Monday, October 28, 2013

The Future of M.R. Reiter in Question, Public Free to Give Input

MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
The future of M.R. Reiter in question, public free to give input

Posted: Monday, October 28, 2013 5:31 pm | Updated: 7:16 pm, Mon Oct 28, 2013.



Though the future of the former M.R. Reiter Elementary School is up in the air, Morrisville residents can pitch their ideas next week.
Town officials will hear opinions starting at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 during the Joint Morrisville Borough Council/Morrisville School Board meeting at the district building, 550 W. Palmer St.One idea is to turn the property into open space -- a pitch brought to the school district earlier this month by the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council.
And the Historic Morrisville Society, whose headquarters abut the school, is on board with that suggestion.
Sharon Hughes, a member of the historic group, said having open space would benefit the community and a pocket park is needed in that area.
Reiter was one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008. In 2011, the school board closed the school, shifting children to other buildings.
If the school district sells the property, the historical society has “right of first refusal” to buy it, school board President Damon Miller said.
“I think there’s a great deal of discussion that needs to happen with regards to other ideas,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have any preconceived idea about what should be done with the property.
“Please, voice your concerns, instead of waiting until the 11th hour,” Miller asked of the public.
Hughes said the historic group has been talking, off and on, about the prospects of the property for the past two years, but hasn't submitted a proposal to the school district.
None of the three involved groups -- the school district, the environmental council and the historical society -- have money for the demolition, Miller said.
Hughes said the community has united to figure out details. “All of the five groups need to talk -- the district, the borough, the historical society, the EAC and the planning commission,” she said.

Dann the Mann. Out with Stout!


Wanda said...
 
I hear a lot of talk about the Mayor race in Morrisville but there is an equally important race for the School Board going on and that includes the face to face race against sitting board members DANN DINGLE and Ron Stout. DANN is on the Democrat side of the ballot and Ron Stout is on the Republican side. As a current member of the School Board and lifelong Morrisville resident, I personally do not care which party they belong to but I do care about the amount of work either candidate has put into their position and what their individual contributions are to the budget process, increased educational opportunities, committee representation and participation in school and community events. DANN DINGLE is the clear winner in each of these categories! As Treasurer of the school board DANN leads the Finance committee and is an active member of the Education committee, HR Committee, Public Relations Committee, PTO and MOEF (Morrisville Opportunity Educational Foundation). You can find him at the PTO events supporting the fundraising efforts of his wife Bonnie as well as Friday night football games supporting his home team. He researches, investigates and offers new ideas on a regular basis. If something doesn’t seem right, he challenges the answer. He attends all informational meetings and is quick to dig into the next task or the tough subjects that others shy away from. He is always courteous and respectful and presents professionally at every function. There is only one sitting member of the school board running this election that fills all the expectations and more of the job of School Board Director and who deserves your vote and that is DANN DINGLE.
 
Wanda Kartal
Morrisville School Board

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Morrisville Schools Receive Science Lab Donation

Morrisville schools receive science lab donation
 
Morrisville kids will have a new science playground, thanks to a generous donation.MedImmune, a biotechnology company, donated pharmaceutical grade lab equipment, including slate work tables, cabinets and sinks. It's all top-of-the-line stainless steel equipment and enough to build at least two high school science labs, school director Wanda Kartal said.
Morrisville School District received the donation of the equipment last week from MedImmune, which is based in Washington, D.C., but has an office building in Bensalem.
“The equipment will enable the district to provide state-of-the-art lab facilities for our students,” Superintendent Bill Ferrara said. “This will enable our students to participate in lab activities enhancing their understanding of different aspects of biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics. Our district, especially teachers and students, are thankful for the generous donation.”
The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching MedImmune on Tuesday.
Obtaining the materials was a community effort, with Councilman Dave Rivella and Kartal working together.
“Our youth truly deserves the very best and it is exciting for me to be a part of the community’s children having this state of the art equipment and that they have been made available at no cost. I am ever mindful of the importance of the quality of education that we can offer to our community’s students,” Rivella said, adding that getting the equipment without raising taxes is a bonus.
“(The tables) are phenomenal,” Kartal said Tuesday. “They are something that we would have never have gotten in Morrisville. We are so lucky to have this donation, and grateful.”
When Morrisville Councilman Dave Rivella heard of the available equipment from a friend, he knew such materials would help the tight-budgeted school district. At that point the company was considering other school districts.
“When I learned about it, I told my friend to wait and not ask anyone else as I knew I could reach out to my friends who sit on the school board,” Rivella said, adding that he emailed three school directors, including Kartal.
Morrisville officials jumped on the opportunity and have been working with MedImmune since July, Kartal said.
Morrisville officials don’t know exactly how much the equipment is worth. However, based on the company’s estimate from when it was purchased a couple of years ago, it cost about $250,000, Rivella and Kartal said.
“(The equipment) was bought, but never actually used,” Rivella said. “They stopped (a) research project (that the equipment was for) before it even started, so they ended up with equipment that was just sitting. They wanted to find a needy school district to give it to. I, of course, thought of Morrisville.”
The district is planning to put the labs to use in the next school year, as the rooms need some upgrading, Kartal said.

Perfect Fit for Mayor?

Perfect fit for mayor

Posted: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 6:00 am
I am writing in support of Bill Pepitone and his candidacy for mayor of Morrisville. As his neighbor, I have come to know Bill quite well on a personal level. Not only did he watch our oldest daughter as an infant, he has been a go-to person in time of need. Bill is always willing to go above and beyond in help of others.As a parent and member of the community, the largest issue I see facing Morrisville is the state of the police department. Bill has the experience and expertise necessary to bring order back to the Morrisville Police Department.
As a New York City police officer, a portion of his career was spent training cadets. This experience can be used to improve Morrisville's Police Department on his first day in office; making the department more efficient and effective. As a decorated New York City police officer, he knows what it means to serve the public. He is a hard-working individual who would use any and all resources at his disposal to improve the wonderful community of Morrisville. Bill loves Morrisville and wants nothing more than to see it flourish.
I strongly believe that, as mayor, he will help it to do just that.

Brian Merrill
Morrisville

Potluck #92

What's new?

Friday, October 18, 2013

Group Suggests Way to Enhance Historic Summerseat in Morrisville

Group suggests way to enhance historic Summerseat in Morrisville
        
Posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 6:26 am, Fri Oct 18, 2013.
Before the Morrisville School District sells the closed M.R. Reiter Elementary School, the community needs to talk, said a resident.Bill Setzer, a member of the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council, told the school board Wednesday night that his group “would like to promote a sharing of ideas on the repurposing of the site.“The M.R. Reiter property adjoins the property of Summerseat, the historic home of our founding father, Robert Morris,” Setzer said. “The surrounding neighborhood is comprised mostly of single family homes and an apartment complex. Creating more open space at the M.R. Reiter site would bring more value to the neighborhood and would dramatically restore the original estate-like proportion appropriate to a significant historic landmark such as Summerseat.”
Reiter was one of two elementary schools in Morrisville until a furnace blast made it unusable in December 2008. In 2011, the school board permanently closed the school, shifting grades in other buildings. To reopen Reiter would have cost at least $4 million and that’s not including air quality testing, officials have said.
School board President Damon Miller said he welcomes an open discussion. So far, no individual or community group has made suggestions as to the future of the site. And as of Wednesday night, the district didn’t have any plans, he said.
Miller said the district doesn’t have money for demolition of the school. However, school officials are ironing out the details on how to proceed with the selling of the property. And they aren’t doing anything “behind the scenes.”
He was adamant the district move forward on the issue.
Setzer assured the board that it’s not his intention to stop the district. He merely wants to facilitate a dialogue with the community.
“It’s the duty of the EAC to advise on issues regarding Open Space,” he said. “We encourage the school board to meet immediately with the borough council, the EAC, the planning commission, the Morrisville Historic Society and interested local residents to ensure that the M.R. Reiter property is sold or deeded for a purpose that will best serve the borough’s future. The Morrisville Borough Comprehensive Plan and the Morrisville Open Space Plan should be consulted and utilized as part of this process.”
School director John DeWilde suggested that Setzer attend the Joint Morrisville Borough Council/Morrisville School Board meeting, of which DeWilde is a member. It’s the appropriate forum for such an issue, he said.
Personally he would like open space on the site, Setzer said after the meeting, but it’s only fair for the community to have an input, he added.
Setzer said he will bring up the issue at the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. He will also attend the Joint Morrisville Borough Council/Morrisville School Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the district building, 550 W. Palmer St.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Core Standards, Lack of Aid Strain Pa. Schools

Core Standards, lack of aid strain Pa. schools

First of three partsPennsylvania's public schools have been waiting for three years to find out whether the state will move ahead with new education standards designed to make students more globally competitive.Without official direction, many schools went ahead and began teaching the Pennsylvania Core Standards, which go deeper in fewer topics than prior guidelines and emphasize nonfiction more than novels.Now, it seems, the state is giving the green light not only to the standards but also to related exams that students will have to pass to graduate from high school. But it is not providing additional funding to implement the mandates, and educators in Philadelphia and other cash-strapped districts say their students are being set up for failure.
"There isn't enough money in Philadelphia to provide for basic instruction," said Rosalind Jones-Johnson, education director of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, predicting that the new exams will lead to an increased high school dropout rate and, consequently, increased poverty. "To mandate this and not provide the funding, the human resources, and the intervention is unconscionable."State officials contend that schools should not need additional resources to comply with the requirements, since districts train teachers and revise curriculum routinely anyway.Assuming the policy adopted by the state Board of Education is not halted in Pennsylvania's regulatory review process, students beginning with the current high school freshmen will be required to pass "Keystone exams" in literature, algebra, and biology to graduate. The exams will be aligned with the Pennsylvania Core Standards, the state's version of national standards called Common Core that are being adopted in most of the rest of the country, including New Jersey.Pennsylvania officials initially decided in 2010 to adopt the national Common Core but changed course, largely in response to conservative concerns over states' rights.Students who fail an exam repeatedly will be permitted to do a project on the same subject instead, and superintendents will have the authority to grant a small number of waivers. Nonetheless, the stakes are high, particularly as the state is looking to add exams for even more subjects in future years, including writing and civics.Philadelphia, mired in a crippling budget crisis that nearly stopped schools from opening on time this fall, offers perhaps the starkest example of financial needs. But it is far from alone. "Philadelphia is simply the tip of the iceberg," Democratic State Sen. Andy Dinniman of Chester County said at last month's state Board of Education meeting, where the standards and exams were approved, 13-4, over his objections. "School after school is on the brink of bankruptcy without the resources to do remediation."A 2007 state-commissioned study found that 471 of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts had less than adequate funding. The estimated cost at the time to level the playing field would have been $4.38 billion a year, including an additional $4,184 per child in Philadelphia. Nineteen other districts came out with even greater needs than the city, with the biggest gap, $6,437 per pupil, in the Reading district.No comparable study has been done since. However, in 2010, the Pennsylvania State Education Association researched the cost of remediation for every high school junior to pass the state standardized tests that preceded the Keystones - considerably easier tests than the new ones. That price tag was $300 million per year.Even wealthy suburban districts are reporting financial challenges to train their teachers and modify curriculum to align with the Pennsylvania Core Standards."There was a lot of financial cost that was unexpected, and I only can imagine school districts that don't have the resources of Lower Merion," said Wagner Marseille, assistant superintendent of the Lower Merion district. Darren Spielman, president of the Philadelphia Education Fund, is calling on the philanthropic community to step up to the plate if the state is unwilling or unable to give schools the funding needed for the new mandates. "If there aren't public dollars, we need to find the private dollars," Spielman said. "We can't ask our educators to deliver on this without giving them a fair shot on preparation."While some educators have a long list of needs, from professional development to money for remedial student tutoring, Charles Baltimore has only a few requests. Baltimore is principal of Thomas Alva Edison High School and John C. Fareira Skills Center in North Philadelphia, a high-poverty, predominantly Latino school known for its vocational programs.This year, as part of a turnaround initiative for low-performing city schools, Baltimore was granted the power to select his own staff, and he replaced half of the teachers with candidates he said he thought were better from elsewhere in the district. He is excited about the potential of his new team and eager to implement the new standards. But he has a problem in numbers: He has only 82 teachers this year, compared with 110 last year, the result of two major federal grants expiring at the same time as the city's budget crisis. Fifteen support staff positions are now 10; the school must now close its library at 11 a.m. because there is no one to supervise it later in the day. Meanwhile, student enrollment has ballooned from 1,130 to 1,310. Class sizes in some cases exceed 40, although not all are that crowded because the school serves a transient immigrant population where not all students show up consistently. Teachers are giving up their lesson-planning time to help supervise the hallways. The instructional coach has taken it upon himself to coordinate laptop distribution and technical support so that students can get extra help online, if not from a live teacher."What I need are smaller class sizes, more teachers," said Baltimore, who was his school's third principal in a year when he took over last year. He supports the idea of graduation exams in theory but says he needs classes of manageable sizes staffed by excellent teachers if his students are going to be prepared, and he needs time to phase in the requirement, as he is making up for years of inadequate instruction and assessments.If he can retain the right to hire the teachers he thinks would be most effective and remove those who are ineffective, Baltimore is confident the rest will eventually come together. Edison's instructional coach, Darryrl Johnson, said the Keystones would be a good motivator for students to focus on academics - assuming the school is in a place to sufficiently prepare them. He said students knew that the prior state assessments did not have personal consequences for them. "Now with it being a graduation requirement, if we provide all the support we can for them, they should take it seriously," said Johnson, a 15-year veteran of the school who is helping to review the city's math curriculum in light of the new standards.State leaders have been quick to point out that the Pennsylvania Core Standards are not curriculum. They are guidelines for what students need to know. For example, fourth graders should be able to "determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details." Individual school districts are free to deliver lessons on the standards in the way they feel best. There are no mandated textbooks or reading lists.That point has helped appease some conservative opponents of the standards, who want to maintain local control of schools. But in Philadelphia, where budget cuts have resulted in far fewer content specialists to develop curriculum for the district, it poses a problem.For years, the city's schools had a highly scripted curriculum that teachers said took away their creativity. Now, the situation is the opposite. "For large numbers of new teachers in overcrowded classrooms, there is little or no time . . . to turn around and be experts in curriculum development," said Jones-Johnson, the union's education director.State Board of Education members argued heatedly over fairness and equity before voting to approve the new standards and exams last month. Dinniman, who represents portions of Chester and Montgomery Counties, said the state would be "putting a stamp of failure on increasing numbers of young people." Describing a hypothetical Philadelphia ninth grader attending classes with 40 other students, he asked: "How does that kid have a chance?"But board member Kirk Hallett countered that the state must put an end to students being able to collect high school diplomas and "think they have really achieved something," only to find out that they aren't prepared for community college classes. "That to me is criminal," he said before voting in favor of the standards and exams.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Teacher Evaluations Set to Begin in Pa.

Teacher evaluations set to begin in Pa.


Teachers in Pennsylvania will soon be getting new grades.
But their students and the students’ parents won’t get to see them. The grades will be put into the hands of the state Department of Education, though.This is the first year of the new state-mandated program. Eighty-five percent of a teacher’s grade will come from in-class evaluations. The other 15 percent will come from a new set of state data on school performance.
When the program is running at full speed, the grades will combine in-class evaluations, along with district-determined and state data such as test scores, graduation progress and other measures. Teachers will receive a grade from zero, which is failing, to three, which is distinguished.
The evaluations are based on the Danielson model, which grades teachers in a four-category rubric that covers preparation, instructional delivery, classroom environment and professionalism.
The teachers will receive their grades as a personnel record, but the law mandates that the district report the results in aggregate to the state. The law was passed with the blessing of the state’s largest teachers union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Joseph Brereton, the principal at Butler Elementary School in New Britain Township, helped pilot the new evaluation system with six teachers at his school last year. The Central Bucks School District is one of several across the state involved in the pilot. Those teachers have started working with the other faculty in the building to understand the new model. He said that while the district’s old system was based on the Danielson model, all districts’ evaluations will now use the same rubric.
Brereton said the value of the new system won’t come from the data that is added, but from how the information is used to improve teacher performance in the classroom. A good administrator should recognize problems with teachers long before they are graded and work to correct those problems, he said.
“In order for (evaluations) to be effective, it can’t just be about measuring teachers and administrators at a certain period of time. It has to be about growth,” he said.
For instance, the School Performance Profile, which is a grade given to each school, makes up 15 percent of this year’s teacher evaluation grades. The teacher grades will come out in fall 2014. The School Performance Profile replaces the No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress rating for school districts this year. Those scores for the 2012-13 school year came out earlier this month for most schools in the state.
Central Bucks Superintendent David Weitzel said the release of the teacher grades the following school year isn’t a problem. He also doesn’t believe the evaluations will shift his district’s policy much and he wants to keep teachers focused on their classes, rather than just rote fulfillment of an evaluation.
“I hope for Central Bucks, it won’t have much effect at all,” he said. “We have a history of ongoing evaluation and supervision of our teachers.”
In the coming years, more data — including building-specific performance and student performance — will get plugged into teachers’ grades, lowering the percentage of the grade coming from in-class evaluations. The evaluations will also include another, locally determined, data point. Weitzel said the district hasn’t finalized its local portion, which will then need state approval.
Evaluations for principals and specialists will start in the next school year. The data for those two processes will use a model similar to teacher evaluations. Brereton said the first training for administrators starts later this month.
Rob Olson, president of the Central Bucks Education Association, said the district spent time before school started last month preparing for the new evaluation system.
“There is a certain amount of confidence among the teachers that there will not be something completely new for us, that these are the same standards that Central Bucks teachers have been held to for a long time,” he said.
Olson and Brereton both said some teachers still have questions and concerns about the system and its implementation, including about how much student data would factor into their grades.
“Anytime you implement a big new evaluation system, there is going to be a little apprehension about that just because people can be apprehensive about change,” Olson said.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Potluck #91

3rd Candidate Enters the Morrisville Mayoral Race

3rd candidate enters the Morrisville mayoral race
 
Posted: Friday, October 11, 2013 4:51 pm | Updated: 6:43 pm, Fri Oct 11, 2013.

The mayoral race in Morrisville has two official candidates on the ballot – one for each party. But three people are campaigning for the seat that oversees the town’s troubled police force.
Republican candidate Sandra Kitty Westrope, who serves as president of the local Republican Club, is facing Democrat Dave Rivella, who is trying to make the switch from council to town mayor.
In late August, the race took a turn when Bill Pepitone decided to run for mayor and started a write-in campaign, making it a three-way race.
Although he’s a Republican, he running his campaign without a party affiliation in hopes that he gets the support from all voters.
The 47-year-old retired New York police officer said he decided to run so late in the game after talking to residents who informed him of the issues facing the police department.
Since January, the small force has been without a police chief, and the search for a replacement has been ongoing for months. The department is understaffed with police officers; however the borough is seeking to hire three additional patrol officers. Beyond that, the department lacks professionalism, supervision and up-to-date guidelines, according to a recent report on the department by Frederick DeVesa, who served as interim police director but resigned abruptly after only two weeks this summer.
In his two-page resignation letter, DeVesa criticized the mayor who is not seeking re-election.
He said he tried to arrange a meeting with Mayor Rita Ledger and borough Manager Tom Bates to "resolve at least some of the issues relating to my proposed authority and duties, but (Ledger) stated that she was unwilling to 'negotiate' or delegate her proper authority and role."
Pepitone says he's the man to take charge.
“With my experience in law enforcement, I know I can clean up the Morrisville Police Department,” said Pepitone, who works part-time in the security team for New Hope-Solebury School District.
He moved from New York to Morrisville with his family in 2007.
“I’m here for the long haul,” he said. “Morrisville has much to offer. People want their community back; I want to help that happen.”
He’s currently not active in the community, but said he’s going to start because he wants to help improve the borough.
Pepitone has been giving heat to Rivella because he sits on council. Through social media, Pepitone claims local government officials haven’t done much to improve the police situation.
Rivella agrees with Pepitone that the police department needs to be cleaned up, and that’s why he’s running for mayor, he said.
“The mayor’s office and the officer in charge control the police department,” Rivella said. “Council is not permitted to circumvent the mayor’s authority regarding police matters.”
If elected, Rivella said he would “work with police and borough council to initiate reasonable solutions that the residents can afford. Officers must be given the support they need to properly care for our borough. I am the only candidate who has been privy to executive sessions and confidential information regarding the police department meaning that beginning on day one as mayor I can actively participate to begin to resolve problems within the department. Given the proper resources and having proper policies in place, morale will improve which will lead to a more cohesive department.”
Westrope, who is running for political office for the first time in the borough, said she’s running for mayor because “we need to change the way things are done in Morrisville. I’d like to change the overall environment in Morrisville into something positive. Morrisville has so much to offer. We need to work together for the greater good of the community."
Westrope, who is an active community member, said she has two goals if elected.
For one, she wants to get the police department fully staffed. Westrope would have the department undergo an evaluation and improve from there.
Additionally, she’s determined to unite Morrisville’s political arena to work for the betterment of the community, she said.
“We should be working for the same goal – what’s best for the residents,” Westrope said.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Morrisville Participates in International ‘Walk or Roll to School Day’

Sneakers and bikes get a workout as Morrisville participates in International ‘Walk or Roll to School Day’



Third-grader Hailey Zavalick and her foster-father, John Doeler participate in Walk or Roll to School Day in the Morrisville School District. Photo by Petra Chesner Schlatter
 
MORRISVILLE BOROUGH – Morrisville schools had just a little less vehicle traffic Wednesday morning, as parents accompanied their kids who were walking or riding a bike to school as part of Walk or Roll to School Day.

Morrisville School District was among the many schools and communities across Pennsylvania participating in the program to highlight walking and bicycle safety.

Pennsylvania's event is part of the country’s 17th annual observance of International Walk to School Day. October is recognized as International Walk to School Month.

PennDOT promoted the event in Pennsylvania.

Todd DuPell, dean of students for grades 4-8 for the school district, said the students were enthusiastic about walking or riding their bikes to school.

“Today, we definitely had more bikes, but I would say the biggest trend today was an increase in the number of walkers,” DuPell said before school started at 8:30 a.m. “You could tell by the number that is still trickling in.”

He noted that Morrisville is a ‘walking district’. The school district does not provide school bus transportation, with many parents driving their children to school.

DuPell stressed that the program promotes exercise and teaches students that walking or riding a bike to school helps reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.

“I also think it’s a great way to help bring families and community members together, going with the idea that it really does take a village to raise our children,” he said.

DuPell said the program is “an excellent opportunity for stay-at-home moms or dads to make the connection with their neighbors and help their neighbors out the way we did 20, 30, 40 years ago.”

This year is the first time the school district participated. The total district-wide enrollment is 1,046. Of that, 207 children attend Grandview Elementary School (grades (K-2), 304 children attend the intermediate school (grades 3-6) and 378 are in the high school (grades 7-12), according to district officials.

“I think the event went quite well,” DuPell said in the afternoon. “Administration and arrival aides noted a marked increase in the number of walkers and bike riders. It was great to see the level of parent participation as well.”

Carl Swank, 11, enthusiastically and independently parked his wheels –- both of them -- in the intermediate school bike rack.

“I’m going to try to ride every day. That way I can preserve energy,” he said. “A lot of people do use cars. There’s a lot of gas for the trees to fight off. If everyone starts riding their bike, we don’t have to worry about harming the environment with poison gas.”

Third-grader Hailey Zavalick, 8, rode her purple bike and was accompanied by her foster-father, John Doeler, who often drives her to school. He also rode a bike to school.

“Hailey wanted to ride it today to participate, because it cuts down on pollution,” he said. “It’s healthy for them to ride the bike.”

Third-grader Julie Corcoran, 8, said it made her happy to ride her bike to school because she believes strongly in helping the environment and participating in the school-wide event with her schoolmates.

Like many of the Morrisville kids, Corcoran is determined to make a difference in her life and ride her bike to school more.

“My dad drives me sometimes,” she said, noting she will try to change that habit.

PennDOT shared safety tips and other information.

“Walking or riding to school may be a fun activity for students, but keeping them safe while they do so is very important,” PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said. “That’s why we partner with schools and communities all year to educate children, caregivers and the public alike about using our roadways safely.”

To exercise safety year-round, caregivers should remind students to walk on the sidewalk, or if there is no sidewalk, to walk on the side of the road facing traffic.

PennDOT also provided a list of suggestions to ensure safe arrival to school, including crossing streets only at corners or marked crosswalks, carrying flashlights if it is dark, wearing bright colors and avoiding distractions like cell phones and headphones. For bikers, PennDot suggested riding along the right side of the road with traffic, obeying all traffic laws and wearing helmets.

Groups of adults and children can make walking or bicycling to school safer by establishing a “Walking School Bus” or “Bicycle Train” to help reinforce safety in numbers. A structured route can be planned with meeting points, a timetable, and one or more adult “drivers,” escorting a group of children to school.

Information on developing these groups can be found at PennDOT’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) website at www.SafeRoutesPA.org.

PennDOT uses a federal program to help schools and communities improve safety and promote walking and bicycling.

Over the past five years, 65 schools have received more than $350,000 for educational activities and aids such as walking programs, classroom curriculum materials, crossing guard supplies or training, and assemblies focused on bicycle safety.

In addition, PennDOT has awarded more than $18 million in federal funds to schools and municipalities for 34 infrastructure projects near elementary and middle schools. Project examples include sidewalk and curb improvements, updated signage or signals, and crosswalk or bike rack installations.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Official Miffed that Council Members Missed Meeting

Official miffed that council members missed meeting
        
Posted: Monday, October 7, 2013 3:15 pm | Updated: 8:58 pm, Mon Oct 7, 2013.

Morrisville Councilwoman Eileen Dreisbach is calling out council members who are not attending their assigned committee meetings.
The issue bubbled up when council President Nancy Sherlock and councilmen Jeffrey Johnson and Todd Sanford missed a Sept. 16 joint Morrisville Borough Council/Morrisville School Board meeting to discuss recent reports of attempted child abductions.As a result, district officials were left to meet with the public by themselves.
The primary focus of the meeting was the borough’s untimely notification to the district of the alleged abduction attempts.
Dreisbach strongly believes her fellow council members are failing in their obligation to regularly attend committee meetings created to help improve the borough. As a result, she said at a recent council meeting, community progress is falling by the wayside.
Borough council members participate in eight committees including finance, emergency services, public works, policy, arts and events, and the vacant property review committee.
Johnson addressed his absence from the meeting. Usually, school board Director Wanda Kartal sends meeting confirmations to committee members, he said. This time, she didn’t, leading the three council members to believe there wasn’t a meeting.
But the meeting did happen. School board President Damon Miller and Kartal went through the agenda.
“We are supposed to be the liaisons for both groups,” Kartal said. “When (council members) didn’t show up at the meeting, it made people angry.”
The joint committee meets once a month to discuss issues that overlap between the borough and district.
The six-member committee includes council members Sherlock, Johnson and Sanford, as well as school board members Miller, Kartal and John DeWilde.
That she didn’t send a meeting confirmation is no excuse for Kartal.
Joint committee meeting dates have been scheduled since December and are posted on the district’s website, Kartal said.
“These (meetings) have been planned. They have been scheduled all year,” she said, adding that the joint committee is the district’s liaison to the police through the borough’s council members.
“(The school board) doesn’t have any ill will towards council … (but) we need the borough and board to work together,” Kartal said.
Sherlock said that rather than talking to council members the district would be best served contacting the police department or Ledger regarding safety issues because the council had not received any information about alleged abduction reports.
The joint committee isn't the only committee taking heat from Dreisbach. Two others were either underfunded or completely ignored by the council, she said.
The borough’s recreation board was disbanded four months ago due to a lack of funds and the economic development committee has yet to report to the council this year, Dreisbach said.
However, Sherlock said that the recreation board was only temporarily put on hold.
Each year, Morrisville council makes appointments to committee vacancies, which sometimes can cause spats among council members.
Dreisbach was adamant that her critiques are not political, as she is not running for re-election in the fall municipal election.
“I’m not doing this to get re-elected. I’m not running. There is no hidden agenda, I just want to make an impact in the community,” she said.