Ask the School Board about the renovation

A meeting or so ago, a question was raised about the high school renovation project.  A resident felt that there is confusion concerning what is included on the add/delete alternates lists.  Josephine Posti felt that all the information is published online and didn't feel that a forum, circular, or some other update was in order for the community.

I thought it would be interesting to gather questions about the renovation and post them on another poll.  After your votes are cast, I will submit the most popular questions to the School Board and print their responses here, if or when I receive them. 

You may submit them here anonymously, or email them privately to egillen476@aol.com.  I would like your questions by Sunday, October 2 so that I may start a new poll early next week.

Depending on your response, I may do something like this for the candidates running for Commission and School Board.  I have not heard anything about a Candidate's Forum for November's election, so I may do something later in October, if there is enough interest.

Mt. Lebanon's Attack Against PA Public Charter Schools

The following article is from Mt. Lebanon resident and frequent commenter, Richard Gideon.  Richard, thank you for taking the time to visit YSWP and share your experience with us.

MT. LEBANON'S ATTACK AGAINST PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
by Richard Gideon

Might. Might not. Might.

From last week's Almanac.  I am printing the entire article, including the comments that appeared online. As I have said in the past, I do not get the Almanac. I am reprinting the entire article, in addition to the link, since they do not archive their stories.

9/21/2011 

Mt. Lebanon hopes to limit second bond issue
http://www.thealmanac.net/alm/story11/09-21-2011-ML-HS-bond-

By Nick Lewandowski For The Almanac
writer@thealmanac.net
This year's property assessments will likely impact millage rates in Mt. Lebanon, according to a Sept. 19 presentation by director of fiscal services Jan Klein. She said that if assessment values increase--a likely outcome--the district will have to lower the millage rate proportionally.
Millage rates are of concern to the district as it prepares to rebid its $113 million high school renovation project.

Act 1 of 2006 limits the potential millage increase for a given year in proportion to an inflationary index calculated from both Pennsylvania wage increases and a national index for education salary increases.

Klein estimated that number to be 1.7 percent for the 2012-13 budget year.
This could impact the strategy the district uses to fund its renovation project, as it, combined with the elimination of exemptions contained within the recent Act 25 legislation, limits the district's ability to raise taxes to fund debt. While all current debt is considered "pre-Act 1," any additional bonds floated to pay for the renovation will be subject to both Act 1 and Act 25 restrictions.
As it stands now, the district faces a second bond issue of $36,640,000, likely to be needed in 2014.
Klein stressed this was the maximum the district would have to borrow, however. She urged the board to consider alternative funding sources to limit the amount borrowed. These include the $8 million capital projects fund, the $600,000 food services fund and the $1.7 million asbestos abatement fund.
Any money used would still be considered part of the project budget, but would reduce debt issuance, thus leaving the district more flexibility financially.
This could prove critical in a few years as pension and healthcare obligations pressure district finances, especially given the murky legislative climate.
Asked to speculate on the impact of future legislation, Klein replied, "there are so many possible changes you're really going to have to look at it (when something is passed)."
The board also heard recommendations from an eight-member revenue review committee co-chaired by Klein and Kirsten Fudeman, which looked at possibilities for supplementing the district's current sources of income. These included advertising opportunities within the new high school building.
"We have a very attractive demographic in this community," said committee member Marc Field, who worked on that portion of the presentation. "But it would take a real commitment of resources to develop policies to determine what is and isn't appropriate."
More traditional suggestions included a planned giving program and alumni fundraising.
School superintendent Dr. Tim Steinhauer said he along with the administrative team would review the suggestions before making recommendations to the board.
Finally, on Sept. 19 the board voted 9-1 to submit revised PlanCon documents for the renovation for the high school project to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education for approval.
Vice president Dale Ostergaard was the lone dissenter, citing previous concerns regarding add and deduct alternates specified in the bid documents.
"I don't believe (the auxiliary gym, tennis courts and rifle range) should be listed there," he said. "I feel we committed to including them in the Act 34 document."
Just because an item is included on the add/deduct list does not mean it will be deleted from the project. It does, however, give the board options if project bids again come in high.
Several board members have indicated they might not support the project if any of these items had to be removed.
2 comments

Love that last sentence : 9/22/2011
"Several board members have indicated they might not support the project if..." Now there is a commitment to a plan if I ever heard one. Might not?! Might?! Might not?! Might?! I love decisive leadership.
Fed Up

---

What???? : 9/23/2011
Board members... "MIGHT NOT SUPPORT THE PROJECT IF ANY OF THESE ITEMS HAD TO BE REMOVED." Woul someone please analyze that sentence and tell taxpayers exactly what it says! Could one sentence sum up exactly what is wrong with the Mt. Lebanon School Board and the high school project. If they "might not" support the project, then they are also saying subtly "we might support the project too!" Love it when elected officials show decisive action... don't you?
Thinking about being disagreeable!

CNBC's 10 Perfect Suburbs - No. 7 Wexford, PA

7. Wexford, Pennsylvania

Suburb of: Pittsburgh
Metro area unemployment rate: 7.0%
Median house value: $345,579
Safer from crime than this percent of all U.S. communities: 35%

Wexford is a mostly white-collar small city with lots of new housing and urban sophisticates (educated, wealthy, avid readers, well-traveled, supporters of the arts). It has better public schools than 96% of all U.S. communities, and its public schools are better than 99% of schools in the rest of the state. The majority of Wexford’s populace holds a four-year degree (58.3%), and a majority are homeowners (82.6%). Further analysis of the suburb is found on its Neighborhood Scout profile .

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44347217?slide=5

So what kept us off the list? Our taxes? Aging population? Lower median of home values?  Older homes? Higher percentage of rentals?
I remember the day when Mt. Lebanon made all the lists.  I guess I am showing my age.

Bar to Office

President Dan Miller posted an update concerning criminal records and running for elected office in Mt. Lebanon.  This is probably old news to those who follow Dan's blog since it was posted September 15, 2011.  Sorry I didn't see this sooner, Dan.  Bar to Office

Raja and Fitzgerald clash on KDKA

Fitzgerald, Raja clash (again) in radio debate

Mr. Raja was the aggressor, going after Mr. Fitzgerald's support of the county drink tax, his ties to labor and statements by the Democrat's campaign that he approved a new sewer fee while a Mt. Lebanon commissioner. (The Republican argues the fee was offset by a cut to the township's property tax rate.)

I didn't realize that the fee was offset by a cut in our property taxes.  Why bother reducing our property taxes?

Late in the debate, Mr. Fitzgerald noted Mr. Raja's tech firm, CEI, says on its website that it "strives to be No. 1 in outsourcing."

"That's a difference between my opponent and I. My opponent is big on outsourcing. ... I'm about keeping jobs in America, keeping jobs in our county," the Democrat said.

CRB Forum "Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?"

The Community Relations Board’s forum “Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?” held on September 21, 2011 will air on Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 17 on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m.  The podcast is here:

“Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?”

Thoughts about the latest five year forecast

I received the following letter from, "Max Tax," a Mt. Lebanon resident and faithful reader of this blog. I won't pull a Posti and say that it is my own, because as I have said in the past, numbers just aren't my thing. Thanks, Max, for your analysis.

The District released its latest five year forecast this week at the school board meeting. There was much discussion about what the numbers meant but there was not much discussion about the meat that mattered.

The "meat that matters" in this discussion is both what is left in the forecast and what is left out.

What is in the forecast are the following:

1. Earned Income Taxes are calculated as increasing at 3% a year going forward.  That will happen only if the overall economy significantly improves.

2. Investment Earnings are calculated as significantly increasing in the coming years.  However, the District only invests in the safest of investments that are typically relatively short term.  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke today predictably announced that he expects the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates between 0 and .25% until at least the middle of 2013.  This makes a large increase in investment earning hard to believe.

3. State subsidies are calculated to increase at 2% per year.  This is something that cannot conceivably happen and, in fact, did not happen.  Again, unless we have a remarkable economic recovery we can expect our funding to, at best, stay the same and perhaps get reduced if things do not improve.

4. ALL EXPENSES except for salaries, fringe benefits, and debt service are held at ZERO PERCENT increases for the foreseeable future.

Each of the points above are not hard for the common person to understand.  It is unlikely that EIT will grow at 3% a year. It is very unlikely that investment earnings will grow significantly.  State subsidy increases are certainly at risk until the national economy show significant improvement.  The likelihood that all expenses will not increase one bit over the next five years is just plain silly.

What is missing from the forecast are the following points:

1. Buried toward the bottom of the forecast is the fact that there are no Program Change Proposals.  This means that we are not currently budgeting for ANY type of improvement to the education of our children.  In the past, the Board has used Capital Project money to fund a few small changes.  However, the Capital Project fund is extremely limited going forward especially since it is the District's intent to use much of those funds for the high school project.  Additionally, those funds are supposed to be used to fund more typical annual maintenance and improvements to EVERY SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT.  This is not a fund that is set aside to fund program changes. That was never its intent.

2. The forecast curiously does not include a simple calcuation for the millage increase needed to fund the next bond issuance for the high school project. However, it is quite simple to get close to this number.  Simply look at the the Real Estate Tax line and see where it starts and 2010 and where it ends in 2016-2017.  The increase in real estate taxes can only come from a change in assessed values or from a tax increase.  Given that we have had no change in assessed values (save for some individual property value changes) the District should assume that the assessed value number will not change, just as it has not changed for the last decade.  The simple calculation shows a 33% increase in taxes to cover the growing expenses.

3.  The forecast also does not show the increased cost to taxpayers of phasing in bonds over multiple years.  This "phasing" can only be done at additional cost to taxpayers in the form of additional interest payments or additional bond costs.  This "phasing" of the bonds is being done for one reason and one reason only.  This summer, the PA Legislature and Governor signed into law strengthened Act 1 paramenters so that school districts could no longer skirt Act 1 millage increase limits by floating bonds that avoided the reach of Act 1.  What the District is doing here flies directly in the face of the intent of Act 1- to give the voters of the District a voice in tax increases that are in excess of inflation.  By phasing in the bonds over multiple years, the District will attempt to keep the tax increases for the second (or third or fourth) bond issuance away from the ballot box.  Additionally, this attempt to phase in these bonds will necessarily put pressure on the entire rest of the District budget.  For instance, if the District wants to spend $2 million on a change in programs for our English curriculum, it will not have the ability to easily fund this while staying under Act 1.  In fact, the District may go for a referendum at the ballot box to fund these PCPs and not even mention that this vote is due to the fact that they are using the Act 1 exception limits to pay off a bond for the high school project.  This type of action of absolutely repulsive. 

The budget is not pretty.   A 33% increase in taxes is not pretty-especially given some of the rosy assumptions mentioned above (state subsidy increases, EIT increases, expenses held to 0% increases). 

What is even more suspect is that way the District continues to spend taxpayer money like it is water running through a sieve.  The Board is able to consistently find the most expensive way to fund this high school project.  First they floated bonds two years too early (September/October 2009) at rates that are higher than they are today- and we still don't need the money given that we have yet to put a shovel in the ground.  Second, they chose a traditional municipal bond even though very simple calculations given to us by our bond advisor showed that floating Build America Bonds (non-tax exempt bonds where the federal government rebated a percentage of the bond interest) would have provided over $2 million in taxpayer savings.  And now they have decided to phase in the second float of bonds at additional taxpayer expense all to avoid an Act 1 referendum on this project.

I know fiscal responsibility has not been a strong point of this board for some time.  But the degree to which this has gone absolutely astonishes me.  If I didn't know better I would suggest that the Board is actually trying to find the most expensive way to build this high school.  But I do know better.  And the truth of the matter is the Board is simply exhausting every conceivable option to keep this project from a referendum that they know would fail.

"It's only common sense when you're dealing with children."

Looks like the city is cracking down on football coaches, assistant coaches and cheerleading coaches.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_757758.html 

Harper ordered the leagues to conduct background checks on all adults who work with children and made clearance of those checks a requirement before they could receive credentials, which are required to be present on the field.

Update September 22, 2011 9:40 a.m. Two Mt. Lebanon youth football coaches step down

Brown withdrawing from race

Mt. Lebanon commission candidate plans to withdraw from race

A candidate running for D. Raja`s former seat on the Mt. Lebanon Board of Commissioners is walking away from his campaign, not long after someone anonymously mailed packets to politicians and media outlets, including the Tribune-Review, listing traffic tickets and one misdemeanor conviction with his name on them.
Thomas M. Brown told fellow Republican and incumbent commission candidate Joseph DeIuliis on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the race for the Ward 1 seat Raja left to run for Allegheny County Executive. Brown declined to comment on the contents of the mailed packet.
The citations date as far back as 1988 and include charges filed in Akron, Ohio, the City of Pittsburgh, Donegal, Mt. Lebanon and Moon. Most are for speeding violations although there was a citation for disorderly conduct, for which he plead guilty, two charges of harassment that were withdrawn or dismissed, and a charge of simple assault in May 2008 that required Brown to participate in a program for first time offenders.
Brown confirmed he would follow up Tuesday night with a letter to the Mt Lebanon Republican Committee, but declined to comment on whether the contents of the packet were a factor. He will not petition Common Pleas Court to have his name removed from the ballot, but he would stop all campaigning, he said.
Though DeIuliis said Brown informed him that he was dropping out, he did not specify that the digging into his past was the reason.
"When you dabble in politics, you find out how ruthless it is," DeIuliis said. "I would assume that factored into it."

Read more: Mt. Lebanon commission candidate plans to withdraw from race - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_757791.html#ixzz1YXV8fHcj

Update September 21, 2011 12:50 a.m. The Post Gazette also received the anonymous packet according to this article. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11263/1176183-100.stm  

Mt. Lebanon to Address Conflict Resolution

Laura Pace Lilly asked me to post this on Lebo Citizens.  I think the timing for such an event is perfect, especially in the area concerning conflicts on the playing fields.

Mt. Lebanon to Address Conflict Resolution

The increase in hostility these days is palpable. In the media, on the playing field, in the halls of government and in our neighborhoods, conflict is on the rise and the reactions range from less-than-cordial to downright shocking.

To counter this trend, the Mt. Lebanon Community Relations Board is presenting the forum “Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable?” on Wednesday, September 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Commission Chambers, 710 Washington Road, in Mt. Lebanon. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

Moderated by KDKA’s Jon Delano, the panel will include: Ellen DeBenedetti, a mediator, trainer, conflict coach and facilitator; David Miller, professor at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs; Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist; The Rev. Kris Opat, assistant rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Emily Stevick, psychologist.

“Our community relations board has put together an outstanding panel, who will share their own experiences, answer questions from the audience and talk informally with people after the meeting, “ says Susan Morgans, staff liaison to the board. “We hope to raise awareness among the public that respectful disagreement can often lead to new ideas and workable compromises.”

Since I will not be able to attend this meeting, I am willing to post a recording of it on the Lebo Citizens website, if there is someone out there willing to record it.  I do have an extra recorder, if needed.

Goals, Forecast, and Presentations Galore

I see that the School District has finally published the Superintendent Goals for the 2011-2012 school year.
http://www.mtlsd.org/district/stuff/2009/05_supt_performancegoals_20112012.pdf  September 19 is certainly better than when they were published last year.  It was in November.

Also at tonight's meeting, the Five Year Forecast , a Budget Presentation which included early discussions of the 2012-2013 Budget, and the Revenue Generating Team presented their findings.  OK number crunchers, on your mark, get set, GO!  What do you think about all this?

Another one bites the dust

A Mt. Lebanon football coach was arrested recently.  http://pd.mtlebanon.org/blotter/police-blotter-090811-091411.pdf Thanks goes to Chip Dalesandro for handling this quickly.

Nothing has changed.

Looking at the Blog-Lebo archives,   http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2009/04/ultimatum-from-some-athletic-supporters.html  David Reese needs to get new material.  His letter, which he has not permitted me to reprint,  is quite similar, almost verbatim in his comments.  Mike Madison called his actions bullying on April 14, 2009. 

I see and read bullying here (in the "questionnaire"). I object to bullying by adults even more than I object to bullying by children. Our kids deserve better models.

In looking at Dave Reese's letter to me, I have done some investigating. It appears that the athletic supporters are waiting for a defined project before contributing any money. How much more defined can it be? He has a $30 million facility PURELY FOR ATHLETICS going in as part of the HS project.  How much more defined is that?

His original idea was for a fieldhouse on the Rockpile.  It would have provided all-weather indoor practice facilities for the sports teams. They had suggested that they could raise half the cost of the estimated $16 million project (for which they had already had an architect do some drawings.)  Yet, Reese denies there was ever a promise.  He said that no one knows what they are talking about and that we could meet "AND NO RECORDER", but then withdrew his offer.  I was dismissed and told to go back to my blogging and flogging.

Elaine "Blogging and Flogging" Gillen

Digital Citizenship

The following letter to the school board was sent on Friday evening by a Mt. Lebanon resident and taxpayer.  Fellow blog authors at Blog-Lebo and lebodesign and I were CC'd this article sent to the board. His point was there might not be a need for a forum on disagreement in the community if truth, facts and honest interaction was the rule.

It is being reprinted here with permission.

Subject: Check out Harvard Education Letter

To all:

On the subject of plagiarism and regarding the upcoming Community Relation's Board Forum "Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable" I offer the following link: Harvard Education Letter

I found it to be extremely timely in that it relates to the plagiarism issue, the Community Forum and Policy Committee topics.

While we are educating our children to live and work in the 21st century, shouldn't we also lead them on a path towards being "Good" 'Digital Citizens'? We as adults should "teach our children well" as Crosby, Stills, Nash wrote in one of their songs.

I still find it unfortunate that Mrs. Posti chose to defend her "wittingly or unwittingly" plagiarism. But, to move forward let’s learn from the issue and educate our kids in practicing "safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and tools." Let them know there are standards they should aspire too. We'll be creating better citizens and a better community!

As to the forum, I believe that YES -- "we can disagree without being disagreeable", if and only if the adversaries first agree on what it is they are being disagreeable about! See Mr. Rothschild's response to Mr. Reese that appears on Mrs. Gillen's blog. Playing loose and free with claims, facts and responsibility I believe is what creates the animosity in the community!

I quote the start of the Harvard article here:

"Volume 27, Number 5 September/October 2011

Turning Digital Natives into Digital Citizens By DAVE SALTMAN
Today’s K–12 students are commonly called “digital natives” because they have grown up with digital technology. But natives can run wild, using the Internet to (wittingly or unwittingly) plagiarize others’ work or bully peers using social media.

Now, educators are teaching digital natives how to become good digital citizens. As defined by federal officials in the recently released National Education Technology Plan and by educators in the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS), model digital citizens “practice safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and tools.” While cyberbullying remains a concern, teachers are helping students investigate the weighty issue of intellectual property rights in order to keep them within legal and ethical bounds. Using websites as well as their own tools, they are helping students understand important concepts such as fair use and copyright, and are also helping them see the relevance in these topics by learning how to protect their own digital work."

And below this from the "National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS)" should be adopted by our policy committee for... students, teachers, administrators and board members! I love A!

5. Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

1. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
2. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
3. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
4. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

 

 

Capital Projects Team presentation

From the School District website: http://www.mtlsd.org/district/reviewteams.asp


The area of focus for this team is to maintain or reduce recurring capital project expenditures consistent with the District’s Strategic Plan. The specific task of the Capital Projects Operations Committee was to review the capital program processes and projects; identify improved operational processes and procedures; identify revenue generating opportunities; identify improvements and efficiency gains while maintaining or reducing expenses and identify operations no longer serving the District’s needs.

Click here to view Capital Projects Team Presentation 9.12.11

Final Report

Capital Projects

Appendices

The new buzz word for 2011

2010 Word of the Year    Fear mongering
2011 Word of the Year    Vitriol

David Reese used it in his email to me.  It also appears in some anonymous comments here on Lebo Citizens.  What did the teachers tell us in vocabulary class?  "Use a new word ten times and it becomes your own."  What number are we at?

Here is an email exchange from Commissioner Brumfield concerning Dave Reese's letters to me.
  

On Sep 12, 2011 12:30 PM, <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:
 Is this a threat?
 Elaine

From: david brumfield

To: egillen476 Sent: Mon, Sep 12, 2011 12:43 pm
Subject: Re: Fwd: Good morning!

Elaine,
I do not see a threat but I would recommend not circulating emails people sent you in which they explicitly deny you the right to forward. I do not believe any legal obligation is created but I would tell a client not to invite the trouble.
All that said I do not believe any of your posts are improper. My issue comes with some of the responses. You for the most part post reported facts. Unfortunately, at times those posts are high-jacked by people who favor vitriol and rhetoric over facts and discussion. I have never found you guilty of such behavior nor do I expect you to be able to stop it.
I just hope overtime we are able to return civility soon.
Thanks
Dave

On Sep 13, 2011 2:24 PM, <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Dave,
You just don't see it, I 'm sure, but don't you think you described Dave Reese's email as something coming from a person "who favors vitriol and rhetoric over facts and discussion?"
See you tonight.
Elaine

From: david brumfield

To: egillen476

Sent: Tue, Sep 13, 2011 2:53 pm
Subject: Re: Good morning!

Elaine,
I have a slightly different standard for a private email than a public communication.  I would agree that it was at best a testy email and may have been angry.  I just believe that more latitude is given in private communication.
Dave

 

Dave,
Thank you for clarifying when it is appropriate to be rude, hostile, and by my feelings, threatening. I do hope the Chief talks with him about it and doesn't justify Dave Reese's behavior as you have.  Sorry, but I don't see the difference, public or private.

See you in a bit.

Elaine

Bullying is nothing new here in Lebo.  See the April 2009 BlogLebo archive for how crazy it gets around election time with athletic supporters or see this:http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

Here is a post on Civility.

http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2008/12/civil-and-civic-disobedience.html
The comments are nice too.

Lack of civil discourse?

I read with horror Daniel Rothschild’s letter to the editor in the PG entitled, “Mt. Lebanon investments.” http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11258/1174689-55-0.stm  In his letter to the editor, Dan is responding to David Reese’s letter to the editor, “Suburban jewel town loses its luster.”  Dan writes:

I share Mr. Reese's concerns about the lack of civil discourse not only in Mt. Lebanon, but also in American society. One need only look to our elected officials in Washington to see how often people talk at each other, not with each other.Mr. Reese uses examples of uncivil tones in local blogs in our community. I would suggest that blogs have some similarities to cable news channels. Each is influenced by the personality of the author. Just as there are cable news channels some people would prefer not to watch, so, too, they can choose to avoid those blogs that are not civil. However, the right of free speech is one of the foundations of a strong community.

I received two personal emails from David Reese on Monday, September 12.  Both were hostile in tone, to the point that I felt threatened.  I was forced to forward them to the Commission since I had no email address to forward to the police department. Two of the commissioners gave me Chief McDonough’s email address (cmcdonough@mtlebanon.org).  Chief McDonough gave me a non-emergency email for the police department, but warned me that it is only read during business hours and may not be answered until the next business day.  Here is the email address for

NON-EMERGENCY email. mlpdmgt@mtlebanon.org

I hope that David Reese didn’t send an email to Dan Rothschild about his blog too.  It took awhile to get to Dan Rothschild’s message, but as he wrote, “The right of free speech is one of the foundations of a strong community.”

Since I don't get the Almanac anymore...

I am reprinting this article in its entirety. The Almanac doesn't archive its articles for any length of time, but here is the link for now. ML school project on track for October rebid

9/14/2011 

ML school project on track for October rebid

By Nick Lewandowski For The Almanac writer@thealmanac.net

The Mt. Lebanon school board again heard from the design team for its high school renovation project Sept. 12. Architect Tom Celli said revised drawings were received Sept. 9 and that they were "99 percent there," estimating the project would be ready to bid by early October. The redesign features some $16 million in cost savings, and will be bid to seven multiple prime contractors, including a general contractor. Other contractors will handle mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and asbestos abatement. The seventh is a casework team assigned to assist the general contractor with managing architecture.
Celli described the impact of the design changes as "so minimal as to be inconsequential."
Though the redesigned building will not obtain LEED Silver certification (a sustainability rating administered by the U.S. Green Building Council), the resulting loss of energy efficiency is expected to be relatively minor.
The redesigned school will also qualify for less reimbursement from the state, though it is difficult to determine an exact figure given the number of variables involved in the calculation.

A rough estimate from director of fiscal services Jan Klein put the figure at about $12.5 million, down from the original $14.4 million. Celli-Flynn Brennan and construction manager P.J. Dick will spend the next month double-checking their numbers regarding cost savings and energy use. According to Celli's tentative timeline, the district can then advertise for bids Oct. 11 and open them Nov. 22, finally breaking ground in January 2012.
The high school project is still set to last three and a half years, ending in July 2015, though the academic buildings will likely be finished several months before that.
A point of contention remains the structure of add and deduct alternates specified in the bid documents. Deduct alternates are items that can be removed from the project if bids come in high. Add alternates are just the opposite: elements that can be included should there be funds to spare.
In this case, the tennis courts and an auxiliary gym are currently listed as deduct alternates, the school's rifle range as an add.
Board member Dan Remely was in favor of making all three of those items add alternates, arguing a contractor will quote a fairer price to add an item than for one built into the base bid.
"I don't want to leave profit sitting on the table," he said. "I'm not trying to fund anyone's retirement with this project. I want to know where I'm taking taxpayer money."
Board vice-president Dale Ostergaard was against the idea. He insisted neither the gym, nor tennis courts, nor rifle range should be on the list in the first place.
Mary Birks echoed his statements, saying, "this is not just a high school, it's also the crown jewel of our community in terms of having a community center. I can't promise I'll vote for something that's less than we have now."
Overall, a significant portion of the board indicated it might not support the project if the auxiliary gym or tennis courts had to be removed.
Architect Celli insisted the debate was premature, that the board needed to wait to see the bids. He also argued contractors would bid deduct alternates as aggressively as adds to have a better shot at a larger pool of funds.
"I think it's time to build a building," he said. "Let's go do it."

1 comments Of course Celli said... : 9/14/2011
"Let's go do it." So easy to spend other people's money! I certainly hope Ostergard and Birks stick to their guns should the bids come in over the limit again. It is too bad the bids won't be in pre-election so we can determine whom to get rid of!
Taxpayer

Doing our homework

Last night’s Commission Discussion Session was a revelation. I learned that there is nothing in the Home Rule Charter to protect us from electing commissioners with a criminal record. 

Home Rule Charter

Section 305. Qualifications of Commissioners

At the time of election or appointment, a Commissioner shall be a citizen of the United States, shall be at least twenty-five (25) years of age, shall have been a registered voter in the Municipality for at least two (2) years immediately prior to election, and shall be a bona fide resident of the ward from which elected.

The Commissioners recommended that we do our homework before we cast our votes. The disturbing part of this statement is that voters in Wards 2, 3, 4, and 5 are counting on the voters in Ward 1, for example, to do their research.  Once elected, the Home Rule Charter states:

Section 306. Authority

All Commission authority shall be asserted by the Commissioners as a body only.

In simpler terms, what happens in Ward 1 doesn’t stay in Ward 1.  Whew!  Talk about pressure!!!

So, how do we do our homework?  Google?  Criminal records don’t show up using Google. For magisterial dockets, one must search here: http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJ.aspx

For Criminal Courts of Common Pleas dockets: http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/CP.aspx

Appellate Courts:

http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/Appellate.aspx

But we are advised that, “Docket sheet information should not be used in place of a criminal history background check.” 

Now what?  Who is responsible for running a criminal history background check?  The parties?  Clearly, that didn’t happen.  Should there be something in the Home Rule Charter that the individual must be able to pass a criminal history background check?  If so, how long? Five years? Ten years?  What convictions are acceptable?

The bottom line is that we must be mindful of all candidates running.  Once elected, they govern all of us, regardless of ward.

Commission says to let voters decide

There was quite a discussion tonight during the Commission Discussion Session held before the regular meeting concerning arrests and convictions of candidates.  The Commission has no say when it comes to candidates, but they do when it comes to boards and committees.  Solicitor Phil Weis, Marcia Taylor, Susan Morgans, and Chief McDonough all participated in the discussion with the Commissioners and Steve Feller.

Commissioner Bonnie VanKirk said that the political parties are to vet their candidates. I don't know who is responsible for the Democratic Committee, but Commissioner Joe DeIuliis does that for the Republican Committee here in Mt. Lebanon.  He was unable to attend tonight's meeting.

President Dan Miller stressed how important it is to know the candidates. We all need to do our homework before we vote.

Update September 14, 2011 6:52 p.m. Dan Miller contacted me to say that he "asked the solicitor to check into a couple of things to flesh out the discussion last night."  To be continued...

The poll is closed. The results are in.

"The School Board Members Should All Resign." Do you agree?

137 Yes they ALL need to go.
40 Not completely. Some of them need to go.
31 They are doing a fine job.

Total: 208 votes

Will we see this in Posti's report tonight?

Last night, I received an email from Josephine Posti. Here is my response, which includes her original email. Again, I become the issue. Before you ask, the joke was about teaching math through history that is going around globally. Mary Birks' reaction is for a future post.

Josephine Posti,

If you listen to the five minute podcast on my blog, I never once accused you of plagiarism.  I was very careful to say that you had not cited your sources. I purposely avoided that word when I mentioned that Tom Moertel came up with 11 examples where you did not quote your sources.  It was Policy Chair Lebowitz who said that I "was making allegations of Mrs. Posti allegedly committing plagiarism." (3:54 on the recording)

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B9r_1biKte_bZmQzYTFhMWUtNjY4Ny00ZmQwLTk1OTEtYjI4ZWI4ZTVhMDIy&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

I guess I can make the same statement. The accusations you've made about me are serious, potentially defamatory and incorrect. 

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From: Josephine C. Posti <JPosti@mtlsd.net>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>; commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; School Board Email list <SchoolBoardEmaillist@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Sun, Sep 11, 2011 7:23 pm
Subject: RE: What is Mt. Lebanon turning into?

Mrs. Gillen,

The accusations you've made about me are serious, potentially defamatory and incorrect.  I've spoken to three attorneys, including our solicitor, an English professor, my management team and a number of Board members and District staff and none of them identify my inadvertent lack of citation as plagiarism.  Plagiarism involves taking credit for someone else's work, doing it without their permission and receiving a grade or compensation in return.  I didn't do that.  I've apologized for my lack of citation and corrected the error.

This email seems to be your defensive response to the reaction you got from one of my fellow Board members on Friday when you sent us an extremely offensive joke that is derogatory toward children with special needs, English learners and education in general.  Her reaction is shared by each Board member I've spoken to; we each found it to be distasteful.  If you're not getting the reaction you anticipated, perhaps the message is being distorted and a cup of coffee might help clarify your intent.  I sincerely would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to gain a better understanding of your concerns.  My experience has been that conversations are much more effective in helping someone understand your point of view rather than name-calling and leaking documents and emails and that we are at our best when we seek common ground.  Consider it.  We both may learn something.

Best regards,

Josephine Posti
President
Mt. Lebanon School Board
412.667.1479

http://jposti.blogspot.com/

Mission: To provide the best education possible for each and every student

---

From: egillen476@aol.com [egillen476@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 12:08 AM
To: commission@mtlebanon.org; School Board Email list
Subject: What is Mt. Lebanon turning into?

Dear Commissioners and School Board Directors,

I have emailed you at various times about situations that were embarrassing moments for the community.  We have a commissioner that lied about paying his taxes and yet voted on issues that affected all of us. We have a school board president who apologizes for not citing all her sources and the school board does nothing about it, yet all vote on policies that affect our students.  We have a candidate for Ward 1 who thinks nothing of running for commissioner and has a criminal record.  And now we have a swimming coach who is charged with leaving his five and seven year old children alone in a car.  Yet, when I bring up these situations, I become the issue.  Why is that? 

Must you create new policies or update our comprehensive plan for our leaders, or at some point, should our leaders take responsibility for their actions?

Elaine Gillen

Update 9:25 a.m. Bill Matthews submitted an excellent letter to the boys over on Blog-Lebo. School Board should learn from mistakes, reflect upon role Here is the link to Policy GBEE, which is up for discussion at tonight's meeting. Policy GBEE Student Communications Now, the School Board wants the teachers to do as they say, not as they do.

An open letter to our leaders

This was sent to the Commission and school board directors.

Dear Commissioners and School Board Directors,

I have emailed you at various times about situations that were embarrassing moments for the community.  We have a commissioner who lied about paying his taxes and yet voted on issues that affected all of us. We have a school board president who apologized for not citing all of her sources and the school board does nothing about it, yet all vote on policies that affect our students.  We have a candidate for Ward 1 who thinks nothing of running for commissioner and has a criminal record.  And now we have a swimming coach who is charged with leaving his five and seven year old children alone in a car.  Yet, when I bring up these situations, I become the issue.  Why is that? 

Must you create new policies or update our comprehensive plan Home Rule Charter for our leaders, or at some point, should our leaders take responsibility for their actions?

Elaine Gillen

Update September 13, 2011 4:20 p.m. Mt. Lebanon suspends coach accused of leaving kids in car

Is this the same T. Michael Brown?

An anonymous packet arrived in my mailbox today. The cover letter summarized a litany of citations for a "T. Michael Brown."  The letter goes on to say that this individual is the same T. Michael Brown who is running for Commissioner in Ward 1 of Mt. Lebanon.  I have scanned all the documentation and am presenting it here. T. Michael Brown Dockets Do these documents belong to the same municipal candidate, T. Michael Brown?

Update September 9, 2011 10:47 a.m. More information has surfaced.  These are criminal dockets from the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.

Update September 9, 2011 1:41 p.m. This was just sent to me.  Brown Someone did his or her homework before letting me know about it.

Update September 10, 2011 6:35 p.m. T. Michael Brown nomination petitions

According to mtl Magazine

A recent post on mtl's Facebook:

mtl -- Mt. Lebanon Magazine

How many Mt. Lebanon households have kids 18 and younger? The 2010 census says 4,238 or 29.9 percent of our households. They shall be doing the victory dance on Monday when school is back in session! Source (and for more census data): http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table. August 25 at 2:02pm

As David Reese wrote in a PG article and later reprinted in the Almanac, 

Families with children are clearly a minority of homeowners now, and there is an "older demographic" in the community.

Seventy percent of Mt. Lebanon households have no children 18 and younger.  Does this really warrant spending $3 million plus on more ball fields? Can any of our tax money ever go for recreation for the 70%? How many six year old girls are actually being told that there aren't fields available?  What about the five year olds? We can't be all things to all people.

In other news, Keystone Oaks is meeting tonight to present and consider a school consolidation plan. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11251/1172872-55-0.stm 

The district's fact sheet noted also that a demographic study done by the state education department and a Carnegie Mellon demographer showed that 80 percent of residents don't have children in district schools and a high percentage are elderly and living on fixed incomes, making tax hikes untenable.

Don't let this get out

On Tuesday, September 6, 2011, the PSBA (Pennsylvania School Boards Association) published a list of school districts known to have adopted a wage freeze for administrators, teachers, and/or staff. http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=1767 Here in Mt. Lebanon, the school board (I stopped capitalizing those words) just approved a nice increase for our superintendent which included a salary increase and added vacation benefits. As of 10:00 this morning, last year's goals are still online. http://www.mtlsd.org/superintendent/goals.asp The 2010/2011 goals were not published until November 2010. Dr. Steinhauer's contract runs from July 1 to June 30. When his raise was approved, the school board indicated that they were still working on his goals.  Wasn't that a month ago?
While some school boards are adopting wage freezes, our directors are quick to hand out increases faster than establishing goals. Gee, this isn't a violation of Policy BDD, is it? 
Here is proof that we make up our own rules here in Mt. Lebanon. School entities statewide adopting PSBA Standards for Effective School Governance

Another little tidbit on the PSBA website is this New bills address superintendent contracts. Remember the Sable buyout?

Robb Hollow Park update and stormwater fee update

It looks like the Solicitor for the Municipality is keeping busy.  First, the Trib had instructions on how to declare the stormwater fee as unconstitutional. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_754811.html

Also, the Friends of Robb Hollow Park sent out an update which I am printing below.  To grind or not to grind (and I am not talking about skateboarding here,) that is the question. Please read to the end of the letter.  I love the last two paragraphs.

Last night Friends of Robb Hollow Park’s Core Group were pleased to attend a meeting of the Parks Advisory Board. We shared information from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources regarding the violation of Project 70 regulations limiting the use of Robb Hollow Park solely to recreation. This was apparently the first the Parks Advisory Board had heard of the violation.

 

Commissioner Brumfield informed the attendees that Mt. Lebanon has turned the matter of grinding in Robb Hollow Park over to their solicitor. Mt. Lebanon’s response to the DCNR’s letter is to try and pass this activity off as “conservation”. It is clear that our elected leaders are planning “business as usual” at this industrial production site in the Park.

 

The board members listened to our concerns about the health effects of the smog emitted by the Beast. They expressed frustration that many of the needs in the parks have been put aside due to a lack of money.

 

We heard a good bit of discussion regarding the proposed 3 Million dollar bond issue to create playing fields in Mc Neilly Park. We listened as Commissioner Brumfield spoke emotionally and sincerely about not wanting to be in the position of telling little six year old girls that they cannot play a sport this year due to a lack of availability of sport fields.

 

We wonder why the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners are comfortable telling our children that they cannot have the same quality of clean air that all other neighborhoods in Mt. Lebanon enjoy?

 

Mary D’Angelo

for Friends of Robb Hollow Park

Can your kid get away with this?

I went to the Policy Committee meeting today at 4:30.  It was nice to see Dr. Steinhauer recording the meeting which will be shared on the District website tomorrow.

I uploaded the entire podcast on the Lebocitizens website.  The meeting lasted about an hour.  I was the only resident again.  Matt Santoni, from the Trib, was also in attendance.

For the citizens comments and questions portion of the meeting - the last five minutes of the meeting, one of the things I brought up was the Posti/ plagiarism issue. I mentioned page 13 of the 2011-2012 Student & Parent Handbook which is supposed to be used as a current reference to the many school district policies, procedures, guidelines, rules and services that apply to the high school, according to Mr. Brian McFeeley, Principal.  Please listen to the last five minutes of the meeting, which I have provided here. My comments about Posti. Our kids are required to demonstrate academic integrity and are expected to refrain from academic dishonesty. They are to report any knowledge of such acts of others. So when I reported Posti's actions, I was wrong for doing it and was criticized by Posti. Larry Lebowitz considered them as allegations using his lawyer voice. The policy committee would not respond since it was not on the agenda and Mrs. Posti wasn't there to defend herself. I pointed out that none of the school board members reported this behavior and yet, they expect students to report this. Again, do as I say, not as I do.  I guess I am supposed to go to a school board meeting and bring it up there.  Then Posti can publicly humiliate me again. Then each Board member will say something like how disrespectful I am, or some such thing. Unfortunately, I work on Monday nights now, so I will not be able to give them the satisfaction of doing that.  We don't stand a chance, Folks.  I feel really sorry for the kids.

62+ days until Election Day

Steve Diaz, guest writer on this blog, has submitted another post. This time, it is out of respect for the 4,000 people who signed the petition to cap the renovation project at $75 million. The following pledge is for school board members, commissioners and candidates.  Since no one seems to be campaigning with just 62 plus days to go, this pledge written by Steve Diaz might be a good start.  And for the incumbents, the current poll shows 67% of voters feel that ALL school board directors should resign. Only 25 votes (13%) out of 186 total voters feel that the school board is doing a fine job.

A Pledge for Public Service:

As an informed citizen, I hereby call upon every elected official of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon and the Mt. Lebanon School District, and all candidates for such office, to publicly agree to be bound by the following principles of open representative government:

MT. LEBANON OFFICE HOLDER/CANDIDATE PLEDGE OF RESPECT FOR CONSTITUENTS

As an elected official of the Mt. Lebanon School Board, or of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, or as a candidate for a seat on the Mt. Lebanon School Board or the Council of the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, I pledge that my public service will be dedicated to the following principles:

1.  It is my duty to give due and patient consideration to the substance of constituent sentiment on all matters of policy and taxation.

2.  It is my duty to provide a civil, respectful, and thoughtful response to every constituent communication, whether or not I agree with the points of view expressed by my constituents.

3.  It is my duty to be forthright, complete, honest, accurate, and fair in every communication I have with my constituents.

4.  It is my duty to be clear and consistent with my constituents as to my position on all issues, and to be honest, forthright, and timely when I deem it desirable to change my position on public matters.

5.  It is my duty to conduct myself at all times in an open and transparent manner, avoiding meetings with other public officials in circumstances that are likely to hide from public scrutiny my actions and purposes.

6.  It is my duty to assure that meetings at which public business is conducted or decided are open, transparent, duly noticed, and scheduled so as to maximize the opportunity of the public to attend, observe, and/or participate.

7.  It is my duty to fully disclose all information that I reasonably believe is of interest to my constituents and to assure full disclosure and full public knowledge of how official business is conducted.

8.  It is my duty to assure that intergovernmental meetings and coordination are fully open and transparent in a timely manner to my constituents.

9.  It is my duty to seek redress from appropriate authorities for all acts of fraud, waste, abuse, or unethical, illegal, or improper conduct by public officials and employees in the course of my official duties.

10.  It is my duty to consider and avoid any unnecessarily negative impact on the economic welfare of my constituents, including taxation.

11.  It is my duty to speak out against and to actively oppose all attempts to limit diversity of opinion by official policy or action, formal or informal.

12.  It is my duty to insist upon compliance with these principles by the body to which I am elected, and to hold my colleagues accountable to these principles as well.

I ask each person holding or seeking public office in this Municipality or this School District to subscribe to these principles by giving their written concurrence, thereby indicating their commitment to constituent service and respect.  I would hope that all members of the Council and the School Board, and all candidates for seats on these bodies will subscribe to these basic democratic principles now and in the future.

Respectfully.  Steve Diaz

Private Joint Steering meetings need to stop

The following email exchange was sent to me for posting on Lebo Citizens by David Huston.

From: David Huston
To: bvankirk@mtlebanon.org
CC: dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org; commission@mtlebanon.org; schoolboard@mtlsd.net
Subject: RE: Your quotes in the trib
Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2011 13:07:07 +0000

Bonnie,
  Thanks for getting back to me and asking a key follow-up question. Mt. Lebanon has a long history of private Joint Steering meetings. Private Joint Steering meetings may have been allowed before the Sunshine Act was enacted, but they are not permitted now. I will attempt to shed some light on the history with newspaper reports, blog posts and school board minutes. I have included the commission and school board on this for full disclosure. Members of the public are welcome to review this message and comment.

From http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_south/20030507s19bigbucks0507p2.asp P-G 07-MAY-2003:

"Leaders of the two boards meet quarterly in a private session called a Joint Steering meeting
at which finances are always a topic, school board President Skip Kasky said."

Don't you see something fundamentally wrong with the quote? If taxpayer money
is a topic of discussion, the public must be allowed to comment and attend the meeting.

From http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06292/731034-55.stm P-G 19-OCT-2006:

This quote highlights the way the school board does business.

"In March, the commission decided not to pursue any more such appeals and not to fight any
appeals filed by residents or Mr. Onorato's office seeking to lower those assessments.

Even though the commissioners' decision was reported in the Post-Gazette in March, school

directors said they were not aware of it until a Joint Steering committee of the school directors

and commissioners was held in late August. Shortly afterward, the school board decided to hire

the firm Diversified Municipal Services to represent the school board at appeal hearings."

The school board used taxpayer money to fund a legal attack against the taxpayers for
higher assessments to collect more tax money. Theoretically, this approach could be used in an iterative technique to challenge assessments indefinitely even if the assessments are ratcheted up beyond what is reasonable. Clearly, the school board attempted to use the private joint steering committee to strong-arm the commission into approving the use of municipal funds to help finance the services of Diversified Municipal Services. When the municipality announced their decision not to appeal taxpayer assessments, the school board ignored it, then moved to appeal taxpayer assessments on its own after meeting privately with the commission.
This maneuver enabled the school board to fabricate a story that the commission would
not cooperate with funding the appeals but the same municipality would benefit from
the windfall generated. The school board could say it came to the table in good faith,
but the commission stepped away from the talks, and the public would be none the wiser.
I am worried this scenario could happen again with the 2012 assessments, aren't you?

From http://www.mtlsd.org/district/stuff/october%2020,%202008%20board%20meeting%20summary.pdf SBM 20-OCT-2008:

You may be aware that the high school small-bore rifle range is not suitable for police use.
If the joint steering committee meeting was public, the commission could have been advised
by members of the public the rifle range could not be used by the police.
The range has been in place for decades, yet Mr. Silhol presented his offer for sharing the range
at the joint steering committee meeting not open to the public. Mr. Silhol should have known better because he graduated from Mt. Lebanon high school some years ago, and was familiar with the high school facility. Currently, the rifle range for just small-bore rifle use is a delete alternate with the high school
renovation and may not be included in the final design at all. It is a good thing the municipality didn't promise to fund the range because the school district would have diverted that money to something like off-budget kitchen equipment instead. I would have liked to see the commission's presentation for the sports fields. More details regarding the McNeilly property discussions would be helpful at this time.

From http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_717864.html T-R 13-JAN-2011:

"Joint Steering – Mr. Silhol reported that he and the superintendent attended the Mt. Lebanon

Commissioner’s meeting in October where they spoke in support of an office for a police officer

in the high school, and shared use of the rifle range with the Mt. Lebanon Police. A presentation

was made by the commission of various alternatives for baseball and soccer fields."

Clearly the public was kept in the dark about this matter that should have been
subject to sunshine review. Tax dollars are used to maintain both municipal and school
district properties, so the taxpayers should have been able to comment and attend.This quote by Ms. Posti indicates the private meetings were not effective in hashing
out all the details, and she would have preferred additional private discussions.
Ms. Posti also discounted the public comment made at the commission meeting
as interfering with government actions. She neglected to mention that she could
have commented at the same municipal meeting, representing the school board as president.
Allowing the public to comment at the Joint Steering committee
meeting would have permitted the district to respond to public comments.

From http://www.yoursouthhills.com/newslinks/mt-lebanon-officials-wont-agree-closed-meetings SHR 17-FEB-2011:Why did Mr. Brumfield, against the solicitor's advice and commission vote, go ahead and participate in the Joint Steering committee meeting? The article states Joint Steering committee meetings are executive sessions. When did the commission announce Brumfield had the executive session, as required by the Sunshine Act?
Even the school board failed to announce the Joint Steering committee was held in
executive session and provide the exceptions as required by the Sunshine Act.

From http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_723014.html T-R 17-FEB-2011, http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2011/02/trib-mt-lebanon-officials-wont-agree-to.html 27-FEB-2011:

"Because the meetings would often involve legal agreements between the two bodies, [Ms. Posti]

said they'd be closed to the public until their recommendations are brought to

the respective boards for public discussion and approval."

"Though both sides worked together behind the scenes on the agreement,
some questions raised by the commissioners came just before they voted
on it, leaving no time for the district to respond"

"Commissioners Joe DeIuliis and Dave Brumfield initially agreed to serve on the "joint steering committee" with school board President Josephine Posti and Vice President Dale Ostergaard, who would meet in closed-door executive sessions to facilitate more freewheeling conversation and protect discussions of legal matters, Posti said. But commission President Dan Miller said last week the commissioners wouldn't join the meetings unless they were open."

How can Mr. Peterson justify saying members of a committee composed entirely of elected officials "lack any power to make ... recommendations?"
Clearly elected officials make recommendations all the time. It is their job. Does Mr. Peterson think he has more power than the school directors, so as long as he is present, the "Cones of Silence" are OK?What is worse, he overstepped his bounds and offered legal advice to the municipality. What other legal advice does Mr. Peterson give the municipality during closed-door meetings?
Is he saying current administrations are allowed to do something prohibited now, just because it was permitted in the past? 

"School district Solicitor Thomas Peterson said Sunshine laws did not apply

because the joint steering committee didn't represent a quorum for either the

municipality or the school district, and it lacked any actual power to make

legislation or recommendations. Since past administrations did not have to

make the committee meetings public, they didn't, he said."

"No meetings have been scheduled while the two sides work out the issue."

Mr. Santoni reported no meetings have been scheduled, even
though the meetings have occurred since he published his article.

From http://danmillerward5.com/joint-steering-meetings-with-school-board DMB 05-MAR-2011, http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2011/03/will-school-board-choose-secrecy-or.html B-L 06-MAR-2011:
Why is Ms. Posti, who represents the school board as president,
conducting private Joint Steering committee meetings with
Mr. Brumfield after the commission voted not to participate in them?

From http://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2011/03/update-on-joint-steering-committee.html LCB 09-MAR-2011:

"Upon hearing the Solicitor’s opinion in executive session, the

Commission decided unanimously to rescind our offer to participate

in private joint steering meetings and instead extended an offer for

public meetings to begin asap. Four Commissioners were present

at that time of this unanimous decision." - quote from Dan Miller's blog

Why did the Commission approve the Joint Steering committee meetings after the same Commission voted not to participate?

David Huston
 

"Commissioners DeIuliis and Brumfield are on board to represent the Commission once the School Board agrees to public Joint Steering Committee meetings."

> From: bvankirk@mtlebanon.org
> To: David Huston
> CC: dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org; Commission@mtlebanon.org
> Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:02:23 -0400
> Subject: Re: Your quotes in the trib
>
> David
> As I told you at the mtg last nite I didn't receive your original email.
> Thank you for your comments. They are always appreciated.
> Please clarify what you mean in your last sentence about the "private
> joint steering committee meetings". Don't know what you mean.
> Bonnie
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Aug 22, 2011, at 11:46 PM, "David Huston" wrote:
>
> > This is the email that did not get a response from anyone.
> >
> > From: David Huston
> > To: dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org
> > CC: commission@mtlebanon.org
> > Subject: Your quotes in the trib
> > Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:33:49 +0000
> >
> > Mr. Brumfield,
> > Regarding McNeilly park, your quote "The time was eight years ago"
> > does not factor in the previous Commission's vote against a bond to
> > improve the McNeilly park grading. You were not on the commission
> > then, yet you have the audacity to second-guess their decision now.
> >
> > Your other quote "The people who are the most hurt by a tax increase
> > are the same ones who would benefit most from increasing the values
> > of their homes."
> > is an insult to your constituents.
> > Are you guaranteeing my property value will increase after you decide
> > to increase my taxes and squander public money leveling a
> > public property with hilly terrain and a pool of standing water?
> >
> > In reality, the people who are most hurt by a tax increase are the
> > same ones who moved into Mt. Lebanon years ago, thinking they could afford the cost
> > of living based on the taxes at the time. Please explain why you think
> > we should pay tax increases that will exceed the rate of inflation.
> >
> > Please demonstrate, showing the arithmetic, that no money currently
> > used to fund storm sewer maintenance will be used for other purposes
> > after the rain tax is implemented.
> > I want to see the numbers.
> >
> > Please stop conducting private Joint Steering meetings against the Commission's wishes.
> >
> > David Huston