Web Site

http://www.1ststepfornpsd.com/

New Web Site Up And Running

Here is our new web site.  It will be updated along with our Facebook page, and email address (firststepfornpsd@yahoo.com )
This current blog page will no longer be used.

School Board Action Meeting - October 13

There is a School Board Action Meeting, October 13, 2011, at 7:30pm in the ESC.

School Board Meeting Cancelled (Again)

For the 5th time, in 10 months, the school board has cancelled its work session.

Please Help 1st S.T.E.P.

We are just a little more than 5 weeks from November 8, 2011.  We appreciate everyone talking about us and spreading the word about our effort.  We are also thankful for the financial support that we have been given.  Donors may not realize where their donations go.  With the 1st STEP campaign, we are trying to get as much information out to the public as we can.  With over 40,000 taxpayers covering 9 municipalities, it is an expensive and time consuming task.

With donations we have recieved so far, we have printed yard signs, and a lot of palm cards which contain information about our campaign.  We hand these cards out at all the public functions that we attend.  There is one more area that we would like to tackle, mailers to the taxpayers.  We anticipate the current school board members to bombard mailboxes with as many as three mailers.  These mailers are important as they reach the voters who may not read local newspapers, taxpayers who may not have children in school, or simply have no idea how our tax money is being spent.  We currently have two cards designed but needed to be printed, then mailed.  There is no doubt how important this task is to our campaign.

If you have met us at any of our appearances, you already know the hope and change we want to bring to North Penn.  We need to reach everyone else.


To support the candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign, contributions are appreciated and can be sent to:

(make checks payable to "Step Up For North Penn")

Step Up For North Penn
c/o 301 South 4th St.
North Wales, PA 19454

Thank you so much for your support.

North Penn School Board vs. Right To Know

So, what is it like trying to find out information from the North Penn School District/Board?  First, you have a suspicion raised.  Then you fill out the Right To Know form with the District office.  Then you get denied.  You appeal with the state.  The district then "sort of" satisfies the state's judgement and expects the claimant to drop the appeal.  The claimant knows that the answer has not been completed properly, and continues the appeal.  The state then makes it clear to the district that it is to provide the information.
You must go through all of this effort to find information that is supposed to have easy, public access.  Mr. Malin filed his request on August 10, 2011.  The final determination was made by the state, in favor of Mr. Malin, on September 23, 2011.  The district has 30 days to provide the information, complete as requested.  Here is a copy of the file:

FINAL DETERMINATION Michael Malin (the "Requester") submitted a request (the "Request") to the North Penn School District ("District") seeking financial records pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101 et seq., ("RTKL"). The District denied the Request, stating that the requested information has not been audited and that the District does not release unaudited financial statements. The Requester appealed to the Office of Open Records ("OOR"). For the reasons set forth in this Final Determination, the appeal is granted in part and dismissed as moot in part and the District is required to take further action as directed. FACTUAL BACKGROUND On August 10, 2011, the Request was filed, seeking
Current asset and liability statements
Current government fund statements2
A list of financial statements prepared by and for the District including a schedule of their preparation if such exists
The basic financial statements referred to in the notes which [the District supplied in response to a previous request]
On August 17, 2011, the District denied the Request, stating
The information you are requesting has not been audited as of this date, and … [the] District does not publish any unaudited financial statements. Copies of the audited statements will not be available on the … District website until December 2011 following the audit of the 2010-2011 financial information for the district, the preparation of the auditor’s report and the Board of School Directors’ approval of such.
On August 26, 2011, the Requester appealed to the OOR, challenging the denial and stating grounds for disclosure. The OOR invited both parties to supplement the record. On September 2, 2011, the Requester provided a statement affirming that factual content of his submissions. On September 9, 2011, the District provided correspondence with various attachments indicating that the District provided unaudited financial information to the Requester. The District also provided a copy of the provided statements and a notarized affidavit from its Right-to-Know Officer indicating that these statements were forwarded to the Requester. After the record closed, the Requester submitted an additional statement. Because it was received after the record closed, it was not considered. LEGAL ANALYSIS The RTKL is "designed to promote access to official government information in order to prohibit secrets, scrutinize the actions of public officials and make public officials accountable for their actions."
appeals officer is required "to review all information filed relating to the request" and may consider testimony, evidence and documents that are reasonably probative and relevant to the matter at issue. 65 P.S. § 67.1102(a)(2). An appeals officer may conduct a hearing to resolve an appeal. The decision to hold a hearing or not hold a hearing is discretionary and non-appealable.
The District is a local agency subject to the RTKL that is required to disclose public records. 65 P.S. § 67.302. Records in possession of a local agency are presumed public unless exempt under the RTKL or other law or protected by a privilege, judicial order or decree.
Section 708 of the RTKL clearly places the burden of proof on the public body to demonstrate that a record is exempt. In pertinent part, Section 708(a) states: "(1) The burden of proving that a record of a Commonwealth agency or local agency is exempt from public access shall be on the Commonwealth agency or local agency receiving a request by a preponderance of the evidence." 65 P.S. § 67.708(a). Preponderance of the evidence has been defined as "such proof as leads the fact-finder … to find that the existence of a contested fact is more probable than its nonexistence."
Ass’n v. Scolforo
In the present case, the District does not dispute that the requested records are subject to public access, and, accordingly, provided the Requester with some responsive records. As a result, the appeal is moot as to the records already provided. The District, however, did not allege it provided all responsive records within its possession. Because the Request seeks additional financial records, the District is required to provide all responsive records not previously provided.
The OOR is mindful that an agency cannot produce records that do not exist within its "possession, custody or control" and, accordingly, is not ordering the creation of any records listed in the Request. Absent an agency’s provision of a sufficient evidentiary basis as to whether all responsive records have been provided, however, the OOR will order the disclosure of responsive public records. Bowling v. OOR, 990 A.2d 813, 824 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2010), appeal granted 15 A.3d 427 (Pa. 2011). The OOR is authorized to hear appeals for all Commonwealth and local agencies. See 65 P.S. § 67.503(a). An 3 Id.; Giurintano v. Dep’t of Gen. Servs., 20 A.3d 613, 617 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2011). Here, neither party requested a hearing and the OOR has the necessary, requisite information and evidence before it to properly adjudicate the matter. See 65 P.S. § 67.305. Upon receipt of a request, an agency is required to assess whether a record requested is within its possession, custody or control and respond within five business days. 65 P.S. § 67.901. An agency bears the burden of proving the applicability of any cited exemptions. See 65 P.S. § 67.708(b). Pa. State Troopers , 18 A.3d 435, 439 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2011) (quoting Dep’t of Transp. v. Agric. Lands Condemnation Approval Bd., 5 A.3d 821, 827 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2010)). See generally Sindaco v. City of Pittston, OOR Dkt. AP 2010-0778, 2010 PA O.O.R.D. LEXIS 755; Schaefer v. Delaware County, OOR Dkt. AP 2010-0752, 2010 PA O.O.R.D. LEXIS 735. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, Requester’s appeal is

rules as per Section 1303 of the RTKL. This Final Determination shall be placed on theOOR website at: http://openrecords.state.pa.us.

FINALDETERMINATION ISSUED AND MAILED:September 23, 2011

APPEALS OFFICER

J. CHADWICK SCHNEE, ESQ.
Sent to:Michael Malin; RobertIannozzi, Jr., Esq.
5granted in part and dismissed as moot in part and the District is required to provide the Requester with all responsive records other than those already provided within thirty (30) days. This Final Determination is binding on all parties. Within thirty (30) days of the mailing date of this Final Determination, any party may appeal to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. 65 P.S. § 67.1302(a). All parties must be served with notice of the appeal. The OOR also shall be served notice and have an opportunity to respond according to court 5 . 4 IN THE MATTER OF :
:
MICHAEL MALIN, :
Complainant :
: Docket No.: AP 2011-1146
v. :
:
NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT, :
Respondent :
INTRODUCTION

1st STEP Schedule For The Week Of October 2nd

Monday - Meet And Greet Organized by 1st STEP supporter (RSVP required)
Tuesday - School Board meeting at the ESC at 7:30pm
Wednesday - Parent and NPSD Staff public forum at 7pm at the North Wales Library, open to the public
Friday - First Friday in Lansdale, corner of Broad and Main Streets

School Board Trivia

Interesting fact about your current school board:

Voting pattern from March of 2010 to August 2011:

2657 (supporting a motion) to 26 (against) in more than 200 motions, mostly unanimous

47 hours (2820 minutes) of executive session for board meetings.  There were 32 board meetings held during this time, of which 55% of the time was spent in executive session.  The community of the North Penn School District only sees what the school board wants it to see.

NP Victory, Autumn Fest, Founders Day

North Penn Defeats CB East

Autumn Festival at Windlestrae Park

Karate Demonstration By Corsello's Kenpo Karate at the Autumn Festival

A friend at the Autumn Festival

K9 Demonstration at the Autumn Festival

Founders Day In Lansdale

Octoberfest in Lansdale

Founders Day Fireworks (view from the NP ESC)

Meet Your Candidates

Carolyn Murphy

Suzan Leonard

Paul Edelman

Alex Ryabin

Tina Stoll

The Candidates of 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn School District

Remember to Vote - November 8, 2011

Strong Arm Of Politics In Schools

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20110925_Strong_arm_of_Phila__politics.html

Sounds similar to another local school district.

The Election Draws Near

On behalf of the 1st STEP campaign, thank you everyone for your support.  This has been such an amazing time for us.  This past week alone, we attended several meetings and events throughout the district.

As Election Day draws near, just a little more than six weeks, you can expect alot of news from us, and alot more appearances.

Special Bus Meeting

Due to the multiple complaints that the district has received in regards to busing issues, there will be a special meeting to discuss busing concerns, tomorrow, Monday, at 7pm in the ESC.

Where We've Been/Where We're Going

We are starting to get that rush, like we had just weeks before the primary.  So much to do, so little time.  I am proud to be a member of our campaign with Suzan, Carolyn, Alex, and Tina.  We juggle our personal, family, and employment schedules with campaigning.  The NPSD is such a large territory, and we are doing our best to reach as far as we can.

We had three meetings this week; a meet and greet, a strategy meeting, and a school board meeting.  Tonight's main discussion revolved around the bus fiasco.

On to more pleasant things.  The Upper Gwynedd Carnival is this weekend with Fireworks both Friday and Saturday.  Towmencin Environmental Fest is Saturday at Fischer's Park,  Also, Knight of Sound is Saturday.  Keep an eye out for any number of our candidates walking about.  Of course, weather provided.

One final thing, if you know any families that might be interested in attending our Parent Forum on October 5th, please have them contact me for details.

Paul Edelman

1st STEP Candidate

Bus Article From The Intelligencer

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/school-districts-are-struggling-with-new-transportation-plan/article_a559029c-a74f-5561-bc32-9cc0a0e06b24.html

7 Weeks To Go!

7 weeks to go until one of the biggest days in NPSD history.  NPSD is one of the largest school districts in the state, covering nine municipalities.  There is so much to do in this little period of time.  We want to meet you.  We want to know your concerns.  Please consider sending us your comments or questions (anonymously if you feel the need to do so), and we will gladly share our responses for all to see in all of our media outlets.  Please contact firststepfornpsd@yahoo.com.  Thank you.

School Board/District And Solicitor Do Not Believe In Voter's Right To Information

The candidates of 1st STEP, attempted to meet with Home & School Associations to provide an open forum, never requesting any donations from them, nor lobbying for their votes, simply to provide information on the upcoming election.  The district/school board did not like this, and had the taxpayer paid solicitor issue a warning to H&S's not to meet with the candidates.  So much for your rights as a voter to be informed.

Mr. Dooley cited an IRS code for tax exempt organizations, and threatened the possible loss by having us meet with the H&S's.  This was intimidation at its highest, and also inaccurate information.  We made sure that we met the exceptions with the H&S's that penalities did not occur.

Bus Driver Problems Clearing Up

It looks like bus concerns are finally getting resolved.  Clearly, the district was not prepared for this issue.  The district blames the problems on the consortium, but there were many other problems.  Enough to hire 5 drivers from Macungie at $125 per day.  How much did NP pay for drivers before?

Make Your Vote Count - Get Informed

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20110917_Exercising_constitutional_rights_requires_much_more_than_voting.html

1st S.T.E.P. at the Culture Festival in Upper Gwynedd

1st S.T.E.P. Candidates Active In Your Area

Tomorrow, candidates from the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign, will be knocking on doors to introduce themselves to voters in Montgomery Township.  Also tomorrow, candidates will be at the Cultural Festival at Park Place in Upper Gwynedd.
Candidates will also be attending Meet and Greets throughout the area.
Finally, there is a school board action meeting on Thursday, 7:30pm in the ESC.

Fewer Teachers, Larger Classes

http://www.phillyburbs.com/ap/state/pa-schools-survey-fewer-teachers-larger-classes/article_94cdead6-eccf-5c9f-9a64-ce8d88d500c9.html

School Board Action Meeting - September 22

There is a School Board Action meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd, at 7:30pm, in the ESC.

Where Can You Meet Candidates of 1st S.T.E.P.?

This Saturday, candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign will be walking around Montgomery Township.  Later in the early afternoon, candidates will be at the Cultural Day event at Park Place in Upper Gwynedd.

Suzan Leonard Bio

My name is Suzan Leonard, a 24 year resident of Upper Gwynedd and a practicing attorney specializing in Family Law.  North Wales is where I have owned and operated my law practice for fourteen years in a charming house, built over 200 years ago.  My three sons attended North Penn School District where I was a parent volunteer, serving as Vice President of the North Wales Elementary Home and School Association and as Treasurer of the North Penn Coordinating Council.  As an active parent volunteer with North Penn Theatre I helped by serving dinner for 70-80 students, the parents and teachers involved with the shows  and also helped with the North Penn Music Program.  Part of this job also involved measuring  for gowns and tuxedo's for the choruses.

I am a member of the Montgomery Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association,  the Family Law Section of the Montgomery Bar Association, the North Wales Boro Business Association and the Montgomeryville NBI.  As a member of the North Wales Area Library Board, I helped complete a successful transition from a one room library in the basement of a school into a spacious learning and community center.  After successfully chairing the committees responsible for the Annual Library Gala and Annual Golf Outing two years in a row and despite retiring from the Board, I am continuing on as one of the chairpersons of the Fund Raising Committee.  I also serve as a Democratic Committee Person for Upper Gwynedd.

Busing Issues

The Reporter recently ran a story of major busing concerns with High School students.  The fact is, there are problems at all school levels.  The following is a copy of an email sent to our campaign from a frustrated and concerned parent.  An attempt was made by telephone and email, with no response from the district.

"Marianne Cleary,

I had left you a voicemail last week, but I have not yet heard back from you.  My wife and I would like to have a Penndale bus stop added to Church Road in North Wales.  We live on Church Rd., near Kneedler Rd.  The closest current bus stop is located on Church Rd, at the Pennbrooke Apts across from Becker Rd.  The location of the current stop seems inappropriate for the location of our house.

The current stop requires our daughter,  (12), to deal with too many unsafe options.  If she crosses Church Rd at Kneedler, she is crossing a busy road at rush hour with no cross walk, or crossing guard.  When she gets to the other side, she lands on private property with no sidewalk.  If she walks down our side of Church Rd, then crosses at Becker, she is walking the entire distance through residential yards, with no sidewalks.  She then has to cross Church Rd at an even less safe location.  If she walks down Kneedler and then down Becker, she is walking about twice as far, and again, she will have residential properties, with no sidewalks, a lot of on street parking and fast cut through traffic.

I don’t know how she is expected to make this walk twice a day, especially during, rain, snow, ice, etc.  Church Rd also has multiple SEPTA bus stops between our house and the current NP bus stop.  These SEPTA stops are usually occupied by people who I feel are unsafe.  Church Rd also gets a lot of adult foot traffic due to the SEPTA train station nearby.  Since we are on the corner of our neighborhood, we are not familiar with most of the families on Becker Rd.  We are completely unfamiliar with the people who live in the Pennbrooke Apts.  As far as I know, she is the only student from Kneedler/Becker that is attending Penndale.  She has no other student to walk with in a safer pair.  I, my wife and my daughter are not comfortable with the distance she has to walk, the conditions of the walk and the unfamiliar surroundings. 
Please add a stop on Church Rd, at Kneedler Rd, so she can wait on the corner of Church and Kneedler, and safely cross the street with the help of the school bus STOP sign.

I look forward to hearing from you."

A Busy Day For The Candidates

Candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign started off visiting and meeting community members in Towamencin Township this morning and afternoon.

Later, 1st S.T.E.P. was respresented at Bike Night in Lansdale.

The day concluded watching North Penn beat Lansdale Catholic 36-6.

It was great getting to meet so many people and have so many different conversations.

The Candidates of 1st S.T.E.P.

(from left to right) Alex Ryabin, Tina Stoll, Suzan Leonard, Carolyn Murphy, Paul Edelman.

School Board Meeting Cancelled/NPEA Clarification

The School Board work session scheduled for Tuesday has been cancelled.  This makes the second work session in 3 months cancelled.  The following committees have also cancelled their meetings in the last several months:

Education/Community/Policy        July and August
Finance                                     August
Support                                     May, June, July
Personnel and Safe Schools schedules are not posted

In spite of all of these cancellations, decisions were voted on at the Action Meetings, mostly without discussion or public information, mostly with unanimous votes.  ECP, Finance, and Support do not meet again before the next Action Meeting.  If you would like to know, how things are handled in the school district, without any discussion, come to the next Action Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 22nd.

Finally, 1st S.T.E.P. would like to provide this clarification: The NPEA recommendation of Tina Stoll was made to their membership. Tina went through their PACE questionaire and interview process. The other 1st Step Candidates went through this process in the spring.

School Board Work Session

The is a School Board work session, on Tuesday, September 13th, at 7:30, in the ESC. Questions that should be asked...


Why was there last minute "back door" redistricting? Affected families were given only two weeks notice their children would be shifted to other schools. This situation was known for at least 3 months.

Why were there so many problems with busing the first week of school when a consulting firm was hired and paid a lot of money to fix a system that was not broken?

A lot of taxpayer money was spent rennovating Crawford Stadium. When is it going to be able to be counted on for use reliably? Why hasn't the fallen light tower been replaced yet?

Is it true that Home and Schools, school staff and administrators are being directed to refuse invitations to meet candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign?

Tina Stoll Recommended By NPEA-PACE

The NPEA-PACE (Political Action Committee for Education) is pleased to announce the recommendation of Tina Stoll for North Penn School Board.  Tina was appointed by the North Penn Democratic Committee to replace Ashanur Rahman on the ticket after he withdrew from the race due to personal reasons.  Tina has been involved on many levels with the North Penn School District—she is the proud parent of three North Penn graduates, was active in the home and school associations at both Gwyn-Nor and Bridle Path, and served as President of the Twelfth Knight booster organization during the time that her sons played football for North Penn.  Tina appreciates all that North Penn has done for her family and shares our vision for the district’s continued success in the future.  We are pleased to recommend her candidacy along with the other four 1^st Step Candidates Carolyn Murphy, Suzan Leonard, Paul Edelman and Alex Ryabin.

Congratulations To Paul Edelman From Joe Sestak

Dear Paul,

Congratulations on your recent victory in the primary!  I believe anyone who chooses to run for public office is taking such an important step to help better his or her community, and for that I thank you.  Being a public servant takes courage and dedication, and you are undoubtedly a person that brings both the needed values and skills to the duties of public service.  I know from my recent Senate run that, especially today, our communities, state and nation need accountable and principled leaders.  Thank you for doing this service for us!

Again, my sincerest congratulations and I wish you the best as you keep working towards Election Day, and a victory for the people!

Warmly,
Joe Sestak

Allyson Y. Schwartz Endorsement

Candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign:

Carolyn Murphy
Suzan Leonard
Paul Edelman
Alex Ryabin
Tina Stoll

All are endorsed by U.S. Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz.
http://schwartz.house.gov/

Josh Shapiro/Leslie Richards Endorsement

Candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign:

Carolyn Murphy
Suzan Leonard
Paul Edelman
Alex Ryabin
Tina Stoll

All are endorsed by Montgomery County Commisioner Candidates Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards.
http://www.shapirorichards.com/

North Penn Democratic Committee Endorsement

Candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign:

Carolyn Murphy
Suzan Leonard
Paul Edelman
Alex Ryabin
Tina Stoll

All are endorsed by the North Penn Democratic Committee.
http://www.northpenndems.org/

Contributions To 1st S.T.E.P.

To support the candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign, contributions are appreciated and can be sent to:

(make checks payable to "Step Up For North Penn")

Step Up For North Penn
c/o 301 South 4th St.
North Wales, PA  19454

Parents Forum

There will be a forum on October 5th, at 7pm, at the North Wales Public Library.  The topics of this particular forum will be directed towards concerns of parents of North Penn School District children.

There is no charge to attend this informational session, and R.S.V.P. is suggested, though not required.

Octoberfest - September 24

Come Saturday, September 24, from 3-6 to celebrate the beginning of Octoberfest with the Candidates of 1st STEP.  Octoberfest will be at the home of Carolyn and Paul Murphy.  There will be food, drink, music, and fun.  $20 per person/$35 per couple.  RSVP by September 19 at pmmurphy693@aol.com. 

Meet N Greets

Election Day is November 8th, 2011.  Do you know who is running for North Penn School Board Director?  Do you know what the candidates stand for?  What about your neighbors—Do you think they are aware of the candidates and their positions? The North Penn School District is one of the largest school districts in the state, spread across nine municipalities.  This creates an enormous challenge for candidates to knock on every door before Election Day.

 

One option to maximize voter coverage is to visit Meet-n-Greets. A Meet-n-Greet is a low-key get-together, hosted by a supporter, possibly you!  You invite friends, relatives, and neighbors to your home for a couple of hours to meet with the candidates and enjoy refreshments. 

 

Getting started as a Meet-n-Greet host is simple:  Contact 1st S.T.E.P. campaign manager Bev Dodds at (http://us.mc1209.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=wd1250@verizon.net) to arrange an available date and time. Then send out invitations to everyone you know in the North Penn School District who might want to learn about the candidates. Make sure your invitees know that they will have an opportunity to question the candidates directly.

 

We sincerely appreciate your help in getting the word out about our 1st S.T.E.P. candidates. We hope to see you soon at a Meet-n-Greet!

Parent Forum October 5, 7pm, North Wales Library

Dear Home and School Executive Board Member,
Please pass this invitation along to all of your families. This invitation is open to all parents of students in the North Penn School District and meets all requirements of school district policies and regulations.

• •  We the candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. (Students and Taxpayers Expect Progress) campaign are inviting all parents of children attending the North Penn School District to a special forum on October 5, 2011, at the North Wales Library at 7 pm.
    
    Please be assured that school district policy and regulations allow Home and School Associations and parents to attend this type of forum, without retaliation.
    
    There have been so many changes in the district over the last several years. Tensions have increased between the school board and district parents. We would like to ask for just a little of your time, to come meet our candidates and raise your concerns about what you expect from your school board.
    
    We value your input. We respect the voice that you have for your children in the district. We want to foster a collaboration with the parents and Home and Schools to offer better cooperation and support.
    
    On Election Day, November 8th, the parents of the North Penn School District, nearly 13,000 of you, can make the difference.
    
    Come and meet the 5 candidates of the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign: Carolyn Murphy, Suzan Leonard, Alex Ryabin, Paul Edelman, and Tina Stoll. Please come and see for yourself who we are and what our priorities will be as your new school board directors.
    
    If you have any questions, please contact Bev Dodds at wd1250@verizon.net. We look forward to meeting you and answering your questions on October 5!

Meet N Greet With The Edelmans

1st STEP Candidate Paul Edelman, and his wife Wendy, are opening their home for a Meet-n-Greet on Sunday, October 23, from 2-4pm.

Come meet most if not all of the candidates.  Bring friends, family, neighbors.  Be able to speak with the candidates one on one.

Call 610-222-0697 for more details.

Bike Night

Come to Bike Night in Lansdale on September 10.  Meet the candidates of the 1st STEP campaign.

North Penn Answers - Edition 3

Here is the link to the new edition of North Penn Answers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_wS5U2RIJI

Also, here is the rebuttal from the NPEA:

North Penn Answers: Episode 3
During the first 3:20 of this episode, Mr. Sherpinsky provides background on the Act 1 Taxpayer Relief Act signed into law on June 27, 2006.
REAL TRUTH—Mr. Sherpinsky provides a detailed explanation about Pennsylvania’s Act 1. It is important to note that Act 1 will limit tax increases in the future regardless of who serves on the board of school directors. It is also important to note that while the Act 1 index ceiling was 1.4% for the 2010-2011 school year, this board chose to implement a 0% increase—a decision that will handicap the district for many years to come. A 1.4% increase in school taxes would have generated over $2 million dollars for the district last year and for EVERY school year going forward. Mr. Sherpinsky correctly projects the 2011-2012 Act 1 increase at under 1 percent. The truth is that ANY future school board will have difficulty generating the necessary revenues to maintain programs and staff.
At 2:52-Mr. Sherpinsky discusses Act 1 exceptions at 3:16 stating, "North Penn has never applied for the Act 1 exceptions because we didn’t need it."
REAL TRUTH—In the fall of 2010, the NPSD business manager strongly advised that the district apply for the Act 1 exceptions for 2010-2011. Exceptions were available for both pension contributions and special education costs. Evidently the board chose to ignore his advice. There is support in the state legislature to remove these exceptions for future budget seasons. Another opportunity to generate revenue for maintaining programs and staff may have been lost.
At 4:53-Sherpinsky states that, "The impact for Act 1 was the introduction of competition for tax dollars for education. These limits mean that there is only so much money for education."
REAL TRUTH—The NPSB has NEVER taxed the community up to or over the Act 1 limit. There has always been money left on the table every budget year since the implementation of Act 1.
At 5:34-Sherpinsky states that, "This board takes a hard line against increasing any spending that doesn’t improve the quality of education."
REAL TRUTH—According to reporting in The Intelligencer, the board spent $224,000 in taxpayer money on legal fees, dozens of newspaper ads and mailers, and the hiring of a PR consultant on a monthly retainer during the 2010 teacher contract negotiations. The board currently employs three different law firms to represent their interests on labor issues and negotiations. The only hard line this board takes is against its own teaching staff, the very people who actually do improve the quality of education in the district.
At 7:04-Dr. Dietrich reviews the district process for evaluating vacancies in the district.
REAL TRUTH—Of the over 40 teaching vacancies this year created by retirements or resignations, only one new permanent teacher was hired from outside the district for this coming school year. Over 70 teaching positions have been eliminated over the last two years due to "living with vacancies."
At 11:03 Mr. Sullivan addresses a question about the loss of a guidance counselor position at Pennfield stating that staffing, "….is within the PA state counselor ratio guidelines and has been deemed adequate."
REAL TRUTH— Do we now simply aspire to be "adequate?" Further questions follow: PA state counselor guidelines from whom? What is the ratio to which you are referring? Are we at the top or the bottom? How do we compare with other districts in our region?
At 11:57-Mr. Sullivan continues to address the issue reading the following graphic, "Pennfield will have a contracted counselor from Northwestern 1.5 days per week to conduct group sessions, provide staff development and see students individually."
REAL TRUTH---Mr. Sullivan admits in this statement and graphic that outside counseling services will be needed at Pennfield due to the reduction in staff. Furthermore, this contract with Northwestern represents the outsourcing of work that should be performed by our staff, a violation of our collective bargaining agreement with the school district. For more information, please visit the NPEA website at www.npennea.org
"The REAL Truth"

SAVE THE DATE - SEPTEMBER 24, 2011 3:00PM

The Price of Cuts and Not Enough Teachers

Next week, North Penn finds out how well the cuts that have been made and how the losses in staff the district has taken, will affect the students. I would like to tell you about two of the students and their mother and the immense impact this is having, and is going to have.

The mother, a recent widow, whose children still grieve the loss of their father, have been forced from the elementary school they've attended from the beginning to attend another school in the district.. The reasons? Class size. No one will argue, class sizes in North Penn are tight everywhere. Please understand, this is not about class size, or even redistricting.

The mother applied for the students to attend their elementary school back in March. The school district notified her last week that they were going to be moving her children. As if this weren't bad enough for her children to endure, because of their age, she must find "before" and "after" school care. Less than two weeks before school starts, she must find this care. The school that her children are being sent to, has this care, but it is booked full and has a waiting list. And transportation does not pick up from the affordable daycare she currently has.

This family has had enough to go through. The children have finally started to come to terms with the loss of their father. This is not about "making new friends". This is about taking consistency and security from two children who lost it all. This is all because the school board has not planned well at all for the school district population. Their solution is to regulary just shift children around.

To the members of the school board, and Dr. Dietrich, if you were aware that this possibility existed, as I believe you did, you owed this family more notification than less than two weeks to prepare. You knew of this possibility back in May. She applied for the transfer in March. And how are you helping this family deal with this last minute notification? You aren't. Is this what our families have to look forward to when you start plans to redistrict in 2012?

Meet 1st S.T.E.P. Candidate Tina Stoll

NPHS (1983)

Penn State (1986)  BS in Accounting

 

My husband and I have 3 sons that went through the NPSD from kindergarten through high school.  Our oldest son, graduated from Columbia University this past year and our two younger sons attend Temple University.  The education and experiences that they had at North Penn are what allowed them to get into the schools of their choice.  I am grateful to North Penn for the education that they received and would like to see the opportunities that were offered to my children, continue to be offered to other students coming up.

 

I volunteered at the schools while my sons were growing up, and in particular, I volunteered with the 12th Knight Football booster club at the high school.  I was the treasurer for 2 years and the president for 5 years.  I oversaw a period of tremendous growth and participation in the organization.  During this time, I got to work with the coaching staff, hundreds of student-athletes (there are an average 120 players on the team every year), player's parents, and the staff at the high school.

 

My role with the 12th Knights has allowed me to gain hands on experience in working with students, teachers, and administrators, and to develop relationships with each that allow me to communicate with them.  It is my intention to use the relationships that I have developed over the years to manage issues that arise in our district, and deal with them in a manner that continues North Penn's history of excellence.  I believe that the role of School Board official requires a person who has personal ties to the district, and has spent their time generating the relationships critical to overseeing the business of the district.

New Candidate Announced For 1st STEP Campaign

After interviewing several interested applicants, The North Penn Democratic Committee has approved Tina Stoll of Montgomery Township as part of the 1^st STEP slate. She joins Suzan Leonard, Caroline Murphy, Paul Edelman and Alex Ryabin.

Tina had been reviewed by the other 1^st STEP candidates, Bev Dodds-campaign manager, and the North Penn Democratic Committee. The consensus was that Tina is a good fit for the current team.

Tina was approved August 23, 2011 by Democratic committee people.

Thank you,

Bev Dodds

Campaign manager of 1^st Step slate

Busing

It appears Edulog did not produce the accurate records needed to produce the new and "improved" bus routes. An enormous amount of bus routes have been eliminated, but implementation is not working. It is less than two weeks to the start of school, and parents still need to make arrangements to get their children on and off of the bus. Why are the majority fo the details such as class size and busing, not dealt with back in June or July at the latest

Classroom Assignments

It has been asked "what's the big deal about class assignments not being posted before the weekend of school beginning?" Classes were already being put together long ago, but as the districts wastes time realizing that they are short staffed, teachers and students end up being moved. This week, a family learned that her two young children were being moved to another elementary school. While the move is unfortunate for the children for certain, in less than a week, the parents must find a new daycare alternative, as the new school's before and after care is full. There is a lot to be done as the year approaches, without adding this stress to a situation already causing pain. The family put the application in, in March, but less than two weeks to the start of school, she is denied

Reassessment Appeals

 The school board for years has been talking about appealing reassessments. They tried with JC Penny and the Montgomery Mall, and lost, big. Now, the school board is going to try 26 more businesses. I could question, why the item was not placed on the agenda prior to the past Action meeting. I could ask why there was no discussion from the board members prior to voting 7-0 in favor without any details being revealed to the board. I could assume, these details were discussed in the executive session prior to the action meeting. But my question will be, why make the taxpayer go through the superintendant's office via "right to know" to obtain the information? The Intelligencer had the information ready for print the next day. Why was this not revealed on camera for NPTV taxpayers to see for themselves. And why were the taxpayers paying Mr. Dooley to give the interview on this process? Acting President Josephine Charnock was available that evening to give the interview, just as any other sitting board president.

Less than a month after bragging about not raising taxes, they announce the intent to appeal corporate reassessments. While it is the correct thing to do, ultimately, it will result in the same thing as taxes being raised. The costs by the companies will be passed on to the consumer. Governor Corbett did the same thing. Promised not to raise taxes, then cut education throwing it in the laps of the school districts, still able to brag that he didn't raise taxes.

All I know is, my shoes are wet. Someone told me it was raining, but all I see is clear skies. It's not rain.

Lawrence O'Donnell Opinion Piece

This is an opinion piece from Lawrence O'Donnell in support of teachers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwq6pkxiQdQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

North Penn Answers - Edition 2 and NPEA Response

North Penn School Board Members Joe Sullivan and Vince Sherpinsky are broadcasting their second forum called North Penn Answers which can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTQ8_wMQT5c

The NPEA has issued their response and can be found at the following link:

http://npea.psealocals.org/

Meet The Candidates Of 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn

Alex Ryabin

• Party: Democratic
• Occupation: IT Program Manager
• Over 10 years experience in authoring governance and steering committee processes.
• Proven track record of successfully executing large, multi-million dollar projects, contract negotiations and fiscal responsibility.
• B.A., University of Pennsylvania - 1991
• Parent of two children attending the North Penn School District.
• Former chess intructor at the Lansdale Public Library.
• Odyssey of Mind Judge - 2006-2009.

Suzan G. Leonard

I have been a resident of Upper Gwynedd for over 24 years. 

I am a single parent having raised three sons who have all graduated from the North Penn School District and have gone on to college and Masters Programs.  While my children were attending school I was very active in the home and schools, coordinating council and various other volunteer positions.

I am an attorney specializing in Family Law and Wills and Estates with my principal place of business in North Wales.  I have practiced law since 1984.

I am very active in the Community having helped transpose the North Wales Area Library from a one-room library to a magnificent 10,000 square foot library and Community Center.  I am responsible for raising thousands of dollars for that facility.  I was a former member of the Library Board and now a member of the Friends of the Library. 

I am a Democratic Committee person for Upper Gwynedd.  I have also cross-filed under the Republican Party for this election.

Carolyn Murphy

Democratic Party, Cross-filed under Republican Party

Age:  65

B.A. University of Colorado German  M.Eq. Linguistics West Chester Univ.

Retired teacher

Son had attended and graduated from the North Penn School District

I would like to see the students in North Penn continue to have a quality education.

I would like to see a more "user friendly" board and have a district that everyone's rowing together

for our children.  We should always be good role models.

It will be challenging with today's climate but it can be done.

Paul Edelman, Jr.

I am 45 years old and have lived in Upper Gwynedd for more than a decade.  I am married with two young daughters who attend elementary school in the North Penn School District.  I am employed at Merck for fourteen years where for the last eleven years, I have worked as an Assistant Laboratory Technician.  I am a member of the Olweus Anti-bully Committee at my daughters' elementary school.  I also serve on the school's Home And School Association.

Simply put, our childrens' education must not be sacrificed.  While I do not agree with the latest events affecting schools, I do believe we can all get through this crisis.  I honestly believe this can be done.  I have the  passion, the interest, the determination, and the courage to do so.  Fighting cancer is one of the toughest challenges of unknowns that anyone can go through.  I used the same characteristics just mentioned to beat my own battle with cancer, over twenty-one years ago.

I am a registered Democrat, but I have also cross-filed under the Republican Party for this election.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at:  pedelmanjr@yahoo.com

Where Does 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn Stand?

'OUR CHILDREN, OUR COMMUNITY =  OUR FUTURE

IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE

What are the priorities of the "First Step Candidates?"

• Our TOP priority is our children's education.  Stop the cuts.  Work within a REAL budget.  Find solutions to make what we have work.

• To understand that excellent schools are the most important ingredient for successful communities

• To ensure respect for our children, their teachers and our parents.  Bullying at all levels from our board to our children is a problem

•  To empower taxpayers with a major role in determing our tax burden and educational priorities and programs

• To pump fresh ideas and synergy into a seemingly deflated balloon

On November 8, vote Ryabin, Leonard, Murphy,  and Edelman for North Penn School Board Director

Rock The Vote

The candidates of 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn School District want to remind you to come out, and Rock The Vote For North Penn School District, on Friday, August 19th, starting at 7:00pm, at the West Point Fire Company on Garfield Avenue in West Point.  Tickets are $35.00 and available at the door.  For more information, please call 484-991-8225 or email at firststepfornpsd@yahoo.com.

School Board Action Meeting - August 18

There is a scheduled School Board Action Meeting at 7:30pm, on August 18, at the ESC.

North Penn Answers and the NPEA Responds

School board member Joseph Sullivan is hosting an interview show on NPTV.  The show is called North Penn Answers.
The first edition as well as a response from the NPEA can be found at the following link:

http://npea.psealocals.org/Default.aspx?tabid=10048

North Penn Final Budget Proposal

This evening, the NPSD School Board approved a "final budget proposal".  Vince Sherpinsky made sure that those in attendance, and viewing at home were aware, that this proposal has no tax increases, no program cuts, no salary increase for the year, and is counting on some funds being restored by Gov. Corbett.  Additionally, rennovations continue to run over-budget for North Wales, and an additional cost of $250,000 (that's a quarter of a million dollars) was approved.  Just like that, a budget deficit for next year of $14.2 million dollars has disappeared.  There is no additional revenue, in fact, on the school district's website, during the May 10th meeting, it was stated:

"loss of property tax revenue of $1.4 million
  realty transfer tax is 40% ov average collections four years ago
  earned income tax flat"

Something just does not add up.  No explaination.  No discussion.  It should be noted, there was an "executive session" held prior to tonight's action meeting.

Thank you to everyone

On behalf of everyone involved with the 1st S.T.E.P. campaign, from volunteering, to donations, to voting, thank you so much for your support.

We are still waiting official tabulations, but it looks like there will be an official school board race in the North Penn School District this Fall.  Numbers show, that we will capture the Democratic votes, and while we will probably lose the Republican, we still got great numbers from that side of the ticket.

We ran a great campaign.  It was fun and great experience.  For some of us, it was out first time, and other another attempt.  But we do have a lot more work to do.  We need to get ready for the November General election.

Thank you so much.

Question - May 8, 2011

Privatization, or corporate takeover of public services is recieving increasing attention. Would you oppose efforts to allow private companies to provide the services now offered by our public school district such as custodian, transportation, or food services?

From Carolyn Murphy

Yes....It takes a Community....We need local, friendly faces in those jobs.

From Alex Ryabin

Yes. I’ve been witness to failure of several outsourcing contracts at a corporate level. The full value of outsourcing is seldom realized and necessary “in-house” resources necessary to manage the contract and provide governance are always underestimated.

From Paul Edelman

I would oppose any effort to privatize school services. While the services would be much cheaper, I believe, "you get what you pay for". With having two children in the district, I want people who will be working with my ...chidren (bus, cafeteria, custodial, etc.) to appreciate their jobs as a lifetime commitment. Not, "if our service contract doesn't work out here, we'll just be put somewhere else." We need employees who will be proud of the district they work for.

There would also be a concern of taking accountability and control of contractor employees. Our district would entrust the contractor to do the proper security checks and such. I am not willing to put my children, or anyone else's children at this risk

Multiple Questions - May 8, 2011

Do you support HB855 which would allow furloughing teachers for economic need?

From Carolyn Murphy

I do not. I don't know how one keeps this from being subjective and
political. What would the criteria be from school to school throughout this state? If the state ran the entire educational system as in Europe, it would be possible. But there are too many variances here

From Paul Edelman

 I do not support HB855. HB855 is an attack on union seniority, that is all. It will allow districts to take the large ax quickly to any deficit. The price will come at the loss of experience and skills for our children. I have personally... experience teachers in elementary grades, who for economic reasons, would be easy targets for furlough. The hopes would be that of a younger, cheaper paid teacher would have enough experience to give the children. This at best is experimental. But my children are not lab animals. They deserve to be taught by the most qualified and skilled teachers. I have seen this in my own line of work. HB855 must fail.

From Suzan Leonard

I would support HB855 if it could be implemented fairly....
Right now layoffs or furloughs can occur by declining enrollment, school closings or changes in academic programs. When these furloughs do occur, they must be by ...seniority. If there are huge budget gaps then academic programs are going to have to be re-analyzed and changes are going to have to occur. What I do not find just in the current law is that layoffs must be done by seniority. We as the challengers in this election do not have the privilege of knowing all the discussions that are occurring regarding the budget. "Are there plans to eliminate programs, which programs, are there plans for administrative furloughs, which administrators....Will there be cuts across the board...Will there be cuts at all. Can we close the gap without changes in programs. These are the questions that need to be answered.

From Alex Ryabin

For HB 855 to be effective, it must be implemented with properly thought-through and well defined criteria. The criteria should also be able to scale up and down to accommodate nearly 500 districts in Pennsylvania. Without... such criteria, it’s little more than an arbitrary override button for the any teacher contract; a quick and easy solution to a difficult problem. Such solutions rarely provide lasting solutions. Personally, I would like to see a revised HB 855 with a lot more detail. Only then could it become a viable solution.


What do you believe about teacher tenure? Is it a protection for teachers' intellectual and academic freedoms?

From Paul Edelman

Many believe tenure is about protecting teachers who do not do enough to educate our children. I do not believe this. A little more than a month ago, even Dr. Dietrich spoke during a live internet chat, that teachers can... be terminated for poor performance regardless of tenure. There are steps to deal with teachers who do not provide necessary scholastic results. There are also steps for parents who feel their child's teachers are not giving them the proper education. If the steps are not taken or followed, this has nothing to do with tenure. One question that I would like to pose to the voters to actually try to better understand the position against tenure, and I am paraphrasing, what exactly is a "bad" teacher that warrants discipline up to and including termination in regards to educational expectations?

From Carolyn Murphy

Teacher tenure is very upsetting to local citizens. I believe all teachers should be observed at least 3 times a year by someone who is qualified to observe them. I think every 5 years teachers' tenure should be up and a new 5 years started. HOWEVER, a much better and professional system for observing and evaluating must be put into place.

From Alex Ryabin

I believe tenure is an antiquated concept. Tenure was originally introduced to protect against arbitrary firing of teachers. The notion of tenure protecting teachers’ intellectual and academic freedom came from universitie...s to protect established professors from dismissal due to dissenting opinions. Today we have many labor laws protecting all employees against various discrimination and abuse from employers. The North Penn School District has an established process for removal of underperforming teachers including those with tenure. It doesn’t appear that tenure is no longer relevant to both parties.


Where do you stand on tax increases versus cuts to programs?

From Suzan Leonard

It depends on how big the shortfall. There will probably need to be some combination of both.

From Paul Edelman

This is a difficult question for any of us to answer, because any decision on tax increase or program/curriculum cuts will be made by the current school board members, and after the election on May 17th. As a taxpayer, I d...on't like the idea of any tax increase. However, as a parent of two small children, the concept of taking either programs or curriculum away, is even less acceptable. Our country cannot expect to compete with the rest of the world, if we continue to take away building blocks of education. The lesser of the two evils in this case would be the tax increase. But as stated in our 1st STEP platform, we would have no intention of raising taxes before all other options are exercised.

From Carolyn Murphy

As we move into a global economy, I think we need to fund public education That means tax increases. We pay hundreds of dollars for sports events, big TV's, cars, movies, clothes, out to eat.. Education should be just as important. The increases should not be too large if spread over the community. Is the tax-base being taxed enough?

From Alex Ryabin

The district should always be focused on delivery of quality education. Cuts to programs may jeopardize the quality of education. If all efforts to cut discretionary spending and/or seek additional sources of revenue have ...been exhausted, tax increases may be the only alternative. Even so, the magnitude of any proposed increase needs to be evaluated with respect to its impact on the community. As a school director, I would have no intention of raising taxes. There are simply too many other solutions to look at first.


Should after school activities or clubs like ice hockey lose funding?

From Paul Edelman

I am afraid to say, in these times, after school activities may need to become at the least, partially self-sufficient. There are many facets in our schools that already function this way. As displayed at the Innovation ...Festival, it looks fairly certain, that the district will impose a "pay to play" to create revenue. As opposed to having these programs cut, I would definitely support the plan to "pay to play".

From Carolyn Murphy

After school programs are important for a well-rounded child. Ice hockey has never been part of the regular after-school sports program. If we lived in Mass. or Minnesota I would say yes. But we do not. Should we have ...ping-pong or badminton or cricket, which are important in some countries? The community and its local culture have to decide which activities are essential to the overall school program.

From Alex Ryabin

That would depend on the magnitude of the financial problem and amount of savings to be gained from cutting funding to such activities/programs. If potential savings are great, it would be worthwhile to consider consolidati...ng some activities/programs, cutting back or removing funding altogether. The activities/programs may still be able to continue but would require funding directly by the families or through fundraising.