Wissahickon School Board approves resolution opposing charter school reform bill
By ERIC DEVLIN, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com
Thursday, February 13, 2014
LOWER GWYNEDD — One proposed bill in Harrisburg aiming to reform charter schools has officials in the Wissahickon School District up in arms.
The Wissahickon School Board approved a resolution opposing Senate Bill 1085 regarding charter school reform during its Feb. 10 meeting.
“Just to remind everyone what this bill would do,” board member Ron Stoloff said, “it would take a situation that is already not really good, and make it worse.”
Stoloff laid out his major complaints with the bill, which range from a decrease of control of a charter by a local school district, to how charters are financed. Under the current regulations, a charter school must go before local school boards every five years to ask for renewal. The process allows districts to research the progress of the school and, if needed, revoke its rights to exist should it not live up to the standard of education it needs to meet. Under the proposed bill, that review process would occur every 10 years.
“Ten years is an eternity in education,” Stoloff said. “Just think of where your student is now and where they will be in 10 years, and that’s what a tremendous amount of damage can be done in that period of time. Five years is not terrific, but 10 years is a horror story waiting to happen.”
Stoloff also said he disagreed with the idea that a college or university can decide “willy nilly” to start a charter school, while not allowing local school districts to have a say in “what the charter would be, what its theme would be and how it gets students.”
Meanwhile, the local school district “would still have to pay for all the students there,” he said.
Cyber charters are another area of contention and Stoloff said it’s unfair that those schools should be paid the same amount of money as a brick-and-mortar charter school “even though their costs are really a fraction of that.”
Lastly, Stoloff said the bill would take away the board’s ability to control the size of a charter.
“It can start off with 100 students,” he said, “and then completely at the charter’s control, it could then say we’re going to have 30,000 students. Not quite, but right now if a school wants to enlarge, it has to ask us, if it’s in our area. But this would take that power away from us.”
Stoloff reiterated that it was just another example of ways in which districts were losing control.
“It is just a bad bill,” he said. “It can be fixed, but as it stands now, it is not (to) our benefit or our students’ benefit.”
Stoloff also addressed a criticism that the district currently only has somewhere between 20 to 25 students enrolled in charter schools and paying for the schools was a minor inconvenience.
“Well, that’s today,” he said. “There’s no telling what will happen in a few years if this bill becomes law. That’s why I want us to go along with several other districts in the Montgomery County area, to make known our displeasure about the bill.”
President Charles McIntyre said he’s “wrestled back and forth” with the idea of whether to support or reject the bill, but ultimately he said the costs outweighed the benefits.
“I’ve been a proponent for a long time to address the things which Mr. Stoloff had mentioned,” McIntyre said, “that is, there’s a couple of issues here … One is the way charter schools and cyber charter schools are formed. The school districts and the state [both] pay into the pension plans. It’s called a double dip. So that needs to be addressed. The other, regarding funding for cyber charter schools, there just needs to be a different way to fund cybers and the brick and mortars. So this has cost the school districts a considerable amount of money, a lot of money as a matter of fact.”
McIntyre said that the bill was attempting to address some of the problems with charters, and while it wasn’t ideal, it was the first piece of legislation in Harrisburg to address the issue at all.
“But then it went too far,” he said, reiterating the fact that universities and colleges could create charter schools. “That means if we create charters schools without public officials, you [shut out] the school board, which are elected by you, the public. And that’s just plain wrong.”
Follow Eric Devlin on Twitter @Eric_Devlin.
© 2014 The Times Herald
Montgomery News (montgomerynews.com)
Ambler Gazette. Friday, January 31, 2014
Wissahickon School Board to draft proposal in opposition to state Senate charter school bill
By Eric Devlin edevlin@montgomerynews.com
A proposed bill in the state Senate about changes to charter school regulations concerned some officials in the Wissahickon School District.
The Wissahickon School Board directed Solicitor Scott Wolpert to draft a proposed resolution in opposition to Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1085 during its Jan. 27 meeting. The board will consider the draft resolution during its Feb. 10 meeting.
The letter, according to board member Ron Stoloff, would confront a number of potential problems with the proposed bill in terms of new regulations for charter schools.
“The bill is set up to, it’s called a reform of the charter regulation,” he said. “But there are at least four sections in there that would reform us right into the poor house. It would do some major damage.”
Stoloff explained that under current regulations, if a group wanted to open a charter school, it would have to work with the local community and gather input from the school district.
“But under this bill,” he said, “if a college wants to start a charter, they just say, ‘We have a charter’; they don’t ask anyone. There’s no input from local people, the school districts or whatever. But then we are basically forced to pay for our students to go to that school, which we have no control over.”
Secondly, Stoloff said he also takes issue with the lack of control of the expansion of charters in the proposed bill.
“[They] could basically grow, whether we recognize what is going on as something helpful to our students and the community.”
He also said he has concerns about cyber charter schools and the way they receive funding.
“Right now we pay as much for a student to be enrolled in a cyber charter as we would to any brick and mortar school, which is preposterous, since their costs are much, much less; that is not even approached in this bill.”
His final issue with the bill, he said, deals with the number of years a charter school can wait before it faces community input.
“Right now a charter, every five years, must go before the local boards to ask for renewal,” he said. “And that gives us a chance to study it and ask questions. And if the charter is not doing the job for its students and the community, we withdraw its rights to exist. This bill changes it to 10 years. Ten years is a long time in the education field. It’s [an] eternity, and most importantly it’s [an] eternity for the students who are in that charter.”
Stoloff said for those four reasons, he believes the board should follow the footsteps of other school districts, draft a resolution and send it to “pretty much everyone who has an address in Harrisburg to basically say, ‘We are very much against this bill as it stands.’”
Board President Charles McIntyre said while the bill does have its flaws, it’s not all bad.
When the idea for cyber charter schools was first established and the reasoning for how they would pay for pensions was put in place, he said, “they made a mistake, frankly. They did what’s called a double dip.”
“Both the school district and the commonwealth [of Pennsylvania] both pay into those teachers, into the pension funds,” he said. “It’s called a double dip. And it’s costing the school districts a lot of money and it’s costing the states a lot of money as well.”
He said the good thing about this bill is that it addresses that “mistake” and it reduces the state’s contribution to the employees of the charter school retirement system by 50 percent.
McIntyre acknowledged the concern though that when a student transfers to a charter school or cyber charter school, “the dollars follow the student.”
“Right now the same amount of funds go with a student, whether they go to a brick and mortar, as you say, or the cyber,” he said. “And it’s been a long time standing, and the state is saying, ‘Well, wait a minute, the cyber shouldn’t get as much.’ And this bill, by the way, addresses that as well. I don’t know if it addresses it as well as it should; it’s only a 5 percent reduction. So do cyber charter schools really only have 5 percent less expenses than a regular charter school?”
McIntyre said the district currently has about 22 students enrolled in charter schools.
“Our school district, frankly we have a very good school district, and people like sending their children to our schools, so they don’t feel the necessity of sending them to charter schools,” he said. “In Philadelphia this is a bigger concern. A lot of parents are sending their children to charter schools. And North Penn [too]. A lot of parents are sending their children to charter schools in North Penn and it’s costing the district millions of dollars because the funds move from the school district to the charter school.”
Wolpert said there is currently no resolution recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
Follow Eric Devlin on Twitter @Eric_Devlin.
See the article as printed.
© 2014 Montgomery News, a 21st Century Media Property
Wissahickon School Board swears in new members
By ERIC DEVLIN, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com
Thursday, December 12, 2013
AMBLER — It was a changing of the guard for the members of the Wissahickon School Board.
The Dec. 2 reorganization meeting swore in newly elected board members Sherri Becker, Ron Stoloff, Tracie Walsh and Joe Honeycutt, paid tribute to out going president Young Park and saw the election of Charles McIntyre and Burunda Prince-Jones as the new board president and vice president, respectively.
Montgomery County Judge Arthur R. Tilson began the evening by swearing in the new board members individually. Friends and family members watched and snapped pictures as the new board members put their hands on the Bible and recited the oath of office.
Afterward, the new board held public comments and community member Christine DeLaurentis told the new board that the community would be watching and holding them accountable. She said the administration’s choice to recommend the closure of Mattison Avenue Elementary School awoke a number of parents.
“We now know you need to be accountable for your actions,” she told the administration and the board.
At one point during her three-minute speech, she slighted Park by saying she was glad to see he would no longer be able to insult the parents who came to meetings. Her comment raised the attention of Solicitor Scott Wolpert, who asked that she avoid personal attacks.
DeLaurentis screamed back, “Don’t event start!” a number of times at Wolpert before she wrapped up her speech.
From there, Superintendent Judith Clark officially recognized Park for his 14 years of service to the board with a commemorative plaque. Park was unable to attend the Nov. 25 meeting where the other outgoing board members were recognized.
Clark said the community appreciated the many nights and missed dinners with family he sacrificed in order to contribute to the district.
“Mr. Park’s intelligence, his integrity, his energy and compassion for our students have made him an outstanding school board president,” she said. “His 14 years of service exemplifies his commitment to the students of our district as well as public education. He always based his decisions on what could done to improve what we have here for our students. His passion and his dream to pay it forward were hallmarks of his tenure here, and we’re better as a district for his public service.”
Board member Janice Singer said she was sad to see him go because Park took “much of the blame and none of the accolades” for the decisions of the board, a sign of great leadership.
Park then shook the hands of all of the current board and the administration before he returned to his seat.
Finally, after McIntyre and Prince-Jones were elected president and vice president, respectively, they each spoke about their hopes for the future of the board.
“First of all, I thank the board for the confidence you’ve placed in me and the support that you’ve given me and will give me throughout the year,” McIntyre said. “As it’s been said many times the Wissahickon School District is an outstanding school district.”
McIntyre listed the numerous achievements made by the district including ranking in the county and state.
He said the goal of the district was to maximize academic achievement, a goal which he said he believed has been met.
He admitted, however, that there was still work to be done to eliminate the achievement gap among students, a goal which he said “we can continue to do better.”
Along with making the district more efficient, McIntyre promised to allow a greater opportunity for the public to be heard.
“We want your ideas,” he said. “We want you to help us out.”
He said he understood the criticisms about a lack of dialogue during public comments and said the board would try to find ways to allow for that.
Prince-Jones then thanked Park for his service and welcomed the new board members. She also thanked Singer for her “vote of confidence” in nominating her as new vice president.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” she said. “And I think we’re up to the task.”
She said she was eager to get started and hoped the public was too.
“This is your district,” she said. “We haven’t forgotten that. We understand that, we embrace that. We want this to be your district. It’s only going to work if all of us are a part of this together.”
© 2013 The Times Herald (
http://www.timesherald.com)The article in the Times Herald.
See
a compilation of photos from our campaign.
This will take you to the Wissahickon Democrats web site.
From WNPV AM 1440
New School Board Members Prepare To take Seats in WSD
With the election in the rearview mirror, the excitement is growing among the three [D]emocrats that won seats on the Wissahickon School Board. Sherri Becker, Tracie Walsh and Ron Stoloff along with Republican Joe Honeycutt will take the oath of office at a reorganization meeting on December 2nd. Becker attended the school board meeting Monday night and said job one is getting a grasp on the issues at hand including contract negotiations and facility questions.
Stoloff was there too and said the new board members will leave their party labels at the door after they are sworn in. He also said there have been no discussions about who will become board president at the December 2nd meeting.
With the winners in the election preparing to take office, current School Board President Young Park took his leave Monday night and said he respects teachers immensely in spite of his disagreements with their union.
See the original article.
Article in the Ambler Patch on the election.
Article in Ambler Gazette on our victory.
The Candidates Forum held at Wissahickon High School on October 21st.
This is not a complete record as the "Official" recording has not be posted yet. This recording, while incomplete, is unedited.
We hope the complete recording will be posted soon.
The article
in the Friday, October 25th Ambler Gazette
about the Candidates Forum.
In the September 22, 2013 issue of the Ambler Gazette, there are two items for everyone interested in the election for School Board:
- A letter about the transportation snafu sent by the Wissahickon Education Alliance Executive Board calling on voters "On Nov. 5, make a change."
Read a great letter in the Ambler Gazette, published September 15, 2013.
Here's the card
we received from the
Fruitful Children Foundation thanking us for the
gift we gave them so they could continue providing school supplies for the
children of the Wissahickon School District.
See the picture of Ron giving the gift.
See pictures from our Meet & Greet in Ambler's Cafe Maida.
See the video of our Candidate Forum, May 8th, sponsored by the Blue Bell Tea Party.
| Continued #9 | Continued #10 | Continued #11 | Continued #12 |
| Continued #13 | Continued #14 | Continued #15 | Continued #16 |
Too see more of this, as they are posted, try this link.
See the article
in the Ambler Gazette
on the Tea Party Forum.
A letter in the Ambler
Patch discusses questions that face the
Wissahickon School District.
See the comments from our
Team candidates in the Ambler Gazette
in each of their pages.
See the entire
article.
Letter published in Ambler Gazette, May 12, 2013
Vote for new school board members, new attitude
On May 21st, voters – both Democrats and Republicans – will have the opportunity to set the future of our schools. This is not just about party – it is all about attitude. All you have to do is consider how our School Board handled the Mattison Avenue Elementary School issue. Is there anyone who is satisfied with how this was “solved?” If you have children in Mattison, you can not possibly think there is any part of this that was handled properly.
I taught in Philadelphia for 35 years and it only took me a few days after I started teaching to realize the people I had to establish a good working relationship with were the parents of my students. How far from that goal has our School Board drifted?
As I’ve walked the streets of Ambler in the past weeks I have found general disgust with the treatment of Ambler – and this was from both Republicans and Democrats. It was a feeling of betrayal, a general dismissal of the needs of the Ambler community.
My experience, my humanity, screams that the Board did almost everything wrong in the way the issue was addressed.
Today, the issue is Mattison. In a few years it may be another elementary school in Wissahickon. If this attitude prevails – if this Board, as constituted, approaches the problem the same way – what further disrespect can we expect?
Therefore, I beg you – Republican and Democrat alike – to come out and vote for a new Board with a new attitude, one that understands that it’s all about the students and that parents and communities are the strongest and most important allies any school can ever have.
Sherri Becker and I are on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, while Norma
Niclo and Tracie Walsh are only on the Democratic ballot. I hope you’ll check our web site at GreatSchoolTeam.org and join the FaceBook forums: Wissahickon Educational Coalition and the Mattison Home & School Association. See what we stand for; see what we offer the Wissahickon School District community.
Most importantly, come out and vote on May 21st.
Ron Stoloff,
Candidate for School Director,
Wissahickon School District
See the original as published in the Ambler Gazette
Letter published in Ambler Gazette, May 12, 2013
Wissahickon School Board needs four new faces.
To the Editor:
As a long-time district resident and 20-year member of the board who is not seeking re-election, I urge you to support candidates who will:
-
Demonstrate an understanding of roles and responsibilities … Micromanaging, which prevents holding staff accountable, is not the role of board members. The board sets policy and provides governance. Employees are responsible for daily operations.
-
Promote transparency … The board as a whole should participate in discussion and deliberation of issues in public.
-
Engage in long-term financial planning … Focus is on short term with a lack of due diligence to budget analysis. Expenditures are exceeding revenues. Increased use of fund balance to address the budget gap will deplete savings. Tighten up the budget process and plan ahead.
-
Be fiscally responsible … While deliberating recent budgets, the majority of board rejected expenditure cuts proposed by the administration despite having no impact on student achievement.
-
Address all facility needs … Current interest in building a new high school without consideration of other facilities. Explain how long-term debt will be repaid. Allow residents input on the high school via referendum.
-
Recognize that buildings don’t educate kids … Research shows teachers have the most impact on student achievement. Focus efforts on ensuring all students are successful.
-
Value our public library … For the first time in 50 years the library was denied a tax increase ($2.92 annually for average taxpayer), forcing the library to cut services.
-
Make responsible decisions driven by what’s in the best interest of all students and the school community, not personal agendas and politics.
-
Foster a sense of community among the various school constituencies.
Election Day is May 21. There are six new names on the ballot … Becker, Honeycutt, Nicolo, Noon, Stoloff and Walsh. It’s time for change. Let’s elect four new faces with fresh ideas and a genuine desire to make Wissahickon the best district it can be. Today’s actions and decisions of the board will impact our entire school community for years to come. Please choose wisely.
Barbara Moyer
Blue Bell
Actual letter from Barbara Moyer as published in the Ambler Gazette
Note: Barbara Moyer is a 20 year member of the Wissahickon School Board
Article in the Ambler Gazette about the
May
8th Candidates Forum.
Includes some comments.
Pat Latimer, former Wissahickon School Board member & past President of the Board backs both Sherri Becker & Ron Stoloff.
See the entire letter.
Shirley White also has backed Sherri Becker & Ron Stoloff.
See the letter in the May 19, 2013 Ambler Gazette.
The article
in the Ambler Gazette
on the election - May 22, 2013.
This
sign was seen throughout the Wissahickon School District at every polling place
- warning that there were Democrats on the Republican ballot.
Since the School Board is supposed to be a non-partisan position you can
cross-file. What were they afraid of?
Click on it to see the sign full size.
Sherri was D-11 & Ron was D-13.