12/8/2011 – We the People DID IT!!! Carnegie and Crafton Elementary Schools will remain open!

UPDATE: 12/8/2011: Our neighborhood elementary schools will remain open! A 7-0-2 vote rescinded the February action to close our schools and build a new combined school that Carlynton did not need and could not afford. Dir. Hughan and Dir. Schirripa abstained from voting. They both voted to YES to close our schools in Feb. Abstentions usually occur for two reasons: not enough information, or a conflict of interest. There was enough information – 2 years of discussion, 2 facility studies. There wasn’t a conflict of interest to close our schools…there shouldn’t have been a conflict of interest to keep them open.

UPDATE: 11/17/2011: This was the final Board meeting for the outgoing Board directors. Dir. Roussos invited people to attend the next school board meeting if they want to discuss the new school construction project.
UPDATE: 11/07/2011: Tomorrow Don’t Vote Straight Party Ticket! Why? You won’t be voting for Joe Appel. In fact, you could cast a vote for his opponent. We don’t know where Joe’s opponent stands on the new school issue. WE DO KNOW a few people who signed his school board petition are on public record in favor of a new school.

UPDATE: 10/20/2011: Newly appointed Director David Roussos asked the School Board Directors who voted for the new construction project to make a Motion to Reconsider the February 17, 2011 motion to close our schools. This is a procedural step necessary for the board to reconsider the earlier vote – it is not itself a direct vote for or against closing the schools – David was simply saying: let’s open the matter back up, discuss it, and do what’s best for the district.

Any Director who voted AGAINST the project is not able to make a motion to bring it up again because they were on the losing side of the vote – so the motion had to be made by someone who voted for the project. David tried to appeal to the common sense of each Director who voted FOR the project, namely:

• Tom Brown (lost primary)
• Patty Schirripa (up for re-election in 2013)
• Ronald McCartney (lost primary)
• Sandra Hughan (up for re-election in 2013)

Since the 4 directors who voted to close our schools refused to reconsider their position and open discussions, the Carlynton School Board is still on record to move ahead with the mega-millions construction project which would close both Crafton and Carnegie Elementary Schools and build a new one.

Your support at the polls on November 8th is crucial to making sure or elementary schools are safe from closure.

ANNOUNCEMENT: 9/27/2011: We are pleased to endorse our friend, JOE APPEL, for the vacant 2-year seat on the Carlynton School Board.  Joe has been actively engaged in the “Save our Schools” movement for the past 2 YEARS.  He is also endorsed by the Committee for Carlynton’s Future.
On November 8th, DON’T JUST PUNCH THE PARTY BUTTON! Joe is running as an Independent. He will be listed as a member of the Save Our Schools party.

UPDATE: 9/15/2011: The school board voted to hire Joseph Dimperio as acting Superintendent. David Roussos made the motion which passed 5-4 (Tassaro, Wilson, Shell, Walkowiak, Roussos). Immediately following the vote, Patricia Schirripa resigned as Vice President but remains a board member.

ATTENTION: 9/13/2011: David Roussos was just appointed by judge Allen Hertzberg to the vacant seat on the Carlynton school board!!!!! Let’s give him a BIG WELCOME on THURSDAY at the school board meeting – 7:30 pm HS Library!

Update: 8/18/2011: A Carlynton resident has stepped forth and petitioned the courts to appoint a replacement for the vacant school board seat. Any eligible resident of the Carlynton school district can submit a petition if he/she wishes to be appointed to the director position up to the date of the hearing which is Monday, September 12th at 1:45pm in Room 816 City-County Building.

Update: 7/14/2011: Patricia Schirripa, Sandra Hughan, Tom Brown & Ron McCartney are still DEFYING the WILL of the PEOPLE by voting AGAINST the PEOPLE’s choice. Jim Schriver & another gentlemen were nominated to fill the vacant seat. The vote was split 4 – 4. A judge picks if not resolved by end of July. Schriver is the logical choice – he won the election by a landslide. The other gentlemen did not bother running.

Update: 6/30/2011: Director Tom Dipietro resigned so his nephew could get a teaching job. The board will have to appoint a replacement, details to come about applying. The board accepted Dr. Panza’s resignation. The survey of the Carnegie land for the new school was removed from the agenda.

ATTENTION: 6/22/2011: Tonight Dr. Panza was hired (5 to 4 vote) as the Superintendent of the Sto-Rox school district. August 1st start date.

UPDATE: 6/9/2011: Special budget meeting was held. The head of maintenance estimated that each of our school buildings needs $6M in updates and repairs.

UPDATE: 6/2/2011: The vote to move forward with the survey of the land for the new school was tabled.

5/18/2011 – The people of Carnegie, Crafton and Rosslyn Farms have spoken!!!

	DEM	REP	TOTAL	%	By Ticket
Betsy Tassaro	1262	579	1841	18%
Sharon Wilson	1243	562	1805	17%
Ray Walkowiak	1189	569	1758	17%
Jim Schriver	1161	562	1723	17%
David Roussos	1160	557	1717	17%	85%
Tom Brown	465	124	589	6%
Ron McCartney	383	105	488	5%
Ray Broglie	355	96	451	4%	15%
TOTAL	7218	3154	10372	100%

Visit our endorsed candidate’s website. Click the image below:

In the News: 5/12/2011: Our endorsed candidates ran a full page ad in the Signal Item today. View it here! A Carlynton resident who works in school construction gives his viewpoint for the voters “Renovate Where Needed”.

UPDATE: 5/5/2011: The board voted 8 to 1 to DECREASE taxes by 1 mil.

In the News: 4/28/2011: “Possibility of Carlynton school closures helped shape race” Tribune article highlighting our endorsed candidates and their opposition.

UPDATE: 4/14/2011: School Board Meeting Summary: The board voted 6 to 3 to halt merger discussions with Keystone Oaks. Thomas Brown, Patricia Schirripa and Tom DiPietro voted against. The board voted 7 to 2 to halt the new school project. Thomas Brown and  Patricia Schirripa voted against.

In the News: 4/12/2011: “Point of order” letter to the editor questioning the appropriateness of  Carlynton’s Superintendent’s actions to begin merger talks with surrounding districts without board authorization.

In the News: 3/31/2011: “Carlynton needs to show some caution” – SOS Endorsed School Board Candidate Dave Roussos penned a letter to the editor in the Post Gazette summarizing the school district’s budget issues.  Click here to read. A letter to the Editor from a Carnegie resident regarding the new school project appeared in the Signal Item. Click here to read.

In the News: 3/23/2011: The Signal Item ran a letter from the five candidates we endorse - click here to read. The Committee for Carlynton’s Future has a Facebook page – click here to read/fan.

UPDATE: 3/18/2011: School Board Meeting Summary: The school board did not hire a construction manager for the new school project. This is the second time this vote was postponed.

Referencing Carlynton’s proposed state funding cut of $656K (1.125 mils), Thomas Brown, who is seeking reelection in May, read a personal statement recommending the school district halt work on the new school construction project until the financial impact of the Governor’s budget cut is evaluated.  The board must vote to stop the new school project. That did not happen.

On February 17th, prior to voting on the new school project, Ray Walkowiak recommended researching what the district can afford (see video). Betsy Tassaro made the same request March 3rd. Ray Walkowiak and Betsy Tassaro are seeking reelection in May. The school board knew these drastic budget cuts were coming for months. School board candidate Jim Schriver pointed it out to the board back in January (read letter).

Thomas Brown, wrapped up by urging administration to begin pursuing the possibilities of merging with surrounding school districts – Keystone Oaks, Chartiers Valley or Montour. He made no mention of keeping our neighborhood schools – the biggest educational asset Carlynton has.

Betsy Tassaro requested that the district preserve the capital assets it currently has by budgeting for repairs. She suggested fixing the leaking roof at Crafton Elementary and repairing the track at the high school. After push-back from a board member, she referenced the $12M surplus the district has and questioned why the district wouldn’t make needed maintenance repairs.

NOTE: 3/16/2011: There is a school board meeting tomorrow March 17th. The agenda shows they will vote on a construction manager for the elementary school building project and solicit quotes for a civil engineering study and a hazardous materials study for the elementary school building project.

For those of you who couldn’t make it to school closure meeting… here’s a video summary:

NOTE: 3/3/11: There is a school board meeting tonight at 7:30pm at the high school. The agenda shows the board voting to hire a construction manager and to survey the Carnegie site. We obtained the new Carnegie site drawings that the public did not see prior to the vote on 2/17/11.

UPDATE: 2/18/11: As expected the board voted to close Crafton Elementary, close Carnegie Elementary and build a new combined school in Carnegie. The plan is opposed by 2 of the 3 boroughs – Crafton and Rosslyn Farms. Watch WPXI’s coverage of the meeting. These board members voted to CLOSE our schools:

• Tom Brown – Carnegie – Up for re-election in May
• Ron McCartney – Carnegie – Up for re-election in May
• Tom DiPietro – Carnegie – 2013
• Patricia Schirripa – Rosslyn Farms – 2013
• Sandra Hughan – Carnegie -2013

The option the board approved was given to them just hours before the vote. Some school board members did not know what exactly they were voting on and the public has not seen this new option. The approved option builds a new school somewhere near the Honus Wagner Stadium. The Stadium/field will remain intact and Carnegie Elementary will be knocked down. The public questioned where exactly this could be accomplished. The answer was sketchy but the area is behind the playground up the hill near train tracks.

UPDATE: 2/17/11: A Carlynton resident hits the nail on the head – Signal Item: New School a $30 million bad idea

UPDATE: 02/14/11:  For those of you who couldn’t make it to the Feb. 3rd meeting… here’s a video summary:

Based on our observations of the board, we believe there is a slim majority of votes to build new in Carnegie and close Crafton Elementary. The price tag is $30+M. However, it is not a rock solid majority by any means. Anything can happen. WE must show up and stand up for our community schools!

UPDATE: 02/11/11: Attention! The vote on whether or not to permanently close our community schools is Thursday (see agenda) at 7:30pm in the Carlynton High School Cafeteria.

ATTENTION: 01/28/11: Crafton Borough Council unanimously voted to provide FREE transportation to residents for  the Feb 17th school board meetings! Call Mary or Pat at 412-921-0752 ext. 10 to sign up!  Pick up/drop off locations 1st run: Crafton United Presbyterian Church (Bradford Ave) 6:30pm, Crafton Plaza (E. Crafton Ave) 6:40pm, Crafton Towers (Foster Ave) 6:50pm.
Crafton United Presbyterian Church will offer FREE childcare for children age 3 through grade 6 from 6:30-10:00 p.m. Call Cathy at 412-921-2293 no later than the Tuesday of the week to reserve childcare – limited to first 30 children who are registered each evening.

UPDATE: 01/27/11: Attention! The vote on whether or not to permanently close our community schools is upon us. The school board will have discussion and hear public comments (see agenda) on Thursday, Feb 3rd and Thursday, Feb 17that 7:30pm in the Carlynton High School Cafeteria.The VOTE WILL BE HELD FEB 17th at 7:30pm!!!!!!

UPDATE: 01/6/11: Thomas and Williamson presented what they estimated the costs of the building options.  This information is from the actual study. Prices includes soft costs such furniture, architects fees,  equipment, etc.

• Additions + Renovations to Carnegie & Crafton = $37 Million
• Building Smaller Combined School = $27 Million
• Renovating Carnegie and Crafton = $19 Million

***In the Thomas & Williamson cost study, Crafton Elementary NOW needs a new library. However, the Kimball feasibility study does NOT show a new library. How can the school board make a decision of this magnitude with out the basic understanding of what is needed?

UPDATE: 12/9/10: The board did not hire a construction manager. For $10K, they hired Thomas and Williamson to create cost models of the 10 building options in the feasibility study. Their findings will be completed in January. The public and members of the school board are still questioning the accuracy of the feasibility study. There are still discrepancies in the number of rooms needed. Dir Walkowiak raised the question: why does renovating require an addition of 11 small rooms but a new school only requires adding 1 small room. At present we operate with 9 small rooms (5 Crafton, 4 Carnegie). After considerable discussion, the question of why the 11 additional rooms are in the renovation option was never answered by the board, the architects or the Superintendent.

In the News: 11/28/10 – A prime example – Letter to the editor published in Post Gazette in response to the PlanCon article.
11/21/10 – Carlynton school district was featured in a Post Gazette article: “Start cutting here, Gov. Corbett Pennsylvania’s PlanCon program encourages school districts to overbuild”.

UPDATE: 11/18/10 – The school board voted NO on the Community Task Force (11/18/10 meeting minutes). State Representatives Deasy and Smith urged our school board to create a task force to promote community involvement. Why would the Board reject a chance to tap into the vast expertise that Carlynton residents can provide on this issue? The combined knowledge of Carlynton residents is far greater than what the architects can provide.  It is on record that on 9/2/10 a Carlynton resident spotted major errors in the architect’s feasibility study. Consequently, the board had to vote on whether or not to accept the corrected feasibility study. The board voted to accept the revised study 0n 9/16/10.  When asked if the firm that created the feasibility study would also get the contract, it was stated (pg. 6) by a board member that hiring an architect has been discussed, but nothing is locked or set in stone and much more investigation is needed and the board is still in the early stages of the process. At the very next meeting, 10/7/10  they hired the  firm that created the feasibility study to be the architects on the yet to be determined project .

 

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

The closing of our elementary schools would be extremely detrimental to our communities and to our children’s education.  The plans that they are considering would cost taxpayers between $25 and $50 million!!! Residents have been urging them to seek lower-cost renovation options for both schools.  Architects have confirmed that both schools are structurally sound and can be renovated!  Despite this urging, the school board has failed to diligently consider renovation options. Many other local school districts, such as Mount Lebanon and Brentwood, have renovated their elementary schools for much less money than what our school board is considering spending.  With the looming pension crisis, taxes are going up substantially over the next few years. If we add the unnecessary expense of building a new school to this it could be catastrophic!

 

If  We Lose Our COMMUNITY SCHOOLS,  EVERYONE loses!

Home Owners – Potential property tax increase and a decline in property values. A Case Western study published in the Journal of Urban Economics shows a 9.9% DECREASE in property values when neighborhood schools are closed.
Parents – The loss of a smaller, caring learning environment for your children.
Business Owners – Decreased customer traffic, loss of revenue.
Residents – The loss of a community hub, vacant abandoned buildings in the center of our towns, loss of young families from our communities.

AGAIN, IT IS POSSIBLE to renovate and update older school buildings. Many local school districts have already done it successfully at a fraction of new construction cost. Many other Western-PA school districts have successfully updated older elementary buildings, bringing them up to 21st-century educational standards AND retaining the benefits of neighborhood schools. The PA-Dept of Education found that it is almost 50% LESS EXPENSIVE to renovate than to build a new facility. In their presentation to the school board, even the architects hired by the district estimated  renovation costs are OVER 50% CHEAPER than new construction.