Another anonymous letter from the inside!

This time, it was sent to the entire school board and to the superintendent. I would be curious to hear if it was passed on to them.

All should be ashamed

What a fire drill!

What taxpayers go through to request information. Watch this exercise in futility. Timmy and Mary Birks would be happy to put the taxpayer's request on the school district Capital Campaign website. I don't see it. Do you?

At the 8:13 time stamp, Mary admits that it was an inner fund transfer.

I never heard back from the school district. It is just another exercise in futility.

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.
Capital Campaign Financial Report for 7-17 Capital Campaign Financial Report for 8-17 
Elaine Gillen
www.lebocitizens.blogspot.com

I doubt that Paula will hear anything either.

Thank you, Nick M., for providing this clip. It had been requested by a commenter in the previous post, without filing a Right To Know, Timmy!

School Board Candidate Paula Bongiorno writes:

I am Paula Bongiorno.  The time and effort I have contributed to this community stands on its own. I am a 35 year resident, who has spent half of that time being very involved with school issues.  I cannot begin to count the hundreds and hundreds of school board meetings I attended - often being the sole member of the public present.  Since 1994, some very constructive ideas have been given to the board by myself and other members of the public.  We are now gradually seeing some of these ideas coming to fruition.  The history and knowledge I bring to the table is unmatched by anyone on the board or any of the other candidates

I have always been a strong proponent of the best education for our students along with as much public input as possible. Anyone who has gone to school board meetings, watched televised meetings, listened to podcasts or has been involved with the school district knows this.  This is why I decided to run on the write-in campaign of James Cannon.  Rudy, Charlotte and Joe all have lived in Mount Lebanon for years and have been personally involved with school issues. The combination of this team would bring new dimension to the school board - a dimension to the table that is sadly needed in many areas.

It is time for real change and the four of us will do it: Rudy Bies, Charlotte Stephenson, Joseph Wertheim and Paula Bongiorno.  We need your write-in vote, please vote.

Paula Bongiorno

A unified position statement by James Cannon, Paula Bongiorno, Rudy Bies, Charlotte Stephenson, and Joseph Wertheim

The Mt. Lebanon School Board Candidates

November 4, 2011

A unified position statement by James Cannon, Paula Bongiorno, Rudy Bies,

Charlotte Stephenson, and Joseph Wertheim

We must remember what happened over 200 years ago when people pledged their honor, their personal savings and their very lives so that we could have a government of the people, by the people and once again for the people.

Public Servants should do their best, serve and go home. We can debate the length of the term, but multiple political terms all too often affect communities adversely.

Whether it is Washington, Harrisburg, the City of Pittsburgh or Mt. Lebanon, spending must be controlled at all levels of government.  As a nation, we simply cannot continue to borrow and spend.  Our Country has almost 15 trillion dollars of debt.  If meaningful action is not taken, our debt will exceed 25 trillion in less than ten years.  The interest on that amount of debt could easily exceed the total annual federal tax revenue.  The money in the Social Security Trust Fund is incapable of sustaining the demand for the participants future needs because it has been spent.  If this position does not change then the U.S Dollar will decline. 

So what does this have to do with the Mt. Lebanon School District?  Simply put, difficult financial decisions must be made to avoid future financial problems.

The following information, taken from the School District web site, is important for you to know.

                                                                                2001                    2010          

    

Total School District Expenditures                   $50,819,000           $76,621,000

Annual Revenue from Real Estate Taxes          $34,466,000           $51,697,000

Annual Cost per Pupil                                           $8,960                   $14,451

At current cost levels, a High School Diploma will cost $173,412.

The School District borrowed $69 million in October of 2009.  This money was to be used for the High School Project.  How many of us would borrow money to build a home, and allow more than two years to pass before beginning construction? What bank would even loan the money to us?  

Early in 2010 the School Board, explaining certain aspects of the High School project, mailed a glossy brochure to the residents. We believe that our residents deserve a more cost-effective alternative based on more accurate enrollment statistics than those presented.

We believe the School Board should consider an alternative to the high school renovation plans.  The plans should contain enough detail and reasonable cost estimates so that those who care enough to vote could do so in a May 2012 referendum.  This is a major expenditure with significant issues that affect every person and business in Mt. Lebanon.  There is no reason to formally exclude anyone in Mt. Lebanon from the process.  Projects of this magnitude should be decided based upon the desire of the entire community.

Many difficult issues face our school district which will require legislative action from the Pennsylvania Legislature.  We must do all that we can to address these issues such as adopting a taxation model that is more fair, especially for those who are retired and now may not be able to keep their homes because of rising real estate taxes. 

School Boards have responsibilities to the students, the teachers, local government and most importantly, they must always function with a deep respect for the public.

If you care, please vote.  If you like the current situation and feel no concern for our community’s future economic stability, elect the incumbents.  If you want a School Board that is willing to do their best in consideration of these various issues we will soon face as a community, in addition to selecting James Cannon on the ballot, please write-in the names of the four candidates, Paula Bongiorno, Rudy Bies, Charlotte Stephenson, and Joseph Wertheim.  All five have similar motivations for running, and all five have their own individual reasons. Feel free to reach out to each before Tuesday, November 8th.

Their contact information is as follows:

James Cannon, jcannon2011@verizon.net

Rudy Bies
Charlotte Stephenson, stephensoncs@verizon.net

Joseph Wertheim, jhwertheim@aol.com

Paula Bongiorno, genpau@aol.com

Thank You!