning curve, she said. “The school district is open to any and all family concerns,” she said. “Representatives have been meeting with family members by phone and in person. It may take several days before all issues are ironed out.” She said First Student reports that their drivers conducted dry runs of the routes, but there were changes and additions to the schedule close to start-up time that made practice runs “impossible in some instances.”
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS Superintendent: Transportation plan to save $2 million
Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:15 am | Updated: 11:47 am, Tue Jun 19, 2012.
By DANNY ADLER Staff writer | 1 comment
Posted on June 19, 2012
by Daniel Adler
Bristol Township School District expects $2 million in savings through major changes to how it buses children after the school board approved a recent transportation proposal on Monday, the top administrator said.
Also on Monday, the school board postponed voting on a more than $120 million final budget until near the end of the month.
School board members Earl Bruck, Frederick Black, Katherine Bachman, James Baker Jr., Stacy Gerlach, Patricia Koszarek, Constance Moore and Angela Nober on Monday approved a proposal that was presented to the school board in May by Transportation Supervisor Marianne Cleary. School board member Helen Cini was absent from Monday’s meeting. There was no discussion on the vote.
Bristol Township School District does not have its own buses. The primary provider of busing is Ohio-based First Student Inc.
The transportation plan approved on Monday includes consolidating bus stops; using the elementary schools as bus stops for middle-school and high-school students; eliminating some late buses for after-school events; and mixing public and private school students on some buses, among other things.
Following the meeting, Superintendent Samuel Lee told the newspaper the plan will save the district $2 million as the district seeks ways to eliminate a multimillion-dollar deficit from its 2012-13 budget.
The school board was also scheduled to vote at Monday's meeting on next year’s final spending plan, which under state law must be approved by the end of the month, but the school board tabled the issue until a meeting at 6 p.m. June 28 as officials continue to make adjustments to close the deficit. Also tabled until that meeting were the personnel items before the board.
Administrators have said the school district will use $4 million in reserves to help fill the budget gap. In May, the district announced it would furlough 11 teachers and not fill four positions being lost to retirements, a move projected to save $1.1 million. Also, Bristol Township’s participation in a health care consortium is expected to save the district more than $2 million next school year, according to officials.
At the beginning of budget season, the district faced a $12 million deficit. That budget gap is down to about $3.5 million as of Monday, Lee said.
The school board will hold a budget meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Under Act 1 this year, Bristol Township’s school board is allowed to raise school property taxes for 2012-13 by 2.1 percent, or 3.955 mills. If the board does that, school taxes would go up $71 for the owner of a property with the average assessment of $17,994. Such a tax increase would generate $1.47 million in revenue. With a current millage rate of 188.3 mills, that average property owner paid $3,388 in school property taxes this year.
Also on Monday, the school board voted 8-0 to authorize the administration “to perform studies and evaluations to determine staffing, building and budget needs.”
So the band and color guard are ready for the football season. Come out next Friday and cheer on the Bulldogs and then sit back and enjoy the half-time show. Hope to see many of you there.
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 2:02 PM EDT Does lying have negative effects on our health? By Diana Vilibert, Care2 Healthy Living
If asked, most of us would probably say that lying is bad. Many of us may even claim that we never, or hardly ever, lie. And to that I say: you're lying! Studies have found that most people tell an average of 11 lies a week-it sounds like a high number, but just think of the last time you blamed imaginary traffic when you were late. Or the last time you told a friend you loved her haircut even though you secretly think it looks like a weird wig. Or the last time you turned down an invite because you couldn't get a babysitter (never mind that you don't have a babysitter, because it would be weird to get one for your houseplants). Those little white lies add up… and they're taking a toll on your relationships and your health.
A new study put the adage "honesty is the best policy" to the test recently, when Notre Dame psychology professor Anita Kelly spent 10 weeks tracking 110 adults. Half of them were were told to report the number of lies they told each week. The other half of the group was asked to stop lying completely during the study, which meant no false statements, though omitting the truth, avoiding answering a question, and keeping secrets were all allowed. Throughout the study period, all participants took a weekly lie detector test and filled out questionnaires about their health and the quality of their relationships.
Sort of unsurprising considering the weekly lie detector test, but the study resulted in both groups lying less. The interesting part? The people instructed not to lie at all experienced health benefits as a result-to be exact, telling three fewer lies each week resulted in four fewer mental health complaints and three fewer physical health complaints. Lying is thought to trigger the release of stress hormones, increasing heart rate and blood pressure and reducing your white blood cells… leading to all sorts of fun stuff, like tension headaches, lower back pain, and a rapid heartbeat.
Those who made an effort to stop lying also reported improved relationships, confirming long-standing research indicating that people with good relationships are in better health. It makes sense that big lies, from cheating to hiding financial issues from your significant other, take a toll. But how come smaller lies are such a big deal? "It takes a lot of negative physical and mental energy to maintain a lie," said Linda Stroh, author of Trust Rules: How to Tell the Good Guys From the Bad Guys. "We have to think before we answer and we have to plan what we say and do, rather than saying and doing what comes more naturally. We waste a lot of precious time covering our tracks rather than spending that time in positive ways, doing good things."
NESHAMINY SCHOOLSBoard president: Impasse might be "unsolvable"
By Christian Menno Staff writer | 5 comments
Posted on August 31, 2012
Vitriol spilled over Friday between the Neshaminy School Board president and the leader of the teachers union.
Board president Ritchie Webb said Friday that the four-year-long contract dispute with the district's teachers is close to becoming an “unsolvable” impasse with a "rogue union."
According to Webb, the “only solution” might be for lawmakers in Harrisburg to pass laws that would call for a public referendum that would allow Neshaminy taxpayers to void the contract currently in place and hire new teachers.
For the last four years, teachers have been working under the terms of their previous contract which technically expired in 2008.
NFT officials Friday took issue with the wording of Webb's statement, which was published on the district's contract negotiations website, www.nsdboard.blogspot.com.
“Disappointingly, Mr. Webb's statements in his blog today are another clear sign as to why an agreement has not yet been reached,” NFT President Louise Boyd said in an email to the newspaper. “Despite Mr. Webb's assertion, there is no referendum possible under Pennsylvania law that would void the current contract.”
Webb clarified his statement in an email, adding that this is why he feels legislators in Harrisburg need to introduce such a law.
Said Boyd: “We've been willing to accept the thoughtful recommendations of a fact-finder and an arbitrator from Harrisburg. The board has not. Again, we think the answer lies here at home, and we respect and appreciate the support that Judge Baldi is giving the process.”
In his statement, Webb said that NFT attorneys “showed a total lack of discretion and respect for the court by publishing (details regarding) a private conversation” that occurred between lawyers for both parties in the chambers of Bucks County Judge Robert Baldi Thursday.
NFT officials Thursday said that during the conference, Baldi contacted William Gross, the director of the Bureau of Mediation, for assistance with the contract talks.
Webb said he would not comment directly on the meeting with Baldi, but added that Gross has attended previous negotiation sessions and is welcomed by the board to do so in the future.
“It is my understanding that anything said in Judge's chambers is confidential and privileged information, and certainly is not to appear in a press release several hours after the meeting. This serves as a perfect example of what is wrong in Neshaminy,” Webb said. “We have a rogue union who, in our estimation, is led by a rogue attorney, and an NFT president who shows no respect and will do and say anything, including using Judge Baldi to get what they want.”
Boyd said these claims are “absurd.”
“There was no gag order or instructions from Judge Baldi as to what could or could not be discussed publicly or privately, and so there is simply no basis for Mr. Webb to imply that was the case,” she said.
“Isn't it time to focus on the middle ground that will let us get to a contract and put bad feelings behind us? That way,” Boyd added, “teachers can get back to what we value most – our profession and doing our best for the kids we serve.”
According to Charles Barkley the other day, there are only 5 real jobs on this planet. He made this comment in relationship to the importance of professional athletes and was trying to put the conversation in a perspective of what is important in this world. He referred to Teachers, Doctors, Police, Fire, and the Military. And that everything else wasn't quite important in the grand scheme of things. It's too bad that more people don't share those feelings. It's why places like Neshaminy are were they are, and where places like Morrisville will end up if we don't put things in perspective and place a higher value on the education and future of our children. It can't always be about taxes going up and cuts cuts cuts. Every year in every area of life, things cost more. It happens. It's about values at this point, and it appears as though too many people feel that education just isn't that important.
PENNSBURY SCHOOLSSchool board hires two building administrators
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO - The Pennsbury school board hired Laurie A. Ruffing on Thursday night to be the new principal of Walt Disney Elementary School.
Posted: Sunday, September 2, 2012 5:00 pm | Updated: 5:54 pm, Sun Sep 2, 2012.
By Joan Hellyer Staff Writer | 0 comments
The Pennsbury school board hired two new building administrators during their meeting last week.
One of the hires gives Walt Disney Elementary School students a chance to begin the new school year on Tuesday with a new principal.
The board hired Laurie A. Ruffing to be the new Disney principal. She will succeed longtime principal Fay Manicke, who recently retired.
Ruffin previously served as an administrator and teacher in the Morrisville School District. In her new position at Pennsbury she will earn $126,935.00 on a pro-rated basis, according to district officials.
The educator earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Penn State University and a master's degree in administration from the University of Scranton.
In addition to Ruffing, the board also hired Lynne E. Blair to serve as an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School.
Blair currently serves as an assistant principal in the Norristown Area School District. She will replace Daniel File, who recently resigned from his Pennsbury post.
The administrator will earn $100,990 on a pro-rated basis, district officials said. Blair's responsibilities will include scheduling, organization of student activities, student discipline and staff evaluation, supervision and development, officials said.
The educator earned a bachelor of arts degree in Mathematics from Bucknell University with certification to teach at the secondary level. She earned a master's degree in psychological services and certification in secondary counseling from the University of Pennsylvania.
Blair's start date in Pennsbury is to be determined depending on when she is able to leave her present position in Norristown, district officials said.
Fay Manicke has spent 23 of her 39 years in the Pennsbury district at one school
By Vic Monaco Email the author August 13, 2012
For 23 years, Fay Manicke has worked where dreams literally came true -- for her and hundreds of youngsters.
Now the longtime principal of the Walt Disney Elementary School in Levittown is looking forward to her retirement, which begins next month.
"I've kind of paid my dues," said Manicke, who has worked for the Pennsbury School District 39 years, starting out as a music teacher at Walt Disney in 1973 before moving on to other responsibilities. "It's time to hand over the batton."
The new life of the 61-year-old Yardley resident will include travel with her husband along with her continued avocation as a vocalist.
"I sing with The Philadelphia Singers with the Philadelphia Orchestra," she said matter-of-factly.
Asked about the highlights of her time at Walt Disney Elementary, Manicke didn't hesitate.
"The high point for me is when Diane Disney Miller (Walt Disney's daughter) came for the rededication of the building. It was just a very special day," she said of the event in the 2006-2007 school year.
In 1954, with the school under construction on Lakeside Drive, local students named the facility after the man who was providing them with much of their entertainment. The next year Mr. Disney visited and over the years made many donations including $500 annually. But when he died in 1966 the check stopped coming.
Manicke wrote to his daughter, who decided the school should get $2,000 a year from the Walt and Lilly Disney Foundation, named after her parents. When she learned from Manicke just how much her father meant to the school, Disney Miller increased that annual gift in the mid 2000s to a whopping $10,000 a year.
"She has been extremely generous with the school," said Manicke
Looking at the changes over her long tenure in the district, Manicke says the job of educators has become increasingly difficult.
"Budgets are getting cut but prices keep going up, and I don't feel parents are as involved," she said. In addition, she said, curricular demands from the state have made it tough on teachers.
The students have changed too, said Manicke, who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from West Chester University.
"Nowadays everything has to be electronic for them and I dont think that's a big plus," she said. "The Interent is great for research but I also believe a lot of kids are being robbed of their childhood because of it."
Nonetheless, Manick said she will most miss the children and she is "very optimistic" about the future of Walt Disney Elementary.
"I have a very strong staff here ... and we have parental support," she said. "Hopefuly this fall we'll open a new playground. We've been raising money for five years and close to $80,000 has been raised."
Churn and burn is an apt term and it's hard to pinpoint its effects but I feel you'd really be able to tell the difference if we had excellence instead of what we've had lately.
Acme supermarkets in Morrisville, Sharon Hill, and Glassboro, N.J., are to be shut down by December as part of a broader cost-cutting move in which corporate parent Supervalu Inc. will close 60 stores across the nation, the Minnesota-based company said Wednesday. A fourth Acme in Stevensville, Md., is also among those being shuttered as an "underperforming or nonstrategic" store, as are 22 Save-A-Lot locations.
The announcement comes as Supervalu tests the market for potential buyers of some or all of the retail- and wholesale-grocery corporation, which consists of Malvern-based Acme Markets, Chicago's Jewel-Osco supermarket chain, a food distribution segment, and other retail grocery chains.
The company is burdened with declining sales and billions of dollars in debt - a combination that has depressed share prices and been troubling to investors. It fired its last chief executive earlier this summer. The store closures will leave 113 Acmes across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writer | 0 comments Posted on September 6, 2012 by Gema Duarte
The 2012-13 school year started Thursday for Bristol students, but what really is concerning parents is next year.
The buzz around town is that the Bristol Borough School District will consolidate schools, which worries parents like Rosa Arvelo.
“I have an eighth-grader and the high school might not be there next year,” she said after dropping off her children. “They have a vacant school. They have St. Ann, why can’t they move the high school there and keep the kids in the borough?”
Her reaction stems from a comment made in May by school board President Ralph DiGuiseppe III that school officials face the difficult task of formulating a long-term plan for the financially struggling district. That plan, according to DiGuiseppe, could include major changes such as consolidating the district. He didn’t mention specifics.
"No formal discussions about consolidation or closing the high school have occurred. The idea has been floated out there at board meetings but that's about as far as it has gone," Superintendent Gregory Wright said Thursday.
Parent Betty Soto said she can only assume that the high school will be the building that's closed.
“We have a new elementary school, so they can’t get rid of that school,” said Soto, whose fifth-grade child is enrolled in the district. “We live between the high school and the elementary school, so the way it is set up right is perfect for us.”
She ran down the possibilities of other districts -- and disliked them all.
“If things change, it will only make it harder on parents who work,” Soto said. “I don’t want kids being bused anywhere. I wouldn’t want to send my kid to Bristol Township. And Morrisville is too far.”
If the district makes drastic changes, parent Rachel Grow said she’d move her child -- who's now in first grade -- to private school, perhaps St. Mark, or move out of Bristol.
All three mothers want to know why the district may have to consolidate. Increases in employee health insurance and pension fund costs are the key reasons, school officials have said.
Arvelo moved her family from Philadelphia a year ago and she said she’s already seen the difference in the education of her children.
“My kids' grades have improved,” she said. “It’s a good district and I would be sad if they change.”
Posted: Thursday, September 6, 2012 11:00 am | Updated: 8:08 pm, Thu Sep 6, 2012.
By Crissa Shoemaker DeBree Staff writer | 2 comments
Posted on September 6, 2012
by Crissa Shoemaker DeBree
Grocery store operator Supervalu Inc. will close 60 under-performing stores across the country, including its Acme market in Falls.
The Minnesota-based company said most of the stores will close before Dec. 1.
“These decisions are never easy because of the impact a store closure has on our team members, our customers and our communities,” Supervalu CEO Wayne Sales said in a statement. “(The) announcement reflects our commitment to move with a greater sense of urgency to reduce costs and improve shareholder value.”
Acme also has stores in Bensalem, Bristol Township, Doylestown, Horsham, Lower Southampton, Newtown Township and Warminster. None of those markets was on the list of closures announced Wednesday.
In addition to the Falls store, which is just outside Morrisville on West Trenton Avenue, Supervalu will close Acme markets in Sharon Hill, Pa., Glassboro, N.J., and Stevensville, Md.
Supervalu also will close 27 Albertsons stores in the western United States, 22 Save-A-Lots and one Jewel-Osco. Eight other stores are slated for closure, but the company didn’t identify them because of ongoing contract discussions.
Supervalu has struggled to maintain its market share at a time when shoppers are turning more toward discount retailers like Target and Walmart, as well as dollar stores and drug stores, for needs historically filled by supermarkets.
In industry publication Food Trade News’ 2012 survey, Acme Markets was No. 7, with more than $2.2 billion in sales and 4.6 percent of the market share. It lagged behind market leaders ShopRite, Giant and Walmart, as well as A&P (which operates Superfresh and Pathmark), Wawa and CVS.
In July, the company said it lost half its profit in the first quarter as sales dropped. It suspended the quarterly dividend that it paid to shareholders and said it would seek strategic alternatives — which sometimes leads to the sale of a company — in order to increase shareholder value.
It also replaced CEO Craig Heckert with Sales, a retail industry veteran who also serves as company president and chairman of the board.
Supervalu expects to record a pre-tax charge of $80 million to $90 million for the year as a result of the closures. It expects to generate the same amount in cash from selling real estate and store assets and eliminating cash losses from the stores.
29 comments:
MORRISVILLE
Mayor's annual picnic coming up
Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 11:35 pm, Wed Aug 29, 2012.
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writer | 0 comments
Posted on August 30, 2012
by Gema Duarte
Get those zucchini on wheels ready to go. Grab the baby, your dancing shoes and a baseball glove.
All of them might come in handy Monday during the Morrisville Mayor’s 53rd Labor Day Picnic and Car Show.
Morrisville Mayor Rita Ledger is expected to be there, walking the Williamson Park grounds on North Delmorr Avenue and greeting visitors.
“It’s an event devoted to those who work hard and contribute to society with their work. So we put this event on with that same spirit,” she said Wednesday, adding that she’s looking forward to a good turnout and good weather.
But before the anticipated race, there will be some baby action.
The day’s fun kick starts at 8 a.m., with registration for the diaper derby baby crawling contest. The fastest baby wins.
Then, at 9 a.m., the zucchini racers begin registering for the veggie competition.
The dancing shoes can help when you hit the floor for the country line-dancing scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which is new this year.
Also at that time, members of the Delaware Valley Road Runners Car Club will show off their impeccable cars, from flashy hot rods to shiny trucks. The car club supports the Lupus Foundation of America Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter, as well as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.
And that baseball glove you lug to the park can help you fit right when the first pitch is tossed for the Morrisville Baseball Home Run Derby at 11 a.m. Also, at the same time, a kickball match will be held, which is also an addition this year.
Games, food vendors and musical entertainment will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the borough and the Delaware Valley Road Runners Car Club.
Registration for the car show is $15. For more information, call 215-736-3762 or 215-295-8848.
Also this month, the car club will have its last free cruise night of the year, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Acme on West Trenton Road and Route 13 in Falls. All vehicles are welcome.
The rain date is Sept. 9.
Bus snafus on first day of school leave parents fuming
DANNY ADLER Staff writer
August 29, 2012
The Bristol Township School District apologized for what parents described as a busing fiasco Wednesday, the first day of school.
To recap: To help close a budget deficit, Bristol Township’s school board cut two-thirds of all bus stops in a massive overhaul of how the district buses kids to school. Fewer stops mean longer walks for students to get to their bus stops and more packed buses.
But for some students, it meant no-show buses or late arrivals, according to parents.
Resident Debbie Kutay said her son, a Harry S. Truman sophomore, left the house at 6:10 a.m. for a 6:29 a.m. bus. At 6:50 a.m. Kutay said her son called and asked her to pick him up because the bus never stopped. In fact, she said, the bus passed her son at the stop twice Wednesday morning.
“It’s bad enough kids have to leave earlier than last year but for buses not to go to scheduled stops is unacceptable!” she said. “So I had to leave work and take him to school. Nothing like being late for the first day of school.”
“I’m taking him tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t have time to play this game.”
Parents throughout different areas of the township — Levittown, Croydon, Fairless Hills — complained about the busing service or have taken issue with the dramatically scaled-down routes.
Posted on the district website Wednesday morning was: “Our sincere apologies. The Bristol Township bus schedule has been taken down for revisions.”
The bus schedule was re-posted between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. the same day. The district asked parents and guardians to review the schedule since it has been revised “significantly since last year.”
District spokeswoman Eileen Kelliher released the following statement to the newspaper.
“It’s a new routine for buses. It’s different and it’s going to take some getting used to. We all have to negotiate a learning curve, and we must fine-tune some things as well. We are open to all concerns and suggestions from our families. We urge them to consult the website for schedule changes in the coming weeks. The bottom line is that we want to transport students to and from school as safely and efficiently as possible while saving taxpayer dollars.”
Bristol Township’s school board approved the busing cuts in June to save $2 million, but a number of parents are upset with the slashed service.
District officials said they spent the summer drafting the new bus routes. The were originally posted online Aug. 22, but some parents told the newspaper they were notified as late as Tuesday night about potential changes.
Michele Logue in Croydon said her son has special needs that require special transportation. She decided to drive him to school Wednesday morning after two separate buses showed up at her house. Neither had the proper seat belts required, she said.
Asked how her son would get to and from school Thursday, she said: “I don’t know. They told me they’d call me back.”
“My son deserves to get to and from school safely,” she said. “Not only my son, but all the kids.”
Over in Levittown, Tom Barton said his son, who is starting ninth grade at Truman, was late to school because of his bus.
Not only was his bus 10 minutes late, it was delayed another 15 to 20 minutes because it was stuck on Rocky Pool Lane, Barton said. He said his son is scheduled to arrive at Truman at 7 a.m. but the bus didn’t get there until 7:25 a.m.
PART 2 (of 2)
“This whole bus situation is so screwed up,” he said.
Kelliher said that the district’s transportation director is working with management at First Student, the company that provides busing to the district, to “correct all deficiencies.” First Student put extra drivers on-call to get the district through the learning curve, she said.
“The school district is open to any and all family concerns,” she said. “Representatives have been meeting with family members by phone and in person. It may take several days before all issues are ironed out.”
She said First Student reports that their drivers conducted dry runs of the routes, but there were changes and additions to the schedule close to start-up time that made practice runs “impossible in some instances.”
Morrisville uses First Student too and there were problems with them here.
The cost of savings...
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS
Superintendent: Transportation plan to save $2 million
Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:15 am | Updated: 11:47 am, Tue Jun 19, 2012.
By DANNY ADLER Staff writer | 1 comment
Posted on June 19, 2012
by Daniel Adler
Bristol Township School District expects $2 million in savings through major changes to how it buses children after the school board approved a recent transportation proposal on Monday, the top administrator said.
Also on Monday, the school board postponed voting on a more than $120 million final budget until near the end of the month.
School board members Earl Bruck, Frederick Black, Katherine Bachman, James Baker Jr., Stacy Gerlach, Patricia Koszarek, Constance Moore and Angela Nober on Monday approved a proposal that was presented to the school board in May by Transportation Supervisor Marianne Cleary. School board member Helen Cini was absent from Monday’s meeting. There was no discussion on the vote.
Bristol Township School District does not have its own buses. The primary provider of busing is Ohio-based First Student Inc.
The transportation plan approved on Monday includes consolidating bus stops; using the elementary schools as bus stops for middle-school and high-school students; eliminating some late buses for after-school events; and mixing public and private school students on some buses, among other things.
Following the meeting, Superintendent Samuel Lee told the newspaper the plan will save the district $2 million as the district seeks ways to eliminate a multimillion-dollar deficit from its 2012-13 budget.
The school board was also scheduled to vote at Monday's meeting on next year’s final spending plan, which under state law must be approved by the end of the month, but the school board tabled the issue until a meeting at 6 p.m. June 28 as officials continue to make adjustments to close the deficit. Also tabled until that meeting were the personnel items before the board.
Administrators have said the school district will use $4 million in reserves to help fill the budget gap. In May, the district announced it would furlough 11 teachers and not fill four positions being lost to retirements, a move projected to save $1.1 million. Also, Bristol Township’s participation in a health care consortium is expected to save the district more than $2 million next school year, according to officials.
At the beginning of budget season, the district faced a $12 million deficit. That budget gap is down to about $3.5 million as of Monday, Lee said.
The school board will hold a budget meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Under Act 1 this year, Bristol Township’s school board is allowed to raise school property taxes for 2012-13 by 2.1 percent, or 3.955 mills. If the board does that, school taxes would go up $71 for the owner of a property with the average assessment of $17,994. Such a tax increase would generate $1.47 million in revenue. With a current millage rate of 188.3 mills, that average property owner paid $3,388 in school property taxes this year.
Also on Monday, the school board voted 8-0 to authorize the administration “to perform studies and evaluations to determine staffing, building and budget needs.”
So the band and color guard are ready for the football season. Come out next Friday and cheer on the Bulldogs and then sit back and enjoy the half-time show. Hope to see many of you there.
Thanks, Donna!
How was the Open House last nite???
Why Lying is Bad for You
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 2:02 PM EDT
Does lying have negative effects on our health?
By Diana Vilibert, Care2 Healthy Living
If asked, most of us would probably say that lying is bad. Many of us may even claim that we never, or hardly ever, lie. And to that I say: you're lying! Studies have found that most people tell an average of 11 lies a week-it sounds like a high number, but just think of the last time you blamed imaginary traffic when you were late. Or the last time you told a friend you loved her haircut even though you secretly think it looks like a weird wig. Or the last time you turned down an invite because you couldn't get a babysitter (never mind that you don't have a babysitter, because it would be weird to get one for your houseplants). Those little white lies add up… and they're taking a toll on your relationships and your health.
A new study put the adage "honesty is the best policy" to the test recently, when Notre Dame psychology professor Anita Kelly spent 10 weeks tracking 110 adults. Half of them were were told to report the number of lies they told each week. The other half of the group was asked to stop lying completely during the study, which meant no false statements, though omitting the truth, avoiding answering a question, and keeping secrets were all allowed. Throughout the study period, all participants took a weekly lie detector test and filled out questionnaires about their health and the quality of their relationships.
Sort of unsurprising considering the weekly lie detector test, but the study resulted in both groups lying less. The interesting part? The people instructed not to lie at all experienced health benefits as a result-to be exact, telling three fewer lies each week resulted in four fewer mental health complaints and three fewer physical health complaints. Lying is thought to trigger the release of stress hormones, increasing heart rate and blood pressure and reducing your white blood cells… leading to all sorts of fun stuff, like tension headaches, lower back pain, and a rapid heartbeat.
Those who made an effort to stop lying also reported improved relationships, confirming long-standing research indicating that people with good relationships are in better health. It makes sense that big lies, from cheating to hiding financial issues from your significant other, take a toll. But how come smaller lies are such a big deal? "It takes a lot of negative physical and mental energy to maintain a lie," said Linda Stroh, author of Trust Rules: How to Tell the Good Guys From the Bad Guys. "We have to think before we answer and we have to plan what we say and do, rather than saying and doing what comes more naturally. We waste a lot of precious time covering our tracks rather than spending that time in positive ways, doing good things."
NESHAMINY SCHOOLSBoard president: Impasse might be "unsolvable"
By Christian Menno Staff writer | 5 comments
Posted on August 31, 2012
Vitriol spilled over Friday between the Neshaminy School Board president and the leader of the teachers union.
Board president Ritchie Webb said Friday that the four-year-long contract dispute with the district's teachers is close to becoming an “unsolvable” impasse with a "rogue union."
According to Webb, the “only solution” might be for lawmakers in Harrisburg to pass laws that would call for a public referendum that would allow Neshaminy taxpayers to void the contract currently in place and hire new teachers.
For the last four years, teachers have been working under the terms of their previous contract which technically expired in 2008.
NFT officials Friday took issue with the wording of Webb's statement, which was published on the district's contract negotiations website, www.nsdboard.blogspot.com.
“Disappointingly, Mr. Webb's statements in his blog today are another clear sign as to why an agreement has not yet been reached,” NFT President Louise Boyd said in an email to the newspaper. “Despite Mr. Webb's assertion, there is no referendum possible under Pennsylvania law that would void the current contract.”
Webb clarified his statement in an email, adding that this is why he feels legislators in Harrisburg need to introduce such a law.
Said Boyd: “We've been willing to accept the thoughtful recommendations of a fact-finder and an arbitrator from Harrisburg. The board has not. Again, we think the answer lies here at home, and we respect and appreciate the support that Judge Baldi is giving the process.”
In his statement, Webb said that NFT attorneys “showed a total lack of discretion and respect for the court by publishing (details regarding) a private conversation” that occurred between lawyers for both parties in the chambers of Bucks County Judge Robert Baldi Thursday.
NFT officials Thursday said that during the conference, Baldi contacted William Gross, the director of the Bureau of Mediation, for assistance with the contract talks.
Webb said he would not comment directly on the meeting with Baldi, but added that Gross has attended previous negotiation sessions and is welcomed by the board to do so in the future.
“It is my understanding that anything said in Judge's chambers is confidential and privileged information, and certainly is not to appear in a press release several hours after the meeting. This serves as a perfect example of what is wrong in Neshaminy,” Webb said. “We have a rogue union who, in our estimation, is led by a rogue attorney, and an NFT president who shows no respect and will do and say anything, including using Judge Baldi to get what they want.”
Boyd said these claims are “absurd.”
“There was no gag order or instructions from Judge Baldi as to what could or could not be discussed publicly or privately, and so there is simply no basis for Mr. Webb to imply that was the case,” she said.
“Isn't it time to focus on the middle ground that will let us get to a contract and put bad feelings behind us? That way,” Boyd added, “teachers can get back to what we value most – our profession and doing our best for the kids we serve.”
Neshaminy: exactly where not to go.
According to Charles Barkley the other day, there are only 5 real jobs on this planet. He made this comment in relationship to the importance of professional athletes and was trying to put the conversation in a perspective of what is important in this world. He referred to Teachers, Doctors, Police, Fire, and the Military. And that everything else wasn't quite important in the grand scheme of things. It's too bad that more people don't share those feelings. It's why places like Neshaminy are were they are, and where places like Morrisville will end up if we don't put things in perspective and place a higher value on the education and future of our children. It can't always be about taxes going up and cuts cuts cuts. Every year in every area of life, things cost more. It happens. It's about values at this point, and it appears as though too many people feel that education just isn't that important.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcEAI5p-wUg
I would argue that Neshaminy is heading where Morrisville has already been. We have a chance to right our ship while theirs is taking on bilgewater.
PENNSBURY SCHOOLSSchool board hires two building administrators
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO - The Pennsbury school board hired Laurie A. Ruffing on Thursday night to be the new principal of Walt Disney Elementary School.
Posted: Sunday, September 2, 2012 5:00 pm | Updated: 5:54 pm, Sun Sep 2, 2012.
By Joan Hellyer Staff Writer | 0 comments
The Pennsbury school board hired two new building administrators during their meeting last week.
One of the hires gives Walt Disney Elementary School students a chance to begin the new school year on Tuesday with a new principal.
The board hired Laurie A. Ruffing to be the new Disney principal. She will succeed longtime principal Fay Manicke, who recently retired.
Ruffin previously served as an administrator and teacher in the Morrisville School District. In her new position at Pennsbury she will earn $126,935.00 on a pro-rated basis, according to district officials.
The educator earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Penn State University and a master's degree in administration from the University of Scranton.
In addition to Ruffing, the board also hired Lynne E. Blair to serve as an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School.
Blair currently serves as an assistant principal in the Norristown Area School District. She will replace Daniel File, who recently resigned from his Pennsbury post.
The administrator will earn $100,990 on a pro-rated basis, district officials said. Blair's responsibilities will include scheduling, organization of student activities, student discipline and staff evaluation, supervision and development, officials said.
The educator earned a bachelor of arts degree in Mathematics from Bucknell University with certification to teach at the secondary level. She earned a master's degree in psychological services and certification in secondary counseling from the University of Pennsylvania.
Blair's start date in Pennsbury is to be determined depending on when she is able to leave her present position in Norristown, district officials said.
$126,935??? Holy Cripes! What was she making here, 80,000?
Does she have to write grants?
so,um, about teachers being overpaid...
Non union admin make out well. Ruffing parlayed a short and not especially distinguished stint as principal into a 50K/yr raise at another district.
Good admin don't grow on trees but was she really that good?
Mayor's picnic is cancelled today due to weather.
Great my baby's all jacked up on Red Bull now what ima gonna do????
Longtime Disney Principal Ready For Retirement
Fay Manicke has spent 23 of her 39 years in the Pennsbury district at one school
By Vic Monaco
Email the author
August 13, 2012
For 23 years, Fay Manicke has worked where dreams literally came true -- for her and hundreds of youngsters.
Now the longtime principal of the Walt Disney Elementary School in Levittown is looking forward to her retirement, which begins next month.
"I've kind of paid my dues," said Manicke, who has worked for the Pennsbury School District 39 years, starting out as a music teacher at Walt Disney in 1973 before moving on to other responsibilities. "It's time to hand over the batton."
The new life of the 61-year-old Yardley resident will include travel with her husband along with her continued avocation as a vocalist.
"I sing with The Philadelphia Singers with the Philadelphia Orchestra," she said matter-of-factly.
Asked about the highlights of her time at Walt Disney Elementary, Manicke didn't hesitate.
"The high point for me is when Diane Disney Miller (Walt Disney's daughter) came for the rededication of the building. It was just a very special day," she said of the event in the 2006-2007 school year.
In 1954, with the school under construction on Lakeside Drive, local students named the facility after the man who was providing them with much of their entertainment. The next year Mr. Disney visited and over the years made many donations including $500 annually. But when he died in 1966 the check stopped coming.
Manicke wrote to his daughter, who decided the school should get $2,000 a year from the Walt and Lilly Disney Foundation, named after her parents. When she learned from Manicke just how much her father meant to the school, Disney Miller increased that annual gift in the mid 2000s to a whopping $10,000 a year.
"She has been extremely generous with the school," said Manicke
Looking at the changes over her long tenure in the district, Manicke says the job of educators has become increasingly difficult.
"Budgets are getting cut but prices keep going up, and I don't feel parents are as involved," she said. In addition, she said, curricular demands from the state have made it tough on teachers.
The students have changed too, said Manicke, who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from West Chester University.
"Nowadays everything has to be electronic for them and I dont think that's a big plus," she said. "The Interent is great for research but I also believe a lot of kids are being robbed of their childhood because of it."
Nonetheless, Manick said she will most miss the children and she is "very optimistic" about the future of Walt Disney Elementary.
"I have a very strong staff here ... and we have parental support," she said. "Hopefuly this fall we'll open a new playground. We've been raising money for five years and close to $80,000 has been raised."
"Great my baby's all jacked up on Red Bull now what ima gonna do???"
THANK YOU for this post. Made me laugh : )
You're welcome.
Intended effect achieved!
"who has worked for the Pennsbury School District 39 years"
You'll never see that in churn and burn Morrisville.
Here they ERIP you a new one. Longevity and experience tend to be viewed negatively as unnecessary expenses.
Churn and burn is an apt term and it's hard to pinpoint its effects but I feel you'd really be able to tell the difference if we had excellence instead of what we've had lately.
I saw this in today's Phila. Inquirer.
Three area Acme stores to close
September 05, 2012
Acme supermarkets in Morrisville, Sharon Hill, and Glassboro, N.J., are to be shut down by December as part of a broader cost-cutting move in which corporate parent Supervalu Inc. will close 60 stores across the nation, the Minnesota-based company said Wednesday. A fourth Acme in Stevensville, Md., is also among those being shuttered as an "underperforming or nonstrategic" store, as are 22 Save-A-Lot locations.
The announcement comes as Supervalu tests the market for potential buyers of some or all of the retail- and wholesale-grocery corporation, which consists of Malvern-based Acme Markets, Chicago's Jewel-Osco supermarket chain, a food distribution segment, and other retail grocery chains.
The company is burdened with declining sales and billions of dollars in debt - a combination that has depressed share prices and been troubling to investors. It fired its last chief executive earlier this summer. The store closures will leave 113 Acmes across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
- Maria Panaritis
Bristol starts schools and worrying
Story
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Staff writer | 0 comments
Posted on September 6, 2012
by Gema Duarte
The 2012-13 school year started Thursday for Bristol students, but what really is concerning parents is next year.
The buzz around town is that the Bristol Borough School District will consolidate schools, which worries parents like Rosa Arvelo.
“I have an eighth-grader and the high school might not be there next year,” she said after dropping off her children. “They have a vacant school. They have St. Ann, why can’t they move the high school there and keep the kids in the borough?”
Her reaction stems from a comment made in May by school board President Ralph DiGuiseppe III that school officials face the difficult task of formulating a long-term plan for the financially struggling district. That plan, according to DiGuiseppe, could include major changes such as consolidating the district. He didn’t mention specifics.
"No formal discussions about consolidation or closing the high school have occurred. The idea has been floated out there at board meetings but that's about as far as it has gone," Superintendent Gregory Wright said Thursday.
Parent Betty Soto said she can only assume that the high school will be the building that's closed.
“We have a new elementary school, so they can’t get rid of that school,” said Soto, whose fifth-grade child is enrolled in the district. “We live between the high school and the elementary school, so the way it is set up right is perfect for us.”
She ran down the possibilities of other districts -- and disliked them all.
“If things change, it will only make it harder on parents who work,” Soto said. “I don’t want kids being bused anywhere. I wouldn’t want to send my kid to Bristol Township. And Morrisville is too far.”
If the district makes drastic changes, parent Rachel Grow said she’d move her child -- who's now in first grade -- to private school, perhaps St. Mark, or move out of Bristol.
All three mothers want to know why the district may have to consolidate. Increases in employee health insurance and pension fund costs are the key reasons, school officials have said.
Arvelo moved her family from Philadelphia a year ago and she said she’s already seen the difference in the education of her children.
“My kids' grades have improved,” she said. “It’s a good district and I would be sad if they change.”
Falls Township Acme to close
Story
Comments (2)
Posted: Thursday, September 6, 2012 11:00 am | Updated: 8:08 pm, Thu Sep 6, 2012.
By Crissa Shoemaker DeBree Staff writer | 2 comments
Posted on September 6, 2012
by Crissa Shoemaker DeBree
Grocery store operator Supervalu Inc. will close 60 under-performing stores across the country, including its Acme market in Falls.
The Minnesota-based company said most of the stores will close before Dec. 1.
“These decisions are never easy because of the impact a store closure has on our team members, our customers and our communities,” Supervalu CEO Wayne Sales said in a statement. “(The) announcement reflects our commitment to move with a greater sense of urgency to reduce costs and improve shareholder value.”
Acme also has stores in Bensalem, Bristol Township, Doylestown, Horsham, Lower Southampton, Newtown Township and Warminster. None of those markets was on the list of closures announced Wednesday.
In addition to the Falls store, which is just outside Morrisville on West Trenton Avenue, Supervalu will close Acme markets in Sharon Hill, Pa., Glassboro, N.J., and Stevensville, Md.
Supervalu also will close 27 Albertsons stores in the western United States, 22 Save-A-Lots and one Jewel-Osco. Eight other stores are slated for closure, but the company didn’t identify them because of ongoing contract discussions.
Supervalu has struggled to maintain its market share at a time when shoppers are turning more toward discount retailers like Target and Walmart, as well as dollar stores and drug stores, for needs historically filled by supermarkets.
In industry publication Food Trade News’ 2012 survey, Acme Markets was No. 7, with more than $2.2 billion in sales and 4.6 percent of the market share. It lagged behind market leaders ShopRite, Giant and Walmart, as well as A&P (which operates Superfresh and Pathmark), Wawa and CVS.
In July, the company said it lost half its profit in the first quarter as sales dropped. It suspended the quarterly dividend that it paid to shareholders and said it would seek strategic alternatives — which sometimes leads to the sale of a company — in order to increase shareholder value.
It also replaced CEO Craig Heckert with Sales, a retail industry veteran who also serves as company president and chairman of the board.
Supervalu expects to record a pre-tax charge of $80 million to $90 million for the year as a result of the closures. It expects to generate the same amount in cash from selling real estate and store assets and eliminating cash losses from the stores.
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