Morrisville working on making case to Pennsbury
Posted: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 10:37 pm | Updated: 11:30 pm, Wed Mar 20, 2013.
Posted on March 20, 2013
Pennsbury school officials are giving the Morrisville School District the opportunity to make its case for a possible merger.Over the next few months, Morrisville officials will be busy working on a document that will list the attributes that the district would bring to the table if a full-on merger with Pennsbury would occur.
This is the furthest the two districts have ever gone in possible merger talks in recent history, he said.
“This is good,” Miller said after the meeting. “It means they haven't closed the door on us.”
Last week, Pennsbury school board President Allan Weisel phoned Miller with the request.
Miller said the document will highlight several key points: Morrisville would contribute more than $9.3 million annually to Pennsbury’s budget based on the borough’s property assessments and the current Pennsbury millage rate; Morrisville's school buildings are in good shape and ready to be moved into if needed, unlike Pennsbury's Pennwood Middle School that needs $20 million in repairs; and Morrisville's achievement of AYP.
Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10, was facilitating a meeting between the two districts, according to Weisel, who has said he's not in favor of a merger but agreed to a meeting as a courtesy to the senator. But instead of meeting, Pennsbury will wait for Morrisville to make its argument.
Morrisville is researching the possibility of merging as part of the school board's effort to study several options for the district's future because status quo isn't an option, officials have said.
The document will be reviewed by the Pennsbury administration, Morrisville school board President Damon Miller said at Wednesday's work session.
The document will be reviewed by the Pennsbury administration, Morrisville school board President Damon Miller said at Wednesday's work session.“This is good,” Miller said after the meeting. “It means they haven't closed the door on us.”
Last week, Pennsbury school board President Allan Weisel phoned Miller with the request.
Miller said the document will highlight several key points: Morrisville would contribute more than $9.3 million annually to Pennsbury’s budget based on the borough’s property assessments and the current Pennsbury millage rate; Morrisville's school buildings are in good shape and ready to be moved into if needed, unlike Pennsbury's Pennwood Middle School that needs $20 million in repairs; and Morrisville's achievement of AYP.
Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10, was facilitating a meeting between the two districts, according to Weisel, who has said he's not in favor of a merger but agreed to a meeting as a courtesy to the senator. But instead of meeting, Pennsbury will wait for Morrisville to make its argument.
Morrisville is researching the possibility of merging as part of the school board's effort to study several options for the district's future because status quo isn't an option, officials have said.
22 comments:
All you can do is give it a good shot. Make it professional and persuasive. Back it up with facts and figures. Invite them to come see our schools in action. Makes it more human and less abstract.
Pennwood's $20 Mill in repairs is probably for a more thorough job than we did just replacing some windows, boilers and electric, HVAC.
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Obsure? I hope not.
I'm going by distant memory here, but I remember the negative waves thing as something Donald Sutherland's character said in the movie Kelly's Heroes. He was like a W.W. I.I. hippie. Am I right?
Good quote, by the way.
That movie has some of the all time greats.
Eastwood.
Savalas.
Rickles.
Capt. Stubing.
Archie Bunker.
Speaking of how the grass isn't always greener. This is the type of stuff that will have to be overcome to affect a merger. It may take a long run on the Love Boat and A Fistful of Dollars to overcome the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of these Archie Bunker Hockey Pucks, Baby!.
3 comments:
sothere posted at 11:49 am on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 36
I don't think this is a good idea for either district. I wish Morrisville would stop trying to push their problems off on Pennsbury making it seem like it is all wine and roses.
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FAIRLESS 500 posted at 8:58 am on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 449
There is a tipping point when it comes to the size of a school
district.
This move would damage Pennsbury forever.
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FaithWalk posted at 8:37 am on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 1146
Sen. Chuck McIlhinney makes a good case for term limits.
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Hail to the Falcon's
Morrisville's buildings are not as great a you may think. Auditorium,Gymnasium,Library,are all in need of large repairs, the classrooms have been tailored to a 3 to 12 student group,Very small cafeteria. I am sure there would be a cost to Pennsbury to tailor the building for their needs. The taxpayers from Pennsbury will never welcome the people from Morrisville to their District. They only belive the negatives they hear and read about this town and the Hellman crew has made that even worst than it has been in the past. I wish everyone who reads this will post 1 or more positive things that Morrisville can bring to Pennsbury. It may help our Board in their proposal to Pennsbury.
Think about this:
Realists have a firm grip on reality and can see things for what they are, not what they are told they are. Realists have their own views and do not fall victim to propaganda, misconception, or titles!
1. There is the Pessimist who believes the glass is half empty!
2. There is the Optimist who believes the glass is half full!
3. Then there is the Realist who knows it is just half a glass!
4. Then there's the one who comes in while the rest of you are arguing and drinks whats in the glass. He walks off happy and the rest of you are still stuck on pointless complaining.
Wow that's heavy.
Which one are you?
1 Positive Don Harm can negoiate the merger with his old pals from Pennsbury.
1 Negative Don Harm will be on another vacation.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
"Wow that's heavy. Which one are you?"
Me? I'm the straw that stirs the drink. And I ain't thirsty no more.
Reggie Jackson, is that you? How the Hell-mann are you?
Some positives, some good questions that need to be explored & ironed out.
Cellphone posted at 5:59 pm on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 87
50 years in the making - Yes, back in 1963 the PA Legislature proposed a Pennsbury-Morrisville merger as part of a massive statewide consolidation plan. However, Morrisville residents and school district officials petitioned PA Education Dep't to remain independent and obviously prevailed.
A merger was proposed again in the late 1980's , 1990, but Pennsbury declined, and again in 2008. So, here it is, 50 years later.
Questions - Morrisville board members are elected At Large, but in Pennsbury they're elected by Region, so what Region would Morrisville be in and how would existing Morrisville board members retain their seats?
Also, would Morrisville teachers automatically assume the Pennsbury (PEA) contract and would they merge the seniority rosters? Yea, you better think about these items now!
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sountrue posted at 4:25 pm on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 5
Morrisville deserves to be heard. We should try to keep an open mind. I am sure that Simon Campbell will have enough negativity for everyone he always does. If Pennwood is going to cost 20 million then it isn't worth renivating it would be cheaper to build another building. Who knows Morrisville could be the answer to that problem.
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Falls Taxpayer posted at 12:50 pm on Thu, Mar 21, 2013.
Posts: 242
First Morrisville will continue to deteriorate as a community until the oppressive taxes are relieved. this will require a merger. The Boro district does not have the tax base to suppot a district with the basic necessities, let alone AP courses and electives.
The arguement s against a merger seen int he comment pages are based on nothign other then fear mongering.
District being too big? Central Bucks is twice thesize and has higher test scores.
Morrisville will drain resources? more then likely the district would also brin along its mush higher per pupil state aid.
Morrisville does have 3 schools, the High school, Grandveiw Elementary, and the closed MR Rieter. @ of these schools can be sold off as either charter schools or the properties sold for residential development. The morrisville football/ track feild in the Capital veiw neighborhood could be sold off for residential development or to the boro for use as park space.
There are so many variables that not researching this would be irresponsible. Especially when this can be done under our own terms as opposed to being forced by the state when morrisville is drowning in debt.
Are Poems by Robert Frost in Morisville's curriculmn or would that happen in an AP course?
Possibly a cyber class?
The woods are bogus, flat, and fake
And I have cyber class to take
A thirst for learning I must slake
A thirst for learning I must slake
But, even if they were, would it make all the difference?
or maybe a cyborg class. You will all be assimilated!
Waste of time, energy, and resources. Why doesn't Morriville Work to Make Morrisville Better?
Who is holding it back? Think long and hard about it.
"Why doesn't Morriville Work to Make Morrisville Better?"
I think some people are trying to do this, but others constantly stand in the way.
Look at all of the failed efforts from years gone by, the most notable being the new school, but more recently the shameful denying of the revitalization plan by Boro council, seemingly with no reasons given. What is that but naked obstructionism? and yet these losers continue to populate the governing bodies, stopping any forward progress. If you really want answers to your question, or better yet, want to see the apathy pushed aside, get out from in front of the TV and computer screen and get involved, stop voting for the same arseholes over and over again, and make useful contributions to improving things.
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