PTA up to their old tricks UPDATED 101617

What are the odds that an entire school board ticket cannot attend a PTA sponsored Candidates Forum? According to the Facebook group that I belong to, and please correct me if I am wrong, the only ones who can attend are either former* or current PTA Council Officers. It doesn't surprise me. This is reminiscent of my November 6, 2011 post,  PTA Apologizes to Cannon.

Just an FYI, PTA. The Pennsylvania PTA Nonpartisan Policy does not mean that you should pull this crap on both Republicans and Democrats. You're up to your old tricks again. All the more reason not to vote for the Timmy Ticket. By the way, Timmy is 3rd Vice President of PTA Council.

*Elaine Cappucci PTA Council Secretary
  Mary Birks PTA Council President
  Katie Caste 2nd Vice President of PTA Council 

Update October 16, 2017 8:27 PM This is how you seal the deal. 

Mt. Lebanon School District

7 mins · 

The School Board recognized the PTA leadership for this school year at the school board meeting tonight. Their hard work and dedication in service to our students is vitally important to the success of our schools and is greatly appreciated. #leboproud

What's this I hear about PTA? UPDATED

Someone asked me if I heard about the shake up on the PTA. Something about the president and the treasurer quitting at the same time.

What's the scoop?

Update May 25, 2017 8:06 AM Here is the scoop. Council PTA President Jodi Kubit and Council PTA Treasurer Jennie Bhojwani have resigned.

Candidates Forum? UPDATED 2X

I see that the PTA has budgeted $100 for a Candidates Forum on their 2013-14 Budget. Mt. Lebanon PTA Proposed Budget 2013-2014 I heard a rumor that there will be a Candidates Forum this Thursday? Can anyone send me details?

Update October 9, 2013 10:10 AM This Candidates Forum goes down as the most quiet event ever! Nothing is on the School District website. There is no mention on the PTA website. Nada on the League of Women Voters site. I did find this on the Mt. Lebanon Public Library list of events.

Thursday, October 10, 2013 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 

League of Women Voters Lunchtime Series
Contact: Mt. Lebanon Public Library 412-531-1912 events@mtlebanonlibrary.org

Legislative Update from Rep. Dan Miller (D), 42nd District 

Learn about his priorities
Hear about the legislation he has co-sponsored
Share your thoughts with him 

Also... 

Meet the candidates; they will be representing you! Take this opportunity to meet and know the people who will be leading Mt. Lebanon and the Mt. Lebanon School District in the future. 

Candidates for the Mt. Lebanon Board of Commissioners:
Ward 2
Jack Doyle (R)
Steve Silverman (D)
Ward 4 (unopposed)
Dave Brumfield 

Candidates for Mt. Lebanon School Board:
Michael Jon Riemer
William J. Moorhead
Dan Remely 

Location: Meeting Room A

Where is Mary Birks????

I don't see the Upper St. Clair Commissioner listed. From what I understand, the president of the League of Women Voters is from USC. I don't know what is going on there.

"Thank you for your interest in our community schools."

Even though these comments were submitted under another post, I believe they deserve their own space on this blog. The following comments were submitted by Richard Gideon under Primary and Special Election News UPDATED:

Blog Readers:
In regards to the question of whether I asked the other candidates the same 14 questions I posed to Mr. Hill, the answer is that I sent the questions to Mr. Riemer recently and received the following reply:

"Council PTA has compiled a list of questions for the school board candidates. Please visit the website and review the responses.

Thank you for your interest in our community schools."

Replies from Mr. Moorehead are still pending. I did not ask these questions of Ms. Birks or Mr. Remely, as their positions are well known.

Although Mr. Hill answered only four of my 14 questions for reasons that he has delineated in an earlier post in this thread, I give him high marks for being willing to address the remaining questions in a face-to-face meeting (I forgot to ask him if he has Skype! - that would solve the face-to-face issue).

Addendum:
The list of PTA questions and candidates' responses referenced by Mr. Riemer may be found here: http://www.mtlsd.org/district/districtpta/schoolboardcandidatesqanda.asp

How disappointing.  Mike Riemer will be a perfect fit on the school board. Don't answer our questions. Instead, give the Cappucci response.  "Check the district website for answers." Nice.

OK, so I read the responses to the PTA's questions in the link provided by Richard Gideon. What a joke. Mary Birks forgot to include how she rolls her eyes at Scott Goldman whenever he expresses his opinion.  Riemer thinks we have a very lean budget already. It is not clear to me what he means by reviewing the drug and alcohol policy. Does he want to change that? The PTA question was, "Do you have any specific changes you want to make to school district policies..."

So who are the officers on PTA Council?   


2012-2013 Officers

President
Sheryl Cohen
skccreations@aol.com

1st Vice President
Julie Maselko
themaselkos@gmail.com

2nd Vice President
Sara Dougherty
tjdsjd@verizon.net

3rd Vice President/Superintendent
Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net

Treasurer
Jennie Bhojwani
jenniebhoj@hotmail.com

Recording Secretary
Teresa Saxton
4saxtons@comcast.net

Corresponding Secretary
Julie Daubner
geo.mom@verizon.net

Historian
Hannah Vaughn
hvaughan@mac.com


2013-2014 Elected Officers

President
Julie Daubner
geo.mom@verizon.net

1st Vice President
Sara Dougherty
tjdsjd@verizon.net

2nd Vice President
Julie Maselko
themaselkos@gmail.com

3rd Vice President/Superintendent
Dr. Timothy Steinhauer
tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net

Treasurer
Jennie Bhojwani
jenniebhoj@hotmail.com

Recording Secretary
Teresa Saxton
4saxtons@comcast.net

Corresponding Secretary
Julie Smith
juliejsmith23@hotmail.com

Historian
Hannah Vaughn
hvaughan@mac.com


Just an FYI, President Sheryl Cohen was Josephine Posti's campaign treasurer when Jo ran with Rob Gardner. President Elect Julie Daubner is Elaine Cappucci's sister. Ms. Daubner went from 2012-13 Corresponding Secretary to 2013-14 President.  Interesting.

Just Between Friends

When my kids were in school, my husband and I joined PTA, as most parents do. We were encouraged to sign up for Just Between Friends.  Big mistake. Our youngest graduated in 2009 and I can't unsubscribe!

I am getting constant reminders now. Here is the latest.

Region 03 All Pro Dad Father & Kids Experience Saturday, October 27, 2012 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM The National PTA is proud to partner with All Pro Dad and invite you to join Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin at the All Pro Dad Father and Kids Experience on Saturday, October 27th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex (Steelers Practice Facility). Learn fatherhood tips and participate in activities with your kids while rotating through football - themed stations. As a thank you for being a member of the PTA, we would like to offer the first 40 people to go to this link - www.allprodad.com/steelerspta - FREE admission to the event!  If you weren't one of the first 40 to win free admission - you can still register at www.AllProDad.com . It's only $15 per family, which includes 1 adult and up to 4 kids. This event is recommended for children 5 years of age and older. We hope to see you there!  This was sent to you by: Bonita Allen You will be reminded on: 10/24/2012, 10/27/2012. Click here to change this reminder.

So what is Just Between Friends? On their website, they describe themselves as "the official PTA membership management and communications system, PTAs all over the country are able to communicate effectively with their entire school and easily manage their membership.  The efficiencies experienced using our system enable this volunteer organization to strengthen their PTA and simplify the lives of their members."

I have been trying to unsubscribe three years. It turns out, they are at 1910 Cochran Road. They may even read this blog. I have tried to block their emails, but their email address changes constantly.  

To read "Learn fatherhood tips and participate in activities with your kids while rotating through football - themed stations." is offensive to me on so many levels. 

I caution anyone who is considering joining this group.  It appears to be a life long commitment.  

Trouble in Paradise?

I heard that the majority of PTA Council resigned some time this week.  Can anyone confirm this? I find it interesting since I published these two comments on a previous thread.

Does Ms. Stephenson realize that PA PTA cleared PTA of any wrongdoing in regards to the election? Maybe the PTA isn't as evil as she believes it is.

January 10, 2012 7:17 PM

****

7:17 - I can't let this go - you know as well as I do that no such decision has been made. It's time to stop this and get the PTA house in order for those of us who really want to do positive things and bring credibility back to our organization. Let those members who acted poorly and damaged our reputation move on so the rest of us can do positive things in the PTA.

Signed,

A disgusted PTA member

January 10, 2012 11:20 PM

Update: January 11, 2012 3:45 PM  PTA Council Resignation Letter

Can we afford to get it wrong?

The following comes from a friend who wishes to remain anonymous.

After reviewing the minutes of the PTA's October 2011 meeting this entry caught my eye. Specifically the item highlighted in bold and blue. Following the project closely I then remembered Dan Rothschild's comments about the redesign on his blog Ledodesign.net which seems to present a different opinion. I've highlighted his comments in bold green. Shouldn't the PTA have questioned Dr. Steinhauer's assertion?
This is a huge financial undertaking for the community. Can we afford to get it wrong?
Anonymous

Mt. Lebanon City Council of PTA

General Assembly Meeting

October 5, 2011

3rd Vice President – Tim Steinhauer:  PSSA & other test results are being received by administration.  This allows for comparisons of our student achievement with other districts.  High School showing high scores for SAT & ACT.  HS Renovation project is moving ahead.  Bids will be received in November.  Most changes to the plans will not be visually noticeable with the exception of 1 floor being removed from the new building G (Science).  Interviewing for a Campus Manager at the HS.

From Lebodesign:

Clear Circulation: F
The current school has challenging circulation. One way to analyze circulation in the design is to look at classroom-to-classroom circulation patterns. This represents about three-quarters of a student’s path during the day. The initial design placed three levels of classrooms in the historic Building B and three levels of classrooms in the new Building G on the other side of campus. Travel distance between Building B and Building G is actually greater than the existing paths, a poor start to solving circulation problems. When the project was redesigned, the number of floors in Building G decreased to two levels, and the number of floors in Building B increased to four levels. Two of the floors in Building B are now totally disconnected from Building G, causing additional stair use. Simply stated, the classroom-to-classroom circulation is worse in the new design than existing conditions. This may cause the administration to add time between periods in order to allow students to get to their classes safely. 

Clear Circulation

Aesthetics: Incomplete
Architectural design should always include aesthetics as a criteria. The boldest and most interesting part of the design is the glass bridge that spans Horsman Drive and connects the athletic complex to the rest of the building. Adjacent to the bridge is the new rear entrance, which has looked very impressive in some of the renderings. Also of design interest is the large expanse of glass at the new pool that was shown in renderings. During the redesign process, it was stated that glass was replaced with metal panels in certain areas to save money. I recently requested the Board release before and after renderings of these major design areas that were changed. They have not yet done so. It is difficult to determine if these glass-to-metal changes are acceptable aesthetically, if the architects have not presented renderings that show the changes. As far as the rest of the design is concerned, the new long and low athletic building with its randomly-spaced slit windows, and the mostly repetitive façade of Building G (without the individual window sunscreens that were eliminated due to cost), it may simply be stated that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. 

Schools to watch

For the second time in three years (2008 and 2011), both Fort Couch Middle School and Boyce Middle School were on the PA Schools to Watch list.  Pennsylvania currently has 21 Schools To Watch. As the Upper St. Clair Patch reports in Fort Couch Middle Named a 'School to Watch,' Again

Based on an analysis of academics—as well as attention to developmental and social challenges—the designation recognizes Fort Couch as one of nine schools in the state making noteworthy strides toward educational excellence.
Boyce Middle School also received the award this year.

As a grandmother, I am proud to say that my grandson was a student at both schools when they received this designation.  I am one of the 70% of the households that do not have children in Mt. Lebanon Schools.  How do the remaining 30% feel about our school system?  Aren't you tired of hearing about USC always beating MtL?  As a parent, I would demand more from the District. I wanted my kids to get the best education in the area.  I am glad my kids are doing the same for their kids.

Has there been a review team established to study what USC is doing, that we are not?  Do they have a PTA that is more concerned about education than sending political emails or having underage drinking parties?  The 70%'ers faithfully pay our taxes for above average education, but why do the remaining 30%'ers tolerate this?  Why aren't you demanding excellence?  Where is the outrage?

Hooray For May

May is finally here.  Lots of things happening this month.  On May 4, 2011, from 7:00 to 9:30 PM, the League of Women Voters and Mt. Lebanon Council PTA are again co-sponsoring the Candidates Forum of Mt. Lebanon School Board and Commission candidates.  It will be held in the Mellon Middle School Auditorium.  Part One, from 7 to 8:15, will be for the School Board Candidates, while Part Two, from 8:15 to 9:30 PM, will be for the Commissioner Candidates.


For those of you unfamiliar with the format, questions are submitted in written form by the audience.  Index cards are handed out to people as they arrive and are submitted during the forum. 


We will not be recording the forum since the PTA is working on arrangements for Mt. Lebanon High School students to tape the event.  It will be aired on the Municipal cable channel, but times and dates have not been established.  No other taping will be permitted.


On May 17, Mt. Lebanon voters will be able to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.  This is your opportunity to vote for up to five School Board Directors and Commissioners for Wards 1, 3, or 5.  Don't forget your right to write in candidates' names, if necessary.