Elaine
Ms. Gillen,
Thank you for your inquiry. I will request that the Director of Advancement (Sloane Astorino) provide Dr. Steinhaurer with the documents as required for review and posting to the website (http://www.mtlsd.org/
One thing I should make clear is that my liaison role in the past was to report on "Revenue Generation/MLFE". I was assigned to the Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education as Ms. Cappucci's replacement by then President Lebowitz. I was not directed to serve in any capacity on the Capital Campaign, as she and other board members sit on the Cabinet and Advisory committee. Occasionally, I did provide a few bulleted updates on the Capital Campaign, such as "cultivation events are planned; continue to make community outreach." Mr. Riemer began to ask for board updates in the early spring on the financial status of the campaign, but, it wasn't until May 6th when I emailed a specific request for the revenue/expenditure summary that newer board members, including myself, became aware that the campaign costs were exceeding revenues. That action ultimately led to a public discussion and the resulting transparency and accountability we have moving forward.
Thank you for your time,
Stephen
On Sun, Sep 24, 2017, 08:50 'egillen476@aol.com' via SchoolBoard <schoolboardemaillist@mtlsd.
Dr. Strotmeyer,Since you are on this committee, would you be able to request the two page document for August and future reports using the two page template?Thank you.Elaine Gillenwww.lebocitizens.blogspot.com-----Original Message-----
From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>
Cc: TSteinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Tue, Sep 19, 2017 9:04 am
Subject: Page 2?School board directors,Thank you for additional information that has been posted on the District website concerning the Century of Excellence Capital Campaign.I would like some consistency in your reporting, however. Please include the second page in the monthly reports as was shown in a recent RTK document.Elaine Gillen
saved in Google Docs
Thank you Strotmeyer and Riemer.
ReplyDeleteAt long last some thinking arrives on the board.
Something that hasn’t been exhibited by the candidates on that other team.
Hell one of them admits to not even analyzing the stuff before voting on it.
But come hell or high water people will still vote for her.
Unfortunately, there is no mention of getting answers to Bonjorno’s Question of exactly when did the board approved transfer/loan to the fundraiser.
ReplyDeleteI think you might be a bit generous in stating that the Board is in high transparency, but it's certainly trending that way. A good result in November could certainly improve things. Now if the lemmings would just stop voting for Cappucci.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for Dr. Strotmeyer.
ReplyDeleteIn the link above to the financial data the last line states reserve from General Fund $910,903.02.
In the previous report on this same line there was a loan reported in the amount of $932,530.02.
Have you found out an explanation for the vastly different numbers.
Also under Interest Earnings it is reported there were $3,700. Was this interest earned just on the money from the total donations on the line above or does it include interest on the reserve from the General Fund?
It has also been reported that the Pittsburgh Foundation is managing the money from this campaign.
Nowhere in this report does it show their cut for doing so.
11:42 AM, you will have to email Dr. Strotmeyer directly with your questions. He responded to my email.
ReplyDeleteElaine
11:16 AM, there was no answer because as I showed in a previous post, there was no board approval.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Reported in the PG “Mr. Strotmeyer said he would begin submitting monthly spreadsheets to the board and would make the information available to the public.”
ReplyDeleteTo make those monthly spreadsheets meaningful in anyway you have to have an accurate accounting in the first place. Hopefully Dr. Strotmeyer reads your blog and find the right answers to 11:42’s questions.
An email between two individuals is hardly making information available to the public.
So far, Dr. Strotmeyer looks like the right guy, along with Riemer to do the job.
Birks, Cappucci, Caste and Remely have been playing hide ‘n seek with our tax dollars for far too long.
2:45 PM, you write: "Hopefully Dr. Strotmeyer reads your blog and find the right answers to 11:42’s questions.
ReplyDeleteAn email between two individuals is hardly making information available to the public."
Seriously? You are going to play that card? How about writing to him and then share what you learned, like I do EVERY SINGLE DAY?
Elaine
Yes, I’m playing that card.
ReplyDeleteI have countless emails to our elected officials asking questions and very rarely share their responses and if I’m going to inform them up front that I’ll be sharing their answer why not skip the middle step and ask them to give a public answer.
Paula Bonjorno directed a very similar question to the board in a public meeting, has she gotten an answer yet?
If she does through a private email do you think the Timmy Team lawn sign holders would believe it?
As I said, I think Riemer and Strotmeyer (and Beal and of course Lebocitizens) have done a good job bringing this fundraiser fiasco to light. I hope they uncover everything so that if this campaign continues it is done right and in the open.
3:15 PM, why should any elected official respond to an anonymous poster on a blog? Continue with your countless emails to our elected officials asking questions, if you have a question.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Jason Margolis asked a very good question in the “What a fire drill” as how do they reset this fundraiser and that is pertinent to your comment on responding to anonymous post on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI find that funny because that is the same refrain we’ve heard from the “Timmy Team” supporters, the BOSNers, nd the pro-Rutgers for years.
Of course Strotmeyer or any other director doesn’t want to read your blog and take into consideration comments from it that is their prerogative. If they are though interested in doing a reset, public comments/responses signed or anonymous should be answered if they deem them worthy.
Private exchanges have created this mistrust and animosity between the different camps.
Paula B asked for an accounting in a public meeting, you’ve apparently done so in emails and I’m making a public suggestion on a very free and open blog. Let’s hope one gets results.
By the way, Strotmeyer and his running mate appear to be the best candidates to get us our answer.
Seriously, 4:33 PM, now if Dr, Strotmeyer doesn't respond to your anonymous question, he will be a schmuck in your eyes. I am thrilled that he had the courtesy to reply to my email while risking the wrath of Birks for stepping out of formation. You know, Mary is the only one who answers emails, "For the Board."
ReplyDeleteGive it a rest, 4:33 PM. I am done discussing this.
If Dr. Strotmeyer is reading this, Thank you, Dr. Strotmeyer, for your transparency and respectful reply. I really appreciate it.
Elaine
Never, ever said Strotmeyer would be a schmuck if he didn’t respond to my anonymous question!
ReplyDeleteThe comment directing the financial questions to him was more of a suggestion for transparency.
I guess I should have worded it — it’d be nice if we could get an answer to the descrepencies in the two Campaign financial statements and left it out there for whomever wishes to find or supply the answer.
Better?
Wouldn’t we all be surprised if it came from a member of the Timmy Team.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the board fire a german teacher for misappropriation of funds? I think the same should be done to all that "granted" tax payer dollars to a capital campaign that is under water!!!
Herr Stein "misappropriated" field trip money for a summer trip. Timmy is misappropriating taxpayers money for private efforts. Huge difference, right?
ReplyDelete11:42...I asked Dr. Strotmeyer that very same question after the last meeting. He stated that "the answer is that original amount is the LOAN from the General Fund, LESS the $12,600 we transferred from the Capital Campaign back into the General Fund."
ReplyDeleteHope this helps.
Nick M.
Thank you Nick.
ReplyDeleteAssumed that was the case, but why does that line item appear as one entry across all the cells. It would be much better bookkeeping if the original deposited was entered in the proper fiscal year and then show the declining amount in the appropriate year as well as the amount withdrawn.
They’d save a lot of headaches that way.
12:32...that would be a question for Jan Klein. Keep in mind too that roughly 14-16% of the donor contributions were supposed to go towards paying down the loan and if that were to have happened you might have seen the declining entries across all the cells but right now you just have one entry.
ReplyDeleteNick M.
That was a rhetorical question Nick, didn’t expect you to have the answer.
ReplyDeleteAsking Klein, Steinhauer or Birks a question like that and one might as well talk to a wall. You’ll get the same response.
The point was that it should be easy to see where and when money comes in and when and where money goes out.