On December 1st, 2010, the Daniel Boone Area School Board held a Reorganization Meeting to nominate a new President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary for a one year term, December 1, 2010 to December 1, 2011. The following board members were elected:
President – Andrew Basile
Vice President – Kevin McCullough
Treasurer – Frank Cerminaro
Secretary – Margaret Fiset
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Posted by stephanieconlon
For “live” updates from the Daniel Boone School Board meeting on Monday, October 25th, please go to www.Community-Buzz.com “Town Meetings”. Scroll down to “Boone Meetings” and you will find postings of updates that took place during the most recent school board meeting.
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in being a “meeting liaison”, please email info@community-buzz.com. Please check back for more updates.
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Posted by stephanieconlon
Here’s my question …… I am not quite sure who to ask to get the accurate, unbiased answer. From the information in this article, it does not sound as if the new, increased estimates/quotes were included in the original $3m approval for the stadium. If that understanding is correct, then with these new estimated costs as well as other unforseen expenses that always seem to come up with most any construction, as well as the “up to $10 k” quote that was approved by the board a few meetings ago as expenses needed to hook up water and sewage to a temporary building for concessions that was not originally budgeted for……..what total cost of the stadium are we up to AT THIS POINT? Does anyone know for sure? Has anyone added it all up? Does anyone care (besides me) to know this figure to this point. I, could be wrong, but it doesn’t seem like we are in the ballpark of $3 million anymore, but over $4m? Am I wrong? Can someone with authority and knowledge publish an accurate quote?
Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 By Denise Larive, News Writer
Construction on the 209 required additional parking spaces at Daniel Boone School District’s renovated sports stadium will begin shortly and cost the district more than three times the estimate in April of $300,000.
The board approved the increased costs on July 20 when it awarded construction bids for the 209 phase one parking spaces.
B&J Excavating, Downingtown, Chester County, was approved as the general contractor, with the low bid of $940,000 and CC&M Construction, Reading, was approved as the electrical contractor with the low bid of $202,000.
“I did not give you accurate numbers in April and May when you needed to approve going forward with the additional 209 parking spaces,” said David Horn, president of Architerra Inc., Coopersburg.
Union Township has required that the 209 parking spaces be completed by Dec. 31 or the district will lose its occupancy permit for the sports stadium.
Horn said four items increased in price six days before the bids were due.
Those items include storm water management that increased from $105,000 to $327,471, erosion and sediment control that increased from $9,900 to $22,080 and the landscaping estimate increased from $14,300 to $100,400. Lighting increased from $15,000 to $202,000.
He said the cost of each space is $4,672.28, not including lighting.
“These are still the cheapest spaces, so watch out when you go for space 210,” said Horn.
“We have had to bring the total campus lighting into compliance and it is included in the bids,” said Horn, adding, “I don’t know where the $202,000 is going for lighting. I need to get my electrical engineer in here on that. The landscaping alone that is required is absolutely staggering in terms of the volume of plants we have to put in there.”
He said Union Township is following a mathematical formula for buffering and the board of supervisors won’t approve a partial landscaping waiver until the land development plans are approved.
Horn said he doesn’t want to hold up the approval process and won’t apply for the landscaping waiver.
The board also approved $82,288.16 in stadium construction cost overruns and $3,800 in credits.
Some credits and increased costs are for renovating the current concession building and installing the previously approved modular building as an additional concession building.
Purchase of the modular building was approved in June for use as restroom facilities.
Superintendent Dr. Gary L. Otto said the stadium will use portable toilets.
In addition, the board voted unanimously to not spend $21,925 to install a new turnstile gate with a wireless card reader at the stadium’s entrance due to the increased costs.
The cost of the gate was $13,500 and $8,425 for the wireless card reader.
Horn said the district could save $3,000 or more by installing the gate and card reader when the stadium project is complete and the district isn’t subject to the prevailing wage.
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Posted by stephanieconlon
My perspective of the highlights from the school board meeting:
PA State budget not passed as of yet.
The recommendation that the Board of Directors approve the “Pay to Play” fees as put forth in the agenda (see the Daniel Boone website for specifics), were “tabled”.
Proposed and voted “approved” …….”a five dollar ($5) Per Capita Tax enacted by the Daniel Boone Area School District for the fiscal year 2009-10 be re-enacted by the Board of Directors for the Daniel Boone Area School District effective July 1, 2010 for the fiscal year 2010-2011, without substantial change”. The est amount of revenue will be approx $62,392.00.
This will be reviewed again if more money than expected comes in from the State. If less money than expected comes in, then money would be taken from the “General Fund” to make up the difference between what was expected from the State and what actually comes in.
Discussion on handbooks for the high school, middle school, APC, AIC, MEC, and BEC. Just a thought – how about putting the handbooks online and save the money for paper, ink cartridges, and labor. (good suggestion, Jen Schorr www.jenschorr.com).
At the end of the meeting, there was a rather long discussion regarding the new stadium and Union Township and what needs to be done in terms of construction/ordinance/township laws, ect. The discussion proceeded to the new, temporary building that the D.B. “Joint Committee” is buying to use as the concession stand until there are funds to build a permant concession stand. The School District is NOT funding this building, but they do have to incur the expense to have to connect water/sewage/electric to it. These utilities would have to be in place once the permanent concession stand is built. The cost of that expense has not yet been determined. I believe a motion was made to allow “up to $10,000″ for that expense. I very much wondered where this $10,000 was going to come from in light of all the cuts to the budget. A gentleman from the public asked the question before I could and the reply by the board was that the money was to come from advertising/sponsors, but has not be raised yet. I am unsure if the advertising/sponsors requests have been initiated as of yet. It is a question I did want to ask, but it was getting late. Hopefully that is underway, since it looks like the expense is about to be incurred.
The next School Board meeting will NOT BE July, 26th, but WILL BE TUESDAY, JULY 20TH AT 7:30.
The process of coming up with NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET (2011-2012) WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST 2010.
PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING TIME TO COME OUT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETINGS TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
The next Revenue Enhancement Committee Meeting is Wednesday, July 14th at 7 pm at the Matthew Brooks Building. This committee discusses was to enhance revenue and reduce expenses and is very open to public input. Please mark this date on your calendar and try to attend. Thank you!
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Posted by stephanieconlon
http://jenschorr.wordpress.com/
Here is an article Jen came across on the topic of “Effective School Boards” that I found helpful. For the complete article on www.Education.com, please go to: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Five_Characteristics/?cid=70.100
Today, the relevance of school boards is dependent on doing what matters. A panel of educators from across the country recently convened by CTB/McGraw-Hill, the leading publisher of standardized achievement tests for children and adults in the United States, explored the role of school boards and outlined five characteristics of an effective board of education. Our direct experience in working with school boards over the years suggests the panel was right in its analysis. The five characteristics, and discussion about them follow:
The best school boards understand that student learning is job one. This emphasis necessarily means that policies and resources of schools are targeted to promote achievement for all students. School practices, which have their genesis in policy, ought to have a laser-beam orientation on high standards, a rigorous curriculum, and high-quality teachers. Issues a school board must consider are evaluated against the contribution toward student learning—the core business of schools.
Not all students walk through the school doors with the same needs. Good school boards recognize this fact and allocate resources such as time, money, and personnel and adjust practices accordingly. Documents of the school district, such as the annual budget, are viewed as tools to reach student-learning priorities, and the district’s spending and practices do not protect sacred cows.
We are all accountable to somebody. Effective boards are mindful of their own accountability to the communities that entrust their children to public schools; effective boards routinely and regularly measure and report the return on investment of the education dollars they spend. Effective policy makers today make their greatest gains by asking appropriate questions, and productive boards recognize the self-instructive value in making the following query an ongoing refrain: What services are we providing to which students at what cost and resulting in what benefits?
It has been said, “In God we trust. All others bring data.” By definition, informed policy making requires using data. Otherwise, effective boards cannot be assured that all students, regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, are progressing toward and reaching high standards. The challenges to student learning, and particularly to providing equity among all students in achievement, are complex. Intuition-based assessment of student learning is tricky at best and certainly is an insufficient basis to determine education policy. Further, without data, reports to communities about the education return on investment are hollow and unconvincing. Communities expect measurable results, through data, from their tax dollars.
The best school boards look for ways to institutionalize parent and patron involvement in providing policy-making input. Specifically, effective boards have established mechanisms for community involvement in setting the vision for the school district, representing the values of the community, and identifying the district’s short-term and long-term priorities. The Blue Springs, Missouri, school board, for example, named as that state’s Outstanding Board of Education for 2005, strongly emphasized its shared partnership with its community in educating the district’s 13,000 students.
Do all school boards in the United States meet these five characteristics? Obviously not. Can all school boards in the nation improve their performance with some or all of the characteristics? Probably. It is noteworthy to mention that the CTB/McGraw-Hill panel believes school boards can best champion education initiatives when their members are trained to exercise responsibility, possess a vision, demonstrate progressive leadership, and provide accountability. Combined, these attributes result in school board decision making that improves student performance. (Some states such as Missouri require, by law, training for newly elected or appointed school board members.)
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Posted by stephanieconlon
Published: Thursday, June 24, 2010 By Eileen Faust, efaust@pottsmerc.com
PENNSBURG — In a 6-3 vote Tuesday night, the school board accepted the terms of a contract, earlier approved by the Upper Perkiomen Education Association, that will reduce medical and prescription coverage for teachers and freeze some stipends.
Board members Robert Pepe, John Gehman, and Margie Gelhaus voted against the contract while board President Harold Quinque, Vice President Mary Rives Young, and members Jennifer Allebach, Dr. H. George Bonekemper, William Scott and Jeffrey Feirick voted for the contract.
According to Robert LaSalle, president of the education association, the teachers’ union members and district had reached a tentative early-bird agreement on a two-year contract that runs until June 30, 2012. Their current contract expires Aug. 31.
The full body of the teachers union met Tuesday afternoon and approved the contract.
According to LaSalle, the union agreed “to reduced medical and prescription coverage, a significant increase in medical co-pay, an approximately 25 percent decrease in tuition reimbursement, and a freeze for the next two years on all co-curricular salaries (primarily coaching and adviser stipends). Also, all teachers currently progressing through the salary schedule will receive a half-year position freeze before continuing regular movement through the salary schedule.”
Teachers’ salaries will increase 3.01 percent in the first year of the contract with veteran teachers taking only a 1.9 percent increase. In the second year, the salary increase would be 3.3 percent, with only a 1.3 percent increase for the most senior teachers, according to LaSalle.
“These salary figures represent increases that fall below the market for surrounding districts,” LaSalle wrote in an email after the contract was OK’d by the union.
“The school district anticipates spending approximately $170,000 less than budgeted for these three line items (salary, medical insurance and tuition),” said Superintendent Thomas Kirby.
The new contract, which can be viewed on the district’s website at http://www.upsd.org/upperperksd/lib/upperperksd/upsd/District%20Opening%20Page/Tentative_Contract_Agrement_06-10.pdf, will go into effect on Sept. 1, one day after the current contract expires.
According to the school district’s proposed 2010-11 budget, salaries for educational and special education employees in the elementary and secondary schools in the district will cost approximately $16,913,723, with benefits for those employees costing $6,817,413. The new contract will not affect the budget figures, according to Quinque, since the board had budgeted for a 2 percent increase, which was close to what will be given in the contract, and savings will be realized from the change in health care.
“We are very happy an agreement could be reached. Both sides worked hard to reach a compromise. In the end both sides won on some points and lost on others,” said Quinque.
According to LaSalle, the major concern for the education association was health care. “We moved to a significantly different plan that will save the district some money while increasing our co-pays for doctor and specialist visits,” he responded to emailed questions. “We moved to a different prescription plan that, by the numbers given to us by the district, will save approximately $140,000 next year.”
LaSalle said the premium share co-pay on health insurance was changed from a fixed rate contribution to be a 10 percent contribution in the first year and 12 percent in the second year.
“For the first time, every teacher that takes the health insurance package will pay a premium share for their insurance,” said LaSalle. “Doing this greatly increased the amount of money coming back to the district to help offset the costs of the health care package.”
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Posted by stephanieconlon
Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 Southern Berks News
By Denise Larive, News Writer
Although the Daniel Boone School District’s 2010-11 budget is balanced, the board will vote June 28 on whether to begin charging activity fees to high school and middle school students involved in athletics, band, winter guard and extracurricular clubs.
Superintendent Dr. Gary L. Otto said the revenue projection from adopting an activity fee policy is $60,000.
Otto and board members said the revenue could reduce the $750,000 it will use from the $3.6 million fund balance to balance the budget.
The board is expected to approve the final budget of $49,964,947 with a .7718 millage increase and the $750,000 from the fund balance on June 28.
If approved, taxes would increase from 27.65 mills to 28.4 mills, effective July 1, and taxpayers would pay an additional $75 for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
A committee formed to examine the activity fee issue recommended on June 14 to charge $60 for athletics, band and winter guard in the high school and middle school and $10 for extracurricular clubs.
The recommendation was met with uncertainty by board members even those who had served on the Activity Fee Committee.
“We were very mixed on the clubs,” said Board Member Margaret M. Fiset, who served on the committee. “I think it needs more study. We’re going to charge students who work tirelessly for others? Charge for academic clubs? Athletic/social clubs? Social/academic clubs? Academic competitions such as Odyssey of the Mind?”
Board members said the issue is complicated and that the recommendation will be divided into six different motions –– three for the high school and three for the middle school.
The proposed votes for the middle school will be to charge $10 for athletics, $10 for band and winter guard, and $10 for clubs.
Board Member Walter Sheehan said Odyssey of the Mind participants already pay an average fee of $25.
“We shouldn’t charge where it is a matter of basic education versus a social club,” said Board Member Alan D. Ross.
Sheehan questioned if the district can charge a fee for a graded course like band.
“Everything on the list was academic in someway except the ski club,” said Daniel Boone High School Principal William McIlmoyle, who also served on the committee. “Then we decided to put a $10 fee to everything and let the board decide.”
McIlmoyle said the issues came down to the fact that sports, band and winter guard have travel costs but clubs raise their own travel money.
Board members questioned if middle school band students should pay a $60 fee. Middle school band has fewer events, there isn’t any travel and the adviser stipend is less.
“I think we were rushing this through,” said Fiset. “I’m struggling with the clubs and I’m struggling with the middle school fees. We’re being hasty if we don’t know how it will affect our students. We’re here for every child that comes through our doors. Maybe not everyone can afford to pay the fees.”
“But, if we don’t charge we may lose the clubs, activities and programs anyway,” said Board Member Andrew Basile.
He was referring to the district’s decreasing revenues, increasing costs, and the likelihood that the board will need to cut programs in the future to balance the budget.
Athletic Director Thomas LeGath said the Wilson School District adopted an activity fee policy this year but they call it a “transportation fee.”
Daniel Boone’s Activity Fee Committee started meeting two months ago to study the issue of charging an activity fee and creating a policy for the 2010-11 school year.
Assistant Director of Education Technology Mary Ann Conway said the Technology Department is researching incorporating advertisements on its website as a revenue source and also cutting expenses by communicating with the public via e-mail.
Assistant District Superintendent Ann Marie Traynor said this summer’s district newsletter will notify the public that it is the last hard copy of the newsletter unless they notify the district.
Another cost-saving measure would be for parents to review student handbooks online and to print just the signature page for returning to their child’s school.
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Posted by stephanieconlon
Board members voted 5-4 to adopt the $51.2 million budget, which calls for a property tax increases of 1.4 percent for Berks County residents and 5.6 percent for Chester County residents.
The millage rate in Berks will increase to 21.7 from 21.4; the Chester rate will increase to 22.5 mills from 21.7.
Taxpayers in Berks with a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $2,170 in taxes; a Chester County home assessed at the same amount will pay $2,250.
The 2010-11 budget is a 1.2 percent increase over this year’s $50.2 million budget.
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Posted by stephanieconlon
UPDATED: School District 2010-11 Proposed and Approved Budget Cuts
| Nearly 100 districts have proposed or approved cuts for their upcoming budgets, including more than one-third of ALL districts in southeastern Pennsylvania! Cuts in teaching positions, full-day kindergarten, foreign languages, technology, extra-curricular activities and many others are REAL! The educational opportunities and services available to students next year are diminishing on a daily basis.
Districts in yellow have cuts proposed. Districts in red have approved cuts. The numbers on the map correspond to the spreadsheet below. This information was compiled from media sources. |
http://www.paschoolfunding.org/learn_more_schooldistrict2010-11proposed&approvedbudgetcuts.shtml
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Posted by stephanieconlon
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