Mt. Lebanon resident and Lebo Citizens reader, William Matthews demonstrates to the Department of Education how the District annually submits a fake preliminary budget when the “PDE will only approve referendum exceptions if the school district demonstrates a need for exceptions by adopting a balanced preliminary budget that contains a tax rate increase in excess of the school district’s index.” In his letters, Bill asks the PDE to perform a detailed review of our preliminary budget and reject the Mt. Lebanon School District 2015-2016 Preliminary Budget.
Yesterday, I received the following email from Bill:
Dear friends and neighbors.
The School District's approach in preparing its Preliminary Budget, continues to disappoint.
The attached letters have been sent to our Superintendent and School Board, and I am sharing with you this afternoon.
Feel free to share with other friends and neighbors.
Best regards,
BillFrom: Bill Matthews
To: tsteinhauer <tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Cc: schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>; jklein <jklein@mtlsd.net>; tpeterson <tpeterson@tuckerlaw.com>
Sent: Wed, Feb 11, 2015 6:11 pm
Subject: Preliminary Budget - Mt. Lebanon School District.
Dr. Steinhauer:
I submitted the attached letters to PDE this week, outlining some of my thoughts on our Preliminary Budgets.
Take care,
Bill
Mt. Lebanon School District/Pennsylvania Department of Education Preliminary Budget 02.08.15 letter
[Editor's note: Normally, the school board should have been meeting tonight, but the January 12, 2015 agenda shows: Preliminary Budget - Act 1 of 2006 requires the Board approve a Preliminary Budget on the State form before February 18, 2015. Since the Board’s February meeting is after that date, we are presenting the budget for approval in January.
The School Board also met on February 9, 2015.]
Mt. Lebanon School District/Pennsylvania Department of Education Preliminary Budget 02.09.15 letter
Dr. Steinhauer:
I submitted the attached letters to PDE this week, outlining some of my thoughts on our Preliminary Budgets.
Take care,
Bill
Mt. Lebanon School District/Pennsylvania Department of Education Preliminary Budget 02.08.15 letter
[Editor's note: Normally, the school board should have been meeting tonight, but the January 12, 2015 agenda shows: Preliminary Budget - Act 1 of 2006 requires the Board approve a Preliminary Budget on the State form before February 18, 2015. Since the Board’s February meeting is after that date, we are presenting the budget for approval in January.
The School Board also met on February 9, 2015.]
Mt. Lebanon School District/Pennsylvania Department of Education Preliminary Budget 02.09.15 letter
24 comments:
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/research/detail/property-taxpayer-referendum
"Two provisions limited voters ability to actually have a say in school tax hikes-the index was set at a level higher than the rate of inflation, and ten exemptions to the referendum requirement were allowed. As the details of Act 1 were being worked out, former Gov. Rendell told school boards that pretty much every reason they'd have to increase taxes would be exempted. His prediction proved accurate.
In the five years since Act 1, only 12 school districts have held voter referendums on tax increases. (The predecessor to Act 1, Act 72 of 2004, gave taxpayers in only one of the 111 participating school districts the opportunity to vote on proposed tax increases.)
Restricting tax hikes to the base index alone (and for many school districts the index was higher than the base) would have allowed property tax increases of 22% from 2006 to 2011, during which time the Consumer Price Index rose only 11%. Since 2006, 1,345 waivers have been granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for school tax increases above the index.
Thus, Pennsylvania remains the only state without real controls over school taxes and spending."
What does the superintendent's contract state about integrity?
Here's the MTLHS Student Handbook policy on Academic Integrity:
Academic Integrity
A high standard of honesty is expected of students in all phases of academic work at MLHS, including college admissions tests. Academic dishonesty in any form is an offense against the integrity of the entire school community and a threat to the standards of the school and the standing of every student. Students are expected to refrain personally from acts of academic dishonesty and to report to a faculty member any knowledge they have of such acts of others.
In cases where academic dishonesty has been confirmed by the teacher, the student will receive zero points for the assignment with no option for a makeup assignment and notification to the National Honor Society. For any subsequent offense, the student will receive zero points for the assignment and may receive additional disciplinary consequences such as detention, suspension, and/or course failure(.)
9:57 AM, guess that leaves only tar & feathers for the school board and senior administration.
Voting in new board members has never worked - they drink the PDE, PSEA/MLEA and PTA kool-aid too quickly.
Everything is hunky dory according to audits!
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2014/10/16/Mt-Lebanon-School-District-gets-positive-report-on-audit/stories/201410160112
Says the independent auditor who has worked with the District for the past 25 yrs.
Yep, they know all too well which stones not to turn over, don't they?
The district could cut over $100,000 in useless fat by eliminating the Capital Campaign chair, assistant and costly software that only benefits staff. Has anyone seen any results yet from this boondoggle that benefitted academics?
Furthermore, why did Lebo education flourish for nearly 100 years without panhandling?
What changed?
1:08 The culture has changed... now there is an emphasis on being #1 and winning at the cost of ethics and lawful behavior.
But 1:36 for all the emphasis, we aren't #1 anymore are we?
Is anyone keeping a count on the costs and district labor involved in renovating the old field house which was necessitated by the the high school renovation? Supposedly there are some state guidelines for such remodeling work.
2:00 PM, THE PROJECT IS A GROSS VIOLATION OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE, (illegal to change the use of a pre-existing nonconforming structure with a nonconforming use)BUT MT. LEBANON LOOKED THE OTHER WAY AND ISSUED A BUILDING PERMIT THAT PERMITTED THE PROJECT TO PROCEED IN SPITE OF A CITIZENS DOCUMENTED COMPLAINT.
THE ALTERATIONS WERE DISTRICT BUDGETED AT A LOW-BALL $98,000 AND THE WORK WAS TO BE DONE QUIETLY BY DISTRICT LABOR, WHICH VIOLATES STATE LAW (MAX PROJECT COST PERMITTED USING DISTRICT LABOR IS $5,000)- TO USE HIGH SCHOOL RENOVATION CONTRACTORS WOULD HAVE OPENED ANOTHER MAJOR ZONING LEGAL ISSUE BY ADDING THE ENTIRE STADIUM COMPLEX INTO THE PROJECT DEFINITION.
wHY DON'T YOU INVESTIGATE THIS FOR MORE DETAILS AND UPDATE US !
11:07am: If we vote in more than one or two new school board members who won't drink the kool-aid, we'll get somewhere.
2:00 PM, would you be a dear and do that for us? I'm a little busy right now.
I see that Timmy put in a hard day's work today.
Elaine
Good luck with that 3:50 pm.
Perhaps you were around when 4 people tried to run for the school board and were subjected to all sorts of dirty deeds.
Correction @5:21.
weren't around when 4 people tried to run.
A lot of the deeds were exposed on Lebocitizens.
I'm still trying to find anyone that still believes the high school renovation is only costing about the price of one latte a month.
One latte a month. Right. Got it. More like one Château Lafite Rothschild, 1982.
There needs to be an investigation and if all that has been documented is true, Steinhauer should lose is position and certification. He had a chance to correct his numbers and he dismissed a citizen with ample evidence that what he was doing was wrong. He doesn't deserve his title and in a position of authority, he is untrustworthy. Given that he leads an organization upon which moral character is a necessity, I'd say he doesn't make the cut.
Now I understand this February 15 comment submitted under the "dirty deed" thread.
"The call for an outside audit of the School Board finance has the School Board members pissed. The wife of a high school teacher who had planned on running for a seat has decided not to because she fears that an audit is going to happen."
As always, Bill Matthews has done an outstanding job presenting the facts in an easy to understand format. Bill has copied everyone short of the governor.
Dr. Timothy J. Steinhauer, your future here looks bleak. I don't see how you are going to get out of this one. Perhaps you should be spending more time on indeed.com, rather than reading this blog.
Elaine
The whole school funding issue is in dire need of a change.
"State funding formula debate highlights contentious safeguard for declining enrollment schools"
http://m.cumberlink.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-funding-formula-debate-highlights-contentious-safeguard-for-declining-enrollment/article_0a536cb6-2bf0-11e4-85b7-0019bb2963f4.html
Mt. Lebanon's enrollment numbers have been dropping for years while expenditures have been going up and up. Where is the money going?
"Politics, Fiscal Issues Frame Pa. School-Aid Debate"
http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?DISPATCHED=true&cid=25983841&item=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2015%2F01%2F02%2Fpolitics-fiscal-issues-frame-pa-school-aid-debate.html
If the hold harmless provision goes away and MTLSD doesn't get their Act 1 exemptions and exclusions their spending party is over and the house of cards collapses. That is why you won't ever see a voters referendum on the budget.
Remember all the claims by several school board members that Corbett cut our share of state education funding?
Ain't so!
"There are few more egregious examples of political doublespeak than Pennsylvania’s “hold harmless” provision for state education funding.
Hold harmless guarantees each school district receives no fewer state education dollars than it received the previous year—regardless of changes in district enrollment. This may sound appealing in theory, but it is actually quite problematic in practice. While the policy ostensibly exists to prevent school districts from being harmed by reduced funding, it has, in fact, brought real harm and inequity to hundreds of districts across the commonwealth."
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/harmed-by-hold-harmless
Who's pocketbook do you think those directors were looking out for? Who do you think they're watching out for when they preserve their opportunity to exceed the Act 1 limits.
Not yours, Mr. & Mrs. Homeowner and not your student's either. They'll just impose another fee even if they get their exclusions and exemptions.
12:01 PM, the money has been going to the teachers in the form of annual salary increases averaging 4.15% per year while inflation has been less than 2% per year, plus the PSERS teachers annual pension fund contributions increasing at double-digit rates each year....going up 43% for the coming fiscal year 2015-2016 !
Where have you been for heavens sake ?
I've been here 2:55, the question was retorical for those that have been paying attention.
For the 70% that doesn't vote, they'll probably never get it.
Doesn't the money also go to the highly paid superintendent? Perhaps the highest paid in Pennsylvania and he is caught cheating on our taxes? That doesn't look real good to me. In fact, it's disgusting.
Do you know how much public school teachers make in salary? How about administrators and other support staff?
Have you ever wondered what's in your public school district's labor union contract? How about the Superintendent's contract?
The SCHOOL PAYROLL database answers these questions, and more. It provides salary information for every employee in every one of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts, charter schools, and other public schools. You can also read your school district's contract with the labor union and the superintendent.
http://www.openpagov.org/school_payroll/sdefault.asp
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