Posted: Thursday, March 28, 2013 4:23 pm | Updated: 7:58 pm, Thu Mar 28, 2013.
Posted on March 28, 2013
The upcoming class of Morrisville kindergarteners will be attending school half days.
The Morrisville school board voted 5-2 to move from full-day to half-day sessions, which will help balance the district's budget. Board members Ted Parker and Wanda Kartal voted against half-day kindergarten. School directors Steve Worob and John DeWilde weren’t at this week’s meeting.
"Children aren’t socializing as much as they did in the past and to shorten the day I think would hurt some children with their socialization skills," Parker continued. "As being the IU representative, I’ve learned a great deal about what’s picked up in kindergarten as far as learning disabilities. That’s my fear, that we might miss some of those fundamentals and they’ll go on to first and second grades and might not have been caught as early as it should have.”
Board President Damon Miller said that he voted in favor of the half-day program primarily because of the district’s budget restraints. Even though students will be attending half-day classes, he added, the district is making “sure that their programs are enriched as good as possible whether it’s while they are in class or in programs afterwards that can paid for with grants.”
Since the start of budget season, the school district has been dealing with a projected million-dollar deficit in its $18 million spending plan for the 2013-14 school year. For months, Worob and school board member Jack Buckman have been strong supporters of cutting down on kindergarten from full-day to help balance the budget.
A half day program will cost the district about $215,000, as opposed to $318,821 for a full-day program, according to Paul DeAngelo, the district’s business manager.
Classes will be two hours and 50 minutes shorter, according to officials. The time spent on the core subjects, such as reading, are a priority so when students go on to first and second grades they are up to speed. The limitations will be on specialty subjects such as art and music.
The Morrisville school board voted 5-2 to move from full-day to half-day sessions, which will help balance the district's budget. Board members Ted Parker and Wanda Kartal voted against half-day kindergarten. School directors Steve Worob and John DeWilde weren’t at this week’s meeting.
Parker said he fears that “some children might fall through the cracks from a shorter day. Those students that might need additional help, that help might not be available to them, especially with their socials skills in today’s society.
Parker said he fears that “some children might fall through the cracks from a shorter day. Those students that might need additional help, that help might not be available to them, especially with their socials skills in today’s society.Board President Damon Miller said that he voted in favor of the half-day program primarily because of the district’s budget restraints. Even though students will be attending half-day classes, he added, the district is making “sure that their programs are enriched as good as possible whether it’s while they are in class or in programs afterwards that can paid for with grants.”
Since the start of budget season, the school district has been dealing with a projected million-dollar deficit in its $18 million spending plan for the 2013-14 school year. For months, Worob and school board member Jack Buckman have been strong supporters of cutting down on kindergarten from full-day to help balance the budget.
A half day program will cost the district about $215,000, as opposed to $318,821 for a full-day program, according to Paul DeAngelo, the district’s business manager.
Classes will be two hours and 50 minutes shorter, according to officials. The time spent on the core subjects, such as reading, are a priority so when students go on to first and second grades they are up to speed. The limitations will be on specialty subjects such as art and music.
26 comments:
Uh? OK. Whatever.
The half-day kindergarten is a very unfortunate consequence of the current financial situation. It is a sad day when such an important element in a child's development is sacrificed.
But, hey, we have a small walking district, and everyone gets a chance to be mediocre.
Indeed. Now we can't even scrape $103k together to keep full day K. This falls squarely on the lame a$$ shoulders of SOC.
Consequences.
One day I realized that I wasn't getting anywhere by blaming other people for my circumstances. I finally understood: Even if you feel someone has wronged you or owes you something, no one is going to give you anything for free.
That's deep and all, but when it comes to School Board governance, people need to know who really wronged them so they don't make the same mistake twice and put their sorry be-hinds on the board again.
Luckily only one sorry be-hind is running legitimately this year. I will name him:
Ron Stout.
He's unworthy of being on the board now, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be re-elected.
Tuesday, May 21 is the primary election date.
Vote A.B.S. (Anybody But Stout).
Disappointing on several levels.
Am I right in assuming that with a budget deficit to close and a depleted fund balance, the alternatives to cut were even worse?
Peter,
To what or whom are you referring to? Half day kindergarten or Ron Stout? Or both?
I'd be interested in your opinion since you've served on the board before and always thought highly of you.
yea pete what would you do with the situation at hand? im curious with your background. with what I see our district in seems like a lot to deal with and glad im not making the choices but it seems from watching the videso that these guys are asking alot and checking and rechecking and stuck with a bad situation no matter which way they go
"I'd be interested in your opinion since you've served on the board before and always thought highly of you."
Thank you for that. Though I am no fan of Mr. Stoudt, I was referring specifically to cutting kindergarten to half day and even more so, the need to do it. I am also disappointed that this got a board majority. Kudos to Wanda and Ted for staying true to the mission on this one.
I am not nearly as intimate with the details as I once was so it is hard to say what I might cut ahead of this, but there's gotta be something. And I agree that the alternatives were probably worse. I'd suggest starting with our PR person. Though it is not a big dollar item, we're not getting our value for our money here.
I wish I had a better answer for you.
I agree it's rough to see K get chopped while we maintain a sub-mediocre PR person.
Don Harm is a head scratcher too. Tighten our belts? There's 2 suggestions for ya.
The really amazing thing about the school budget is just how little of it is really discretionary. If you take the time to really review it, you quickly realize just how much is tied up in labor, benefits, mandatory items like the PSERS, and of course maintenance. Yeah,there are some dubious items in there, but it doesn't amount to any significant percentage. That being said, when you see the difference in costs between 1/2 day and full day, you realize that the priorities are out of whack. The savings do not justify this IMHO. I am disappointed in this decision, and think it is penny-wise/pound foolish. Where are all the savings from not building a school? From reducing the number of facilities? From all the other SOC amazing financial moves led by the swizzle stick?
Harm probaly was the one who made the decision from his Vacation Hideout. He is the WORST hire in the History of Morrisville. Who reccomended him years ago? He has done nothing for this District except take a Donation (Salary) towrds his Vacations.
"Where are all the savings from not building a school? From reducing the number of facilities? From all the other SOC amazing financial moves led by the swizzle stick?"
Gone baby gone, to the extent they existed in the first place.
Savings from not building a new school? SOC defeased the bonds in 2008 at an additional cost of about $2.5 million. Taxes were dropped from 205.1 mills in 2007-08 to 187.3 mills in 2008-09 from this "windfall". They were dropped again to 177.3 mills in 2009-10 for reasons that I've never heard adequately explained, though 2009 was an important election year.
Savings from reducing the number of facilities? Our maintenance budget looks like it has dropped maybe $100-200k/yr out of an $18 million/yr budget, probably due in part to less buildings in use (though we still have to maintain them and their grounds), energy efficiency gains you would expect from any renovations, etc.
Savings from all the other SOC amazing financial moves led by the swizzle stick? Whatever they were, the fund balance (a.k.a. piggy bank, a.k.a. rainy day fund) was drained from $3 million to practically nothing in order to plug budget deficits.
All this - even though Mr. Swizzle knew full well the PSERS tsunami bomb was coming.
Thanks Peter. As I said I value your opinion. When you mentioned that you weren't aware of what else could be cut, did you contact any board member? Again, since you always seemed a sensible person I'd think you would have gotten information to find out what could be done otherwise. By the way, I'm disappointed too but I have to trust the board is making decision, hard ones too, with what they have been given. I don't envy them.
Wasn't full day kindergarten paid for by grants? What happened? Are grants no longer available for full day?
Not sure when, but didn't the grant money end??
Ok. So no grant money for full day kindergarten. The last time I read about the budget on this blog there was a million dollar gap to be made up. The only suggestion I've read is to get rid of Pat Wanderling. I think she should go too but I'm sure she doesn't make what full day costs. How else do you close the gap? People say that's all they can think of. Maybe because they know the truth that there isn't much left before you cut further into education and programs and teachers and they don't want to say it because it will be unpopular like half day kindergarten. At least the kids are getting something.
I hear ya. I'm sure it was a painful vote for Miller, Dingle and Stoneburner. Buckman and Stout not so much. It may have been painful for Stout but only because it disrupted his nap time.
I hold SOC accountable for this because they starved the system and drained the piggy bank.
I Hold the Superintendant Bill Ferrara responsible. He is supposed to be the educational leader, he was only Bill Hellman's puppet. Hopefully he will be gone when his contract ends 1 year 3 months. Keep him on a very short leash until then.
Puppet? Yes, no, maybe. He is what he is, much like Popeye. He hasn't adapted much to a world without Hellmann. Could he land a Super job anywhere else??? I would think his prospects would be limited.
My sense is he doesn't have the skills or the experience to be much more than a caretaker.
We could do worse, but we could do much better.
We really need a full open job search for Super. It'll have to start pretty soon if his contract is up in a year.
He landed a job after his Neshaminy Scandal. So lets wish him good luck with his search after Morrisville.
Since Mr Ferrara has referred to full day kindergarten as day care in the past, not sure why anyone is surprised.
I miss Dr. Yonson and Reba. They might not have been the best, but they seemed to really care. What do we have now?
Maybe we could lure Leon back from the Tech school.
They cared about EDUCATION not about their own gains like our Superintendant and Business Manager. DeAngelo has us pay for his education to help us but he allows the fund balance to be drained, What course was that? Ferrara is a self centered person who cares about nothing that would make Morrisville as a District better Educational setting, he just wants to Ship out or Cyber school the High School. Hellman told him he would always have a job, Hellman's gone so hopefully he is putting together his resume.
He should be sure to include Hellman and Mikey Fitz as references.
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