Last night, Easton residents showed up strong to protest the proposed Easton Area School Board tax hike of 11.85%. I counted 14 residents in all, who showed up in protest to the increase, and five of us spoke up in defense of tax paying voters against the suggested hike, which is 8.25% above the state cap on increases to the index, which is 3.6%.
Residents are quote in both local papers:
Article by Colin McEvoy of the Express Times
Article by Christopher Baxter of the Morning Call
It was clear that it was unusual for the EASD Finance Committee to have so many residents in the audience paying attention to what was going on, because the board member leading the meeting asked for an explanation from another board member, "since we have an audience tonight."
Some came in response to our blog post, and still others came because a resident who read the blog post decided to post it to his Facebook page. Since I am not on Facebook (yet--I suppose it's inevitable at some point) this idea hadn't crossed my mind, but it's just the sort of creative networking that we need to employ as an active community to be able to most effectively make our voices heard in numbers on issues that matter to us.
Most of the residents who attended were attending for the first time, myself included. We found the building, looked around until we found the chamber, and figured it out from there. One thing that I didn't like was that the printed agendas for the public were set out on the end of the long U-shaped table where the board members sat, so that anyone from the public who wanted one had to be willing to walk in front of the board and all the seats of the people listening, to the far corner of the room to get the agendas. So I did.
The meeting before ours, was the EASD Building and Grounds Committee meeting, which went waaaaay overtime, so that we ended up waiting an hour an a half before the Finance Committee meeting started, which is what we were there for. But it ended up being a great learning experience (we joined near the end), to hear some examples of what the EASD is spending their money on, which bears directly on the proposed tax increase. It was clear to us that there is still fat that can be cut, even the few examples that we heard. For instance, they've abandoned the idea of building a new pool, but want to spend money refurbishing the pool they have. Yet one person who coordinates with the manager of the pool said that the pool is actually in pretty good shape. Another proposed expenditure was to create a proper handicapped access to March elementary, which apparently the architects hired had managed to leave out. This is something that in my mind should be paid by that architect, as tax payers already paid them to do a job that they failed to design within code compliance.
The residents that spoke up against the tax hike emphasized to the board that in a time of economic crisis, when companies and individuals are having to make severe cuts, the EASD should be making deep cuts too. To be approving teacher pay raises and moving forward on construction projects, when tax payers themselves aren't getting raises, and are in fact getting laid off, losing their health insurance, or are worried about losing their homes, is a flagrant disregard for the tax paying voters that elect and pay them. We understand that teacher raises have to do with union contracts, but something has to be done--the negotiations have to be opened. If they won't budge on raises, then perhaps some positions should be eliminated--that could be a golden opportunity to get rid of any teachers who are not giving 100%. Every school has some great teachers, some mediocre teachers, and some bad teachers. It's time to let loose of anyone not giving their all for the kids. If that's not possible within the contract, then we need to figure out what is, but throwing up one's hands and blaming the unions can no longer fly as a dead-end excuse with no follow-up. These are times that demand proactive and creative problem solving. Finger-pointing does nothing for the tax payers.
Last night was the Finance Committee's motion to approve the preliminary budget, which includes the tax hike. Next Thursday, Feb. 4th, 7:30pm at the EASD Education Center at 1801 Bushkill Drive, is the meeting with the full School Board, where the preliminary budget will be voted in after public comments. Please spread the word so that we can get as many residents there as possible to protest this tax hike before they vote. Please use every means you can think of to spread the word--post to your Facebook pages, MySpace pages and blogs. Email the entire board in one email, your comments in protest to the hike so that they will enter it into the record--their email addresses are here.
To write letters to the editors of the local papers, click on the link on the right side of this page for the Express Times on line letter-to-the-editor form, and for the Morning Call, email Editor David Erdman. The more coverage we get, the more people will know about the meeting and come out to stop this tax hike.
If we had 14 last time, lets make it 30 this time, and if 5 people spoke last night, lets have 10 speaking this Thursday!
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17 comments:
Quoting McEvoy's article: "The district is seeking exemptions from the state that would allow it to exceed the 3.6 percent cap without a referendum, and will not know for about two months how far above it the district can go."
Does the run-around-the-referendum have to come before the application for the increase exemption? Easy guess how the votes would come down if a referendum were required to take place. It might force EASD's hands as far as cuts or alternative solutions if they could not get around their constituency's objections.
Or...is the district applying for both squashing voters' say and an increase?
Another question: if tax rates are to fall after the increase, why not have a laddered tax increase that could be more easily absorbed by the tax base? I don't buy the argument the tax hike spikes and deflates to such a low level after some years. Do costs come down to justify that? If yes, I'm inferring the increase is for more than just pension and salary obligations - what's the one time bill causing the dash for cash?
Thanks to all who participated in last night's meeting.
A few things,
The district ended with an undesignated General Fund balance of $9,780,000.
The district is subject to Act 1 of 2006 and cannot increase its tax rate above the index. It requires public approval through a referendum.
Act 1 protects the taxpayer from essentially being 'exploited' by the district. Here's the thing, what the district is asking for is an exemption from the back end referenda. What they don't want is for the tax payers to insist on a public referendum. What they want to do is go around the inflationary index, computed by the state (not something they came up with at 3.6%)
They will try to justify the exemption based on specific increased costs but it must be approved by the state courts or the PA Board of Ed. However, the latest budget doesn't seem to point to specific costs justifying the need and it would be up to the public to 'demand' an explanation.
As I understand it, under Act 1 the school district is expected to elevate its relationship with the public. They have the burden to explain and involve the public in the process of budget creation. They also have to have it submitted prior to the spring primary ballot.
Things we may consider:
We could attempt to delay their submission by asking the PA Board of Ed to require EASD to create a public committee to review the budget, claiming that according to ACT 1, they did not satisfy the threshold to involve the public. I'm not familiar enough with the Act to define what the threshold is.
Perhaps our focus should not be on the EASD, but on the PA Board of Ed. We could petition them, in a sense heading EASD off in the pass, with a public appeal not to allow the exemption and thereby forcing it to a public referendum.
Given the questionable status of EASD we may want to ask a representative from the PA Board of Ed to come to Easton and give the public an explanation of the responsibilities under ACT 1 and also to voice our concerns.
I don't know if they would but in order for the public to be 'protected' by Act 1 requires due dillegence on our part, to understand it and to challenge tax increases based on the provisions of the law.
My thoughts
I believe that it's also important to somehow let the School Board know that we are getting tired of them spending our money as if it is their right to spend whenever and on whatever they want. Did we need that $800,000.00 practice field at the High School? They bought that property at 1800 Bushkill Drive, drove the tenants out and turned it into a palace! While their old administration building on Northampton street remains empty, when, at the least, it could be put to use for community groups.
By the way, the official on the School Board who approved spending all that money on March School without providing for disability access should be shown the door.
The Easton Area School Board has been acting like they can do exactly as they want to do for a long time. What they need is an audience! Thanks to all who attended.
School board- teachers need to give back some of there pay raise or you need to layoff teachers
Perhaps someone should question the numbers. Question the business manager. Is she sharing the whole truth? Are the threats and panic necessary to the taxpayers OR the district staff and programs? Is there no other choice but to trust her? Is she trustworthy? Do you know any details about her prior employment? She has not been in Easton long, yet the "financial trouble" has only existed since she arrived. Hmm... think.
I hope everyone for whom it is physically possible can make it a priority to attend the school board meeting this thursday night when they will vote on the preliminary budget. These comments are terrific and in some cases, quite frankly, over my head. Please do not leave the poet to try to explain these issues to the board--you are NEEDED! Please join the posse of residents that is collecting around this issue and make these points heard!
Please mark your calendars and spread the word.
Noel
How about an online petition against the tax increase
Anon 8:42--when I first started this blog I had hoped to be able to do deliverable on line petitions, thinking this was a "gadget" easily available, but after looking into it, it turns out that it entails some complicated and expensive design work and would not be something that could work in the blogspot format anyway. We could, however, start collecting signatures on a paper petition. On thing about petitions though, it's most effective when there is just one, and the language in the petition has to be specific and legally viable. I will look into this.
An attorney friend of mine is looking into the referendum issue and will get back to me, but so far had this to say, "by March 24th, the Court of Common Pleas or the Dept of Education will issue its ruling on the school district’s petition for referendum exception. So the timetable is very compressed."
In other words, we need to get on this right away. Anyone with advice as to how to best go about this, please post here--for instance, should residents also be sending emails to the PA Board of Ed, is it best submitted in petition form, etc...
Terrance's post gives a great general introduction to the process that the EASD must follow to bypass Act 1's referendum requirement: the EASD must either petition the PA Dept of Education, or seek a court order.
Terrance also writes that "under Act 1 the school district is expected to . . . involve the public in the process of budget creation. . . . We could attempt to delay their submission by asking the PA Board of Ed to require EASD to create a public committee to review the budget, claiming that according to ACT 1, they did not satisfy the threshold to involve the public."
This must be investigated further, but I'm not sure that the EASD has to involve the public. According to the PA Dept of Ed website, local districts must form a Local Tax Study Commission "Before giving voters the choice to generate property tax relief by increasing a local income tax to replace a portion of property taxes." Here, I don't believe the the EASD has attempted to change the existing tax structure by levying a new earned income or personal income tax. They are just trying to increase the existing property tax.
The EASD has that authority because they are elected officials, who are given the power to create budgets by the voters. That is why school board elections matter to all of us, whether or not we have children enrolled in school.
Readers should consider that in an economic slump like the one we are experiencing, there is little chance that the PA Dept of Ed or courts will allow an 11.85% increase. Doing so would fly in the face of the legislative intent of Act I of 2006. Legislative intent trumps the courts and agencies like the PA Dept of Ed. My guess is that the EASD is jockeying for an increase of about 5.6%. If they ask for 11.85%, but get 5.6%, they can say that taxpayers "won." Consider though that the cost of living right now is flat, inflation is flat, and the prime interest rate is near 0%. So a 5.6% increase is a significant increase, especially when the justification for the increase is not clear.
Finally, in the midst of our anti-tax efforts, which I support, we should consider for a moment the struggling school system. Area-wide, the EASD has a poor reputation, which results in lower property values. No matter what, we will pay, through the front door in the form of a school tax, or through the back door in the form of lower property values. A good school involves community investment, and I think we can all agree that we want our schools to be good. Still, in a recessionary period, tax increases hurt homeowners, many of whom already face foreclosure. Bottom line -- no tax increases without greater transparency and accountability, and sensitivity to our present economic condition.
Look no further than what the Easton business manager did in her time in the East Stroudsburg School District.
And I quote.... "Taxpayers Mike Meachem and, later, Devin Day, referred to a November 2007 report by National Management Associates, a consulting firm the district commissioned. It assessed flaws in the district's operations.
That review was produced after Marie Guidry, Kresefski's predecessor, retired from the district. She now serves as interim business manager for Easton Area School District.
The review found the office to lack strong management and fiscal and operational controls.
It said the budget process that was then used had "no creditabilty," and produced no user-friendly documents. Budgets were developed without much input from the school board or community or even principals.
It recommended a sweeping reorganization of the office and redistribution of tasks. Kresefski was hired soon after; there is now an assistant business manager, a position that remained unfilled for years."
Here is the article from the Pocono record.
http://m.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090123/NEWS/901230365&template=wapart
Solution to the Tracy elementary parking problem
I have an Idea lets CHAUFFER the teachers from their home to the
Tracy elementary school
I agree with Terrences's post,Two key players were absent from the meeting.They are the most controversial,Dr.Volcano and Kerry Meyers. Most certainly due to the "audience",as was referred to by a Board Member. It was obvious to me even through my rose colored glasses,that the Board is not used to any dialogue other than perhaps among themselves, and that didn't even appear clear.One thing I do know is that"Neighbors" has their attention,so it is crucial that there is a need for us to step it up a notch.Mass emailing can easily be ignored,group attendance and the public call for accountability can not,nor can contacting the Board of Education to send a rep.Tough Times might take tough measures but then again I posted a Slumlord sign when I had Slumlord issues.I am game, I say we push for a public forum.So perhaps the petition sounds the most effective way.And that was my 2 cents but I feel it calls for some drastic speedy action if we are going to accomplish anything.
someone should question the population make up of the districts. When the districts were established, thirty years ago palmer and forks were small. Now, today they probably have more people. If the districts were to be redrawn on a one man one vote basis, Volcano and Myers would not last in an election.
Anon 7:56--Very interesting idea. And the "someone" is us. Nobody should assume that anyone else is going to do it for us. We, each of us, has to do his/her part, write the PA Board of Education and Rep. Bob Freeman, as well as letters to the editor, and most of all, show up to the meeting Thursday.
I will be posting shortly in a new post with the latest on the tax increase--please make further comments on the new post so we can continue the conversation there--thanks!
let's not be too eager to change voting districts. The burbs would like nothing better than have control of the board. Half the burb reps don't want the city in the district -- how quickly they forget who started the district and where they individually came from. We might not have the best people representing the city then get qualified individuals to run. But do not call for a change in districts.
Noel,
In anticipation of this week's school board meeting (financial committee only or the whole school board?), what are the next concrete steps we can take to bend some ears?
To whom should we most effectively address letters of concern and questions? Should we copy you on these in order to correctly tally the letters?
Please see my latest post: "Latest on EASD Tax Increase" which has Julie Zando-Dennis' latest findings (Julie is an attorney in the neighborhood) on our the EASD's timeline and process for requesting an exception.
In the post are important things:
1. The revelation that we have no recourse on this via petition/referendum, so attending the meeting is MORE important than ever, and
2. Concrete steps we can take to fight this
Please see the new post and continue this conversation there!
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