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

Candidates Forum for Mt. Lebanon School Board UPDATED

Forum for Mt. Lebanon School Board candidates has been scheduled.

Thursday, October 26, 2017* 

7:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)

Jefferson Elementary School Auditorium
11 Moffett Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15243

Co-sponsored by Mt. Lebanon PTA Council and League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh. This is a non-partisan event. Free and open to the public. Please pass this announcement on to other Mt. Lebanon voters.

*The original announcement was for Tuesday, October 24. Thanks for catching that, Jason!

Kordistos v MTLSD Settlement Agreement

There is a new item on the agenda for Monday, October 16, 2017.

Settlement Agreement: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the Settlement Agreement with Cleon Kordistos in the form presented.

It appears that Private Citizen Jan Klein is keeping the attorneys busy. Here is the background on the case. Kordistos v. Mt. Lebanon School District 

When I went to pay my printing bill of $1.25 the other day, I noticed that it was very tense in the Business Office. Gee, am I allowed to say that? Or do I have to take this down too?

More reasons not to vote for Cappucci

There is that little thing about her son being hired as a social studies teacher at Jefferson Middle School and no trace of why the job posting was altered nine months after Elaine Cappucci's son was hired. Keep in mind that Elaine had to resign from the school board because of the nepotism policy and is now running to replace herself, as well as seeking another four year term.

Please listen to Paula's comments on nepotism, as well as Elaine's "rebuttal" from Monday's school board meeting. The school board meeting video is available here. Paula begins at 1:30:57. Elaine begins at 1:38:33. The clip can be viewed here.

Besides her belligerent demeanor during Comments or Questions from Residents or Taxpayers at the October 9, 2017 school board meeting, I wanted to share a little more background on Elaine Cappucci's bio from the CCRB campaign website.

I was part of the team that negotiated the current Act 93 agreement for our District administrators.

That is not something I would be proud of, especially with what has been revealed with Jan Klein's creative accounting in recent days. The Act 93 Agreement can be found here. You can read about Jan Klein's salary adjustment here. Twenty MTLSD administrators received salary increases Please take the time to read the comments in that 2012 post. We were complaining about Jan's sloppy bookkeeping five years ago!

Elaine Cappucci is part of the Million Dollar Heist also known as the Century of Excellence Campaign Committee. Mary Birks likes to refer to it as a 100 year plan. Since Timmy doesn't have an original thought, Elaine has a major role as Timmy's key Key Communicator.

You vote for Elaine Cappucci, it is job security for Janice Klein and Timothy Steinhauer!

So here is what I got for $1.25.

As I reported yesterday, I had to prepay $1.25 for missing receipts that should have been included in Nick M.'s RTK. See Getting nowhere quick! to read the ration of you know what that our disrespectful school board president dished out to me. Jeanine emailed the five receipts to me today. Here they are. Pursuant receipts

The five receipts must have come from the general fund. They are not earmarked Fund 27 Capital Campaign like the others were.

It was brought to my attention today to look at the footnote on Timmy's Capital Campaign Timeline. 

Jan Klein usually reports that the monthly bills are typical for this time of year. As we know from the school board president who is under investigation, items are approved through monthly bills without the school board directors taking the time to read the list of bills. Timmy always recommends that the monthly bills be approved.


I'm getting the feeling that the $923,530.02 loan/investment/heist is just the tip of the iceberg. How can these funds be co-mingled? How much money has actually been lost or mismanaged? Seriously, Jan Klein needs to go. We must hire different auditors. The school board needs to get rid of the Capital Campaign Director and her cabinet, even though Mary thinks it is a 100 year plan. They need to give Timmy his walking papers. Promote Dr. Davis to Superintendent. Go back to one assistant superintendent. Make "How to win friends and influence people" required reading for the board majority and the Timmy Ticket. And we need to get Mary Birks the heck out of there.

Times must be tough on Horsman Drive

This post is a continuation of Getting nowhere quick! from October 2-3.

Another RTK was granted in part and denied in part today. 

On October 4, 2017, the Mt. Lebanon School District (the “District") received your Public Records Request (“Request”), made pursuant to the Right to Know Law ("RTKL"), seeking “receipts for Pursuant Ketchum's invoice for $18,400 (up front expense) and receipts for the first four payments of $14,613.”  

Please be advised that the District has completed its review of your Request and your Request is granted and denied in part.  

The District has located five pages of paper records that are responsive to this Request. Under the Section 701 of the RTKL, the District is not required to create electronic records if the records do not exist in electronic format. Therefore, because these records do not exist in electronic format and because you request that responsive records be sent by email, your Request is denied. Friedman v. Upper Darby School District, AP 2017-0397, 2017 WL 1196380 (OOR March 28, 2017).  

However, the District will scan and email these records upon receipt of payment in the amount of $1.25 (5 pages x $0.25 per page) made payable to the “Mt. Lebanon School District.” Alternatively, the records will be made available for copying at a cost of $0.25 per page. 

Long story short, I went up to the Business Office with my $1.25 only to learn that Jeanine was gone for the day. I hope she will be able to send my request to me tomorrow.

Here is my receipt for $1.25. As I told the ladies in the Business Office, (never saw Jan Klein,) I didn't want to cause a financial hardship to the District. Times must be tough on Horsman Drive if they are expecting to be paid $1.25 up front.

Ta Da! Timmy's timeline is here!

Remember this? 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 requeston the school district Capital Campaign website. I don't see it. Do you?

I had to file the Right To Know for the timeline. 

I am requesting the timeline that Dr. Steinhauer and Mary Birks promised to post on the Capital Campaign website as promised on the video clip from my Sept. 24, 2017 blog posting, "What a Fire Drill!"
Please email pdf to EGillen476@aol.com

Here it is, Timmy's Capital Campaign Timeline, granted on October 11, 2017.

Look at the gaps on Timmy's timeline. Months and months go by without any reports to or from the school board. 

Who is in charge of the Capital Campaign? Not the school board*

* § 2-216 of the PA School Code. Gifts to districts; investment accounts.

Either this is what we already knew, or it doesn't make sense

Not sure how I feel about the latest RTK which was denied.

We know there was never a vote, but not for the reason given. We playing semantics again.

Bad News/Good News UPDATED 10/11/17

The PA Department of Education released the Keystone Exams scores. The bad news is that Mt. Lebanon High School can't compete with Upper St. Clair High School.

How local high schools fared on this year's Keystone Exams

By Ethan Lott / The Business Times ranked schools based on scores just released by the state Department of Education. 

Top 5 High Schools

The good new is that Mt. Lebanon School District is considering a $1,347,000 investment for a competitive size artificial turf field on the Rock Pile. Always being fiscally responsible, by throwing in the replacement of the high school stadium artificial turf, the school district can save 10% for a total of $1.7 million. Where will the money come from? Well, Jan Klein claims this month, that there is about $5 million available in the capital projects funds. Next month may be a different story.

At last night's school board meeting, the Draft Rock Pile Presentation was made with all the different options explained. Miraculously, the presentation was posted on the school district website last night. Of course, we're still waiting for Mary and Timmy to release the timeline promised last month. But when it comes to sports in this town, people move in warp speed. A suggestion was made for money to come from THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, since it could benefit the community. People would WANT to give, for sure. Cheerleader Larry Lebowitz said that this is a "golden opportunity" and he is excited! By adding lights, we could certainly get even more use.

Still waiting for the day when education is discussed at a school board meeting, instead of construction. Tonight, the municipality held a public hearing on the CIP which includes $5.5 million for Muni Field Improvements in 2022.

So even though we can't compete scholastically with Upper St. Clair, we can have some awesome fields! The band is excited. The soccer coaches are excited. The track coaches are excited. Larry is excited. Several 2016-2017 Key Communicators are excited. Go Lebo!

Update October 11, 2017 7:39 AM Here is how Mt. Lebanon Magazine spins it.

Who is in charge of the Capital Campaign? UPDATED 10/11/17

Carefully read § 2-216 of the PA School Code. Gifts to districts; investment accounts. Specifically:

(c) It shall be the duty of the board of school directors to keep an accurate account of all devises, bequests, grants, endowments, gifts, and donations accepted, the income arising therefrom, the proceeds thereof, and the expenses of administering the same; and at the end of each fiscal year to render a detailed statement of such devises, bequests, grants, endowments, gifts, and donations, held and possessed by such school district, the proceeds thereof, the investments which have been made therewith, the income arising therefrom, the expenses of administration, and the purposes to which the income arising therefrom have been applied. Such statement shall be audited as hereinafter provided for the auditing of school finances.

School Board Director Hugh Beal tried to pinpoint the actual start of the Capital Campaign at the last school board meeting.  The superintendent said that the actual start would probably have been August 12, 2013 when Alyssa DeLuca was hired. Have the school board directors kept an accurate account of this campaign since its inception? No. Mr. Beal had to abstain from a vote since he was not informed. Has there been a detailed statement at the end of each fiscal year? No. We were in the Quiet Phase for several years. In addition, the detailed statement at the end of fiscal year 2016 keeps changing from month to month.

From Financials ending 09/30/17 

From Financials ending 08/31/17
From Financials ending 07/31/17 updated 10/11/17

Mr. Beal questioned the accuracy of the 8/31/17 campaign spreadsheet and if the Administration stood by its accuracy. They did. The table above proves otherwise.

In the video clip above, Mr. Beal continues by saying that the school board should take ownership of the capital campaign. Who is in charge of the Capital Campaign? The school board? It doesn't feel like it. The Century of Excellence Campaign is definitely an internal operation, namely the Campaign Cabinet. All donations received by the school district must be approved by the school board unless the Board has given the superintendent the authority to accept donations on its behalf. Most boards formally vote to accept all donations and gifts over a certain amount (i.e. $1000) and allow the superintendent to accept small gifts and report them as information items on a monthly basis. The acceptance and fiscal management of all donations should be being captured by the District's auditors.

Who is on the cabinet? From the Capital Campaign website:

And the District Representatives?

This is the only report that I am aware of, presented on November 21, 2016.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aq7yK_oWz4yC4nXTvWo7HI8LBF4p PowerPoint is available here. 

Had the timeline been placed on the school district website as promised by under PA Ethics Commission investigation School Board President Mary Birks, and Superintendent Steinhauer, with one of his goals - improve communication with community stakeholders, we would be able to see that the school board directors had not been informed for months at a time of the progress of the Capital Campaign. I am still waiting for the timeline to be released through a Right To Know.

School Board Directors Riemer, Strotmeyer, Olbrich, and Beal have been chastised by this group for asking too many questions.

Dan Remely, Mary Birks, Elaine Cappucci, Katie Caste

Bottom line - the Century of Excellence Capital Campaign is in violation of § 2-216 of the PA School Code. Gifts to districts; investment accounts.

Update October 10, 2017 4:39 PM The video from last night's school board meeting is available here. Click here to view http://multimedia.mtlsd.org/Play.asp?12028118732501576!5

$5.5 million for Muni Field Improvements in 2022

If you follow the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the 2018-2022 CIP has been posted with the Public Hearing to be held at the Commission meeting on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 in the Commission Chambers, Municipal Building.

Planned for 2022:

Lighting for the Clint Seymour Field (Wildcat) $525,230
McNeilly Fields (2 rectangular fields and 1 baseball/softball field) $5,095,530.
The toxic turf at Seymour will be approaching the end of its life in 2022.

Keep in mind that the school district is considering artificial turf on the Rock Pile, Jefferson Middle School field, and Mellon Middle School field, in addition to replacing the high school stadium field which is at the end of its life.

Jan Klein Rewrites History UPDATED 10/11/17

The Capital Campaign Financials for 09/30/17 have been posted on the Capital Campaign website. (Saved in Google Docs) Want the second page? File a Right To Know.

Mr. Meduho, 

The updated financials will be posted once the month of September has been closed out. This will occur at the end of the week.

The operational document is available to you through RTK request.

For the Board,
Mary D. Birks

          On Tue, Oct 3, 2017 at 10:30 AM Nicholas Meduho Jr wrote:

Can we please update the financial report that is posted on the school district website for the capital campaign to include month end 9/30. 

Also, what about a second page that includes specific breakdowns of revenues and expenses…can that be added? 
Thank you,  

Nicholas Meduho 

Let's compare how Jan Klein rewrote history over the course of the last thirty days.

From Financials ending 09/30/17 

From Financials ending 08/31/17 

From Financials ending 07/31/17 (updated 10/11/17)

Keeping it Simple* (updated 10/11/17)

Jan Klein - Wait. What's that behind her?

Next school board meeting is Monday, October 9, 2017. Agenda is here.

* Please check my numbers.

Update October 7, 2017 1:20 PM At the September 11, 2017 meeting, School Board Director Hugh Beal asked Jan Klein about the accuracy of the 8/31/17 spreadsheet. Jan Klein verified the accuracy. The video is available here. http://multimedia.mtlsd.org/Play.asp?11982118278419844!5 Could someone make a clip of Hugh's questioning which begins at approximately 48:08 minutes into the meeting? I will add it here. Thank you, Richard Gideon and Nick M.! I guess it wasn't accurate, because Jan rewrote history as I indicated above.

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Spinning Class in Ward 4 UPDATED 10/15/17

Remember this? Docket Number: MJ-05217-NT-0000326-2017 We're still awaiting Blaise's next door neighbor's plea. The latest is that Gorilla was targeted by the police for his left-wing views, hence the "bogus" citation. The Castle Shannon cops got Gorilla drunk and dumped him on the street at 4 AM.

Craig Grella is so confident of his victory, that he is coordinating the Post-Election Gathering at Bados on Beverly. Good luck with that, Gorilla.

Who said Dems don't have a sense of humor?

Update October 12, 2017 5:53 PM

Update October 15, 2017 1:52 PM

Another Capital Campaign sponsored event?

Mt. Lebanon Hall of Champions Celebration Hi Everyone, I wanted to let you know of a very important celebration coming up later this fall and ask for your help.  The Blue Devil Club is sponsoring our first (of what we hope will become annual) Hall of Champions Celebration!  This is an event that I have wanted to get off the ground for awhile now.  I wanted to have an event where we celebrated the history and tradition of ALL of our sports in Mt. Lebanon.  I believe this has the potential to be a really fun night for our alumni, coaches, parents, and friends of Mt. Lebanon Athletics.  In addition, I believe this will become an important fund raiser for our athletic department. Please see below a post card invitation to the event.  I would certainly love to see all of you at the event but would ask you to please forward the post card to your parents and people within your organization as well as anyone else that you feel would be interested. Thomas Donati, Head Coach Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club  If you have any questions, please reply to:coachmikek@mlacswimming.com

Hall of Champions Celebration post card invitation

This email was sent by
Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club (MLAC)
PO Box 14684, Pittsburgh, PA, 15234 United States