Football tonight

Tonight's DV football game will broadcast at KJBroadcasting.com, according to The Gazette. Check out more about the football team's fundraising campaign for stadium improvements and last week's game.

And if you want more than just football coverage, check out my cousin Dan's column in The Gazette.

TV report on DV budget, more newslinks

• Budget battle: Politics over paychecks? from WNEP
• State aid to schools payments delayed, again from PoconoNews.Net
• Delaware Valley schedules Warrior Festival Sept. 4 from Varsity 845
• Delaware Valley Football Preview from the Pike County Press
• Day of Caring in Pike County on Sept. 12 from the Pocono Record
• Student Super-Achievers Ready for New School Year from the Pike County Press

August meeting recap

• August agenda on BoardDocs
• Video from the meeting from the Pike County Youth Coalition
• Delaware Valley holding its own despite state budget impasse from PoconoNews.Net

In the news: Elections board seeks recanvass of votes, PCYC webcasts first board meeting

In the Pike County Press:

• Board Of Elections Seeks Recanvass Of Spring Primary
• Business briefs - DV scholarship winner

In the Pike County Courier:

• Students ease board access

Note: according to Pike County Youth Coalition executive director Nick Troiano, School Board 2.0 is a project of the youth coalition, not a new, separate organization as the article in the Courier states.

In the news: Board meeting coverage from Pike Co Press

From the Pike County Courier:

• DVES artist

From the Pike County Press:

• Swim-A-Thon Benefits Humane Society
• Spelling Champ
• DVHS Trail Podcast Project Wins $500 Grant
• Analysis Shows Del Val Among Top Districts in Region
• Safe or Unsafe? Police Suggest Access to DV Security Cameras

OPINION: This bit from the safety committee meeting article, Safe or Unsafe?, was of particular interest to me:

The letter outlined findings of a May 19 safety survey of the district’s main school complex. The letter also stated a request that police be given camera access to help expedite response in case of an emergency.

“Being able to utilize the cameras already in place in the school would increase valuable time and response, as well as being able to isolate an incident into a hallway or quadrant rather than the entire school,” wrote Stewart.

But allowing police to tap into the district’s security video system would essentially open a hole in the firewall, creating the potential for viruses, worms, hackers and other problems, officials said.

“I think it would be unwise for us to open up our network,” said Superintendent Candis Finan. “We would be vulnerable to all sorts of issues with our networks.”

The thing is, DV's network already is open. Ever been to dvsd.org? The district's Web site was originally hosted on a server inside the high school, and DV World still is.

Not to mention, any major company, any university and many K-12 school districts offer access over the Internet to resources on their networks. Have you been to the bank lately? Used a credit card? All of your financial data is traveling across the Internet, even if you're at the bank or charging your card in person.

It's true that the way to stay as invulnerable as possible is to keep the network closed, but it's a myth to think that opening the network is unsafe, especially for something like police access to that multi-hundred-thousand dollar video surveillance system the taxpayers funded.

DVES news by DVES students in the Pike Press

From the Pike County Press...

• Sixth Grade Hosts Board
• Earth Day is a BIG Day at DVES
• Practice Makes Perfect
• It’s a Big, Big World
• Sussex Skyhawks Inspire Educational Excellence
• Our Recycling Game
• Concerto No. V in A Major
• Color and Shape Experts

In the news: School Board 2.0, Yolanda Goldsack

Hi everyone... It's been a while since I've been regularly updating the blog. Not too too much has been happening lately, but here's an update on some DV news around the Net.

In the Scranton Times-Tribune:
Pike County youth promote government transparency through the Internet

Pike County Courier roundup:
School district prepares fallback budget proposal
Breakfast Book Club at Shohola
TV techs share knowledge at Dingman-Delaware Middle School
DVHS Students of the Month

From the new Pike County Press:
Elementary Artists Win Big
Flapping Our Wings to First Grade
Candy Bar Fractions and Solid Figures
Farewell to Three Delaware Valley Elementary School Retirees
Goldsack Clears the Air

Update: From the River Reporter:
Goldsack criticizes commissioners and quits

BREAKING: PC Press reports Yolanda Goldsack will not accept new position

Goldsack Resigns; Will Not Accept Transfer

The embattled former director of elections, Yolanda Goldsack, will not accept a transfer.

Goldsack told the Pike County Board of Commissioners at their weekly public meeting on July 8 that she is withdrawing her request for transfer.

Read more at PikeCountyPress.com

BREAKING: Gary Orben appointed elections director

Gary Orben was appointed director of the Pike County Board of Elections. He replaces Yolanda Goldsack, wife of Delaware Valley School Board president Bob Goldsack.

Read more from the Pike County Press

DV one of only 3 districts in northeast PA to exceed all averages on state tests, SATS

From The Scranton Times-Tribune:

Only three of 37 school districts in Northeast Pennsylvania exceed all averages on state tests and the SAT, according to Times-Shamrock Newspapers' annual analysis of academic performance.

The districts - Crestwood, Dallas and Delaware Valley - outperformed the other districts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

Per-pupil spending at DV was $11,424, according to the Times database. Of the 501 Pennsylvania school districts in the database, 348 or about 70 percent of PA school districts spend more money than DV. 

DV schools the highest marks of the 37 NEPA school districts in the following testing categories, which are listed at the bottom of the Grading our Schools article:

Third-grade math
Highs: Delaware Valley, 95.2 percent; Abington Heights, 92.5 percent

- Fourth-grade math
Highs: Delaware Valley, 96.5 percent; Susquehanna Community, 92 percent

- Fourth-grade reading
Highs: Delaware Valley, 90.3; Abington Heights, 85.3 percent

- Fifth-grade reading
Highs: Delaware Valley, 81.2 percent; Dallas, 80.8 percent

- Sixth-grade reading
Highs: Abington Heights, 87.2 percent; Delaware Valley, 87.2 percent

- Seventh-grade math
Highs: Delaware Valley, 91.2 percent; Abington Heights, 88.5 percent

- Seventh-grade reading
Highs: Abington Heights, 91.5 percent; Delaware Valley, 87.9 percent

- 11th-grade reading
Highs: Delaware Valley, 81.4 percent; Carbondale Area, 81.1 percent

Courier roundup: "DV okays budget and hopes"

• Now that the election’s over 
  
• DV okays budget and hopes 
  
• Wagner: Pike seeking new elections chief
  
• DV sophomore at leadership program 
  
• Budget facts 2009 
  
• Pike County Builders award scholarships 
  
• On the primary vote controversy in Dingman 
  
• Candidate’s thank you 
  
• HONOR ROLL: Delaware Valley Middle School 
  

Elections director Yolanda Goldsack to step down following controversy at the polls

Pike County Board of Elections director Yolanda Goldsack will step down and seek a new position in the county government, according to the Pike County Press and other sources. Yolanda is the wife of incumbent school board candidate Bob Goldsack, who helped fix a voting machine on primary election day while he was campaigning at the Dingman Township 2 polling station.

Read more at PikeCountyPress.com

Board adopts zero-tax increase budget, may be in $1.7 million shortfall

DV Board adopts budget, not sure it will stick

A zero-tax budget was adopted by the Delaware Valley School Board, but some doubt that flat tax will hold up. The big unanswered question is $1.7 million in state aid.

The budget is essentially the tentative budget adopted on a 6-2 vote last month. The same two members, Pam Lutfy and Susan Schor, voted against adopting the budget again.

The problem is the $1.7 million, which DV may or may not get from the state. If the district does not get the money, the board may need to revisit the budget, going with “Plan B”, which would mean a more than four percent tax hike.

Read more at PoconoNews.net

Courier roundup: Graduation coverage

• DV Class of 2009 is now alumni (see more pictures from the Courier)
• Board follows Finan’s advice to watch and wait
• Students boot it up at contest
• HONOR ROLL: Dingman Delaware Middle
• Colleagues continue Pat’s passion in her absence

And the graduation coverage begins...

Check out a short story and some photos of mine from Saturday's graduation at the new PikeCountyPress.com. 

For more Pike County Press photos, click here.

DV grad unhurt in car accident following graduation

From the new PikeCountyPress.com

Gregory Harris of Milford, who graduated this morning from Delaware Valley High School, lost control of his car at 4:50 PM this afternoon on the upper section of Foster Hill Road in Milford Township. Harris was headed in the direction of Milford with another unidentified teenager. Neither was hurt when the car rolled after hitting the high shoulder in the area.

Indications on the scene indicate excessive speed may well have been a factor in this afternoon’s crash. A long skid mark may be seen on the road after an area of disturbed berm on the opposite side of the road.

Read more at PikeCountyPress.com, a new newspaper/news Web site for our area. They have a temporary Web site, so you need to scroll down to find the story about the car accident.

Courier roundup: DV musicians to play at Milford Festival on Saturday

• Video-conferencing the animal kingdom
• This is Music Festival weekend

Saturday - 11:00-12:15 at the Ann Street Park "main stage"
Delaware Valley Jazz Band featuring vocalist Natasha Green, Orchestra and Choir

(see the whole schedule)

Miscounted ballot hits the news; Courier updates its report on military ballot

• Voter brings primary ballot error to commissioners' attention (Read more from PoconoNews.net)
  
• UPDATE: Father says uncounted sailor’s vote for Fisher (Read more in the Pike County Courier)
  
• Obey the law, don't make it (Read more in the Times Herald-Record)

Courier roundup: More on tie

• Complications abound in Pike primary
• School board tie election... in NY
• Delaware Valley prom was a ‘moonlit moment’
• School renews ties with fallen Vietnam hero
• April’s best at Dingman-Delaware
• Backseat beats shotgun
• High school hosts district seniors
• HONOR ROLL: Delaware Valley High School
• Scholarship fund benefits from pig roast

NYC TV station covers tribute to fallen hero at DVES

Vietnam POW remembered by students (WABC-7)