High School Project Change Order HS2012-1: RESOLVED, That the Board approves a change order in the amount of $_______to Nello Construction for replacement of ground material as necessary for the high school project as per the attached list.
This agenda item follows the always transparent, proposed final budget approval for the 2012-2013 school year:
2012-2013 Proposed Final Budget: RESOLVED, That the Board approves a Proposed Final Budget for the 2012-13 school year in the amount of $_____at a millage rate of_____which is an increase of ____mills over the 2011-12 school year.
So they gave us a good 3-4 days to give feedback before they bring to to the discussion meeting about the final budget.
ReplyDeleteAs Randy Jackson says, "Good looking out, school board".
I had to laugh when I read that. They are numbering the change orders has HS-20121. So this must be the first change order of 2012.
I'd like to start an over/under on change orders.
I am going to guess conservative at 25 for 2012 for a total cost of $1,100,000.
I have faith in Nello! They can change order with the best of them.
Albert Brenneman.
Albert, you may not be aware of this, but Nello "built" the Public Safety Building. And we still can't get it right.
ReplyDeleteOops, there's that hate in my heart again.
Elaine
Considering what I've heard about the public safety building, we all should be scared...very scared.
ReplyDeleteAsk the people who work there; they'll tell you.
Maddie Miller
Nello was something like $8million less than the next general contracting bids. They have to make up that difference somehow.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't know any better, I might insinuate that someone let Nello know what their number needed to be. Because if their bid was in line with the others (instead of at least 20% below the others) then this thing would have been going to referendum.
But I know better. Nobody on this board would ever violate ethics like that.
But hey, it's not like we have any history to go by on these constructions thingys and how they pan out when we don't have an owner's rep or a single prime....oh wait, yes we do. Remember that elementary school renovation and bond float that was supposed to include a new pool? Well the change orders pushed the project more than $5 million over and the pool was scrapped. But that was like so last century...oh wait, nevermind, someone just reminded me it was 2004.
Nothing like going into a $113 million construction project with your eyes closed and fingers crossed!
Albert Brennenman
Albert, thank you for some background on the elementary school renovation. I was out of the loop then, working two jobs and caring for a loved one.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that we don't have an owner's rep. What ever happened to the man who hired Dr. Tim over at USC?
http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/11097/1137478-55.stm
Search "change orders" on this blog and you will get pages of posts. Remember the boat photo? That boat named "Change Order?"
Search "Nello" on this blog and you will see how I said that Nello saved the project, as well as pages of warnings about Nello.
I have gotten a lot of grief from some residents over this blog, but the funny thing is, you read it here first.
Elaine
In today’s Tribune-Review Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor Cawley says blaming the State for cuts to education is “political fodder.” It appears he disagrees with Mary Birks and some other members of the Lebo Board. It seems basic education spending is, "the largest amount of state tax dollars ever earmarked for basic education" Our Board will need the extra dollars for the HS change orders.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Trib:
“Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed a $22 million increase in basic education spending, boosting the total to $5.3 billion, the largest amount of state tax dollars ever earmarked for basic education, Lt. Gov. James Cawley told more than 35 business and community leaders who gathered for a forum at St. Vincent College in Unity.
The lieutenant governor said that overall funding for basic education fell during the Corbett administration's first fiscal year because education funding was "overinflated" during Gov. Ed Rendell's administration by the federal stimulus funds in 2009. Some critics have used that drop in education funding as "political fodder," Cawley said.”
Read more: Lt. governor touts record education dollars - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_791101.html#ixzz1rvLTAuev
John
Albert, the insinuation that you made about a bidding irregularity with Nello and the board could be reported to the US Attorney's Office located here in Pittsburgh.
ReplyDelete"United States Attorney David J. Hickton today announced the activation of a school fraud hotline where citizens can report suspected possible corruption in public education. Potential abuses include misuse of federal funds, spending irregularities, corruption in the contract and bidding process, theft and embezzlement of district funds, and bribery, kickbacks or other forms of illegal collusion with outside vendors.
The phone line — 412-894-7515 — is being maintained by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Citizens may report potential abuses anonymously if they choose. Once potential abuses have been reported, the Office will work with appropriate law enforcement agencies in response to the information."
US Attorney's Office school fraud hotline
I should add that the hotline is anonymous. I give my permission for anyone who calls to refer the US Attorney's office to this blog and website for additional information, if needed.
ReplyDeleteElaine
What the Kluck? The agenda has been changed and the change order item has been removed. WHY?
ReplyDeleteElaine
You know why it changed Elaine. They weren't prepared or believed anyone would be paying attention.
ReplyDeleteWhat is going to be even funnier, is when they pass the Policy on Sponsors/Partnerships and find out they have to kick the PTSA out of any further interaction.
Why? Read this list of things a Sponsor/Partner can't engage in.
In general, partnerships/sponsorships cannot:
Promote hostility, disorder or violence;
Promote the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco or weapons;
Attack ethnic, racial or religious groups
Discriminate, demean, harass or ridicule any person or groups of persons;
Be libelous;
Inhibit the functioning of the school and/or District;
Override or adversely affect the school or District identity;
THE NEXT ONE IS THE BIG ONE!
Remember who sent that infamous dastardly email blast about candidates and their families last November! That's right - the PTSA. The policy furthermore does not indicate any sort of time frame. So, are they banned for eternity or just until new officers step in? Of course, the board in its usual ineptitude, didn't think this through.
Promote, favor or oppose the candidacy of any candidate for election, adoption of any bond issue, referendum or public question submitted at any general, county, municipal or school election;
Be obscene or pornographic or otherwise inappropriate for the educational setting,
as determined by the District;
Promote any religious or political organization; and
Use the District logo without prior approval of the Superintendent.
This is such a poorly written policy, its laughable that educated people could even consider voting on it.
Giffen Good
Ok, maybe it is just semantics...but if a sponsor can't favor OR oppose a bond issue, does that mean they can't have a brain as well?
ReplyDeletePerhaps what the policy committee meant to say was they can't "Publicly lobby for or against any blah blah blah".
So basically nobody in Mt. Lebanon can become a sponsor....maybe that's what tey want.
Albert Brennaman
Sort of Albert, with vague definitions/guidance and directions as to whom evaluates sponsors/partners and their activities - it leaves whom is appropriate or not pretty much up to the discretion of the board.
ReplyDeleteGiffen Good
Giffen, I don't have to tell you that the policy was crafted by two attorneys, one who is the district's solicitor and the other, the chairman of the policy committee.
ReplyDeleteElaine
It doesn't matter what board Policy says because the Board ignores what is inconvenient for them. There is no facilities meeting exception in Board Policy or the Right to Know Law that allows facilities meetings to be held in executive session but they do it anyway just like they hold personnel meetings in private.
ReplyDeleteWas the High School a personnel matter? We may never be able to prove that because the Policy Committee had the Solicitor destroy documents.
You could raise the objection that PlanCon Part I needs to be filed on an interim basis with the Education Department. The Part I should state all change orders that have taken place. Of course to file a PlanCon RTK you will have to deal with some nasty folks at the District that don't know or are told to ignore the law.
What is the District hiding? They are acting like the HS is a personnel issue.
John Ewing
Something I've never understood - why when someone says an attorney is involved there is an immediate assumption of infallibility?
ReplyDeleteThere are bad, mediocre, good and then great - politicians, actors, poets, doctors, mechanics, moms, priests, plumbers, carpenters, teachers, judges, chefs, etc., etc.
But for some reason, attorneys are all great, honest and incapable of being partisan... that is until they're caught.
Sorry, I'm not buyin' it. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else.
Giffen Good
We all the story behind outsourcing and a prominent board member's position on the subject.
ReplyDeleteBut what many may not know is "the rest of the story."
From an article titled: "Outsourcing, How to Skirt the Law" in Bloomberg BusinessWeek thet write:"
"[O]ur goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker," says Lawrence Lebowitz, director of marketing for the Pittsburgh law firm Cohen & Grigsby, before an audience of employers at the firm's conference. The seminar provides details on how employers can meet the government's requirements for the Permanent Labor Certificate program (PERM), which lets employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency if they can demonstrate no U.S. worker can fill a job. The trick, according to Cohen & Grigsby attorneys, is to only go through the motions of hiring Americans without ever intending to.
The video, which has been posted on YouTube (GOOG), is now sparking a sharp backlash. On June 21, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representative Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) fired off a letter to Cohen & Grigsby demanding an explanation for its advice, as well as going so far as to ask for the names of its clients. "Your firm's video advises employers how to hire only foreign labor, while making it nearly impossible for a qualified American worker to get a job," they wrote. "We look forward to hearing from you on how such advice is ethical and does not undermine the programs by enticing fraud and misuse." (See the lawmakers' letter here.) A public relations firm representing Cohen & Grigsby did not return phone calls seeking comment."
Interesting MO.
First, could we be seeing policies written that "only go through the motions of [defining sponsorships/partnerships without ever intending to"?
Second, "not returning [emails etc.] seeking comment"?
Don't ya just love good old fashion transparency in school board operations. I'm excited! LOL
Giffen Good
Complain as one might about the school board, the people of Mt. Lebanon are getting exactly what they deserve. When two-thirds of eligible voters refuse to vote in a critical local election, the outcome of which directly impinging upon their wallets, there is little use in lamenting the outcome. So devious agendas, confusing public information, withdrawn notices of change orders, and unethical attorneys should not come as a shock to the polity.
ReplyDeleteOne does have to give our school board members some credit as credit is due: They are intelligent, street-smart, devious, and arrogant. They are also experts in contradiction. All of them profess to be both Republicans and Democrats; one of them declares in favor of a great education for our young people so that they may find their life's work, and then counsels companies how to deprive those young Americans of jobs in favor of foreign workers imported into the United States; most of them talk of honesty and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and then hide details of how those dollars are spent, or will be spent.
There's a name for this kind of thing, and it's called Schizophrenia.
The irony, in my opinion, is that if you cut each one our our school board members "out of the herd" you would probably find that, as individuals, they are nice people, with a sincere belief that they are "doing good." But a good person with myopic focus on the outcome of his or her actions, and with no thought of the unintended consequences of those actions, is exemplary of one for whom the ends justify the means; and in a group these people become, in the words of C. S. Lewis, "omnipotent moral busybodies."
It is my sincere hope that enough citizens in this six square mile benighted village reach their "mathematical frustration limit" and form a citizens committee to push for a State or Federal investigation of the Mt. Lebanon School Board and District. I will be happy to contribute what dollars I can to such an effort. Unfortunately, given the compliment I just paid our board, I have a suspicion that they know where the legal boundaries are located and are smart enough to stay just inside them.
Richard,
ReplyDeleteI think they know the limits of the law and don't care because they figure it is expensive to sue them and it is cheaper to pay the fine than take the citizens' ire.
They also know they can get the District Assets to spread lies about you if you do sue or resist them. Just ask Dr. Sable!
John Ewing
RG,someone offered to form a PAC here in Lebo. I know there is money out there to support it and I got that info without PK's help.
ReplyDeleteI have a suggestion. I keep pushing the hotlines. They are free and anonymous. I have been trying to keep everything up to date on the blog and website, so they would be good resources for any investigations done through the hotlines.
Another option is to wait for the student fees to kick in. Maybe someone will contact the ACLU like they did in CA. http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/157532.html This costs nothing.
Elaine
Personally, I hope the fees kick in because that is less money out of my pocket. Someone sent me this special report from the PSBA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/research-resource-center/pay-to-play-August2010-revisedSept2010.pdf
or PAY-TO-PLAY
Elaine
I was just reviewing the district's strategic plan and came across this:
ReplyDelete"Mt. Lebanon School District Strategic Goals 2010
1.0 Student Achievement
2.0 Constituent Satisfaction
3.0 Employee Development
4.0 Alignment of Support Systems
5.0 Fiscal Responsibility"
Wouldn't these have always been the strategic goals of the MTLSD????
So, number one why when this has always been the goal, do we now need a strategic plan facilitator and;
2. wouldn't a superintendent that thinks he should be paid as much as the #1 district's and #1 ranked superintendent, be able to handle "facilitating" these goals. Isn't that the primary responsibility of the superintendent and his two well-paid assistants?
Giffen Good
And how about #5.0, Giffen bro ? Anyone aware of any accomplishments in fiscal responsibility anywhere anytime in this District, particularly in comparison to area competitive and benchmark Districts ?
ReplyDeleteIt is absolutely shameful !
Veblen Good
Giffen, we've hired the same strategic plan facilitator to do the new strategic plan. He had this gig before.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Geez, I completely missed this. The heading on the MLSD.org strategic plan as of today is:
ReplyDelete"Mt. Lebanon School District Strategic Plan 2010"
Must be one of two things, Veblen...
they're either having trouble meeting the 2010 Strategic Plan
or...
in their haste to wear silly hard hats at the HS groundbreaking and also focusing on finding new, exciting ways to get people to give/donate money to them, no one worried about updating the Strategic Plan to 2012.
You'd think with a potential $2.8 million budget hole looking them in the eye somebody would have suggested that perhaps the 2010 plan desperately needs some revising!
Giffen Good
Here is the link, folks.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mtlsd.org/BSC/strategicplan.asp
I think this is when everything came to a grinding halt in the District. It was all about the high school renovation.
Why do we have Cissy again?
Elaine