Oops, there goes our PlanCon reimbursement UPDATED

Listening to our school board directors and commissioners, "Corbett sucks" or Wolf was the greatest thing since sliced bread. This week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced his veto of the House and Senate’s $30.18 billion budget package, which did not include any new or increased taxes. This budget included more than $400 million in increases for education. The governor’s veto also included the Public School Code approved by the House and Senate.

Contained in the school code were additional reforms to the PlanCon (Planning and Construction Workbook) process, ensuring that districts are fully reimbursed for construction projects. Billions of dollars in reimbursements would have been returned to districts across the Commonwealth, including Mt. Lebanon School District. This is a major blow to our school district. Is Mary going to blame Corbett for this too? I would say that we are up Saw Mill Run without a paddle.

Update: July 2, 2015 8:22 PM From State Rep. Dan Miller's newsletter:

Budget NoteI know this is a light-hearted email, but I did want to acknowledge that our state budget was recently vetoed by Governor Tom Wolf. Unfortunately this did not come as a surprise. You should know that the vast majority of state services will not be impacted for at least the near future. It is my sincerest hope the work of putting together a bipartisan budget agreement will soon begin in earnest. I will have more to say on this in coming emails.

Brumfield says, "Corbett Sucks!" UPDATED

With Charlotte Stephenson's permission...

On Wed, May 21, 2014 at 3:05 PM, Charlotte Stephenson wrote:

Dear Mt. Lebanon Commissioners, Representative Miller and Senator Smith:

I am writing to express my deep concern and disgust regarding the unprofessional and destructive behavior on the part of Commissioner Brumfield during a recent public budget planning meeting. During the facilitated discussion around common tenants that our Democrat Commission holds, Mr. Brumfield clearly stated that one of them is that "Corbett sucks". The video of this disparaging comment can be reviewed on our municipal website at http://mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=2151 Choose "Budget Pre-Planning Meeting" "May 19, 2014" Video and begin listening at 14:20 to hear Mr. Brumfield's comment.

As a Founder for the Denis Theatre Foundation's revitalization project and Advisory Board member, this public remark only undermines all of the efforts that our Board of Directors has made to secure financial support from the RACP funding [Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program] in Harrisburg. All inroads previously made to reach out to Governor Corbett could be completely negated by such a reckless remark by our Mt. Lebanon elected official should it be discovered.

Mr. Brumfield, I respectfully request that you resign your position as Commissioner. You have tainted the office, which you have agreed to uphold and may have caused harm to your constituents in the process. Those of us who invest our own resources and work tirelessly to protect and develop our community don't need you to undermine our efforts. Please demonstrate to our Governor's office that you stand alone in your derogatory statement by stepping down.

I look forward to knowing who Mr. Brumfield's replacement will be.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Stephenson

Cc: Denis Theatre Board of Directors

*******

On May 21, 2014, at 5:25 PM, David Brumfield wrote:

Ms. Stephenson,

I wanted to respond to your email since some of the recipients may not be aware of the context of my quote. During an informal budget planning retreat our consultant asked the group what democrats can agree about. My response was, as you said, "Corbett Sucks". I would confess that my statement was cruder than I would have said in a public meeting. I should have said that Democrats could agree that "Corbett's policies and administration have been disastrous for Pennsylvania as a whole and Mt. Lebanon specifically." I could have gone on and pointed to the indefensible withholding of Plancon H funds from the High School project, the cuts in the education budget, increasing funding to private corporations through school vouchers while cutting education funding everywhere else, the failure to address our crumbling infrastructure, unwillingness to address the property tax issues, unwillingness to tax the Marcellus Shale industry, opposing gay marriage rights, trying to disenfranchise voters with voter ID laws, refusing to accept federal medicaid dollars under the ACA, and failing to protect workers by making it more difficult to recover unemployment benefits. Yet with all of my reasons to rail against the job Corbett has done I think more of him than to believe that he would refuse to fund a worthy project such as the Denis Theater just because a Commissioner expressed a negative view of him. If you believe that Governor Corbett is such a man you clearly have a much lower opinion of him as a person than I do of him as a Governor. Should anyone ask I would readily apologize for the word I used but not for the sentiment that motivated it. That would include Mr. Corbett or any resident who just did not like my choice of words.

I believe it goes without saying but I will again decline your second or perhaps third request that I resign.

Dave Brumfield

*******

From: Charlotte Stephenson
Date: May 21, 2014 8:52:08 PM EDT
To: David Brumfield <dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org>
Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>, Dan Miller <DMiller@pahouse.net>, senatorsmith@pasenate.com

Subject: Response to Request for Brumfield Resignation

Mr. Brumfield,

I wish to clarify some of your points because, like many other public statements you make, they are inaccurate:

Any recipient can simply watch the video to determine the context of your quote. It is a shame that you are unwilling to accept your attitude and behavior as potentially detrimental to the efforts being made on behalf of the Denis. Further, although you represent residents across the spectrum of political affiliations, your derogatory remark about Governor Corbett only serves to alienate those who do not agree with you.

I believe you are confusing my only request for your resignation with that of many other residents who have also requested this of you. While I admit that your support of the artificial turf project has been frustrating to me, I see this lapse of judgement as your prerogative for having been elected. As you know, the turf project will spend at least $750,000 of unassigned municipal funds when there are many other more worthwhile and economically beneficial projects to support in our great community,

What is egregious is your cavalier attitude and flippant remark about our Governor who we depend on in various ways, including the possible receipt of funding for the Denis project.

Charlotte Stephenson

Note: Please contact State Representative Dan Miller and Senator Matt Smith if you disagree with the course our current Commission has chosen.

Update May 22, 2014 11:57 AM Charlotte Stephenson has a Letter to the Editor in today's Post-Gazette. "Newcomer" tax and turf unnecessary

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Contrary to what a certain school board member reports, state education funding has not been cut again. Governor Corbett signed the state budget last night. 

From Pittsburgh Business Times:

Corbett noted the budget does not raise taxes on working families, and touted increased education and early childhood development funding, as well as funding for people with intellectual disabilities, domestic violence and rape victims, and the state's Children's Health Insurance Plan.
"This budget once again provides record levels of state funding for basic education while meeting our obligations to those in need, ensuring the safety of our citizens and supporting our job creators," Corbett said in a prepared statement.

The Trib reports:

An increase of $122.5 million for basic education is one of the budget's key features.

According to an April 2013 report, the State Basic Education Funding for Mt. Lebanon School District  increased by 3.4%.

I would like to point out that only one school board candidate sees the true picture of state funding.  Durwood Hill nailed it. Remember that when you vote in November.

Where the H is H?

On Monday's school board agenda, the board will approve a resolution urging increased State funding for school construction and renovation projects in the form presented.

The PG reports:

Meanwhile, the board plans to approve a resolution next week as a formal objection to not receiving state reimbursement for a portion of the ongoing high school renovation project.

Participation in a long-standing process called Planning and Construction Workbook, or PlanCon, entitles school districts to be compensated for embarking on capital improvement projects.

According to Mr. Steinhauer, Mt. Lebanon is owed about $450,000 per year, eventually totaling $11 million, but the state budget has not provided for any reimbursements to school districts the past two years. Some 125 districts are being affected, and many have drafted similar resolutions.

The documents are being sent to the offices of Gov. Tom Corbett and Education Secretary Ron Tomalis, as well as to state senators and representatives. Many of them are unaware of the lack of reimbursements, Director Mary Birks said.

"We are bringing it to their attention so that they know what the issue is," she said.

How can the State reimburse Mt. Lebanon when we're behind in filing the proper documents for the PlanCon process? Part H (PDF), Project Financing addresses the financing used for a project. Calculation of the temporary reimbursable percent for a project's financing occurs at PlanCon Part H. Once PlanCon Part H is approved, reimbursement on a project commences.  Have we done this?

The High School Renovation Process (saved in Google Docs) illustrates how behind the board is in the process. It shows that PlanCon Part F was the last submission approved. However, the February 20, 2012 agenda indicates "That the Board approves submission of PlanCon Part H to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in substantially the form presented."  This is the last item I can find pertaining to PlanCon Part H.  Was it ever approved by the PDE? Did the board approve it after that - approve the approval? 

I have been told that even after PlanCon H is submitted, approved by the state,
and the state's approval is accepted by the District, that an application for state subsidy must be submitted for each scheduled payment.  Has that been done?

Reimbursement is not reflected in the budget. Once approved, the budget cannot be reopened, unlike the Municipality.  Just as the Covenant tax money was never shown in a budget, this PlanCon money will disappear as well. How could the State provide reimbursement in the past two years when the paperwork was allegedly submitted last February?

The Lebo Shell Game lives on. As a reader commented previously,

"Jan Klein has and will continue to plug the state reimbursement hole with our tax dollars to balance the budget - read that extra millage - and that extra millage will not be reduced when the state payments are finally paid !"

Dream Team, Change Orders, and More

I updated the change orders list (see sidebar) to reflect tabled item number 28. Dan Remely, always careful with our tax dollars, felt that the carpeting expense could be considered as a capital expense item down the road. I deducted $6,559 from the change orders running total.

We have a new Policy Committee, which one reader described as our "Dream Team." The new members consist of

• Plagiarism expert and authority on bending school board policies, Josephine Posti
• Mary Birks, our resident Harrisburg aficionado who blames Corbett for everything
• Bill Cooper, all around nice guy who never makes waves by agreeing with the status quo

Other big news, a resident expressed concern regarding the networking technology bidding and contract, and how we are implementing antiquated systems, instead of state-of-the-art technology.
I would love to hear more about this, if that resident is reading this. In fact, as always, I would like anyone "in the business" weigh in on this.

In addition, the School Board was amazed at the response to the Math Nights, drawing 650 people. Are they surprised that the community is deeply concerned about our TERC Investigations math program?

Finally, the School Board listened to the students, as Larry Lebowitz pointed out, and promoted Judith Kolko to the new activities director. Carlie McGinty is now at the USC High School as their new guidance counselor. Congrats to both women.

I don't think it is a case of sour grapes...

OK, members of the School Board and Commission filed a police report against me for publishing a comment using the word, "Execute." I removed the comment.

Read Josephine Posti's latest one,  Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett bombing public education into Stone Age

I am told that I have hate in my heart. But Posti continually writes about the evils of Corbett and charter schools. It is written in her post:

Giving only parents the authority to make executive decisions about the school their students attend marginalizes other local taxpayers and silences the voices of the rest of the community and the locally elected school board members. 

I am confused. Isn't that what was done to four thousand residents when we signed that petition to cap the renovation project? Or is that the hate in my heart again?

Governor Corbett Orders Freeze of Nearly $160 Million in State Spending

News for Immediate Release

Jan. 4, 2012

Governor Corbett Orders Freeze of Nearly $160 Million in State Spending

Harrisburg – With commonwealth revenues continuing to come in below estimate for the 2011-12 fiscal year, Governor Tom Corbett has directed his Budget Office to freeze nearly $160 million in state spending.

The governor also has asked government entities not under his jurisdiction to reduce their spending by nearly $66 million.

“Until revenue collections improve, we must take precautions to ensure that the commonwealth budget remains in balance,” Governor Corbett said.

Midway through the state’s fiscal year, revenues are $486.8 million below estimate, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday.

Governor Corbett has directed most agencies to reduce their overall 2011-12 spending by 3 percent. Some individual appropriations will see spending reductions of up to 10 percent.

The state-related universities – Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple and Lincoln universities – will see a reduction of 5 percent, or $25.7 million, in state funding. 

Public safety agencies, such as State Police and the Department of Corrections, will freeze approximately 1 percent of their spending. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is not being directed to freeze any funds because of the numerous disaster-related emergency response activities that agency has coordinated this fiscal year, the governor said.

Basic education subsidy funds paid to school districts will not be affected, and the Department of Public Welfare will see a spending reduction of less than 1 percent, or $55 million. 

The funds being placed into budgetary reserve across all agencies represent less than 1 percent of the total $27.2 billion General Fund budget.

“We did not make the decision to freeze these funds lightly. If the revenue picture improves in the months ahead and we determine these funds no longer need to remain frozen, we may be able to free up some or perhaps even all of the funds we are now placing into budgetary reserve,” Corbett said.

For a list of funds placed into budgetary reserve, please visit the Current and Proposed Commonwealth Budgets section of the Office of the Budget website at www.budget.state.pa.us.